Said I: "Could I get some tobacco and a pipe?"

"Of course," said he; "what was I thinking of, not asking you before?
Well, Bob is always telling me that we non-smokers are a selfish lot,
and I'm afraid he is right. But come along; here is a place just
handy."

Therewith he drew rein and jumped down, and I followed. A very
handsome woman, splendidly clad in figured silk, was slowly passing
by, looking into the windows as she went. To her quoth Dick:
"Maiden, would you kindly hold our horse while we go in for a
little?" She nodded to us with a kind smile, and fell to patting the
horse with her pretty hand.

"What a beautiful creature!" said I to Dick as we entered.

"What, old Greylocks?" said he, with a sly grin.

"No, no," said I; "Goldylocks,--the lady."

"Well, so she is," said he. "'Tis a good job there are so many of
them that every Jack may have his Jill: else I fear that we should
get fighting for them. Indeed," said he, becoming very grave, "I
don't say that it does not happen even now, sometimes. For you know
love is not a very reasonable thing, and perversity and self-will are
commoner than some of our moralist's think." He added, in a still
more sombre tone: "Yes, only a month ago there was a mishap down by
us, that in the end cost the lives of two men and a woman, and, as it
were, put out the sunlight for us for a while. Don't ask me about it