oveless, and high boots spattered with mud and soaked
with half-molten snow. There was more of the brigand in his aspect than
of the honest man, and yet his drawn, agitated face was well featured
and not unpleasing, besides which his wandering eyes suggested fear
suffered, and not a likelihood of inspiring fear; unless it should be,
as the doctor surmised, that he was mad, and the pursuit he evidently
feared were that of his keepers.

It formed a strange picture--the bland, smooth shining-pated doctor
facing this wild excited man standing with his back to the door, his
hands outspread as if to keep it fast, and his head half-turned as he
listened for the sound of steps in the stillness of the winter night.

"Will you be seated?" said the doctor blandly. "Can I be of any
service?"

"Hush! Can you hear anything? There! that!" cried the newcomer, in an
excited whisper. "They're coming!"

"Yes; mad," said the doctor to himself. Then aloud, "The sound you hear
is the dripping of the melting snow on the pavement."

"Hah! Are you sure?"

"Oh, yes. Quite sure. Sit down, my dear sir. No, not here; come to my
consulting-room. There is a fire."

The coolness of a doctor in dealing with ordinary delirium or insanity
is in its way as heroic as the manner in which a soldier will face fire.
To most men the advent of the strange visitor would have suggested
calling in help or taking instant steps for self-preservations; but
armed with weapons such as would prostrate his visitor should he prove
inimical, the doctor calmly led the way into his consulting-room, poked
the fire, turned up the lamp a little, and pointed to a chair, watching
his visitor keenly the while to satisfy himself whether his behaviour
was the result of fever, drink, or an unbalanced brain.

The man glared at the doctor for a moment, stepped quickly to the room
door, opened it, listened, drew back again, closed it, and slipped the
bolt on the inside.

Science-armed as he was, however, the doctor displayed no sign of
trepidation, but sat down, waiting till his visitor came quickly back,
threw his ulster over the back of the chair set for him, sank into it
with a groan, dropped his face into his hands, and burst into a
hysterical fit of sobbing.

"Hah!" said the doctor, rising, and laying his hand upon the young man's
shoulder. "You seem overwrought, and--"

The stranger started back at the touch, and was about to spring up, a
cry of fear escap