causing Master Vallance to lurch heavily
backward and bump his shoulders sorely against the inn wall. The
stranger thrust his face close to Master Vallance's, and while a
succession of grimaces rippled over its sunburned surface he
continued, in a tone of mock pathos:

"Do you shut your door against the houseless and the homeless, O
iron-hearted innkeeper? Can the wandering orphan find no portion in
your heart?"

Then, as Master Vallance was slowly making sure that he had to deal
with a dangerous lunatic, the stranger drew himself up and swayed to
and fro in a fit of inextinguishable laughter.

"Lordamercy upon me," he said, when he had done laughing, in a
perfectly natural voice. "I have seen some frightened fools before,
but never a fool so frightened. Tell me, honest blockhead, did you
ever hear such a name as Halfman?"

Master Vallance, torpidly reassured, meditated. "Halfman," he
murmured. "Halfman. Ay, there was one in this village, long ago, had
such a name. He had a roguish son, and they say the son came to a bad
end."

The new-comer nodded his head gravely.

"He had a roguish son," he said; "but I am loath to admit that he
came to a bad end, unless it be so to end at ease in Harby. For I am
that same Hercules Halfman, at your service, my ancient ape, come
back to Harby after nigh thirty years of sea-travel and land-travel,
with no other purpose in my mind than to sit at my ease by mine own
hearth in winter and to loll in my garden in summer. What do you say
to that, O father of all fools?"

Master Vallance, having nothing particular to say, said, for the
moment, nothing. He was dimly appreciating, however, that this
vociferous intruder upon his quiet had all the appearance of one who
was well to do and all the manner of one accustomed to have his own
way in the world. It seemed to him, therefore, that the happiest
suggestion he could make to the home-comer was to quench his thirst,
and, further, to do so with the aid of a flask of wine.

The stranger agreed to the first clause of the proposition and vetoed
the second.

"Ale," he said, emphatically. "Honest English ale. I am of a very
English temper to-day; I would play the part of a true-hearted
Englishman to the life, and, therefore, my tipple is true-hearted
English ale."

Master Vallance motioned to his guest to enter the house, but Halfman
denied him.

"Out in the open," he carolled. "Out in the open, friend." He rattled
off some lines of b