lung the newspaper to the ground, then stooping down
he picked it up, first moving his forefinger along the floor, seemingly
slightly scratching it with his nail.

'Do you hope, sir,' said I, 'by that ceremony with the finger to preserve
yourself from the evil chance?'

The stranger started; then, after looking at me for some time in silence,
he said, 'Is it possible that you--?'

'Ay, ay,' said I, helping myself to some more of the round; 'I have
touched myself in my younger days, both for the evil chance and the good.
Can't say, though, that I ever trusted much in the ceremony.'

The stranger made no reply, but appeared to be in deep thought; nothing
farther passed between us until I had concluded the dinner, when I said
to him, 'I shall now be most happy, sir, to have the pleasure of your
conversation over a pint of wine.'

The stranger rose; 'No, my young friend,' said he, smiling, 'that would
scarce be fair. It is my turn now--pray do me the favour to go home with
me, and accept what hospitality my poor roof can offer; to tell you the
truth, I wish to have some particular discourse with you which would
hardly be possible in this place. As for wine, I can give you some much
better than you can get here: the landlord is an excellent fellow, but he
is an innkeeper after all. I am going out for a moment, and will send
him in, so that you may settle your account; I trust you will not refuse
me, I only live about two miles from here.'

I looked in the face of the stranger--it was a fine intelligent face,
with a cast of melancholy in it. 'Sir,' said I, 'I would go with you
though you lived four miles instead of two.'

'Who is that gentleman?' said I to the landlord, after I had settled his
bill; 'I am going home with him.'

'I wish I were going too,' said the fat landlord, laying his hand upon
his stomach. 'Young gentleman, I shall be a loser by his honour's taking
you away; but, after all, the truth is the truth--there are few gentlemen
in these parts like his honour, either for learning or welcoming his
friends. Young gentleman, I congratulate you.'

CHAPTER LXIV

New acquaintance--Old French style--The portrait--Taciturnity--The
evergreen tree--The dark hour--The flash--Ancestors--A fortunate man--A
posthumous child--Antagonist ideas--The hawks--Flaws--The
pony--Irresistible impulse--Favourable crisis--The topmost branch--Twenty
feet--Heartily ashamed.

I found the stranger awaiting me at the