Here the people told me that the
stage would come by in a couple of hours at farthest; upon
which, determining to wait for it, sooner than lose the jaunt
I had got so far forward on, I was carried into a very clean
decent room, up one pair of stairs, which I took possession of
for the time I had to stay, in right of calling for sufficient
to do the house justice.
Here, whilst I was amusing myself with looking out of the
window, a single horse-chaise stopt at the door, out of which
lightly leap'd two gentlemen, for so they seem'd, who came in
only as it were to bait and refresh a little, for they gave
their horse to be held in readiness against they came out.
And presently I heard the door of the next room, where they
were let in, and call'd about them briskly; and as soon as
they were serv'd, I could just hear that they shut and fast-
ened the door on the inside.
A spirit of curiosity, far from sudden, since I do not
know when I was without it, prompted me, without any parti-
cular suspicion, or other drift or view, to see what they
were, and examine their persons and behaviour. The partition
of our rooms was one of those moveable ones that, when taken
down, serv'd occasionally to lay them into one, for the con-
veniency of a large company; and now, my nicest search could
not shew me the shadow of a peep-hole, a circumstance which
probably had not escap'd the review of the parties on the
other side, whom much it stood upon not to be deceived in it;
but at length I observed a paper patch of the same colour as
the wainscot, which I took to conceal some flaw: but then it
was so high, that I was obliged to stand upon a chair to
reach it, which I did as softly as possibly, and, with a point
of a bodkin, soon pierc'd it.
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