Indeed, this was no cheerful
house for the boy. He had his ambitions and he left me to pursue them."
"What does he do, this youngster?" interrupted Michael, in his gruffest
tones. The landlord started.
"Indeed, good sir, I could not tell you, for I know not myself."
"Humph!" grunted my sullen companion; but I observed his suspicious
little eyes fixed persistently on the man of the inn.
I turned the talk, which had threatened to languish. The old man did not
relish the questions about his son, and began deploring the poor crops.
At this juncture an indefinable feeling that we were losing time in
stopping at this lonely place came over me. I am not superstitious, but
I swear that I felt ill at ease and confused in my plans.
On bended knee I had sworn to my lady that I would bring back to her the
fugitive unharmed, and I would never return to her empty-handed,
confessing failure. Michael's queer behaviour disconcerted me. From the
outset of the chase he had turned sour and inaccessible, and now he was
so ill-tempered that I feared he would pick a quarrel at the slightest
provocation with our host.
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