'Nae Mr Archibald at number so-and-so!' bawled the coachman.
'I say he is there,' cried Mr Smith in a rage: 'the servant has deceived you—ring again!'
'It's nae use ringing,' said the coachman, speaking against the storm; 'there's nae Mr Archibald there—I ken mysel!'
'Is it possible that I can have made a mistake in the number? Hark ye, friend, try somewhere else. I know of my own knowledge that Mr Archibald is in this street, and you must find him!'—and he shut down the window exhausted.
It was not difficult to find Mr Archibald, for his house was almost directly opposite; and the tea-drinkers at length, to their great satisfaction, found themselves on a landing-place, with an open door before them.
As Mr Smith paused for an instant on the threshold, he threw a strange searching glance round the hall, and then, turning to the servant, asked her if she had actually said that Mr Archibald lived there? The girl repeated the statement.
'Then come along, my dear,' said he to his wife; 'places look so different in the gaslight!' And striding through the hall, the servant in surprise walking backwards before them, they went into the drawing-room at the further end. The girl had opened the door of the room for them by the instinct of habit; but no sooner did she see them seated, than she ran at full speed to her mistress.
'Come ben, mem,' said she; 'come ben, I tell you, this moment! There are twa strange folks wha ha'e marched in out o' the street into the very drawing-room, without either with your leave or by your leave, and sutten themselves doon on the sophy, as if the house was their ain!' Mrs Archibald got up in surprise, and even some little trepidation.
'Did they not mention who they were, or what was their pleasure?'
'Not a word, mem: they didna even speer if the maister or you was at hame, but tramped in the moment they saw the door open.'