h he had just alluded made Mrs. Downe's solicitude so
affecting that his eye grew damp as he witnessed it. Bidding the lawyer
and his family good-night he left them, and drove slowly into the main
street towards his own house.

The heart of Barnet was sufficiently impressionable to be influenced by
Downe's parting prophecy that he might not be so unwelcome home as he
imagined: the dreary night might, at least on this one occasion, make
Downe's forecast true. Hence it was in a suspense that he could hardly
have believed possible that he halted at his door. On entering his wife
was nowhere to be seen, and he inquired for her. The servant informed
him that her mistress had the dressmaker with her, and would be engaged
for some time.

'Dressmaker at this time of day!'

'She dined early, sir, and hopes you will excuse her joining you this
evening.'

'But she knew I was coming to-night?'

'O yes, sir.'

'Go up and tell her I am come.'

The servant did so; but the mistress of the house merely transmitted her
former words.

Barnet said nothing more, and presently sat down to his lonely meal,
which was eaten abstractedly, the domestic scene he had lately witnessed
still impressing him by its contrast with the situation here. His mind
fell back into past years upon a certain pleasing and gentle being whose
face would loom out of their shades at such times as these. Barnet
turned in his chair, and looked with unfocused eyes in a direction
southward from where he sat, as if he saw not the room but a long way
beyond. 'I wonder if she lives there still!' he said.

CHAPTER II

He rose with a sudden rebelliousness, put on his hat and coat, and went
out of the house, pursuing his way along the glistening pavement while
eight o'clock was striking from St. Mary's tower, and the apprentices and
shopmen were slamming up the shutters from end to end of the town. In
two minutes only those shops which could boast of no attendant save the
master or the mistress remained with open eyes. These were ever somewhat
less prompt to exclude customers than the others: for their owners' ears
the closing hour had scarcely the cheerfulness that it possessed for the
hired servants of the rest. Yet the night being dreary the delay was not
for long, and their windows, too, blinked together one by one.

During this time Barnet had proceeded with decided step in a direction at
right angles to the broad main thoroughfare of the town