the still, dark air, the sound of muffled thuds, falling
quickly in rhythmical sequence, on the brick-paved
space which melted away into the darkness to their
left.

"What's that?" exclaimed Mr. Reynolds. His
nerves also were shaken by the news which he had just
heard; but even as he spoke he saw that the sound
which seemed so strange, so -- so sinister, was caused
by a tall figure only now coming out of the shadows
away across the Market Place. What puzzled Mr.
Reynolds was the man's very peculiar gait. He seemed,
if one can use such a contradiction in terms, to be at
once crawling and swinging along.

"It's my husband!"

Rose Blake raised her head. A wavering gleam of
light fell on her pale, tear-stained face, and showed it
suddenly as if illumined, glowing from within: "He's
never been so far by himself before -- I must go to
him!"

She began walking swiftly -- almost running -- to
meet that strangely slow yet leaping figure, which was
becoming more and more clearly defined among the
deeply shaded gas lamps which stood at wide intervals
in the great space round them.

Then, all at once, they heard the eager, homing cry,
"Rose?" and the answering cry, "Jervis?" and the two
figures seemed to become merged till they formed one,
together.

--- the end ---

[[365]]

p364 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p365w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p001

v?