undemonstrative, said little except when asked questions, and spoke,
alike to Nigel and Moses, in the soft, low, kindly tones with which one
might address very young people.

Going to the stove he took a coffee-pot therefrom and set it on the
table. At the same time, Moses, without requiring to be told, opened the
oven and brought forth fried fish, meat of some kind, and cakes of he
knew not what, but cared little, for their excellence was
unquestionable.

During the meal that followed, Nigel ventured as far as politeness
permitted--indeed a little further, if truth must be told--to inquire
into the circumstances and motives of his entertainer in taking up his
abode in such a strange place, but he soon found that his eccentric
friend was not one who could be "pumped." Without a touch of rudeness,
and in the sweetest of voices, he simply assumed an absent manner and
changed the subject of discourse, when he did not choose to reply, by
drawing attention to some irrelevant matter, or by putting a counter
question which led away from the subject. Nigel also found that his host
never laughed and rarely smiled, though, when he did so the smile was so
slight as merely to indicate a general feeling of urbanity and goodwill,
and it was followed instantly by a look of gravity, if not sadness.
Altogether the guest was much perplexed about the host at first, and
somewhat constrained in consequence, but gradually he began to feel at
ease. Another discovery that he soon made was, that the hermit treated
Moses not as a servant, but as if he were in all respects an equal and a
comrade.

After eating for some time in silence, and having tried to draw out his
host without success, Nigel changed his tactics and said--