Strange as it may seem given the nature of subsequent events, Mrs. Hall is initially quite happy to see Griffin arrive at the Coach and Horses inn. It is early February in the very depth of a cold, biting winter. This is not the time of year Mrs. Hall would normally expect to welcome any paying guests to the inn. In fact, it is virtually unheard of for a guest to drop by at the Coach and Horses during wintertime. As a result, Mrs. Hall cannot believe her luck when this stranger with the bandaged face and dark glasses shows up on her doorstep. Better still, the strange guest does not haggle; he flings down a couple of sovereigns on the table, and that is that. Mrs. Hall sets about proving herself worthy of her sudden good fortune. She prepares the stranger a nice meal, gets a good fire going in his quarters, and offers to take his hat and coat and dry them off in the kitchen. Mrs. Hall is very obliging and wants to do everything she can to make her strange guest feel right at home.