e stepped up to the door to try it. It
was locked!

"Well, I'll be darned!" cried Obed, standing before the door and
regarding it with astonishment. "I've seen some curious foreign
fashions, but this here _I_talian fashion of locking a man in is a
little the curiousest. And what in thunder is the meaning of it?"

He looked at the door with a frown, while there was that on his face
which showed that he might be deliberating whether to kick through
the panels or not. But his momentary indignation soon subsided, and,
with a short laugh, he turned away and strolled up to the window with
an indifferent expression. There he drew up an arm-chair, and seating
himself in this, he looked out into the street. For some time his
attention and his thoughts were all engaged by the busy scene; but at
length he came to himself, and began to think that it was about time
for the return of Miss Lorton. He paced up and down the room
impatiently, till growing tired of this rather monotonous employment,
he sought the window again. Half an hour had now passed, and Obed's
patience was fast failing. Still he waited on, and another half hour
passed. Then he deliberated whether it would not be better to go back
to his rooms, and bring the younger Miss Lorton here to see her
sister. But this thought he soon dismissed. Having waited so long for
the sake of carrying out his first plan, it seemed weak to give it up
on account of a little impatience. He determined, however, to
question the landlord again; so he pulled at the bell.

No answer came.

He pulled again and again for some minutes.

Still there was no answer.

He now began to feel indignant, and determined to resort to extreme
measures. So going to the door, he rapped upon it with his stick
several times, each time waiting for an answer. But no answer came.
Then he beat incessantly against the door, keeping up a long,
rolling, rattling volley of knocks without stopping, and making noise
enough to rouse the whole house, even if every body in the house
should happen to be in the deepest of slumbers. Yet even now for some
time there was no response; and Obed at length was beginning to think
of his first purpose, and preparing to kick through the panels, when
his attention was aroused by the sound of heavy footsteps in the
hall. They came nearer and nearer as he stood waiting, and at length
stopped in front of the door. His only thought was that this
was the lady whom he sought so he step