The Romany Rye

by George Borrow

  CHAPTER XXXVI

  ARRIVAL AT HORNCASTLE--THE INN AND OSTLERS--THE GARRET--FIGURE OF A MANWITH A CANDLE

  Leaving the house of the old man who knew Chinese, but could not tellwhat was o'clock, I wended my way to Horncastle, which I reached in theevening of the same day, without having met any adventure on the wayworthy of being marked down in this very remarkable history.

  The town was a small one, seemingly ancient, and was crowded with peopleand horses. I proceeded, without delay, to the inn to which my friendthe surgeon had directed me. 'It is of no use coming here,' said two orthree ostlers, as I entered the yard--'all full--no room whatever;'whilst one added, in an undertone, 'That 'ere ain't a bad-looking horse.''I want to see the master of this inn,' said I, as I dismounted from thehorse. 'See the master,' said an ostler--the same who had paid thenegative kind of compliment to the horse--'a likely thing, truly. Mymaster is drinking wine with some of the grand gentry, and can't bedisturbed for the sake of the like of you.' 'I bring a letter to him,'said I, pulling out the surgeon's epistle. 'I wish you would deliver itto him,' I added, offering a half-crown. 'Oh, it's you, is it?' said theostler, taking the letter and the half-crown. 'My master will be rightglad to see you. Why you hain't been here for many a long year. I'llcarry the note to him at once.' And with these words he hurried into thehouse. 'That's a nice horse, young man,' said another ostler. 'Whatwill you take for it?' to which interrogation I made no answer. 'If youwish to sell him,' said the ostler, coming up to me, and winkingknowingly, 'I think I and my partners might offer you a summut underseventy pounds;' to which kind of half-insinuated offer I made no reply,save by winking in the same kind of knowing manner in which I hadobserved him wink. 'Rather leary!' said a third ostler. 'Well, youngman, perhaps you will drink to-night with me and my partners, when we cantalk the matter over.' Before I had time to answer, the landlord, awell-dressed, good-looking man, made his appearance with the ostler; hebore the letter in his hand. Without glancing at me, he betook himselfat once to consider the horse, going round him, and observing every pointwith the utmost minuteness. At last, after having gone round the horsethree times, he stopped beside me, and keeping his eyes on the horse,bent his head towards his right shoulder. 'That horse is worth somemoney,' said he, turning towards me suddenly, and slightly touching me onthe arm with the letter which he held in his hand; to which observation Imade no reply, save by bending my head towards the right shoulder as Ihad seen him do. 'The young man is going to talk to me and my partnersabout it to-night,' said the ostler who had expressed an opinion that heand his friends might offer me somewhat under seventy pounds for theanimal. 'Pooh!' said the landlord, 'the young man knows what he isabout; in the meantime lead the horse to the reserved stall, and see wellafter him. My friend,' said he, taking me aside after the ostler had ledthe animal away, 'recommends you to me in the strongest manner, on whichaccount alone I take you and your horse in. I need not advise you not tobe taken in, as I should say, by your look, that you are tolerably awake;but there are queer hands at Horncastle at this time, and those fellowsof mine, you understand me--; but I have a great deal to do at present,so you must excuse me,' and thereupon went into the house.

  That same evening I was engaged at least two hours in the stable, inrubbing the horse down, and preparing him for the exhibition which Iintended he should make in the fair on the following day. The ostler, towhom I had given the half-crown, occasionally assisted me, though he wastoo much occupied by the horses of other guests to devote any length oftime to the service of mine; he more than once repeated to me his firmconviction that himself and partners could afford to offer me summut forthe horse; and at a later hour when, in compliance with his invitation, Itook a glass of summut with himself and partners, in a little roomsurrounded with corn-chests, on which we sat, both himself and partnersendeavoured to impress upon me, chiefly by means of nods and winks, theirconviction that they could afford to give me summut for the horse,provided I were disposed to sell him; in return for which intimation,with as many nods and winks as they had all collectively used, Iendeavoured to impress upon them my conviction that I could get summuthandsomer in the fair than they might be disposed to offer me, seeing ashow--which how I followed by a wink and a nod, which they seemedperfectly to understand, one or two of them declaring that if the casewas so, it made a great deal of difference, and that they did not wish tobe any hindrance to me, more particularly as it was quite clear I hadbeen an ostler like themselves.

  It was late at night when I began to think of retiring to rest. Oninquiring if there was any place in which I could sleep, I was informedthat there was a bed at my service, provided I chose to sleep in atwo-bedded room, one of the beds of which was engaged by anothergentleman. I expressed my satisfaction at this arrangement, and wasconducted by a maid-servant up many pairs of stairs to a garret, in whichwere two small beds, in one of which she gave me to understand anothergentleman slept; he had, however, not yet retired to rest; I asked who hewas, but the maid-servant could give me no information about him, savethat he was a highly respectable gentleman, and a friend of her master's.Presently, bidding me good night, she left me with a candle; and I,having undressed myself and extinguished the light, went to bed.Notwithstanding the noises which sounded from every part of the house, Iwas not slow in falling asleep, being thoroughly tired. I know not howlong I might have been in bed, perhaps two hours, when I was partiallyawakened by a light shining upon my face, whereupon, unclosing my eyes, Iperceived the figure of a man, with a candle in one hand, staring at myface, whilst with the other hand he held back the curtain of the bed. AsI have said before, I was only partially awakened, my power of perceptionwas consequently very confused; it appeared to me, however, that the manwas dressed in a green coat; that he had curly brown or black hair, andthat there was something peculiar in his look. Just as I was beginningto recollect myself, the curtain dropped, and I heard, or thought Iheard, a voice say, 'Don't know the cove.' Then there was a rustlinglike a person undressing, whereupon being satisfied that it was my fellowlodger, I dropped asleep, but was awakened again by a kind of heavyplunge upon the other bed, which caused it to rock and creak, when Iobserved that the light had been extinguished, probably blown out, if Imight judge from a rather disagreeable smell of burnt wick which remainedin the room, and which kept me awake till I heard my companion breathinghard, when, turning on the other side, I was again once more speedily inthe arms of slumber.