for her
supper. I might, therefore, be assured, if she had chosen it, she would
have supped with us.'

There was no dwelling on this or any other topic longer; for my
entertainer, taking up the lamp, observed, that 'my wet clothes might
reconcile me for the night to their custom of keeping early hours; that
he was under the necessity of going abroad by peep of day to-morrow
morning, and would call me up at the same time, to point out the way by
which I was to return to the Shepherd's Bush.'

This left no opening for further explanation; nor was there room for it
on the usual terms of civility; for, as he neither asked my name, nor
expressed the least interest concerning my condition, I--the obliged
person--had no pretence to trouble him with such inquiries on my part.

He took up the lamp, and led me through the side-door into a very small
room, where a bed had been hastily arranged for my accommodation,
and, putting down the lamp, directed me to leave my wet clothes on the
outside of the door, that they might be exposed to the fire during the
night. He then left me, having muttered something which was meant to
pass for good night.

I obeyed his directions with respect to my clothes, the rather that,
in despite of the spirits which I had drunk, I felt my teeth begin
to chatter, and received various hints from an aguish feeling, that
a town-bred youth, like myself, could not at once rush into all the
hardihood of country sports with impunity. But my bed, though coarse and
hard, was dry and clean; and I soon was so little occupied with my heats
and tremors, as to listen with interest to a heavy foot, which seemed to
be that of my landlord, traversing the boards (there was no ceiling,
as you may believe) which roofed my apartment. Light, glancing through
these rude planks, became visible as soon as my lamp was extinguished;
and as the noise of the slow, solemn, and regular step continued, and I
could distinguish that the person turned and returned as he reached the
end of the apartment, it seemed clear to me that the walker was engaged
in no domestic occupation, but merely pacing to and fro for his own
pleasure. 'An odd amusement this,' I thought, 'for one who had been
engaged at least a part of the preceding day in violent exercise, and
who talked of rising by the peep of dawn on the ensuing morning.'

Meantime I heard the storm, which had been brewing during the evening,
begin to descend with a vengeance; sounds as