It certainly is provocative of pleasant fancies to have an exceedingly attractive young woman talk of you in any way as her husband's successor.
I could not make up my mind what I ought to do, and I walked back into the hall.

I glanced into the parlor, but it was unoccupied.

Then I went into the large room on the right; no one was there, and I stood by the window trying to make up my mind in regard to proposing a brief stay at the inn.
It really did not seem necessary to give the matter much thought.

Here was a place of public entertainment, and, as I was one of the public, why should I not be entertained?
I had stopped at many a road-side hostelry, and in each one of them I knew I would be welcome to stay as long as I was willing to pay.
Still, there was something, some sort of an undefined consciousness, which seemed to rise in the way of an off-hand proposal to stay at this inn for several days, when I had clearly stated that I wished to stop only for the night.
While I was still turning over this matter in my mind Mrs.Chester came into the room.

I had expected her.