46 A Night at Sempione. [Juty, 
debtor, and I should feel loth to increase the obligation by incurring a 
new favour of such magnitude.” 
- © You honour me by your recognition of me,” retorted the other ; 
“but with respect to my proposal for to-night, really it were no favour 
to grant you that which I had no wish to keep ; my comrade and myself 
are determined to relinquish our claim to the room, and if the lady does 
not accept it, I believe it will go without an occupant.” 
What more was to be said ?—All preparations were made ; the fair 
girl retired to her rest, and the three travellers remained in jolly carousal 
over some curious and well-selected wines. 
The captain was in his element. He went through most of Napoleon’s 
battles, in each of which, as it would seem by his account, he had 
received a wound. He rejoiced in the amity of the two great powers ;— 
complimented the bravery of the English,—-(whereupon the fat fellow at 
his elbow broke out into a convulsive giggle)—then spoke philosophi- 
cally respecting the divers countries he had visited, more especially the 
neighbouring parts, their productions, inhabitants, and traditions, and 
so on to a complete series of ghost stories, fables, and romantic horrors,— 
The great dog, of the true St. Bernard breed, was introduced to corrobo- 
rate some tale wherein he had been the deputy hero. The jolly little 
fellow always bore testimony to each strange narrative, buttoning up his 
waistcoat whenever he wished to look authoritative, but undoing it 
again, and indulging in a quiet grin when his evidence had been 
received. 
The poor listener to these marvels grew more and more bewildered. 
He was a nervous man, never before so far from his native land, and 
painfully credulous of all the rumours, authenticate or not, which 
reached his ear. His long visage grew rueful, and. his cups were tossed 
off with a violence that seemed half crazy. But what evidently irritated 
him beyond endurance, was the mal-d-propos chorus of the little fat man, 
who wound up every recital with an inhuman grin, as if the terrors and 
disasters related were of the very kind to render him facetious. This 
was the unkindest cut of all ;—and he looked at the Signor Benedetto’s 
goodly paunch, distended jaws, and sleek visage, as manifestations of the 
Evil One. 
* 2 * * * * * 
I cannot say how long this continued, nor what the exact hour was 
when mine host suddenly entered, and with a miserable countenance 
faltered out, that the gentleman’s daughter had left the inn. 
« Left the inn !—How ?— Where ?”—ejaculated he, and with the word 
darted-from the apartment, and hurried to the chamber allotted to his 
daughter. .There—woful man !—there lay some of her garments as put 
aside by her hours ago ;—the bed was ruffled and indented, as if by the 
sleeper,—but the lady was assuredly flown, and no man could say 
whither. The distracted parent rushed from the lonely room, and in an 
instant had returned to that in which he had been previously sitting. 
There, as before, appeared the jolly fat man, and his cheeks seemed 
rounder than ever, as with his old diabolical grin he pointed to a vacant 
chair which had been so lately occupied by the loquacious captain. He’ 
too had decamped! What a train of surmises arose in the father’s 
mind at that moment! In vain did he inquire and entreat his jocund 
enemy that he would assist him in his search, and satisfy him in his 
suspicions.—No answer, but a horse laugh !—Seizing his hat, he hurried 
from the inn, and gaining a comparatively high post, called loudly for 
