CHAPTER XXXVI

Arrival at Horncastle--The Inn and Ostlers--The Garret--Figure of a Man

with a Candle.

Leaving the house of the old man who knew Chinese, but could not tell

what was o'clock, I wended my way to Horncastle, which I reached in the

evening of the same day, without having met any adventure on the way

worthy of being marked down in this very remarkable history.

The town was a small one, seemingly ancient, and was crowded with people

and horses. I proceeded, without delay, to the inn to which my friend

the surgeon had directed me. "It is of no use coming here," said two or

three ostlers, as I entered the yard--"all full--no room whatever;"

whilst one added in an undertone, "That ere a'n't a bad-looking horse."

"I want to see the master of this inn," said I, as I dismounted from the

horse. "See the master," said an ostler--the same who had paid the

negative kind of compliment to the horse--"a likely thing, truly; my

master is drinking wine with some of the grand gentry, and can't be

disturbed for the sake of the like of you." "I bring a letter to him,"

said I, pulling out the surgeon's epistle. "I wish you would deliver it

to him," I added, offering a half-crown. "Oh, it's you, is it?" said the

ostler, taking the letter and the half-crown; "my master will be right

glad to see you; why, you ha'n't been here for many a year; I'll carry

the note to him at once." And with these words he hurried into the

house. "That's a nice horse, young man," said another ostler, "what will

you take for it?" to which interrogation I made no answer. "If you wish

to sell him," said the ostler, coming up to me, and winking knowingly, "I

think I and my partners might offer you a summut under seventy pounds;"

to which kind and half-insinuated offer I made no reply, save by winking

in the same kind of knowing manner in which I observed him wink. "Rather

leary!" said a third ostler. "Well, young man, perhaps you will drink to-

night with me and my partners, when we can talk the matter over." Before

I had time to answer, the landlord, a well-dressed, good-looking man,

made his appearance with the ostler; he bore the letter in his hand.

Without glancing at me, he betook himself at once to consider the horse,

going round him, and observing every point with the utmost minuteness. At

last, having gone round the horse three times, he stopped beside me, and

keeping his eyes on the horse, bent his head towards his right shoulder.

"That horse is worth some money," said he, turning towards me suddenly,

and slightly touching me on the arm with the letter which he held in his

hand; to which observation I made no reply, save by bending my head

towards the right shoulder as I had seen him do. "The young man is going

to talk to me and my partners about it to-night," said the ostler who had

expressed an opinion that he and his friends might offer me somewhat

under seventy pounds for the animal. "Pooh!" said the landlord, "the

young man knows what he is about; in the meantime lead the horse to the

reserved stall, and see well after him. My friend," said he, taking me

aside after the ostler had led the animal away, "recommends you to me in

the strongest manner, on which account alone I take you and your horse

in. I need not advise you not to be taken in, as I should say, by your

look, that you are tolerably awake; but there are queer hands at

Horncastle at this time, and those fellows of mine, you understand me--;

but I have a great deal to do at present, so you must excuse me." And

thereupon went into the house.

That same evening I was engaged at least two hours in the stable, in

rubbing the horse down, and preparing him for the exhibition which I

intended he should make in the fair on the following day. The ostler, to

whom I had given the half-crown, occasionally assisted me, though he was

too much occupied by the horses of other guests to devote any length of

time to the service of mine; he more than once repeated to me his firm

conviction that himself and partners could afford to offer me summut for

the horse; and at a later hour when, in compliance with his invitation, I

took a glass of summut with himself and partners, in a little room

surrounded with corn-chests, on which we sat, both himself and partners

endeavoured to impress upon me, chiefly by means of nods and winks, their

conviction that they could afford to give me summut for the horse,

provided I were disposed to sell him; in return for which intimation,

with as many nods and winks as they had all collectively used, I

endeavoured to impress upon them my conviction that I could get summut

handsomer in the fair than they might be disposed to offer me, seeing as

how--which how I followed by a wink and a nod, which they seemed

perfectly to understand, one or two of them declaring that if the case

was so, it made a great deal of difference, and that they did not wish to

be any hindrance to me, more particularly as it was quite clear I had

been an ostler like themselves.

It was late at night when I began to think of retiring to rest. On

inquiring if there was any place in which I could sleep, I was informed

that there was a bed at my service, provided I chose to sleep in a two-

bedded room, one of the beds of which was engaged by another gentleman. I

expressed my satisfaction at this arrangement, and was conducted by a

maid-servant up many pairs of stairs to a garret, in which were two small

beds, in one of which she gave me to understand another gentleman slept;

he had, however, not yet retired to rest; I asked who he was, but the

maid-servant could give me no information about him, save that he was a

highly respectable gentleman, and a friend of her master's. Presently,

bidding me good night, she left me with a candle; and I, having undressed

myself and extinguished the light, went to bed. Notwithstanding the

noises which sounded from every part of the house, I was not slow in

falling asleep, being thoroughly tired. I know not how long I might have

been in bed, perhaps two hours, when I was partially awakened by a light

shining upon my face, whereupon, unclosing my eyes, I perceived the

figure of a man, with a candle in one hand, staring at my face, whilst

with the other hand, he held back the curtain of the bed. As I have said

before, I was only partially awakened, my power of conception was

consequently very confused; it appeared to me, however, that the man was

dressed in a green coat; that he had curly brown or black hair, and that

there was something peculiar in his look. Just as I was beginning to

recollect myself, the curtain dropped, and I heard, or thought I heard, a

voice say, "Don't know the cove." Then there was a rustling like a

person undressing, whereupon being satisfied that it was my

fellow-lodger, I dropped asleep, but was awakened again by a kind of

heavy plunge upon the other bed, which caused it to rock and creak, when

I observed that the light had been extinguished, probably blown out, if I

might judge from a rather disagreeable smell of burnt wick which remained

in the room, and which kept me awake till I heard my companion breathing

hard, when, turning on the other side, I was again once more speedily in

the arms of slumber.