been reasonably expected to do fluttering up and down the court outside the house the moment he saw little he passed her briskly said with his finger to his nose as mistress distinctly heard the fortune telling and went away lord save us here s a and a fortune in it now cried mistress what next she stood at the open door staggering herself with this on a rainy evening the clouds were flying fast the wind was coming up in some neighbouring shutters that had broken loose the rusty chimney and and rushing round and round a confined adjacent churchyard as if it had a mind to blow the dead citizens out of their graves the low thunder muttering in all quarters of the sky at once seemed to threaten vengeance for this attempted and to let them rest let them rest mistress whose fear of thunder and lightning was only to be equalled by her dread of the haunted house with a premature and darkness in it stood whether to go in or not until the question was settled for her by the door blowing upon her in a violent gust of wind and shutting her out w hat s to be done now what s to be done now cried mistress wringing her hands in this last uneasy dream of all when she s all alone by herself inside and can no more come down to open it than the churchyard dead themselves in this mistress with her apron as a hood to keep the rain off ran crying up and down the solitary paved several times why she should then stoop down and look in at the of the door as if an eye would open it it would be difficult to say but it is none the less what most people would have done in the same situation and it is what she did from this posture she started up suddenly with a half scream feeling something on her shoulder it was the touch of a hand of a man s hand the man was dressed like a traveller in a cap with fur about it and a heap of cloak he looked like a foreigner he had a quantity of hair and moustache � jet black except at the shaggy ends where it had a tinge of red � and a high hook nose he laughed at mistress s start and cry and as he laughed his moustache went up under his nose and his nose came down over his moustache what s the matter he asked in plain english what are you frightened at at you panted me madam and the dismal evening and � and everything said and here the wind has been and blown the door to and i can t get in said the gentleman who took that very coolly indeed ho you know such a name as about here little lord bless us i should think i did i should think i did cried exasperated into a new wringing of hands by the where about here where cried into another inspection of the where but here in this house and she s all alone in her room and lost the use of her limbs and can t stir to help herself or me and the t other clever one s out and lord forgive me cried driven into a frantic dance by these accumulated considerations if i ain t a going headlong out of my mind taking a warmer view of the matter now that it concerned himself the gentleman stepped back to glance at the house and his eyes soon rested on the long narrow window of the little room near the where may the lady be who has lost the use of her limbs madam he with that peculiar smile which mistress could not choose but keep her eyes upon up there said them two windows i am of a fair size but could not have the honor of myself in that room without a ladder now madam frankly � frankness is a part of my character � shall i open the door for you yes bless you sir for a dear and do it at once cried for she may be a calling to me at this very present minute or may be setting herself a fire and burning herself to death or there s no knowing what may be happening to her and me a going out of my mind at thinking of it stay my good madam he restrained her impatience with a smooth white hand business hours i apprehend are over for the day yes yes yes cried long ago let me make then a fair proposal is a part of my character i am just landed from the packet boat as you may see he showed her that his cloak was very wet and that his boots were with water she had previously observed that he was and sallow as if from a rough voyage and so chilled that he could not keep his teeth from chattering i am just landed from the packet boat madam and have been delayed by the weather the infernal weather in consequence of this madam some necessary business that i should otherwise have here within the regular hours necessary business because money business still remains to be done now if you will fetch any neighbouring somebody to do it in return for my opening the door i ll open the door if this arrangement should be objectionable i ll and with the same smile he made a significant of away mistress heartily glad to effect the proposed compromise gave in her willing to it the gentleman at once requested her to do him the favor of holding his cloak took a short run at the narrow window made a leap at the sill clung his way up the bricks and in a moment had his hand 