Little Mr Shushions turned slowly and looked up at Edwin's face (for he
was shorter even than the boy), and gradually acquainted himself with
the fact that Edwin was the son of his father.

"Is this thy son, Darius?" he asked; and his ancient eyes were shining.

Edwin had scarcely ever heard any one address his father by his
Christian name.

Darius nodded; and then, seeing the old man's hand creeping out towards
him, Edwin pulled off his cap and took the hand, and was struck by the
hot smooth brittleness of the skin and the earnest tremulous weakness of
the caressing grasp. Edwin had never seen Mr Shushions before.

"Nay, nay, my boy," trembled the old man, "don't bare thy head to me ...
not to me! I'm one o' th' ould sort. Eh, I'm rare glad to see thee!"
He kept Edwin's hand, and stared long at him, with his withered face
transfigured by solemn emotion. Slowly he turned towards Darius, and
pulled himself together. "Thou'st begotten a fine lad, Darius! ... a
fine, honest lad!"

"So-so!" said Darius gruffly, whom Edwin was amazed to see in a state of
agitation similar to that of Mr Shushions.

The men gazed at each other; Edwin looked at the ground and other
unresponsive objects.

"Edwin," his father said abruptly, "run and ask Big James for th' proof
of that Primitive Methodist hymn-paper; there's a good lad."

And Edwin hastened through the shadowy shop as if loosed from a
captivity, and in passing threw his satchel down on a bale of goods.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIVE.

He comprehended nothing of the encounter; neither as to the origin of
the old man's status in his father's esteem, nor as to the cause of his
father's strange emotion. He regarded the old man impatiently as an
aged simpleton, probably over pious, certainly connected with the
Primitive Methodists. His father had said `There's a good lad' almost
cajolingly. And this was odd; for, though nobody could be more
persuasively agreeable than his father when he chose, the occasions when
he cared to exert his charm, especially over his children, were
infrequent, and getting more so. Edwin also saw something symbolically
ominous in his being sent direct to the printing office. It was no
affair of his to go to the printing office. He particularly did not
want to go to the printing office.

However, he met Big James, with flowing beard and flowing apron,
crossing the yard. Big James was br