sent as I deemed would be some compensation for the trouble I had
caused. Hearing that the old gentleman was in the study, I repaired to
him. 'I am come to take leave of you,' said I, 'and to thank you for all
the hospitality which I have received at your hands.' The eyes of the
old man were fixed steadfastly on the inscription which I had found him
studying on a former occasion. 'At length,' he murmured to himself. 'I
have it--I think I have it;' and then, looking at me, he said: 'So you
are about to depart?'

'Yes,' said I, 'my horse will be at the front door in a few minutes. I
am glad, however, before I go, to find that you have mastered the
inscription.'

'Yes,' said the old man, 'I believe I have mastered it. It seems to
consist of some verses relating to the worship of the Spirit of the
Hearth.'

'What is the Spirit of the Hearth?' said I.

'One of the many demons which the Chinese worship,' said the old man.
'They do not worship one God, but many.' And then the old man told me a
great many highly-interesting particulars respecting the demon worship of
the Chinese.

After the lapse of at least half an hour I said: 'I must not linger here
any longer, however willing. Horncastle is distant, and I wish to be
there to-night. Pray can you inform me what's o'clock?'

The old man, rising, looked towards the clock which hung on the side of
the room at his left hand, on the farther side of the table at which he
was seated.

'I am rather short-sighted,' said I, 'and cannot distinguish the numbers
at that distance.'

'It is ten o'clock,' said the old man; 'I believe somewhat past.'

'A quarter, perhaps?'

'Yes,' said the old man, 'a quarter, or--'

'Or?'

'Seven minutes, or ten minutes past ten.'

'I do not understand you.'

'Why, to tell you the truth,' said the old man, with a smile, 'there is
one thing to the knowledge of which I could never exactly attain.'

'Do you mean to say,' said I, 'that you do not know what's o'clock?'

'I can give a guess,' said the old man, 'to within a few minutes.'

'But you cannot tell the exact moment?'

'No,' said the old man.

'In the name of wonder,' said I, 'with that thing there on the wall
continually ticking in your ear, how comes it that you do not know what's
o'clock?'

'Why,' said the old man, 'I have contented myself with giving a tolerably
good guess; to do more would have been too great trouble.'

'But you have learnt Chinese,' said I.

'