C.

The man in black and myself stood opposite to each other for a minute or
two in silence; I will not say that we confronted each other that time,
for the man in black, after a furtive glance, did not look me in the
face, but kept his eyes fixed, apparently on the leaves of a bunch of
ground nuts which were growing at my feet. At length, looking around the
dingle, he exclaimed: "_Buona Sera_, I hope I don't intrude".

"You have as much right here," said I, "as I or my companion; but you had
no right to stand listening to our conversation."

"I was not listening," said the man, "I was hesitating whether to advance
or retire; and if I heard some of your conversation, the fault was not
mine."

"I do not see why you should have hesitated if your intentions were
good," said I.

"I think the kind of place in which I found myself might excuse some
hesitation," said the man in black, looking around; "moreover, from what
I had seen of your demeanour at the public-house, I was rather
apprehensive that the reception I might experience at your hands might be
more rough than agreeable."

"And what may have been your motive for coming to this place?" said I.

"_Per far visita a sua signoria_, _ecco il motivo_."

"Why do you speak to me in that gibberish?" said I; "do you think I
understand it?"

"It is not Armenian," said the man in black; "but it might serve in a
place like this, for the breathing of a little secret communication, were
any common roadster near at hand. It would not do at Court, it is true,
being the language of singing women, and the like; but we are not at
Court--when we are, I can perhaps summon up a little indifferent Latin,
if I have anything private to communicate to the learned Professor."

And at the conclusion of this speech the man in black lifted up his head,
and, for some moments, looked me in the face. The muscles of his own
seemed to be slightly convulsed, and his mouth opened in a singular
manner.

"I see," said I, "that for some time you were standing near me and my
companion, in the mean act of listening."

"Not at all," said the man in black; "I heard from the steep bank above
that to which I have now alluded, whilst I was puzzling myself to find
the path which leads to your retreat. I made, indeed, nearly the compass
of the whole thicket before I found it."

"And how did you know that I was here?" I demanded.

"The landlord of the public-house, with whom I had some conversa