course until they arrived at the false friend that misled them, and against which, as they passed it, Michael failed not to repeat his promised vengeance, they turned up another road of better dimensions, whilst the light, which their guide carried in front, enabled them to ride on with safety. He conducted them with correct experience to the entrance of the village, when he suddenly halted, and demanded to what part of it they desired to be led. "Ize warrant it's long enow-like our parson's purseand thee'll need a sure hand to guide thee to its bottom."

"I wish to be directed to the best inn the village may at present afford," said the stranger.

"There ic but one, your worship, in. the whole place-the Red Lion, kept by that crooked old rogue Charlie Davieson. Moind he well, your worship-he'll certainly cheat thee if a' don't look out sharp."

The party now advanced at a leisure pace towards this said inn. The guide running before them, gave the landlord and his wife due notice of the strangers' approach, and then, with as much respect as his uncouth manners permitted of, doffed his hat to receive the promised reward. The amount bestowed upon him in return for his trouble was beyond his most sanguine anticipation, and filled him with such transports of joy, that he resolved, or rather he could find no other way of relieving his heart from their excess, than by drowning them at once in a large mug of the landlord's best brewed, adjourning for this purpose to the tap room of the inn.

Mine host of the Red Lion, with the usual keenness of an experienced victualler, who, at a glance can distinguish the quality of a customer, lacked not his sagacity in this instance. A single look sufficed to assure him that his new guest

was a person of distinction, in which supposition he was confirmed by hearing the word "Colonel" escape from Michael's lips. Mine host, therefore, made the usual bustle attending the expectation of making "a good thing of it," for he was one of those kind-hearted creatures that never affronted a customer that had the manners and purse of a gentleman. He consequently stirred. himself into complete activity-called his wife to the door to receive the guest

asked what his honour would choose for supper-eggs and bacon-a roasted fowl and sausages-cold boiled beef-he had both port and sherry wines of excellent quality in the house; and (turning to his assenting dame) he believed he had a bottle or two of Champagne remaining from the grand dinner given by the overseers at the inn a few weeks back. The landlord then bid his wife attend to the lighting up of a fire in the best parlour, as it was called, but which

was evidently stolen from the dimensions of the general reception room. To all this he added a number of his best bows, officiously giving his assistance to John Ostler, who, with equal propriety, might be termed Will Tapster and Tom Boots, for he performed every office at the inn, with the exception of that peculiar to the chambermaid.

The stranger having dismounted, gave his directions to Michael to see the horses well rubbed and comfortably stalled for the night, with a few brief orders, one of which was calculated to please Michael, who, by its tenor, found himself at liberty to choose his own refreshment. The stranger was next invited into the inn by the hostess, a smiling portly dame, and was conducted into the parlour. The chimney, however, smoked so dreadfully, and the cold such, that the stranger said he should prefer taking a seat in the public reception room, provided there was no impropriety or in

convenience attending it; a proposition to which neither the host nor his wife had any objection, as there happened to be only three persons within it at the time" good, staunch, and respectable, people," as the landlady observed; "and in whose company no one-no, not even a prince, could feel himself ashamed." She therefore requested her husband to lead the way, and conduct the gentleman into the public room, declaring, in a whisper, that she had never seen so handsome a man in her life, an observation her spouse so little relished, that he admonished her for making the remark, in the jealous and gruff tones of a mastiff that apprehends any danger to the spot he is appointed to defend from encroachment.