“I shall esteem it a favor,” said Noel Brooke, alighting from his horse.
“Did you tell him what I charged?” asked the backwoods landlady.
“We are to pay a dollar each,” explained Gerald, turning to his companion.
“That is satisfactory,” said the tourist.
“You may give it to me now,” said the new landlady with commendable caution.
“Just as you please, madam.”
Noel Brooke took out a large wallet that seemed well filled with bills, and selecting a two-dollar note passed it over.
The landlady extended her hand eagerly, and taking the bill examined it minutely, and finally, as if satisfied with her scrutiny, thrust it into a probable pocket in the interior recesses of her dress. She was evidently fond of money, judging from her manner, and Gerald noticed that she fixed a covetous look on the large and well-filled wallet from which Mr. Brooke had selected the bank bill. It gave him a momentary feeling of uneasiness, but he reflected that there was little danger from a solitary woman, and did not mention his feeling to the tourist.
“What do you want for supper?” asked the woman in a quick, jerky way.