CHAPTER I
THE STRANGE MAN 0
'S ARRIVAL
The stranger 0
came early in February , one wintry day , through a biting wind and a driving snow , the last snowfall of the year , over the down , walking from
Bramblehurst 2
railway station 1
, and carrying a little black portmanteau in
his 0
thickly gloved hand .
He 0
was wrapped up from head to foot , and the brim of
his 0
soft felt hat hid every inch of
his 0
face but the shiny tip of
his 0
nose ; the snow had piled itself against
his 0
shoulders and chest , and added a white crest to the burden
he 0
carried .
He 0
staggered into the "
Coach and Horses 3
" more dead than alive , and flung
his 0
portmanteau down .
" A fire , "
he 0
cried , " in the name of human charity !
A room 4
and a fire ! "
He 0
stamped and shook the snow from off
himself 0
in
the bar 5
, and followed
Mrs. Hall 6
into
her 6
guest parlour 7
to strike
his 0
bargain .
And with that much introduction , that and a couple of sovereigns flung upon the table ,
he 0
took up
his 0
quarters 8
in
the inn 3
.
Mrs. Hall 6
lit the fire and left
him 0
there 9
while
she 6
went to prepare
him 0
a meal with
her 6
own hands .
A guest to stop at
Iping 11
in the wintertime 10
was an unheard-of piece of luck , let alone
a guest who was no " haggler 12
, " and
she 6
was resolved to show
herself 6
worthy of
her 6
good fortune .
As soon as the bacon was well under way , and
Millie 13
,
her 6
lymphatic maid 26
, had been brisked up a bit by a few deftly chosen expressions of contempt ,
she 6
carried the cloth , plates , and glasses into
the parlour 8
and began to lay them with the utmost _ eclat _ .
Although the fire was burning up briskly ,
she 6
was surprised to see that
her 6
visitor 0
still wore
his 0
hat and coat , standing with
his 0
back to
her 6
and staring out of the window at the falling snow in
the yard 14
.
His 0
gloved hands were clasped behind
him 0
, and
he 0
seemed to be lost in thought .
She 6
noticed that the melting snow that still sprinkled
his 0
shoulders dripped upon
her 6
carpet .
" Can
I 6
take
your 0
hat and coat ,
sir 0
? "
she 6
said , " and give them a good dry in
the kitchen 15
? "
" No , "
he 0
said without turning .
She 6
was not sure
she 6
had heard
him 0
, and was about to repeat
her 6
question .
He 0
turned
his 0
head and looked at
her 6
over
his 0
shoulder .
"
I 0
prefer to keep them on , "
he 0
said with emphasis , and
she 6
noticed that
he 0
wore big blue spectacles with sidelights , and had a bush side-whisker over
his 0
coat-collar that completely hid
his 0
cheeks and face .
" Very well ,
sir 0
, "
she 6
said . "
_ As _
you 0
like .
In a bit
the room 8
will be warmer . "
He 0
made no answer , and had turned
his 0
face away from
her 6
again , and
Mrs. Hall 6
, feeling that
her 6
conversational advances were ill-timed , laid the rest of the table things in a quick staccato and whisked out of
the room 8
.
When
she 6
returned
he 0
was still standing
there 16
, like
a man of stone 17
,
his 0
back hunched ,
his 0
collar turned up ,
his 0
dripping hat-brim turned down , hiding
his 0
face and ears completely .
She 6
put down the eggs and bacon with considerable emphasis , and called rather than said to
him 0
, "
Your 0
lunch is served ,
sir 0
. "
" Thank
you 6
, "
he 0
said at the same time , and did not stir until
she 6
was closing the door .
Then
he 0
swung round and approached the table with a certain eager quickness .
As
she 6
went behind
the bar 5
to
the kitchen 15
she 6
heard a sound repeated at regular intervals .
Chirk , chirk , chirk , it went , the sound of a spoon being rapidly whisked round a basin .
"
That girl 13
! "
she 6
said .
" There !
I 6
clean forgot it .
It 's
her 13
being so long ! "
And while
she 6
herself 6
finished mixing the mustard ,
she 6
gave
Millie 13
a few verbal stabs for
her 13
excessive slowness .
She 6
had cooked the ham and eggs , laid the table , and done everything , while
Millie 13
( help indeed ! )
had only succeeded in delaying the mustard .
And
him 0
a new guest 27
and wanting to stay !
Then
she 6
filled the mustard pot , and , putting it with a certain stateliness upon a gold and black tea-tray , carried it into
the parlour 7
.
She 6
rapped and entered promptly .
As
she 6
did so
her 6
visitor 0
moved quickly , so that
she 6
got but a glimpse of a white object disappearing behind the table .
It would seem
he 0
was picking something from the floor .
She 6
rapped down the mustard pot on the table , and then
she 6
noticed the overcoat and hat had been taken off and put over a chair in front of the fire , and a pair of wet boots threatened rust to
her 6
steel fender .
She 6
went to these things resolutely .
"
I 6
suppose
I 6
may have them to dry now , "
she 6
said in a voice that brooked no denial .
" Leave the hat , " said
her 6
visitor 0
, in a muffled voice , and turning
she 6
saw
he 0
had raised
his 0
head and was sitting and looking at
her 6
.
For a moment
she 6
stood gaping at
him 0
, too surprised to speak .
He 0
held a white cloth -- it was a serviette
he 0
had brought with
him 0
-- over the lower part of
his 0
face , so that
his 0
mouth and jaws were completely hidden , and that was the reason of
his 0
muffled voice .
But it was not that which startled
Mrs. Hall 6
.
It was the fact that all
his 0
forehead above
his 0
blue glasses was covered by a white bandage , and that another covered
his 0
ears , leaving not a scrap of
his 0
face exposed excepting only
his 0
pink , peaked nose .
It was bright , pink , and shiny just as it had been at first .
He 0
wore a dark-brown velvet jacket with a high , black , linen-lined collar turned up about
his 0
neck .
The thick black hair , escaping as it could below and between the cross bandages , projected in curious tails and horns , giving
him 0
the strangest appearance conceivable .
This muffled and bandaged head was so unlike what
she 6
had anticipated , that for a moment
she 6
was rigid .
He 0
did not remove the serviette , but remained holding it , as
she 6
saw now , with a brown gloved hand , and regarding
her 6
with
his 0
inscrutable blue glasses .
" Leave the hat , "
he 0
said , speaking very distinctly through the white cloth .
Her 6
nerves began to recover from the shock they had received .
She 6
placed the hat on the chair again by the fire .
"
I 6
did n't know ,
sir 0
, "
she 6
began , " that -- " and
she 6
stopped embarrassed .
" Thank
you 6
, "
he 0
said drily , glancing from
her 6
to the door and then at
her 6
again .
"
I 6
'll have them nicely dried ,
sir 0
, at once , "
she 6
said , and carried
his 0
clothes out of
the room 8
.
She 6
glanced at
his 0
white-swathed head and blue goggles again as
she 6
was going out of the door ; but
his 0
napkin was still in front of
his 0
face .
She 6
shivered a little as
she 6
closed the door behind
her 6
, and
her 6
face was eloquent of
her 6
surprise and perplexity .
"
I 6
_ never _ , "
she 6
whispered .
" There ! "
She 6
went quite softly to
the kitchen 15
, and was too preoccupied to ask
Millie 13
what
she 13
was messing about with _ now _ , when
she 6
got
there 15
.
The visitor 0
sat and listened to
her 6
retreating feet .
He 0
glanced inquiringly at the window before
he 0
removed
his 0
serviette , and resumed
his 0
meal .
He 0
took a mouthful , glanced suspiciously at the window , took another mouthful , then rose and , taking the serviette in
his 0
hand , walked across
the room 8
and pulled the blind down to the top of the white muslin that obscured the lower panes .
This left
the room 8
in a twilight .
This done ,
he 0
returned with an easier air to the table and
his 0
meal .
"
The poor soul 0
's had an accident or an op ' ration or somethin' , " said
Mrs. Hall 6
.
" What a turn them bandages did give
me 6
, to be sure ! "
She 6
put on some more coal , unfolded the clothes-horse , and extended
the traveller 0
's coat upon this .
" And they goggles !
Why ,
he 0
looked more like a divin ' helmet than
a human man 18
! "
She 6
hung
his 0
muffler on a corner of the horse .
" And holding that handkerchief over
his 0
mouth all the time .
Talkin ' through it !
... Perhaps
his 0
mouth was hurt too -- maybe . "
She 6
turned round , as one who suddenly remembers .
" Bless
my 6
soul alive ! "
she 6
said , going off at a tangent ; " ai n't
you 13
done them taters _ yet _ ,
Millie 13
? "
When
Mrs. Hall 6
went to clear away
the stranger 0
's lunch ,
her 6
idea that
his 0
mouth must also have been cut or disfigured in the accident
she 6
supposed
him 0
to have suffered , was confirmed , for
he 0
was smoking a pipe , and all the time that
she 6
was in
the room 8
he 0
never loosened the silk muffler
he 0
had wrapped round the lower part of
his 0
face to put the mouthpiece to
his 0
lips .
Yet it was not forgetfulness , for
she 6
saw
he 0
glanced at it as it smouldered out .
He 0
sat in the corner with
his 0
back to the window-blind and spoke now , having eaten and drunk and being comfortably warmed through , with less aggressive brevity than before .
The reflection of the fire lent a kind of red animation to
his 0
big spectacles they had lacked hitherto .
"
I 0
have some luggage , "
he 0
said , " at
Bramblehurst 2
station 1
, " and
he 0
asked
her 6
how
he 0
could have it sent .
He 0
bowed
his 0
bandaged head quite politely in acknowledgment of
her 6
explanation .
" To-morrow ? "
he 0
said .
" There is no speedier delivery ? " and seemed quite disappointed when
she 6
answered , " No . "
Was
she 6
quite sure ?
No man with
a trap 20
who would go over 19
?
Mrs. Hall 6
, nothing loath , answered
his 0
questions and developed a conversation .
" It 's
a steep road by the down 21
,
sir 0
, "
she 6
said in answer to the question about
a trap 22
; and then , snatching at an opening , said , " It was there
a carriage 23
was upsettled , a year ago and more .
A gentleman 24
killed , besides
his 24
coachman 25
.
Accidents ,
sir 0
, happen in a moment , do n't they ? "
But
the visitor 0
was not to be drawn so easily .
" They do , "
he 0
said through
his 0
muffler , eyeing
her 6
quietly through
his 0
impenetrable glasses .