He had about made up his mind to trouble himself no further when the carriage suddenly made a sharp turn and came to a stop; one of the men opened the door and stepped out.
There was a few seconds’ wait, during which several voices were heard calling outside; and then suddenly Roberts, who was gazing out of the window with not a little anxiety, caught sight of a light, apparently in the window of a house. Only a short distance from the carriage a flood of light suddenly streamed before his eyes, coming from an open doorway.
He saw several figures moving about, and at the same time the other man in the carriage sprang quickly out.
“Nous sommes arrivés!” he exclaimed. “Voici!”
And Roberts lost no time in taking his other satchel and springing out of the carriage. As he did so he found himself covered by an umbrella held by a shadowy form near him, and under the protection of this he hurried up the path and the steps to the house.
By this time more lights had appeared in the windows, and by the single glance which he had Roberts saw that he was in front of a very large building, consisting of at least two stories, and with extremely broad and, at present, brilliantly lighted windows. It was only a few seconds later before he found himself in the entrance, which he discovered to be apparently that of an elegant mansion.
“Good gracious!” he thought, “I wasn’t prepared for a house like this!”
But there were still greater surprises in store for him. He found that on either side of the doorway two domestics were standing, bowing obsequiously at his entrance. The person who had obligingly covered him with the umbrella proved to be an attendant, similarly attired, and as Roberts entered the house one stepped forward for his satchel, and the other took his rain-soaked hat as he removed it; a second later the astonished man found himself being graciously relieved of his dripping overcoat by yet another obliging personage.
In the meantime he was gazing about him; what he saw fairly took his breath away. He was no more prepared for such things than if he had been traveling in the wilds of Africa. He found himself in the midst of a broad, well-lighted hallway, on either side of which opened splendid parlors containing every conceivable kind of luxurious appointment—splendid furniture and tapestry, mirrors and pictures. In the hall he saw a broad, open fireplace, in which a great log was blazing, casting a glow in every direction.
While Roberts was staring at it, and feeling his heart expand with satisfaction, one of his traveling companions carrying the other satchel, had come hurrying into the room. He took off his hat and flung back his heavy coat, disclosing to the American’s view a rather stout and short elderly personage, with a gray beard and an extremely pleasant countenance.