I’.ut, judging from the fact that the deputy
had not confronted us himselfr that he
was an impostor, to whom Gringuet’s ill
ness had si ffff' sted the scheme on which
J I had myself hit, I hoped for the best;
anu, to be sure, in a moment an outcry
arcs<> in the house and quickly spread.
Os those at the dcor some cried to their
follows to hearken while others hastened
ofc to see. Yet still a little time elapsed,
during which I burned with impatience;
and then the crowd came trampling hade,
all wrangling i nd speaking at 01 ce.
At the door the chattering ceased, and.
a hand being laid on the bar, In a moment
the door was thrown open, and I walked
cut with whit dignity I could. Outside,
the scene which met my eyes might have
been, under other circumstances, diverting.
Before me stood the landlord of the inn
bowing with a light in each hand, as if the
more he bent his backbone the more ho
must propitiate me; while a fat, middle
aged man at his elbow, whom I took to be
Eonvelle, smiled freely at me with a chap
fallen expression. A little aside, Curtin, a
shriveled old fellow, was wringing his
hands over his loss; and behind and
around these, peeping over their shoulders
and staring under their arms, clustered a
curious crowd of busybodies, who, be
tween amusement nt the joke and awe of
the great man. had much ado to control
their merriment.
