"Why, Mr. Crewe," said Rolfe, with evident pleasure, "who'd have thought
of seeing you?"
"Your landlady asked me if I'd come up myself," said Crewe, in explaining
his intrusion. "She's 'too much worried and put about, to say nothing of
having a bad back,' to show me upstairs."
"I've never known her to be well," said Rolfe, with a laugh. "Every
morning when she brings up my breakfast I've got to hear details of her
bad back which should be kept for the confidential ear of the doctor. But
she regards me as a son, I think--I've been here so long. But now you are
here, Mr. Crewe--" Rolfe waited in polite expectation that his visitor
would disclose the object of his visit.
But Crewe seemed in no hurry to do so. He produced his cigar case and
offered Rolfe a cigar, which the latter accepted with a pleasant
recollection of the excellent flavour of the cigars the private detective
kept. When each of them had his cigar well alight, Crewe glanced at the
open stamp album and commenced talking about stamps. It was a subject
which Rolfe was always willing to discuss. Crewe declared that he was an
ignorant outsider as far as stamps were concerned, but he professed to
have a respectful admiration for those who immersed themselves in such a
fascinating subject.
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