. I cast a suspicious glance at the
last-mentioned personage, which hopped towards me with a very hostile
appearance, and entered the threshold with a more rapid step, in
consequence of sundry apprehensions of a premeditated assault.

"I understand," said I, to an old, dried, brown female, who looked like
a resuscitated red-herring, "that a gentleman is lodging here."

"No, Sir," was the answer: "he left us this morning."

The reply came upon me like a shower bath; I was both chilled and
stunned by so unexpected a shock. The old woman, on my renewing my
inquiries, took me up stairs, to a small, wretched room, to which the
damps literally clung. In one corner was a flock-bed, still unmade, and
opposite to it, a three-legged stool, a chair, and an antique carved oak
table, a donation perhaps from some squire in the neighbourhood; on this
last were scattered fragments of writing paper, a cracked cup half
full of ink, a pen, and a broken ramrod. As I mechanically took up the
latter, the woman said, in a charming patois, which I shall translate,
since I cannot do justice to the original: "The gentleman, Sir, said he
came here for a few weeks to shoot; he brought a gun, a large dog, and a
small portmanteau. He used to spend all the mornings in the fens, though
he must have been but a poor shot, for he seldom brought home anything;
and we fear, Sir, that he was rather out of his mind, for he used to
go out alone at night, and stay sometimes till morning. However, he was
quite quiet, and behaved to us like a gentleman; so it was no business
of ours, only my husband does think--"

"Pray," interrupted I, "why did he leave you so suddenly?"

"Lord, Sir, I don't know! but he told us for several days past that he
should not stay over the week, and so we were not surprised when he left
us this morning at seven o'clock. Poor gentleman, my heart bled for him
when I saw him look so pale and ill."

And here I did see the good woman's eyes fill with tears: but she wiped
them away, and took advantage of the additional persuasion they gave to
her natural whine to say, "If, Sir, you know of any young gentleman who
likes fen-shooting, and wants a nice, pretty, quiet apartment--"

"I will certainly recommend this," said I.

"You see it at present," rejoined the landlady, "quite in a litter like:
but it is really a sweet place in summer."

"Charming," said I, with a cold shiver, hurrying down the stairs, with a
pain in my ear, and the