Lookatit。Thereisn’tanotherhousequitelikeitinEngland。
Itisworthlookingover。“
“Itismostimpressive，“Hamelagreed，“andwonderfullybeautiful。
Itseemsodd，“headded，withalaugh，“thatyoushouldcareaboutthislittleshantyhere，withallthebeautifulroomsyoumusthaveofyourown。“
“It’sNaboth’svineyard，“Mr。Fentolingroaned。“Now，Mr。Hamel，youaregoingtobegracious，aren’tyou？Letusleavethequestionofyourlittlehabitationherealoneforthepresent。Comebackwithme。Mynieceshallgiveyousometea，andyoushallchooseyourroomfromforty。Youcansleepinahauntedchamber，orahistoricalchamber，inQueenElizabeth’sroom，aVictorianchamber，oraLouisQuinzeroom。Allmypeoplehavespenttheirsubstanceinfurniture。Don’tlookatyourbag。Clothesareunnecessary。I
cansupplyyouwitheverything。Or，ifyoupreferit，IcansendafastcarintoNorwichforyourownthings。Comeandbemyguest，please。“
Hamelhesitated。HehadnottheslightestdesiretogotoSt。
David’sHall，andthoughhestrovetoignoreit，hewasconsciousofanaversionofwhichhewasheartilyashamedforthisstrangefragmentofhumanity。Ontheotherhand，hismission，theactualmissionwhichhadbroughthimdowntotheseparts，couldcertainlybestbeservedbyanentreeintotheHallitself-andtherewasthegirl，whomhefeltsurebelongedthere。Hehadneverforamomentbeenabletodismissherfromhisthoughts。Herstill，coldface，thedelicateperfectionofherclothesandfigure，thegreyeyeswhichhadresteduponhissocuriously，hauntedhim。Hewasdesperatelyanxioustoseeheragain。Ifherefusedthisinvitation，ifherejectedMr。Fentolin’sprofferedfriendship，itwouldbeallthemoredifficult。
“Youarereallyverykind，“hebeganhesitatingly-
“Itissettled，“Mr。Fentolininterrupted，“settled。Meekins，youcanridebackagain。Ishallnotpaintto-day。Mr。Hamel，youwillwalkbymyside，willyounot？Icanrunmylittlemachinequiteslowly。Yousee，Ihaveanelectricbattery。Itneedschargingoften，butIhaveadynamoofmyown。Youneversawavehiclelikethisinallyourtravellings，didyou？“
Hamelshookhishead。
“Anelectricalbath-chair，“Mr。Fentolincontinued。“Practicehasmademeremarkablyskilfulinitsmanipulation。Yousee，Icansteertoaninch。“
Hewasalreadyturningaround。Hamelrosetohisfeet。
“Youarereallyverykind，“hesaid。“IshouldliketocomeupandseetheHall，atanyrate，butinthemeantime，aswearehere，couldIjustlookovertheinsideofthislittleplace？Ifoundthelargeshedwherethelifeboatusedtobekept，lockedup。“
Mr。Fentolinwasmanoeuvringhiscarriage。HisbackwastowardsHamel。
“Byallmeans，“hedeclared。“Wewillgointogether。IhavehadtheentrancewidenedsothatIcanridestraightintothesitting-room。Butwait。“
Hepausedsuddenly。Hefeltinallhispockets。
“Dearme，“heexclaimed，“IfindthatIhaveleftthekeys！Wewillcomedownalittlelater，ifyoudonotmind，Mr。Hamel。Orto-morrow，perhaps。Youwillnotmind？Itisverycarelessofme，butseeingyouabouttheplaceandimaginingthatyouwereanintruder，mademeangry，andIstartedoffinahurry。Nowwalkbymysideuptothehouse，please，andtalktome。Itissointerestingformetomeetmen，“hewenton，astheystartedalongthestraightpath，“whodothingsinlife；whogotoforeigncountries，meetstrangepeople，andhavenewexperiences。Ihavebeenagoodmanyyearslikethis，youknow。“
“Itisagreataffliction，“Hamelmurmuredsympathetically。
“InmyyouthIwasanathlete，“Mr。Fentolincontinued。“IplayedcricketfortheVarsityandformycounty。Ihunted，too，andshot。
Ididallthethingsamanlovestodo。Imightstillshoot，theytellme，butmystrengthhasebbedaway。Iamtooweaktoliftagun，tooweakeventohandleafishing-rod。Ihavejustafewhobbiesinlifewhichkeepmealive。Areyouapolitician，Mr。
Hamel？“
“Notintheleast，“Hamelreplied。“IhavebeenoutofEnglandtoolongtokeepintouchwithpolitics。“
“Naturally，“Mr。Fentolinagreed。“Itamusesmetofollowthecourseofevents。IhaveagoodmanyfriendsinLondonandabroadwhoarekindtome，whokeepmeinformed，sendmeoddbitsofinformationnotavailableforeveryone，anditamusesmetoputthesethingstogetherinmymindandtotryandplaytheprophet。
IwasintheForeignOfficeonce，youknow。Itakeupmypapereverymorning，anditisoneofmychiefintereststoseehownearmyownspeculationscometothetruth。Justnowforexample，therearestrangethingsdoingontheContinent。“
“InAmerica，“Hamelremarked，“theyaffecttolookuponEnglandasadoomedPower。“
“Notaltogethersupineyet，“Mr。Fentolinobserved，“yeteventhislastgenerationhasseenweakening。Wehavelostsomuchself-reliance。Perhapsitishavingthesegrown-upchildrenwhowethinkcantakecareofus-CanadaandAustralia，andtheothers。
However，wewillnottalkofpolitics。Itboresyou，Icansee。
Wewilltryandfindsomeothersubject。Nowtellme，don’tyouthinkthisisingenious？“
TheyhadreachedthefootofthehilluponwhichtheHallwassituated。Infrontofthem，underneaththeterrace，wasalittleirongate，heldopennowbyMeekins，whohadgoneonaheadanddismountedfromhisbicycle。
“IhaveasubterraneanwayfromhereintotheHall，“Mr。Fentolinexplained。“Comewithme。Youwillonlyhavetostoopalittle，anditmayamuseyou。Youneednotbeafraid。Thereareelectriclightseverytenyards。Iturnthemonwiththisswitch-see。“
Mr。Fentolintouchedabuttoninthewall，andtheplacewasatoncebrilliantlyilluminated。Alittlerowoflightsfromtheceilingandthewallsstretchedawayasfarasonecouldsee。Theypassedthroughtheirongates，whichshutbehindthemwithaclick。
Stoopingalittle，Hamelwasstillabletowalkbythesideofthemaninthechair。Theytraversedaboutahundredyardsofsubterraneanway。Hereandthereafungushungdownfromthewall，otherwiseitwasbeautifullykeptanddry。Byandby，withalittleturn，theycametoaninclineandanotherirongate，heldopenforthembyafootman。Mr。Fentolinspedupthelastfewfeetintothegreathail，whichseemedmoreimposingthaneverbyreasonofthisunexpectedentrance。Hamel，blinkingalittle，steppedtohisside。
“Welcome！“Mr。Fentolincriedgaily。“Welcome，myfriendMr。Hamel，toSt。David’sHall！“
Duringthenexthalf-hour，Hamelwasintroducedtoluxuriestowhich，inageneralway，hewasentirelyunaccustomed。Oneman-servantwasbusypreparinghisbathinaroomleadingoutofhissleepingapartment，whileanotherbroughthimachoiceofeveningclothesandsuperintendedhisdisrobing。Hamel，alwaysobservant，studiedhissurroundingswithkeeninterest。Hefoundhimselfinaqueerlymixedatmosphereofluxuriousmodernityandstatelyantiquity。Hisfour-poster，thehugecouchatthefootofhisbed，andallthefurnitureabouttheroom，wasoftheQueenAnneperiod。Thebathroomwhichcommunicatedwithhisapartmentwasthelatesttriumphoftheplumber’sart-aroomwithfloorandwallsofwhitetiles，thebathitselfalittlesunkenandtwicetheordinarysize。
Hedispensedsofarashecouldwiththeservicesofthemenanddescended，assoonashewasdressed，intothehall。Meekinswaswaitingatthebottomofthestairs，dressednowinsomberblack。
“Mr。Fentolinwillbegladifyouwillstepintohisroom，sir，“heannounced，leadingtheway。
Mr。Fentolinwasseatedinhischair，readingtheTimesinacornerofhislibrary。Shapedblockshadbeenplacedbehindandinfrontofthewheelsofhislittlevehicle，topreventitfrommoving。A
shadedreading-lampstoodonthetablebyhisside。Hedidnotatoncelookup，andHamelglancedaroundwithgenuineadmiration。
Theshelveswhichlinedthewallsandthewingedcaseswhichprotrudedintotheroomwerefilledwithbooks。Therewasalargeoaktablewithbeautifullycarvedlegs，piledwithallsortsofmodernreviewsandmagazines。Alogfirewasburninginthebigoakengrate。Theperfumefromagreatbowloflavenderseemedtominglecuriouslyyetpleasantlywiththehalfmustyodouroftheoldleather-houndvolumes。Themassivechimneypiecewasofblackoak，andaboveitwerecarvedthearmsoftheHouseofFentolin。
Thewallswereoak-panelledtotheceiling。
“Refreshed，Ihope，byyourbathandchange，mydearvisitor？“theheadofthehouseremarked，ashelaiddownhispaper。“Drawachairuphereandjoinmeinaglassofvermouth。Youneednotbeafraidofit。Itcomestomefromthemakerasaspecialfavour。
Hamelacceptedaquaintly-cutwine-glassfulloftheamberliquid。
Mr。Fentolinsippedhiswiththeairofaconnoisseur。
“This，“hecontinued，“isoneofourinformaldays。Thereisnooneinthehousesavemysister-in-law，niece，andnephew，andapoorinvalidgentlemanwho，Iamsorrytosay，isconfinedtohisbed。Mysister-in-lawisalso，Iregrettosay，indisposed。Shedesiredmetopresentherexcusestoyouandsayhowgreatlysheislookingforwardtomakingyouracquaintanceduringthenextfewdays。“
Hamelbowed。
“ItisverykindofMrs。Fentolin，“hemurmured。
“Ontheseoccasions，“Mr。Fentolincontinued，“wedonotmakeuseofadrawing-room。Myniecewillcomeinherepresently。Youarelookingatmybooks，Isee。Areyou，byanychance，abibliophile？
Ihaveacaseofmanuscriptsherewhichmightinterestyou。
Hamelshookhishead。
“Onlyintheabstract，Ifear，“heanswered。“IhavescarcelyopenedaseriousbooksinceIwasatOxford。“
“Whatwasyouryear？“Mr。Fentolinasked。
“FourteenyearsagoIleftMagdalen，“Hamelreplied。“Ihadmadeupmymindtoheanengineer，andIwentovertotheBostonInstituteofTechnology。“
Mr。Fentolinnoddedappreciatively。
