A man came slowly over the old stone bridge, and averting his gaze fromthe dark river with its silent craft, looked with some satisfactiontoward the feeble lights of the small town on the other side. He walkedwith the painful, forced step of one who has already trudged far. Hisworsted hose, where they were not darned, were in holes, and his coat andknee-breeches were rusty with much wear, but he straightened himself ashe reached the end of the bridge and stepped out bravely to the tavernswhich stood in a row facing the quay.

He passed the "Queen Anne"—a mere beershop—without pausing, and after aglance apiece at the "Royal George" and the "Trusty Anchor," kept on hisway to where the "Golden Key" hung out a gilded emblem. It was the besthouse in Riverstone, and patronized by the gentry, but he adjusted hisfaded coat, and with a swaggering air entered and walked boldly into thecoffee-room.

The room was empty, but a bright fire afforded a pleasant change to thechill October air outside. He drew up a chair, and placing his feet onthe fender, exposed his tattered soles to the blaze, as a waiter who hadjust seen him enter the room came and stood aggressively inside the door.

"Brandy and water," said the stranger; "hot."

"The coffee-room is for gentlemen staying in the house," said the waiter.

The stranger took his feet from the fender, and rising slowly, walkedtoward him. He was a short man and thin, but there was something somenacing in his attitude, and something so fearsome in his stony browneyes, that the other, despite his disgust for ill-dressed people, movedback uneasily.

"Brandy and water, hot," repeated the stranger; "and plenty of it. D'yehear?"

The man turned slowly to depart.

"Stop!" said the other, imperiously. "What's the name of the landlordhere?"

"Mullet," said the fellow, sulkily.

"Send him to me," said the other, resuming his seat; "and hark you, myfriend, more civility, or 'twill be the worse for you."

He stirred the log on the fire with his foot until a shower of sparkswhirled up the chimney. The door opened, and the landlord, with thewaiter behind him, entered the room, but he still gazed placidly at theglowing embers.

"What do you want?" demanded the landlord, in a deep voice.

The stranger turned a little weazened yellow face and grinned at himfamiliarly.

"Send that fat rascal of yours away," he said, slowly.

The landlord started at his voice and eyed him closely; then he signed tothe man to withdraw, and closing the door behind him, stood silentlywatching his visitor.

"You didn't expect to see me, Rogers," said the latter.

...