Au moment ou nous arrivions a la porte de la maison, nous vîmes un homme grand, a la figure pâle, aux cheveux blonds filasse, qui tenait un calepin a la main, se hâter a notre rencontre.
At the door of the house we were met by a tall, white-faced, flaxen-haired man, with a notebook in his hand, who rushed forward and wrung my companion's hand with effusion.