Page:Fletcher--Where Highways Cross.djvu/177

 "Can I speak to you a minute?" he said, addressing Hepworth.

Hepworth looked round in some astonishment. It occurred to him that the young man might be a hawker, selling something and anxious to trade with him.

"Yes, certainly," he replied, "but I'm afraid I haven't much time."

"Let us go into the inn—into some private room," said the stranger.

"Eh?" said Hepworth. "A private room? Why?"

"So that we can talk without interruption. What I wish to say to you is of a private nature."

"I don't understand you," said Hepworth.

"I want to speak to you on important matters, then," said the stranger.

Hepworth re-arranged his parcels, wondering what the man meant. He was impatient to drive away, so that he might get home early and spend an hour with Elisabeth.