A HIDE TO MAGNESIA. 129 



as one constantly must be. But this particular road 

 of ours was, for some way, diversified by neither 

 beauty nor incident ; and as things go, perhaps it 

 is well that so it was, for therefore have I the less 

 scruple at passing over observations topographical, 

 and making haste to tell of what things befell us in 

 the city of the unbelievers. One single party of 

 travellers we did meet, whose journeying exercised 

 considerable influence on our fortunes. It was about 

 mid-day that we saw approaching, from the opposite 

 direction to ourselves, a Frank gentleman, attended 

 by a respectable -looking squire. We knew him to 

 be coming from Magnesia, because there was no other 

 place from which he could be coming ; and by the 

 same token, we shrewdly guessed him to be the 

 one Frank inhabitant, the proconsul, on Avhose good 

 offices we had reckoned. The only alternative was, 

 that he might be some casual visitor like ourselves, 

 whom business or curiosity had led on a journey, 

 whence he was returning. But as he drew nearer, 

 we read in the incurious expression of his face that 

 he was certainly at home ; and the air of accustomed 

 importance that beset him argued him to be one in 

 authority. No men, surely, can be so alive to the 

 sense of borrowed dignity as consular agents in out- 

 of-the-way corners ; at least no men carry so pompous 

 an exposition on their brow. By these tokens we 

 identified our stranger friend. 

 " Hail him," said K . 



VOL. IV. I 



