mon 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 number,
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.

"Yes," said the old man, "I have learnt Chinese."

"Well," said I, "I really would counsel you to learn to know what's
o'clock as soon as possible. Consider what a sad thing it would be to go
out of the world not knowing what's o'clock. A millionth part of the
trouble required to learn Chinese would, if employed, infallibly teach
you to know what's o'clock."

"I had a motive for learning Chinese," said the old man, "the hope of
appeasing the misery in my head. With respect to not knowing what's
o'clock, I cannot see anything particularly sad in the matter. A man may
get through the world very creditably without knowing what's o'clock.
Yet, upon the whole, it is no bad thing to know what's o'clock--you, of
course, do? It would be too good a joke if two people were to be
together, one knowing Armenian and the other Chinese, and neither knowing
what's o'clock. I'll now see you off."

CHAPTER XXXVI

Arrival at Horncastle--The Inn and Ostlers--The Garret--Figure of a Man
with a Candle.

Leaving the house of the old man who knew Chinese, but could