Chapter IV.—The Hangman at the Feast.Gilbert Larose was enjoying his lunch, for the turbot and lobster sauce were excellent, and the hock was the best he had ever tasted.
“The turbot, the sole, and the salmon,” was his mental comment, “are surely the very aristocracy of the sea, but I think I like the turbot best. It has a silky flavour that is most agreeable to the palate. And this wine—it is a nectar and most certainly much better than that beer the inspector spoke about.”
He made a grimace. “But really I wish I were enjoying everything under pleasanter surroundings. This is quite a little banquet in its way and the company is most select, but”—he sighed—“I am the hangman at the feast.”
He went on: “Yes, Gilbert, my boy, you are out on business, and it is your hope to introduce one of
