And now dinner was removed, and we sat over our wine, and I remember that the wine was good, and fully justified the encomiums of my host of the town.  Over the wine I made sure that my entertainer would have loosened the chain which seemed to tie his tongue—­but no!  I endeavoured to tempt him by various topics, and talked of geometry and the use of the globes, of the heavenly sphere, and the star Jupiter, which I said I had heard was a very large star, also of the evergreen tree, which, according to Olaus, stood of old before the heathen temple of Upsal, and which I affirmed was a yew—­but no, nothing that I said could induce my entertainer to relax his taciturnity.

It grew dark, and I became uncomfortable.  ‘I must presently be going,’ I at last exclaimed.

At these words he gave a sudden start; ‘Going,’ said he, ’are you not my guest, and an honoured one?’

‘You know best,’ said I; ’but I was apprehensive I was an intruder; to several of my questions you have returned no answer.’

‘Ten thousand pardons!’ he exclaimed, seizing me by the hand; ’but you cannot go now, I have much to talk to you about—­there is one thing in particular—­’

‘If it be the evergreen tree at Upsal,’ said I, interrupting him, ’I hold it to have been a yew—­what else?  The evergreens of the south, as the old bishop observes, will not grow in the north, and a pine was unfitted for such a locality, being a vulgar tree.  What else could it have been but the yew—­the sacred yew which our ancestors were in the habit of planting in their churchyards?  Moreover, I affirm it to have been the yew for the honour of the tree; for I love the yew, and had I home and land, I would have one growing before my front windows.’

’You would do right, the yew is indeed a venerable tree, but it is not about the yew.’

‘The star Jupiter, perhaps?’

’Nor the star Jupiter, nor its moons; an observation which escaped you at the inn has made a considerable impression upon me.’

‘But I really must take my departure,’ said I; ’the dark hour is at hand.’

And as I uttered these latter words the stranger touched rapidly something which lay near him—­I forget what it was.  It was the first action of the kind which I had observed on his part since we sat down to table.

‘You allude to the evil chance,’ said I; ’but it is getting both dark and late.’

‘I believe we are going to have a storm,’ said my friend, ’but I really hope that you will give me your company for a day or two; I have, as I said before, much to talk to you about.’

‘Well,’ said I, ’I shall be most happy to be your guest for this night; I am ignorant of the country, and it is not pleasant to travel unknown paths by night—­dear me, what a flash of lightning.’

It had become very dark; suddenly a blaze of sheet lightning illumed the room.  By the momentary light I distinctly saw my host touch another object upon the table.