Ember," that is, nine o'clock--it was now time to prepare.
Returning to his bedchamber, he laid out a carefully selected change of
clothing, shaved, parboiled himself in a hot bath, chilled him to the
pith in one of icy coldness, and dressed with scrupulous heed to detail,
studiously effacing every sign of his sleepless night.
That experience was in no way to be surmised from his appearance when he
sallied forth to breakfast at the Plaza.
At eight precisely, presenting himself at the Stanistreet residence, he
desired the footman to announce him as the author of a certain telegram
from Edgartown.
He was obliged to wait less than a minute, the footman returning in haste
to request him to step into the library.
This apartment--which he found much as he had last seen it, eight hours
ago, its window shattered, the portieres down, the furniture in some
disorder--was, on his introduction, occupied by two persons, one an
elderly, iron-gray gentleman of untidy dress and unobtrusive habit in spite
of a discerning cool, gray eye, the other Mr.
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