l. He carelessly opened it; not a
name had been entered there since the 19th of the previous November, and
that was only the name of a man who had arrived on a tricycle, who,
indeed, had not been asked to enter at all.

While he was engaged thus the evening grew darker; but before it was as
yet too dark to distinguish objects upon the road winding round the back
of the cliffs, the landlord perceived a black spot on the distant white,
which speedily enlarged itself and drew near. The probabilities were
that this vehicle--for a vehicle of some sort it seemed to be--would pass
by and pursue its way to the nearest railway-town as others had done.
But, contrary to the landlord's expectation, as he stood conning it
through the yet unshuttered windows, the solitary object, on reaching the
corner, turned into the hotel-front, and drove up to the door.

It was a conveyance particularly unsuited to such a season and weather,
being nothing more substantial than an open basket-carriage drawn by a
single horse. Within sat two persons, of different sexes, as could soon
be discerned, in spite of their muffled attire. The man held the reins,
and the lady had got some shelter from the storm by clinging close to his
side. The landlord rang the hostler's bell to attract the attention of
the stable-man, for the approach of the visitors had been deadened to
noiselessness by the snow, and when the hostler had come to the horse's
head the gentleman and lady alighted, the landlord meeting them in the
hall.

The male stranger was a foreign-looking individual of about eight-and-
twenty. He was close-shaven, excepting a moustache, his features being
good, and even handsome. The lady, who stood timidly behind him, seemed
to be much younger--possibly not more than eighteen, though it was
difficult to judge either of her age or appearance in her present
wrappings.

The gentleman expressed his wish to stay till the morning, explaining
somewhat unnecessarily, considering that the house was an inn, that they
had been unexpectedly benighted on their drive. Such a welcome being
given them as landlords can give in dull times, the latter ordered fires
in the drawing and coffee-rooms, and went to the boy in the yard, who
soon scrubbed himself up, dragged his disused jacket from its box,
polished the buttons with his sleeve, and appeared civilized in the hall.
The lady was shown into a room where she could take off her snow-damped
garments, which