His dinner disposed of, he went down-stairs, treading heavily as he passed his enemy’s door, which was now closed. Bartholomew had told him of the company that had arrived, and he could hear their laughter as he went by. He peered into the kitchen to see what their servants looked like; and the magnificence of attire of their coachman, valet, and waiting-woman did not put him into any better humour. He then stepped into the yard and viewed their coach, and finally took notice of their horses feeding in the stalls. Seeing nothing he could disparage, he contented himself with a sniff of scorn at such extravagant fopperies, and betook himself to the public dining-room to wait while Bartholomew attended to his own appetite in the kitchen. The Squire had heard the arrival of the stage-coach some time before, and he now supposed there might be a congenial passenger or two with whom to exchange news.
He found a single passenger—a slim, discreet-looking man of less than medium height, with a smallish brown face beginning to wrinkle, a sharp nose and chin, a curious appearance of huddling himself together so as not to fill much space, and lead-coloured eyes that lifted their gaze without haste from their owner’s plate and rested intently for a moment upon Thornby. The eyes were then deferentially lowered. The man was decently dressed in brown and gray, and wore a wig of the latter colour. The Squire set him down as a tradesman in comfortable circumstances, or perhaps an attorney or attorney’s clerk, and a civil sort of fellow who knew how to drop his glance in the presence of his betters.
“Good day, friend,” began the Squire. “You arrived by the stage-coach from the North, I take it.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the other, briefly, but civilly.
“Travelled far?” pursued Thornby.
“From Edinburgh, though not all the way by that coach. And previous thereto, from Inverness-shire.”
“You’re not a Scotchman, though?”
“Oh, no, sir; not me, sir. Not so bad as that. I was with the Duke’s army in Scotland.”
“Oh, then, you helped to put down the rebellion?” said the Squire.
“In my humble capacity, sir. I was waiting-gentleman to an officer, sir.”