"A guide ?" "I said a guide, fool," answered him the groom.

"Heard you never of such animals?
We need a man who knows the hills, to lead us by the shortest road to Cagli." The taverner shook his grey head stupidly.

He bowed again until I fancied I could hear the creak of his old joints.
"Here be no guides, Magnificent," he deplored.

"Perhaps at Gualdo--" "Animal," was the retort--for true courtesy commend me to a lacquey!--"it is not our wish to pursue the road as far as Gualdo, else had we not stopped at this kennel of yours." I scarce know what it can have been that moved me to act as I then did, for, in the truth, the manner of that rascal of a groom was little prepossessing, and his master, I doubted, could be little better that he left the fellow to hector it thus over that wretched tavern oaf.

But I stepped forward.
"Did you say that you were journeying to Cagli ?" questioned I.
He eyed me sourly, suspicion writ athwart his round, ill-favoured face, But my motley was hidden from his sight.