ke rather
excitedly, while the old man's eyes glittered strangely behind his
glasses; "but I have been here some time now, and I must get back."

"But, my dear sir--"

"Don't press me, please. I, am rather unwell."

"You are not offended at my leaving you?"

"No, absurd!" cried Chester, hastily. "I have had a good deal of
trouble lately, and my nerves have been shaken."

"Your nerves have been shaken?" said the old man, gazing at him in a
peculiar way.

"Yes," said Chester; "but another day you must let me come; and perhaps
you can tell me a little more about your neighbours."

The old man smiled sadly.

"Ah!" he said, "I am growing old and garrulous, and I have bored you, as
you young people call it. You will not come again."

"Indeed, I will," cried Chester, holding out his hand to take his
host's, which was extended unwillingly, and felt like ice. "Oh yes, I
will come to-morrow or the next day. This is no paltry excuse. You may
trust me."

"Ah, well, I will," said the old man, who seemed to be satisfied with
his scrutiny. "Pray come, then, and put up with my strange, unworldly
ways; and you must give me some more hints about my health. In the
meantime I will look out some of the old medical and surgical works.
You will find them interesting."

"Yes, I hope we shall spend many hours together," said Chester, frankly,
as he moved toward the door, the old man walking by his side with his
hands under the tails of his coat, where a looker-on would have seen
that they were crooked and opening and shutting spasmodically.

It was very dim now in the book-burdened room, the evening light having
hard work to pierce the uncleaned panes of the windows; but there was
light enough to show that, and also that the old bookworm's claw-like
right hand went into the coat-pocket and half drew from it something
small and hard.

But nothing followed as they walked into the gloomy hall and away to the
front door, where, after a friendly shake of the hand, Chester uttered a
sigh of relief as he turned away from the house, seeming to breathe more
freely as he walked briskly along.

"Pah! the old place felt like a sepulchre," he muttered. "It was just
as if the hand of death were clutching at me. I believe that if I had
not taken that brandy I should have fainted. What a state my nerves
must be in. Why, it is the most fortunate thing that could have
happened. Once gain the old man's confidence, I can stay there a