outside, gave a long shrill whistle; he paused for a few
seconds, and repeated it, when I could hear the distant barking of a dog
replying to his call. Just then he turned abruptly, and with a spring
seized me by the arm.

'Who are you? What do you want here?' said he, in a voice tremulous with
passion.

A few words--it was no time for long explanations--told him how I had
lost my way in the mountain, and was in search of shelter for the night.

'It was a lucky thing for you that one of my lambs was astray,' said
he, with a fierce smile. 'If Tete-noir had been at home, he'd have made
short work of you. Come in.'

With that he pushed me before him into the tower, and pointed to the
block of wood where he had been sitting previously, while he threw a
fresh supply of furze upon the hearth, and stirred up the blaze with his
foot.

'The wind is moving round to the southard,' said he; 'we 'll have a
heavy fall of rain soon.'

'The stars look very bright, however.'

'Never trust them. Before day breaks, you'll see the mountain will be
covered with mist.'

As he spoke, he crossed his arms on his breast, and recommenced his walk
up and down the chamber. The few words he spoke surprised me much by the
tones of his voice, so unlike the accents I should have expected from
one of his miserable and squalid appearance; they were mild, and bore
the traces of one who had seen very different fortunes from his present
ones.

I wished to speak, and induce him to converse with me; but the efforts
I made seeming only to excite his displeasure, I abandoned the endeavour
with a good grace; and having disposed my knapsack as a pillow,
stretched myself full length before the hearth, and fell sound asleep.

When I awoke, the shepherd was not to be seen. The fire, which blazed
brightly, showed, however, that he had not long been absent; a huge log
of beech had recently been thrown upon it. The day was breaking, and I
went to the door to look out. Nothing, however, could I see; vast clouds
of mist were sweeping along before the wind, that sighed mournfully over
the bleak mountains and concealed everything a few yards off, while a
thin rain came slanting down, the prelude to the storm the shepherd had
prophesied.

Never was there anything more dreary within or without; the miserable
poverty of the ruined tower was scarcely a shelter from the coming
hurricane. I returned to my place beside the fire, sad and low at heart.
While I was c