Yet, though John Willet was full of
wonder and misgiving, his guest sat cross-legged in the easy-chair, to
all appearance as little ruffled in his thoughts as in his dress--the
same calm, easy, cool gentleman, without a care or thought beyond his
golden toothpick.
'Barnaby's late,' John ventured to observe, as he placed a pair of
tarnished candlesticks, some three feet high, upon the table, and
snuffed the lights they held.
'He is rather so,' replied the guest, sipping his wine. 'He will not be
much longer, I dare say.'
John coughed and raked the fire together.
'As your roads bear no very good character, if I may judge from my son's
mishap, though,' said Mr Chester, 'and as I have no fancy to be knocked
on the head--which is not only disconcerting at the moment, but places
one, besides, in a ridiculous position with respect to the people who
chance to pick one up--I shall stop here to-night. I think you said you
had a bed to spare.'
'Such a bed, sir,' returned John Willet; 'ay, such a bed as few, even
of the gentry's houses, own. A fixter here, sir. I've heard say that
bedstead is nigh two hundred years of age. Your noble son--a fine young
gentleman--slept in it last, sir, half a year ago.
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