A tall, athletic, red-haired man, of the middle age, was
then made manifest. He had on a red frock coat, a red vest, and a red
neckcloth; nay, his gloves were red! What was more extraordinary, when
the overalls which covered his thighs were unbuttoned, it was discovered
that his small-clothes were red likewise. 'All red!' ejaculated the
parson almost involuntarily. 'As you say, the gentleman is all red!'
added the schoolmaster, with his characteristic flippancy. He was
checked by a look from the landlady. His remark, however, caught the
stranger's ear, and he turned round upon him with a penetrating glance.
The schoolmaster tried to smoke it off bravely. It would not do: he felt
the power of that look, and was reduced to almost immediate silence.
"'Now, bring me your boot-jack,' said the horseman. The boot-jack was
brought, and the boots pulled off. To the astonishment of the company, a
pair of red stockings were brought into view. The landlord shrugged his
shoulders, the exciseman did the same, the landlady shook her head, the
parson exclaimed, 'All red!' as before, and the schoolmaster would have
repeated it, but he had not yet recovered from the rebuke. 'Faith, this
is odd!' observed the host. 'Rather odd,' said the stranger, seating
himself between the parson and the exciseman. The landlord was
confounded, and did not know what to think of the matter. After sitting
for a few moments, the new-comer requested the host to hand him a
night-cap, which he would find in his hat.
Pages:
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44