These are only sick fancies.' 'What are only sick fancies ?' he retorted.

'What do you know about fancies?
Who told you about fancies?
The old story! Fancies!' 'Only see again there, how you take one up!' said the mistress of the Blue Dragon, with unimpaired good humour.

'Dear heart alive, there is no harm in the word, sir, if it is an old one.

Folks in good health have their fancies, too, and strange ones, every day.' Harmless as this speech appeared to be, it acted on the traveller's distrust, like oil on fire.

He raised his head up in the bed, and, fixing on her two dark eyes whose brightness was exaggerated by the paleness of his hollow cheeks, as they in turn, together with his straggling locks of long grey hair, were rendered whiter by the tight black velvet skullcap which he wore, he searched her face intently.
'Ah! you begin too soon,' he said, in so low a voice that he seemed to be thinking it, rather than addressing her.