ashed up to the hotel at full
gallop. Fifteen arrivals at once, at this time in the year, was very
unusual, and everybody about the hotel was thrown into a fever of
excitement. The landlord stood upon the piazza, with no hat on his head,
bowed and scraped, and helped the ladies out of the wagon. The party
were shown to the parlor, which the roaring fire had heated to a fever
temperature, so that the perspiration stood upon the landlord's brow
when he entered it. In the mean time Leopold had hastened to his room to
change his clothes, and make himself presentable to the party.

"This is delicious--isn't it?" said one of the ladies, when she felt the
warm air of the parlor.

"It feels like a new world," added another.

"What a blessing it will be to be warm and dry once more!" put in a
third.

"We have made fires in your rooms, ladies," interposed the polite
landlord, doubly courteous under the avalanche of good fortune which had
fallen upon him. "I will show you your rooms as soon as you wish."

"Let us get warm before we do anything," said Mr. Hamilton, removing
his heavy coat. "You have a very nice house, Mr. Bennington."

"We think it is pretty fair down here," replied the modest landlord. "We
have a parlor up one flight, with a bed-room on each side, which Leopold
always calls 'Mr. Hamilton's rooms.' I think they will suit you; at any
rate, I fitted them on purpose for your use."

"That was very considerate," laughed the merchant.

"The three rooms will just accommodate your family. I have four other
parlors, not quite so large, with one bed-room to each," continued the
landlord, looking around at the New Yorkers, as if to ascertain their
wants. "Of course you needn't have private parlors, if you don't want
them. I have plenty of nice single rooms."

"We want the private parlors," replied Mr. Hamilton. "I did not expect
to find such accommodations in Rockhaven."

"I think I know what a hotel ought to be," added the landlord. "By and
by, if our guests don't want private parlors, we shall put beds in
them."

"Squire Moses says you have raised the price," laughed the rich
merchant.

"Yes, sir: I couldn't afford to keep such a house as I mean to keep at
two dollars a day in these times."

"You have done quite right, and the price is very reasonable."

"I shall have to charge five dollars a day for the parlors, if anybody
wants them."

"Certainly; that is also proper; and we want five of them. Now I wil