In Which Mr Headstone is Unsettled by a Strange Encounter

The month of January having all but run its course, Mr. Headstone was beginning to despair of something turning up in his favour. In order to avoid the unfortunate circumstance of encountering a creditor (which opportunity the metropolis afforded at every street corner), the schoolmaster had quit the city for the relative solitude of a town in the marsh country on the pretext of visiting an uncle, who was a well-to-do corn-chandler, and drove his own chaise-cart. Of course in this town there was a public house, which went by the name of The Three Jolly Bargemen, and on this particular night, it being particularly cold, the schoolmaster had made himself one of a party assembled around the fire in the bar. As he sat and listened to one of the company read aloud the grisly details of a highly popular murder from the newspaper, Mr. Headstone became aware of a strange gentleman leaning over the back of the settle opposite him, looking on. He had about him an air of authority not to be disputed, and with a manner expressive of knowing something secret about every one of the company, he came into the space between the two settles, in front of the fire, and looked round until all quailed before him. He finally settled his gaze upon the schoolmaster, and, having identified that individual correctly by both name and profession, expressed his desire to have a private conference in an upstairs room, which he had acquired of the landlord for that purpose. Mr. Headstone rose from the settle and followed the stranger in a wondering silence up the stairs.