I might have stopped at any farm-house, and have breakfasted for nothing.

It was prudent to husband, with the utmost care, my slender stock; but I felt reluctance to beg as long as I had the means of buying, and I imagined that coarse bread and a little milk would cost little even at a tavern, when any farmer was willing to bestow them for nothing.

My resolution was further influenced by the appearance of a signpost.

What excuse could I make for begging a breakfast with an inn at hand and silver in my pocket?
I stopped, accordingly, and breakfasted.

The landlord was remarkably attentive and obliging, but his bread was stale, his milk sour, and his cheese the greenest imaginable.