mist curling above those trees to the right?
I take that to be smoke; where there's smoke there must be fire; fire
must have been kindled by some human being or other--through that
individual we will endeavour to obtain an introduction to some
blacksmith, conjointly with sufficient topographical information to
enable us to reach our destination in time for a certain meal called
dinner, which has acquired an unusual degree of importance in my eyes
within the last hour or so. I have spoken!"

"Like a book," replied I; "and the next thing is to ~187~~bring your
sapient deductions to the test of experiment. There is a cart-track here
which appears to lead towards the smoke you observed; let us try that."
So saying, I also dismounted, and throwing my horse's bridle over my arm
we proceeded together on foot in the direction Oaklands had indicated.

Ten minutes' walking brought us into a rough country lane, winding
picturesquely between high banks and green hedges, affording an
agreeable contrast to the flat, unenclosed tracts of corn-land so
general throughout Cambridgeshire. After following this lane about a
quarter of a mile, we came upon a small, retired ale-house, surrounded
by trees. As we approached the door a stout, vulgar-looking woman,
dressed in rather tawdry finery, ran out to meet us; on coming nearer,
however, she stopped short as if surprised, and then re-entered the
house as quickly as she had left it, calling to some one within as she
did so. After waiting for a minute or two she came back, accompanied by
a tall, disagreeable-looking man in a velveteen shooting-jacket, with a
remarkably dirty face, and hands to match.

"Is there a blacksmith living anywhere near here, my good man?" inquired
Oaklands.

"Mayhap there is," was the reply in a surly tone. "Can you direct us how
to find him?" continued Oaklands.

"What might you want with him when you've found him?" was the rejoinder.

"My horse has cast a shoe, and I want one put on immediately,'" replied
Oaklands, who was getting impatient at the man's unsatisfactory, not to
say insolent, manner.

"Mayhap you won't get it done in quite such a hurry as you seems to
expect! There's a blacksmith lives at Stony End, about five miles
farther on. Go straight up the lane for about three miles, then turn
to the right, then twice to the left, and then you'll see a finger-post
that ain't got nothing on it--when you come to that----"

"Which I never shall do, depend