JOHN CHILDERMASS

'He was a dark sort of someone, a not-quite-respectable someone... His ragged hair hung about his shoulders like a fall of black water; he had a strong, thin face with something twisted in it, like a tree root; and a long, thin nose; and, though his skin was very pale, something made it seem a dark face - perhaps it was the darkness of his eyes, or the proximity of that long, black greasy hair.'