tting forth the advantage to the landlord of having a
lodger who had lost one of senses.

"You see there's something convenient, my dear, in the circumstance of
that nice-looking gentleman over there being deaf. We can talk about him
before his face, just as comfortably as if it was behind his back. Isn't
that so, Mr. Gerard? Don't you see it yourself, Cristy? For instance, I
say it without fear in his presence: 'tis the act of a fool to be
fumbling over writings, when there's nothing in them that's not well
known to himself already--unless indeed they are worth money, which I
don't doubt is no secret to _you,_ Mr. Gerard? Eh? I beg your pardon,
sir, did you speak? No? I beg your pardon again. Yes, yes, Cristy, I'm
noticing him; he's done with his writings. Suppose I offer to put them
away for him? You can see in his face he finds the tale of them correct.
He's coming this way. What's he going to do next?"

He was going to establish a claim on my gratitude, by relieving me of
Giles Toller.

"I have something to say to Mr. Roylake," he announced, with a haughty
look at his landlord. "Mind! I don't forget your screaming at me just
now, and I intend to know what you meant by it. That will do. Get out of
the way."

The old fellow received his dismissal with a low bow, and left the
kitchen with a look at the Lodger which revealed (unless I was entirely
mistaken) a sly sense of triumph. What did it mean?

The deaf man addressed me with a cold and distant manner. "We must
understand each other," he said. "Will you follow me to my side of the
cottage?" I shook my head. "Very well," he resumed; "we will have it out,
here. When I trusted you with my confession last night, I left you to
decide (after reading it) whether you would make an enemy of me or not.
You remember that?" I nodded my head. "Then I now ask you, Mr. Roylake:
Which are we--enemies or friends?"

I took the pencil, and wrote my reply:

"Neither enemies nor friends. We are strangers from this time forth."

Some internal struggle produced a change in his face--visible for one
moment, hidden from me in a moment more. "I think you will regret the
decision at which you have arrived." He said that, and saluted me with
his grandly gracious bow. As he turned away, he perceived Cristel at the
other end of the room, and eagerly joined her.

"The only happy moments I have are my moments passed in your presence,"
he said. "I shall trouble you no more for to-day. Giv