And he led the way upstairs, and opening a door we went into a fair-
sized room of the old type, as plain as the rest of the house, with a
few necessary pieces of furniture, and those very simple and even
rude, but solid and with a good deal of carving about them, well
designed but rather crudely executed. At the furthest corner of the
room, at a desk near the window, sat a little old man in a roomy oak
chair, well becushioned. He was dressed in a sort of Norfolk jacket
of blue serge worn threadbare, with breeches of the same, and grey
worsted stockings. He jumped up from his chair, and cried out in a
voice of considerable volume for such an old man, "Welcome, Dick, my
lad; Clara is here, and will be more than glad to see you; so keep
your heart up."

"Clara here?" quoth Dick; "if I had known, I would not have brought--
At least, I mean I would--"

He was stuttering and confused, clearly because he was anxious to say
nothing to make me feel one too many. But the old man, who had not
seen me at first, helped him out by coming forward and saying to me
in a kind tone:

"Pray pardon me, for I did not notice that Dick, who is big enough to
hide anybody, you know, had brought a friend with him. A most hearty
welcome to you! All the more, as I almost hope that you are going to
amuse an old man by giving him news from over sea, for I can see that
you are come from over the water and far off countries."

He looked at me thoughtfully, almost anxiously, as he said in a
changed voice, "Might I ask you where you come from, as you are so
clearly a stranger?"