-, a small but neat town. "Where is the --- Arms?"
said I to a man whom I met.

"Yonder, sir, yonder," said he, pointing to a magnificent structure on
the left.

I went in and found myself in a spacious hall. A good-looking young
woman in a white dress with a profusion of pink ribbons confronted me
with a curtsey. "A pint and a chop!" I exclaimed, with a flourish of my
hand and at the top of my voice. The damsel gave a kind of start, and
then, with something like a toss of the head, led the way into a very
large room, on the left, in which were many tables, covered with
snowy-white cloths, on which were plates, knives and forks, the latter
seemingly of silver, tumblers, and wine-glasses.

"I think you asked for a pint and a chop, sir?" said the damsel,
motioning me to sit down at one of the tables.

"I did," said I, as I sat down, "let them be brought with all convenient
speed, for I am in something of a hurry."

"Very well, sir," said the damsel, and then with another kind of toss of
the head, she went away, not forgetting to turn half round, to take a
furtive glance at me, before she went out of the door.

"Well," said I, as I looked at the tables, with their snowy-white cloths,
tumblers, wine-glasses and what not, and at the walls of the room
glittering with mirrors, "surely a poet never kept so magnificent an inn
before; there must be something in this fellow besides the awen, or his
house would never exhibit such marks of prosperity and good taste--there
must be something in this fellow; though he pretends to be a wild erratic
son of Parnassus, he must have an eye to the main chance, a genius for
turning the penny, or rather the sovereign, for the accommodation here is
no penny accommodation, as I shall probably find. Perhaps, however, like
myself, he has an exceedingly clever wife who, whilst he is making
verses, or running about the country swigging ale with people in bulged
shoes, or buying pigs or glandered horses, looks after matters at home,
drives a swinging trade, and keeps not only herself, but him
respectable--but even in that event he must have a good deal of
common-sense in him, even like myself, who always allows my wife to buy
and sell, carry money to the bank, draw cheques, inspect and pay
tradesmen's bills, and transact all my real business, whilst I myself
pore over old books, walk about shires, discoursing with gypsies, under
hedgerows, or with sober bards--in hedge ale-houses." I cont