"How can I serve you, sir?"
The stranger did not reply; his gaze was directed toward the table and the guests, and the host, who had observed his look, again repeated the question.
The stranger walked into the middle of the room, and, seating himself at a table, said:
"Bring me a glass of brandy."
"I thought—I believed—" began the host.
"Do as I told you. I am expecting some one. Get a good dinner ready, and as soon as—the other one arrives, you can serve it."
"It shall be attended to," nodded Schwan, who thought the man was the steward of some big lord.
Just as the host was about to leave the room, the door was opened again and two more travellers entered. The first comer threw a look at the new arrivals, and a frown crossed his ugly face.
The last two who entered were entirely dissimilar. One of them, to judge from his upright bearing, must have formerly been a soldier. He was dressed plainly in civilian's clothes, and his bushy white mustache gave his face a threatening look; the deep blue eyes, however, served to soften the features. The other man was evidently a carman; he wore a blue linen blouse, leathern shoes, knee-breeches and a large round hat. When the host praised his kitchen to the new-comers, his words fell on fertile ground, for when he asked the first guest whether he would like to have some ham and eggs, the proposition was at once accepted.