lked the length of Islington High Street, then a
short way along its continuation, Upper Street. Once or twice Clara had
barely glanced at Kirkwood, but his eyes made no reply, and his lips
were resolutely closed. She did not seem offended by this silence; on
the contrary, her face was cheerful, and she smiled to herself now and
then. One would have imagined that she found pleasure in the sombreness
of which she was the cause.

She stopped at length, and said:

'I suppose you don't want to go in with me?'

'No.'

'Then I'll say good-night. Thank you for coming so far out of your way.'

'I'll wait. I may as well walk back with you, if you don't mind.'

'Oh, very well. I shan't be many minutes.'

She passed on and entered the place of refreshment that was kept by
Mrs. Tubbs. Till recently it had been an ordinary eating-house or
coffee-shop; but having succeeded in obtain a license to sell strong
liquors, Mrs. Tubbs had converted the establishment into one of a more
pretentious kind. She called it 'Imperial Restaurant and Luncheon Bar.'
The front shone with vermilion paint; the interior was aflare with many
gas-jets; in the window was disposed a tempting exhibition of 'snacks'
of fish, cold roast fowls, ham-sandwiches, and the like; whilst farther
back stood a cooking-stove, whereon frizzled and vapoured a savoury
mess of sausages and onions.

Sidney turned away a few paces. The inclemency of the night made Upper
Street--the promenade of a great district on account of its spacious
pavement--less frequented than usual; but there were still numbers of
people about, some hastening homewards, some sauntering hither and
thither in the familiar way, some gathered into gossiping groups.
Kirkwood was irritated by the conversation and laughter that fell on
his ears, irritated by the distant strains of the band, irritated above
all by the fume of frying that pervaded the air for many yards about
Mrs. Tubbs's precincts. He observed that the customers tending that way
were numerous. They consisted mainly of lads and young men who had come
forth from neighbouring places of entertainment. The locality and its
characteristics had been familiar to him from youth upwards; but his
nature was not subdued to what it worked in, and the present fit of
disgust was only an accentuation of a mood by which he was often
possessed. To the Hewetts he had spoken impartially of Mrs. Tubbs and
her bar; probably that was the right view; but now t