ked Violet; and Kennedy observed how her arm
and the tones of her voice were trembling with agitation.

"Isn't it better than staying out in this dreadful storm?" said Kennedy.
"The Swiss are an honest people, and I daresay these are herdsmen who
will gladly give us food and shelter."

Their voices had roused the inmates of the chalet, and both the men
jumped up from their seats, while a large and fierce mastiff also shook
himself from sleep, and gave a low deep growl.

Kennedy knocked at the door. A gruff voice bade him enter; and as he
stepped over the threshold, the dog flew at him with an angry bark.
Violet uttered a cry of fear, and Kennedy struck the dog a furious blow
with the knobbed end of his alpenstock, which for the moment stunned the
animal, while it drew down on the heads of the tired and fainting
travellers a volley of brutal German oaths.

"Can you give us shelter?" said Kennedy, who spoke German with tolerable
fluency. "We have lost our way, and cannot stay out in this storm."

The man snarled an affirmative, and Violet observed with a shudder that
he was an ill-looking, one-eyed fellow, with villainy stamped legibly on
every feature. The other peasant looked merely stolid and dirty, and
seemed to be little better than a cretin, as he sat heavily in his place
without offering to stir.

"Can't you give us some food, or at any rate some milk?--we have been to
the top of the Schilthorn, and are very tired."

The man brought out a huge coarse wooden bowl of goat's milk, and some
sour bread; and feeling in real need of food, they tried to eat and
drink. While doing so, Kennedy noticed that Violet gave a perceptible
start and looking up, observed the one eye of their grim entertainer
intently fixed on the gold watch-chain which hung over his silk jersey.
He stared the man full in the face, finished his meal, and then asked
for a candle to show the lady to her room.

"No light but this," said the Cyclops, as Kennedy mentally named him.

"Then you must lend me this."

And taking it without more ado, he went first to the cupboard from which
the milk had been produced, where seeing another dip, he coolly took it,
lighted it, and pushed open the creaking door which opened on the close,
damp closet which the man had indicated as the only place where Violet
could sleep.

This room opened on another rather larger; and here, putting the candle
on the floor, for the room, (if room it could be called), w