her servant, all,
bag and baggage, home with themselves, to stay at Black Hall as long as
ever she likes?"

"Indeed! That was a very unusual stretch of hospitality. And this lady
is still with them?" inquired the stranger.

"She is that, sir; although the word do go around that it would be well
if she was to go away."

"Ah! why so?"

"Well, sir--but, lord, it is all servants' gossip, and there may be
nothing in it; but they do say that the master of the house is too fond
of the visitor, and likewise she of him; and that this do make the
mistress of the house very unhappy."

"Ah!" exclaimed the stranger, in a half-suppressed voice.

"They do say, sir, that whenever the mistress turns her back, they
two--the master and the guest--do go on like any pair of sweethearts,
which is a great scandal, if it's true."

"Ah ha!" muttered the stranger, clenching and grinding his teeth.

"Howsever, sir, if the master is in love with the visitor, and the
mistress is made unhappy thereby, that is no reason why they should put
off their mask ball and disappoint the whole community, I suppose they
think; so they have not done so; but they have their ball this evening,
just as if they were the happiest household in the country."

"Oh, a mask ball have they, this evening! And what sort of an affair is
it to be?"

"Well, sir, the ball is to be like other balls, I believe, only that the
guests are to appear in fancy dresses, or in loose gowns called
dominoes, and to wear false faces until supper-time, when they unmask
and reveal themselves to each other."

"Yes, that is just like other mask balls," said the stranger, and then
he seemed to fall into thought for a few minutes; and then, rousing
himself, he said:

"Landlord, you told me that your house is very full to-night, and so you
must have a great deal of business on your hands."

"I just have, sir," replied the impatient host.

"Then I will not detain you any longer from your other guests. Pray send
the waiter to remove this service immediately. And then, I think, as I
am very much fatigued by my stage-coach journey over your beastly roads,
I will retire to bed," said the stranger.

And the landlord, glad to be relieved, got up and bowed himself out.

His exit was soon followed by the entrance of the waiter who quickly
cleared the table and also retired.

The next proceedings of the stranger were rather singular.

As soon as he found himself quite alone, he locked