The Grim Reaper!... Could it be???
As I was reading this story, I had the sense that there would be a surprise ending of sorts. I even started to analyze the story in a supernatural sense. "My trade is a sight to see;/ For my customers I tie, and take them up on high/ And waft 'em to a far countree!"(334). After reading this quote I thought perhaps this man is the grim reaper! (My roommates and I were making Halloween crafts last night and I just so happened to draw the grim reaper; therefore, he was on my mind). I thought this man is coming to take someone away, someone in the party is going to die! Of course, I was wrong, but the thought occurred. I also thought that up until the part where I had my grim reaper realization, the story seemed somewhat similar to Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death". However, in this case the visitor was an actual person not a disease. Although I assumed the stranger may have been the grim reaper, I never thought logically enough to realize he was actually the executioner.
I can sort of see why you thought the grim reaper was a part of this story. There was obviously something going on behind the scenes that the reader was trying to figure out. I didn't really think of the grim reaper, but the fact that the author pointed out how the executioner could be the devil, or at least the people at the party thought he could be, might have tipped you into believe that. Either way, interesting thought even if it didn't turn out to be right at the end.