the front door was closed and as if to express still more fully the sealed and state of the establishment a sand bag was placed at the bottom to keep out the snow drift the wind setting in directly from that quarter the landlord entering his own parlor walked a of noble to the large fire which it was absolutely necessary to keep up for his comfort no such blaze burning in the coffee room or elsewhere and after giving it a stir returned to a table in the whereon lay the visitors book � now closed and pushed back against the wall he carelessly opened it not a name had been entered there since the th of the previous november and that was only the name of a man who had arrived on a who indeed had not been asked to enter at all while he was engaged thus the evening grew darker but before it was yet too dark to distinguish objects upon the road winding round the back of the cliffs the landlord perceived a black spot on the distant white which speedily enlarged itself and drew near the were that this vehicle � for a vehicle of some sort it seemed to be � would pass by and pursue its way to the nearest railway town as others had done but contrary to the landlord s expectation as he stood it through the yet windows the solitary object on reaching the comer turned into the hotel front and drove up to the door it was a conveyance particularly to such a season and weather being nothing more substantial than an open basket carriage drawn by a single horse within sat two persons of different sexes as could soon be discerned in spite of their muffled attire the man held the reins and the lady had got some shelter from the storm the honorable by clinging close to his side the landlord rang the s bell to attract the attention of the stable man for the approach of the visitors had been to by the snow and when the had come to the horse s head the gentleman and lady alighted the landlord meeting them in the hall the male stranger was a foreign looking individual of about eight and twenty he was close shaven excepting a his features being good and even handsome the lady who stood timidly behind him seemed to be much younger � possibly not more than eighteen though it was difficult to judge either of her age or appearance in her present the gentleman expressed his wish to stay till the morning explaining somewhat considering that the house was an inn that they had been unexpectedly on their drive such a welcome being given them as can give in dull times the latter ordered fires in the drawing and coffee rooms and went ho the boy in the yard who soon himself up dragged his jacket from its box polished the buttons with his sleeve and appeared civilized in the hall the lady was shown into a room where she could take off her snow garments which she sent down to be dried her companion meanwhile putting a couple of sovereigns on the table as if anxious to make everything smooth and comfortable at starting and request a group of ing that a private sitting room might be got ready the landlord assured him that the best up stairs parlor � usually public � should be kept private this evening and sent the maid to light the candles dinner was prepared for them and at the gentleman s desire served in the same apartment where the young lady having joined him they were left to the rest and refreshment they seemed to need that something was peculiar in the relations of the pair had more than once struck the landlord though wherein that peculiarity lay it was hard to decide but that his guest was one who paid his way readily had been proved by his conduct and conjectures he turned to practical about nine o clock he re entered the hall and everything being done for the day again walked up and down occasionally gazing through the glass door at the prospect without to ascertain how the weather was contrary to snow had ceased falling and with the rising of the moon the sky had partially cleared light of cloud drifting across the silvery there was every sign that a frost was going to set in later on for these reasons the distant rising road was even more distinct now between its high banks than it had been in the declining daylight not a track or broke the virgin surface of the white mantle that lay along it all marks left by the lately arrived thb having been speedily by the falling at the time and now the landlord beheld by the light of the moon a sight very similar to that he had seen by the light of day again a black spot was advancing down the road that the coast he was in a moment or two enabled to perceive that the present vehicle moved onward at a more headlong pace than the little carriage which had preceded it next that it was a drawn by two powerful horses next that this carriage like the former one was bound for the hotel door this desirable feature of resemblance caused the landlord to once more withdraw the sand bag and advance into the porch an old gentleman was the first to alight he was followed by a young one and both came forward has a young lady less than nineteen years of age recently arrived here in the company of a man some years her senior asked the old gentleman in haste a man shaven for the most part having the appearance of an and calling himself we have had lately said the landlord in the tone of having had 