“They do say, sir, that whenever the mistress turns her back, they two—the master and the guest—do go on like any pair of sweethearts, which is a great scandal, if it’s true.”
“Ah ha!” muttered the stranger, clenching and grinding his teeth.
“Howsever, sir, if the master is in love with the visitor, and the mistress is made unhappy thereby, that is no reason why they should put off their mask ball and disappoint the whole community, I suppose they think; so they have not done so; but they have their ball this evening, just as if they were the happiest household in the country.”
“Oh, a mask ball have they, this evening! And what sort of an affair is it to be?”
“Well, sir, the ball is to be like other balls, I believe, only that the guests are to appear in fancy dresses, or in loose gowns called dominoes, and to wear false faces until supper-time, when they unmask and reveal themselves to each other.”
“Yes, that is just like other mask balls,” said the stranger, and then he seemed to fall into thought for a few minutes; and then, rousing himself, he said:
“Landlord, you told me that your house is very full to-night, and so you must have a great deal of business on your hands.”
“I just have, sir,” replied the impatient host.
“Then I will not detain you any longer from your other guests. Pray send the waiter to remove this service immediately. And then, I think, as I am very much fatigued by my stage-coach journey over your beastly roads, I will retire to bed,” said the stranger.
And the landlord, glad to be relieved, got up and bowed himself out.