One Friday evening, many of the regular customers of the house assembled themselves as usual, more, perhaps, to chat than to drink, for they seldom carried their conviviality to any great height, except on the Saturday, when the young men of the village brought, too often, the first fruits of their week's earnings. On the occasion we now mention, a more sober conclave was assembled. The white haired Giles, whom Clair had visited with his uncle, on the first morning of his visit, was one of the guests. Not, now, with his head bent, and his hands extended over the dying embers of his wood fire, but with head erect in a comfortable corner, with the air of a man whose opinions are respected, and whose words claim immediate attention. Martin, the poacher, was also there, smoking a pipe, whose dusty colour bespoke long service. Besides these, were several of the most respectable labourers of the village, young and old. The landlord, himself, was a middle aged, sleepy looking man, with eyes that seemed to say that they had no particular time for taking rest, but seized every opportunity that occurred for shutting up at a moment's notice. The night was cold and gusty, and the large fire burnt with peculiar brightness--conversation went on briskly; when a new object of attention presented itself in the sound of horses' feet, which at this hour were very unusual. This caused the landlord's eyes to open to the things about him, and he walked to the door to offer whatever hospitality might be required by the new comer. By the time he had reached the open air, which he did with some reluctance, he found that the rider had dismounted. His horse appeared to have been well ridden, for, though a fine strong built animal, fitted for the hilly country he had been through, he seemed exhausted, and covered with dust and foam. The gentleman, on the contrary, seemed perfectly cool and free from fatigue, and equally indifferent to the weather, though the wind was high, and easterly, and his short cloak was whitened by the snow, which had been falling, at intervals, during the afternoon, giving signs of an early coming winter. There was sufficient of that nameless something in his appearance, even by the light of our host's lantern, to speak him a gentleman, and to procure for him a series of nods, intended for graceful acknowledgments of welcome. "My horse wants rest, and a good stable," said the new comer; "light me, and I will see him housed, myself. I will follow you."