v1. THE RED BARON. 283

 

None such, however, could he find, and the situa-
tion was beginning to be uncomfortable, when upon
his rapping hard at the door of a small cottage, an old
woman put her head out of the window close by, and
asked what he wanted. As she spoke a language
which he could by no means understand, he had some
difficulty in explaining that he desired food and a
night’s lodging. When at last she comprehended his
meaning, she shook her head vehemently as regarded
his latter request, but presently thrust her hand out of
the window with a moderate-sized, black-looking loaf
of bread which looked anything but inviting, but which
our friend was fain to accept under the circumstances
in which he found himself. Still, bread was not
shelter, and he began to wonder where he should have
to pass the night.

Suddenly, however, as he moved along the road,
and had almost passed the village, he saw two large
gates at the entrance of what seemed to be an old
avenue immediately upon the right hand. The gates
were very old, and one of them stood partly open, so
that he had no difficulty in entering. Having done so,
he argued to himself that as most avenues led to
houses, it was probable that this one formed no excep-
tion to the general rule. So he marched boldly up the
avenue for at least half a mile, and then found himself
immediately opposite a large castle. There was a
moat around it, across which was an ancient draw-
bridge, on to which opened two large gates whose an-
tiquity prevented their forming any impediment to his
advance, especially as they stood wide open as if to
invite him to enter. He did so, and walked into a