these parts, and not a man, woman or child, who could find a horse, mule
or donkey, but what availed himself of the privilege. Even the doctor's
spavined mare was pressed into service, though she halts on one leg and
stops to get her breath half a dozen times in going up one short hill.
You will have to wait for the stage, sir."

"But I am in a hurry," said I as I saw Mr. Blake enter. "I have business
in Melville tonight, and I would pay anything in reason to get there."

But the landlord only shook his head; and drawing back with the air of
an abused man, I took up my stand in the doorway where I could hear the
same colloquy entered into with Mr. Blake, with the same unsatisfactory
termination. He did not take it quite as calmly as I did, though he
was of too reserved a nature to display much emotion over anything.
The prospect of a long tedious evening spent in a country hotel seemed
almost unendurable to him, but he finally succumbed to the force of
circumstances, as indeed he seemed obliged to do, and partaking of such
refreshment as the rather poorly managed hotel afforded, retired without
ceremony to his room, from which he did not emerge again till next
morning. In all this he had somehow managed not to give his name; and by
means of some inquiries I succeeded in making that evening, I found his
person was unknown in the town.

By a little management I secured the next room to his, by which
arrangement I succeeded in passing a sleepless night, Mr. Blake spending
most of the wee sma' hours in pacing the floor of his room, with an
unremitting regularity that had anything but a soothing effect upon my
nerves. Early the next morning we took the stage, he sitting on the back
seat, and I in front with the driver. There were other passengers, but
I noticed he never spoke to any of them, nor through all the long drive
did he once look up from the corner where he had ensconced himself. It
was twelve o'clock when we reached the end of the route, a small town
of somewhat less than the usual pretensions of mountain villages; so
insignificant indeed, that I found it more and more difficult to imagine
what the wealthy ex-Congressman could find in such a spot as this, to
make amends for a journey of such length and discomfort; when to my
increasing wonder I heard him give orders for a horse to be saddled and
brought round to the inn door directly after dinner. This was a move I
had not expected and it threw me a little aback,