the roadside, entirely detached. Within
sight, but at a considerable distance, were a
farm and an empty country-house. Both
were so screened by rows of trees that the
inn might be fairly called lone.

Could I sleep there? A tall, fine-looking
woman, with a wicked—by which I mean a
really false and bad—devil in her eye, at once
answered Yes. I asked to see the chamber,
and was shown to it through a back kitchen
and another sleeping-room, both on the
ground-floor. It was clean and dry, with
pretensions to neatness; but something,
nevertheless, prejudiced me against it. A long,
narrow room, hardly more than six feet wide, with
an uncurtained window at each end—almost
filled with an unwieldy bed, over which hung
curtains, after the French fashion, but so
scanty as to leave great portions of the wall
and ceiling visible from below—all this did
not vastly take my fancy. But it was
Hobson's choice until Jules could arrive, and
was really all that a moderate-minded
traveller had a right to expect at a roadside
inn in France; so I returned to the kitchen
with an air of content. The landlord, a tall,
dark-visaged, wiry fellow, with the falsest
grey eyes you ever saw, sat beneath the curtain
which hung in front of the mantel-piece,
seemingly quite occupied with gazing at some
cutlets, which an intriguing-looking woman
of forty was grilling over the embers on the
hearth. He managed however, now and
then, to catch a stealthy glance at me; and a
younger man, lathy and lank, but with great
elasticity and powerful leverage of limb, a
sort of resident brother-in-law, did the same
as he entered soon afterwards. Altogether,
my new acquaintances gave me that
antagonistic and repulsive impression which
rarely fails to turn out true. Of course, after
so long and anxious a walk, an evening meal
was acceptable.

While my supper was getting ready, I
strolled round the outside of the house and
noticed the position of one window of my
bed-room, which looked into the yard. A
stable, or cow-house, was the apartment
contiguous to mine. Over my bed-room was a
granary, which was not accessible either from
the stable, or the interior of the house; a
short flight of wooden steps had to be
mounted to reach its door, which was
carefully fastened with a padlock and chain.
There was little enough to amuse in all this,
so I asked whether they had a garden, and
where it was? Yes they had a garden; not
just here, but a few steps off. What did I
inquire about the garden for? Oh! nothing
particular; I was fond of gardening and
should like to take a stroll round it. To be
sure, I was a little too tired to dig there just
now: but a stranger, I said, might be
amused by observing its plan and arrangement.
Dig! what did I expect to find by
digging ? Did I think there was anything
concealed underground in a kitchen garden
belonging to respectable publicans? They
had never been suspected in that way before.
And they eyed myself, and each other, with
strange and stolen glances.

A decent repast was set before me. The
eternal cold roast veal with savoury jelly, a
hot mutton cutlet grilled over the coals,
some sweet slices of household bread, and a
lump of fresh butter, constituted the solids.
What would I drink? They had excellent
wine, and not dear; only twenty-five
sous for a bottle of Bordeaux. They
reserved a particular bin for gentlemen
travellers. A grin, and a twinkling eye, were
the accompaniments to this offer. No; I
could not afford wine to-night, unless they
could change me an English bank-note for
two hundred and fifty francs; otherwise, I
should convert it into more convenient money
as soon as I reached the town of Moulins. I
wished to pay my bill to-night, before going
to bed, as I expected to leave very early next
morning. I would have some beer, out ot
the cask at the foot of the cellar stairs: the
very same as they had just been drinking
themselves. I must not exceed for my supper
and lodging the trifling amount of small
change which I happened to have in my
pocket. Had Monsieur any gold about him?
They could change either French or English
gold. No; I had nothing smaller than bank-
notes, as I had not anticipated being thus
detained on the road. Other curious glances
right and left. Never mind the want of
change! They desired greatly that Monsieur
should taste the wine. A bottle of good
Bordeaux could do no harm, after so long a
walk as he seemed to have taken. He would
pay, the next time he passed that way.

I firmly resisted the offer thus pressed on
me, but drank my pint of beer, and retired
to rest. While undressing, I could not help
thinking how curious it was, that all the
time I had been eating my supper, different
members of the family had been passing and
re-passing through the room, never leaving
me to myself half a minute to make my
observations in quiet, but looking at me, during
those transient visits, in an odd sort of way,
much in the manner in which, in certain
prisons, a new arrival sits for his portrait
to the entire body of turnkeys successively.
But my candle was soon puffed out. It had
hardly been necessary; for both the windows
were quite unshaded, and the moonbeams
lighted up every object in the room. The
only means of fastening the door, was by an.
iron catch, so slight that it was a mere
formality and pretence of seclusion. The hook
and eye of a lady's dress would be as useful
inthe way of bolts and bars. Such as it
was, it had been duly arranged, and in a few
minutes I was fast asleep.

I slept till about three in the morning,
when I awoke cool and refreshed. The day
was breaking, and the moon, just past the
full, was shining brightly in the stable yard.