You needn't
even say anything to your man there about us."
"Walter, what's on for to-night?"he asked when they had gone. "How
are you fixed for a little trip out to Riverwood?"
"To tell the truth, I had an engagement at the College Club with
some of the fellows."
"Oh, cut it."
"That's what I intend to do," I replied.
It was a raw night, and we bundled ourselves up in old football
sweaters under our overcoats. Half an hour later we were on our
way up to Riverwood.
"By the way, Craig," I asked, "I didn't like to say anything before
those fellows. They'd think I was a dub. But I don't mind asking
you. What is this 'portrait parle' they talk about, anyway?"
"Why, it's a word-picture - a 'spoken picture,' to be literal. I
took some lessons in it at Bertillon's school when I was in Paris.
It's a method of scientific apprehension of criminals, a sort of
necessary addition and completion to the methods of scientific
identification of them after they are arrested. For instance, in
trying to pick out a given criminal from his mere description you
begin with the nose. Now, noses are all concave, straight, or
convex. This Forbes had a nose that was concave, Burke says.
Suppose you were sent out to find him.
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