‘Robert,’ I sez, ’did you ever ‘appen to see a poachin’ cove in a bell-crowner afore?  No, you never did,’ sez I.  ’But, on the other ’and, this ‘ere cove is the very spit o’ the poachin’ cove as I’m a-lookin’ for.  True!’ sez I to meself, ’but this ‘ere cove is a-wearin’ of a bell-crowner ’at, but the poachin’ cove never wore a bell-crowner—­nor never will.’  Still, I must say I come very near pullin’ trigger on ye—­just to make sure.  So ye see it were precious lucky for you as you was a-wearin’ o’ that there—­”

“It certainly was,” said I, turning away.

“—­that there bell-crowner, and likewise as I’m a man of a nat’ral gift for argiment, and of a inquirin’—­”

“Without doubt,” said I, vaulting over the gate into the road once more.

“—­turn o’ mind, because if I ’adn’t ‘a’ been, and you ’adn’t ‘a’ wore that there bell-crowner—­”

“The consequences are unpleasantly obvious!” said I, over my shoulder, as I walked on down the road.

“—­I should ha’ shot ye—­like a dog!” he shouted, hanging over the gate to do so.

And, when I had gone on some distance, I took off that which the man had called a “bell-crowner,” and bestowed upon it a touch, and looked at it as I had never done before; and there was gratitude in look and touch, for tonight it had, indeed, stood my friend.

Slowly, slowly the moon, at whose advent the starry host “paled their ineffectual fires,” mounted into a cloudless heaven, higher and higher, in queenly majesty, until the dark world was filled with her glory, and the road before me became transformed into a silver track splashed here and there with the inky shadow of hedge and trees, and leading away into a land of “Faerie.”

Indeed, to my mind, there is nothing more delightful than to walk upon a country road, beneath a midsummer moon, when there is no sound to break the stillness, save, perhaps, the murmur of wind in trees, or the throbbing melody of some hidden brook.  At such times the world of every day—­the world of Things Material, the hard, hard world of Common-sense—­seems to vanish quite, and we walk within the fair haven of our dreams, where Imagination meets, and kisses us upon the brow.  And, at his touch, the Impossible straightway becomes the Possible; the Abstract becomes the Concrete; our fondest hopes are realized; our most cherished visions take form, and stand before us; surely, at such an hour, the gods come down to walk with us awhile.

From this ecstasy I was suddenly aroused by hearing once more the sound of a footstep upon the road behind me.  So distinct and unmistakable was it that I turned sharp about, and, though the road seemed as deserted as ever, I walked back, looking into every patch of shadow, and even thrust into the denser parts of the hedges with my staff; but still I found no one.  And yet I knew that I was being followed persistently, step by step, but by whom, and for what reason?