“The man Jackson is no longer in my service, sir,” said the landlord, shortly. Even as he uttered this, he thought it rather happy, it had the merit of being perfectly true.
“When did he quit it?” asked the tall man, striving to conceal his excitement.
“This morning,” said the landlord.
“Did he go alone?”
“To the best of my belief, yes,” said the landlord, firmly.
“How odd!” said the other. “Did he give a reason for his departure, and did he say whither he was going?”
“He was dismissed my service, sir,” said the landlord, with the inspiration of his rum-and-water. “His ways were not my ways, d’ye see, and he had to go. Not only was he the worst serving-man I have ever had, but I had occasion to doubt his truthfulness, not to say his honesty.”
“Ah! yes, yes, to be sure!” said the visitor, with a remarkable admixture of laughter and amazement. “How very odd, how very odd; ’od’s fish, how very odd! But, after all, you were his master.”
“I was, the more is the pity,” said the landlord.
All this time he was fervently hoping that his unwelcome visitor would go, lest anything should happen to detain him. Whoever he was, he was determined that the King should not see him if he could help it. Charles was at present perfectly settled and quiet upstairs, and he seemed likely to remain so for some time to come if nothing occurred to disturb him. If possible, he must see nobody ere he saw Captain Culpeper and his men.