d away
into the land of wild thoughts and fancies by one dominating caprice;
who knows whether out of the realm of this delusion he may not be a man
acute and sensible."

"No, no," muttered he, half aloud; "there are, maybe, half a million of
men this moment manufacturing steam-engines; but it took one head, just
one head, to set them all working, and if it was n't for old Watt, the
world at this day would n't be five miles in advance of what it was a
century back. I see," added he, after a moment, "you don't take much
interest in these sort of things. _Your_ line of parts is the walking
gentleman, eh? Well, bear in mind it don't pay; no, sir, it don't pay!
Here, this is my way; my lodging is down this lane. I'll not ask you to
come further; thank you for your help, and good-bye."

"Let us not part here; come up to the inn and dine with me," said I,
affecting his own blunt and abrupt manner.

"Why should _I_ dine with _you?_" asked he, roughly.

"I can't exactly say," stammered I, "except out of good-fellowship,
just as, for instance, I accepted your invitation t' other morning to
breakfast."

"Ah, yes, to be sure, so you did. Well, I 'll come. We shall be all
alone, I suppose?"

"Quite alone."

"All right, for I have no coat but this one;" and he looked down at the
coarse sleeve as he spoke, with a strange and sad smile, and then waving
his band in token of farewell, he said, "I 'll join you in half an
hour," and disappeared up the lane.

I have already owned that I did not like this man; he had a certain
short abrupt way that repelled me at every moment. When he differed in
opinion with me, he was not satisfied to record his dissent, but he
must set about demolishing my conviction, and this sort of intolerance
pervaded all he said. There was, too, that business-like practical tone
about him that jars fearfully on the sensitive fibre of the idler's
nature.

It was exactly in proportion as his society was distasteful to me, that
I felt a species of pride in associating with him, as though to say,
"I am not one of those who must be fawned on and flattered. I am of
a healthier and manlier stamp; I can afford to hear my judgments
arraigned, and my opinions opposed." And in this humor I ascended the
stairs of the hotel, and entered the room where our table was already
laid out.

To compensate, as far as they could, for the rude reception of the day
before, they had given me now the "grand apartment" of the inn