eing followed, she tried to walk faster toward a brightly lit
shop window, in the hope of verifying the suspicions which had taken
hold of her mind.

So soon as she stood in the shaft of light that streamed out across the
road, she turned her head suddenly, and caught sight of a human figure
looming through the fog. The dim vision was enough for her. For one
moment she reeled beneath an overpowering weight of dread, for she could
not doubt any longer that the man had followed her the whole way from
her own door; then the desire to escape from the spy gave her strength.
Unable to think clearly, she walked twice as fast as before, as if it
were possible to escape from a man who of course could move much faster;
and for some minutes she fled on, till, reaching a pastry-cook's shop,
she entered and sank rather than sat down upon a chair by the counter.

A young woman busy with embroidery looked up from her work at
the rattling of the door-latch, and looked out through the square
window-panes. She seemed to recognize the old-fashioned violet silk
mantle, for she went at once to a drawer as if in search of something
put aside for the newcomer. Not only did this movement and the
expression of the woman's face show a very evident desire to be rid as
soon as possible of an unwelcome visitor, but she even permitted herself
an impatient exclamation when the drawer proved to be empty. Without
looking at the lady, she hurried from her desk into the back shop and
called to her husband, who appeared at once.

"Wherever have you put?----" she began mysteriously, glancing at the
customer by way of finishing her question.

The pastry-cook could only see the old lady's head-dress, a huge black
silk bonnet with knots of violet ribbon round it, but he looked at his
wife as if to say, "Did you think I should leave such a thing as that
lying about in your drawer?" and then vanished.

The old lady kept so still and silent that the shopkeeper's wife was
surprised. She went back to her, and on a nearer view a sudden impulse
of pity, blended perhaps with curiosity, got the better of her. The
old lady's face was naturally pale; she looked as though she secretly
practised austerities; but it was easy to see that she was paler than
usual from recent agitation of some kind. Her head-dress was so arranged
as to almost hide hair that was white, no doubt with age, for there was
not a trace of powder on the collar of her dress. The extreme plainness