"He will stand quietly," I replied; "but I'll fasten him to your crook here. I should not advise you to go near him."
"You be'ant comin' in, sur, be 'ee?"
"Just a minute," I replied.
"Ah iss, to be sure," he answered, leading the way into a dark room.
"But you have a room with a light here," I objected, as he pushed a candle into a smouldering fire.
"Iss, sur, but tes used, sur. To tell the truth, sur, for I can zee you be a gen'leman, my wife's sister is there. She's terble bad weth small-pox, sur."
"Small-pox!" I cried aghast.
"Aw, iss, sur. I doan't go ther' myself, and tes makin' terble 'ard agin my custom."
All the while he was pulling out the cork from a bottle of wine.
"I don't think I'll stay to drink," I said, thinking of the man's statement about his wife's sister. "Of course I'll pay for it," I added, noting the look of chagrin on his face.