80 THE SMUGGLER. 



good enough to have a bed-room prepared for me. You must 

 also let me have a room, however small, where I can read and 

 write, and receive any persons who may come to see me, for 

 I have a good deal of business to transact." 



" Oh, yes, sir! I understand," replied the host, with a 

 knowing elevation of one eye-brow and a depression of the 

 other, " Quite snug and private. You shall have a room at 

 the back of the house with two doors, so that they can come in 

 by the one, and go out through the other, and nobody know 

 anything about it." 



" I rather suspect you mistake," answered the guest, with 

 a smile; " and for fear you should say anything under an error, 

 that you might be sorry for afterwards, let me tell you at once 

 that I am an officer of dragoons, and that the business I speak 

 of is merely regimental business." 



The host's face grew amazingly blank; for a smuggler in a 

 large way was, in his estimation, a much more valuable and 

 important guest than an officer in the army, even had he been 

 commander- in-chief of the forces; but Osborn proceeded to 

 relieve his mind from some of its anxieties by saying: "You 

 will understand that I am neither a spy nor an informer, my 

 good friend, but merely come here to execute whatever orders 

 I may receive from government as a military man. I tell you 

 who I am at once, that you may, as far as possible, keep from 

 my sight any of those little transactions which I am informed 

 are constantly taking place on this coast. I shall not> of 

 course, step over the line of my duty, which is purely military, 

 to report anything I see; but still I should not like that any 

 man should say I was cognizant of proceedings contrary to 

 the interests of the government. This hint, however, I doubt 

 not, will be enough.'' 



" Sir, you are a gentleman," said the host; " and as a nod 

 is as good as a wink to a blind horse, I shall take care you 

 have no annoyance. You must wait a little for your bed-room 

 though, for we did not know you were going to stay; but we 

 will loose no time getting it ready. Can I do anything else to 

 serve you, sir?" 



"I think not," replied Osborn. ' ' But one thing will be neces- 

 sary. I expect five horses down to-morrow, and there must be 

 found stabling for them, and accommodation for the servants." 



The landlord, who was greatly consoled by these latter 



