"At her present residence, of course," I replied. "You have but to go

thither and ask for her. This very path will lead you within sight of

the house; so I wish you good-morning."

"One moment, if you please," said the stranger. "The course you

indicate would certainly be the proper one, in an ordinary morning

call. But my business is private, personal, and somewhat peculiar.

Now, in a community like this, I should judge that any little

occurrence is likely to be discussed rather more minutely than would

quite suit my views. I refer solely to myself, you understand, and

without intimating that it would be other than a matter of entire

indifference to the lady. In short, I especially desire to see her in

private. If her habits are such as I have known them, she is probably

often to be met with in the woods, or by the river-side; and I think

you could do me the favor to point out some favorite walk, where, about

this hour, I might be fortunate enough to gain an interview."

I reflected that it would be quite a supererogatory piece of Quixotism

in me to undertake the guardianship of Zenobia, who, for my pains,

would only make me the butt of endless ridicule, should the fact ever

come to her knowledge. I therefore described a spot which, as often as

any other, was Zenobia's resort at this period of the day; nor was it

so remote from the farmhouse as to leave her in much peril, whatever

might be the stranger's character.

"A single word more," said he; and his black eyes sparkled at me,

whether with fun or malice I knew not, but certainly as if the Devil

were peeping out of them. "Among your fraternity, I understand, there

is a certain holy and benevolent blacksmith; a man of iron, in more

senses than one; a rough, cross-grained, well-meaning individual,

rather boorish in his manners, as might be expected, and by no means of

the highest intellectual cultivation. He is a philanthropical

lecturer, with two or three disciples, and a scheme of his own, the

preliminary step in which involves a large purchase of land, and the

erection of a spacious edifice, at an expense considerably beyond his

means; inasmuch as these are to be reckoned in copper or old iron much

more conveniently than in gold or silver.

He hammers away upon his one

topic as lustily as ever he did upon a horseshoe! Do you know such a

person?" I shook my head, and was turning away. "Our friend," he

continued, "is described to me as a brawny, shaggy, grim, and

ill-favored personage, not particularly well calculated, one would say,

to insinuate himself with the softer sex. Yet, so far has this honest

fellow succeeded with one lady whom we wot of, that he anticipates,

from her abundant resources, the necessary funds for realizing his plan

in brick and mortar!"




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