OLD STABLES ON THE ROADS. 463 



although I feel certain he was as thoroughly dis- 

 trustful of the object of my visit as ever, and I 

 have no doubt on the return of his daughter, whom 

 he despatched to procure the remedy for his com- 

 plaint, they had a long gossip over me and the 

 meeting, and discussed at length the visit of the 

 mysterious stranger ; and indeed I should not be 

 surprised if I was the subject of conversation at 

 one of the village public-houses in the evening, 

 where he attended. Could I have been among the 

 droppers-in, I might have found some other old 

 dwellers in the place from whom I could have picked 

 up something ; but I had to leave soon after my 

 interview with the tailor, and certainly did not 

 regret my departure, for a small country village in 

 depressed circumstances is not quite the place one 

 would select to spend even a few hours in. 



