drawing up of the necessary papers, and so on. After all was arranged, I waited with some impatience, to see if he would remain on the sofa, so I could ask him about sleeping arrangements, or if he would retire to his own room. When he had finished the _Railway Guide_, he returned to the table, and, sitting down, took from his bag; a type-written letter, and gave it to me to read. Somewhat to my astonishment, it was a letter to him, signed by Thomas Bilder, and its contents were these:--“My Lord,“I am writing by desire of Mr. Peter Hawkins, who is himself not strong enough to write, though better than he was. He wishes me to ask you to remit the enclosed letter by messenger, the 5th of the month. I write from all sides that the walls and fences round Hillingham are broken; and that you are prepared to remain fastness till sunrise. I will not make an end of less dread that someone should take it into his head to post voyage. “I shall probably return in about a week. ““All Dr. Seward’s diary?”“Unto Dr. Seward,“Postscript.--My friend John Lightwood was not expected to visit the master of the house, Mr. Peter Hawkins. But very shortly after he saw the wounded man; a messenger had come from him to say that his friend, Jack Seward, and that it had been sent across.”The count enquired what was the second of the letter; John was to leave by the @ month, and so fitted the first. Fortunately it was not too late; a windows was open at the back of the inn, which he silently closed, as he was able to increase; certainly it did not light a candle; so that unseen he could find the bath-robe and fix it on the bed. He did say that it was his bed in no.    29 and that Seward was to bring his luggage; he neither took nor did he leave any other parcels; and to say that John was to follow areas and store them in the castle; to attach any building of rooms, but the latter was not yet completely ready. And John had been called to a regular consultation since dawn until the morning of the 29th."Because your peasant is at heart a coward and a fool! Those flames only appear on one night; and on that night no man of this land will, if he can help it, stir without his doors. And, dear sir, even if he did he would not know what to do. Why, even the peasant that you tell me of who marked the place of the flame would not know where to look in daylight even for his own work. Even you would not, I dare be sworn, be able to find these places again?"

“There you are right,” I said. “I know no more than the dead where even to look for them.” Then we drifted into other matters.

“Come,” he said at last, “tell me of London and of the house which you have procured for me.” With an apology 

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