After expressing his gratitude once more, Gray accompanied his visitor down to the hall, where he remained standing on the steps until the car drove away. He was just turning back toward the staircase when the porter, who was engaged with the telephone, thrust his head out of the box. "Gen'leman wants to speak to you, sir--a Mister Ashton." Gray walked forward and picked up the receiver. "Hullo!" he observed encouragingly. "Hullo!" came the answer. "That you, Colin?" "Of course it's me." "Mark speaking--Mark Ashton. Are you engaged for lunch?" "Not if I can get any one else to pay for it," was the candid reply. "Well, how would you like to come along and feed with me at the Savoy Grill?" "I've no particular objection. What's the matter? Have you come into money?" There was a chuckle at the other end of the wire. "Nothing like that. Just a sudden thirst for your society." "It shall be gratified," said Gray. "What time shall I show up?" "One o'clock. Suit you all right?" "Excellently." "That'll do, then. If you get there first order yourself a cocktail." The speaker rang off, and, replacing the receiver, Gray glanced at his watch. It was a few minutes past twelve, and, being the day on which he was off duty, there was nothing to prevent him leaving the hospital as soon as he pleased. The prospect of a two-mile walk before lunch distinctly appealed to him, so, remounting the stairs to his small bedroom at the top of the building, he proceeded to change out of his white surgeon's kit into something a little more in harmony with the best traditions of a fashionable restaurant. At exactly five minutes to one he passed through the revolving glass door of the Savoy and entered the already crowded lounge. Before he had time to glance round, a man, who had been sitting in the farther corner, rose to his feet and came forward to meet him. No one, not even a newspaper reporter, would have called Mark Ashton handsome. In spite of his roughly cut features, his untidy hair, his badly fitting frock coat, and his large gold-rimmed spectacles there was, however, such a genuine and friendly air about his whole appearance that anybody except a fool would have been attracted by him at once. Somehow or other he reminded one of a large, shaggy, good-tempered dog. He came up to Gray and shook him heartily by the hand. "This is splendid, Colin," he said. "I'm awfully glad you were able to manage it." "So am I," returned his guest. "It would have broken my heart to refuse an invitation like this." Mark grinned broadly, and, thrusting his arm through his companion's, piloted him across the lounge in the direction of the grill-room door. "I've ordered a table," he announced, "so unless you'd rather wait a bit we may as well have lunch right away." "That will suit me," said Colin cheerfully. "I breakfasted at eight, and I've just walked up from the hospital."