It was about half an hour before I saw that the new man was not at all an invalid, but of the natural gaunt frame and pallid complexion of my countrymen.  My eyes had become so full of the fresh, rosy life of the Englishman’s face, that the new man’s face was bleached and unhealthy to me.  I happened to glance back from him to the Dominie, and saw, that, allowing for green spectacles, they were both of a color.  We were so arranged on the top of the coach, that with reasonable twisting of necks we were able to maintain an animated conversation, and soon found our account in the new element.

“Well, Remington!”

“Well, Lewis!”

“Where from now?”

“From Niagara, and home by the White Hills.”

“And what of the last, or of both?”

“Miss Rugg has fallen into the one, and Miss Somebody has been to the top of the other.  Had to be brought down, though.  Women shouldn’t climb mountains.”

“There has been some talk of a road, or practicable path at least, to the top of Mount Washington.”

“Never’ll be done.  Impossible on the face of the thing.”

“Nothing is impossible to Yankees, Remington.”

“This is.  And now, Lewis, whence come you, and whither go?”

“From Weston, and to New York.”

Here was a denouement! We looked at him with new interest, and saw at once, such was the force of imagination, the very eyes and eyebrows of Gus Lewis.  However, it proved afterwards to be only imagination.  When we told him we came from Weston only two days and a half before, the conversation assumed the native style of New England, and for the next quarter of an hour we talked of each other and each other’s affairs.’  Mr. Lewis was delighted to see us, had stayed only an hour in Weston, and there heard of our trip from Auguste,—­profanely called Gus,—­took the box of maple-sugar in charge at once, laughed at the boy-like direction without even a surname, and ended with recommending us to go at once to Miss Post’s, on Broadway, where himself and his wife were at present boarding.  All the particulars of life, character, and relative interests were discussed between ourselves and Mr. Lewis with the relish and zest of compatriots.  I had forgotten how close a tie was that of Yankee birth, and how like an unknown tongue our talk was to the Englishman, till we stopped and turned to him to say something, and found him fast asleep.  Then I was glad that he hadn’t heard my satirical description of “donation-parties” at Weston, nor the account I gave of our two boys, our salary of five hundred dollars, and the various comical shifts we had to make to live comfortably on that sum and support aged parents and graceless relations.  Little touches told Mr. Lewis the whole story.  I knew very well that Mr. Remington would be entirely abroad about such a social existence as ours in Weston, travel he ever so long or widely.