--from his
mouth, for whom should he see escorted from the hotel, and assisted into
the stage, by the landlord, with many a bow and flourish, but Mrs.
Maroney and Flora? Her baggage was not brought down, so that he was
certain she would return. He had no time to think over the best plan to
pursue, but determined to accompany her at all hazards.

The driver came out, mounted his seat and Roch got up beside him. It
must be admitted that he was badly off for an excuse to account for his
movements, as he knew nothing of the country, and did not know where the
stage was going. The driver was a long, lank Southerner, burned as brown
as a berry by the sun. He always had a huge "chaw" of tobacco stowed
away in the side of his left cheek, and, as he drove along, would
deposit its juice with unerring aim on any object that attracted his
attention. He was very talkative, and at once entered into conversation
with Roch. "Wal stranger, whar yar bound?" was his first salutation.

Roch looked at him in a bewildered way, and then said, "Nichts
verstehe!"

[Illustration: "_Wal stranger, whar yar bound," was his first
salutation. Roch looked at him in a bewildered way, and then said,
"Nichts verstehe!_"--Page 158.]

"Whar are yar gwine? Are yar a through passenger, or whar are yar
gwine?"

"Vel, I vish to see de country. I vil go mit you till I see von ceety
vot I likes, und den I vil get out mit it!"

"Oh!" said the driver, in a patronizing tone, "yar parspectin', are
yar?" And so they kept up a conversation, from which Roch gleaned that
the stage was bound for Anderson's Court House, S. C. Whenever the
driver would ask a question he did not like to answer, he would say,
"nichts verstehe," and so tided over all his difficulties. The
passengers, one lady and three gentlemen besides Mrs. Maroney and Flora,
amused themselves in various ways as they drove along. The gentlemen
smoked and conversed, and the other lady seemed very agreeable; but Mrs.
Maroney did not say a word to any one but Flora. Roch as he occasionally
glanced over his shoulder at her, observed that she seemed to be
suffering from much care and anxiety.

Eight miles out from Athens the driver stopped to change his horses, and
Roch took advantage of this circumstance to get a little familiar with
him. He found this an easy matter. A few drinks and some cigars to smoke
on the road--which he treated him to--put him in such a good humor that
he declared, as they drove