Wasittoescapeanylackofconcentrationwhichthesesamememoriesmightbring，thatheroseandsteppedtothewindow?Orwasitunderoneofthoseinvoluntaryimpulseswhichmoveusinspiteofourselvestodotheverythingourjudgmentdisapproves?
NosoonerhadheapproachedthesillthanMr。Brotherson’sshadeflewwayupandhe，too，lookedout。Theirglancesmet，andforaninstantthehardydetectiveexperiencedthatinvoluntarystagnationofthebloodwhichfollowsaninnershock。Hefeltthathehadbeenrecognised。Themoonlightlayfulluponhisface，andtheotherhadseenandknownhim。Else，whytheconstrainedattitudeandsuddenrigidityobservableinthisconfrontingfigure，withitspartiallyliftedhand?AmanlikeBrothersonmakesnopauseinanyactionhowevertrivial，withoutareason。Eitherhehadbeentransfixedbythisglimpseofhisenemyonwatch，ordaringthought！
hadseenenoughofsepulchralsuggestioninthewanfacelookingforthfromthisfatalwindowtoshakehimfromhiscomposureandletloosethegrinningdevilofremorsefromitsironprison-house?
Ifso，themovementwasamemorableone，andthehazardquiteworthwhile。Hehadgained-no！hehadgainednothing。Hehadbeenthefoolofhisownwishes。Noone，letaloneBrotherson，couldhavemistakenhisfaceforthatofawoman。Hehadforgottenhisnewly-grownbeard。Someothercausemustbefoundfortheother’sattitude。Itsavouredofshock，ifnotfear。Ifitwerefear，thenhadherousedanemotionwhichmightrebounduponhimselfinsharpreprisal。Deathhadbeenknowntostrikepeoplestandingwherehestood；mysteriousdeathofaspeciesquiteunrecognisable。
Whatwarrantyhadhethatitwouldnotstrikehim，andnow?None。
YetitwasBrothersonwhomovedfirst。Withashrugoftheshoulderplainlyvisibletothemanopposite，heturnedawayfromthewindowandwithoutloweringtheshadebegangatheringuphispapersforthenight，andlaterbankinguphisstovewithashes。
Sweetwater，withabreathofdecidedrelief，steppedbackandthrewhimselfonthebed。Ithadreallybeenatrialforhimtostandthereundertheother’seye，thoughhismindrefusedtoformulatehisfear，ortogivehimanysatisfactionwhenheaskedhimselfwhattherewasinthesituationsuggestiveofdeathtothewomanorharmtohimself。
Nordidmorninglightbringcounsel，asisusualinsimilarcases。
Hefeltthemysterymoreinthehubbubandrestlessturmoilofthedaythaninthenight’ssilenceandinactivity。Hewasgladwhenthestrokeofsixgavehimanexcusetoleavetheroom，andgladderyetwhenindoingso，heranuponanoldwomanfromaneighbouringroom，whonosoonersawhimthansheleeredathimandeagerlyremarked：”Notmuchsleep，eh?Wedidn’tthinkyou’dlikeit。Didyouseeanything?”
Nowthisgavehimtheoneexcusehewanted。”Seeanything?”herepeated，apparentlywithallimaginableinnocence。”Whatdoyoumeanbythat?””Don’tyouknowwhathappenedinthatroom?””Don’ttellme！”heshoutedout。”Idon’twanttohearanynonsense。Ihaven’ttime。I’vegottobeattheshopatsevenandIdon’tfeelverywell。Whatdidhappen?”hemumbledindrawingoff，justloudenoughforthewomantohear。”SomethingunpleasantI’msure。”Thenherandownstairs。
Athalfpastsixhefoundthejanitor。Hewas，toallappearance，inastateofgreatexcitementandhespokeveryfast。”Iwon’tstayanothernightinthatroom，”heloudlydeclared，breakinginwherethefamilywereeatingbreakfastbylamplight。”I
don’twanttomakeanytroubleandIdon’twanttogivemyreasons；
butthatroomdon’tsuitme。I’drathertakethedarkoneyoutalkedaboutyesterday。There’sthemoney。Havemythingsmovedto-day，willye?””Butyourmovingoutafteronenight’sstaywillgivethatroomabadname，”stammeredthejanitor，risingawkwardly。”There’llbetalkandIwon’tbeabletoletthatroomallwinter。””Nonsense！Everymanhasn’tthenervesIhave。You’llletitinaweek。Butletornotlet，I’mgoingfrontintothelittledarkroom。I’llgetthebosstoletmeoffathalfpastfour。Sothat’ssettled。”
Hewaitedfornoreplyandgotnone；butwhenheappearedpromptlyataquartertofive，hefoundhisfewbelongingsmovedintoamiddleroomonthefourthfloorofthefrontbuilding，which，oddlyperhaps，chancedtobenextdoortotheonehehadheldunderwatchthenightbefore。
ThefirstpageofhisadventureintheHicksStreettenementhadbeenturned，andhewasreadytostartuponanother。
INWHICHABOOKPLAYSALEADINGPART
WhenMr。Brothersoncameinthatnight，henoticedthatthedooroftheroomadjoininghisownstoodopen。Hedidnothesitate。
Makingimmediatelyforit，hetookaglanceinside，thenspokeupwitharingingintonation：”Halloo！comingtoliveinthishole?”
Theoccupantayoungman，evidentlyaworkmanandsomewhatsicklyifonecouldjudgefromhiscomplexion-turnedaroundfromsometinkeringhewasengagedinandmettheintruderfairly，facetoface。Ifhisjawfell，itseemedtobefromadmiration。Nootheremotionwouldhavesolightedhiseyeashetookintheothersproportionsandcommandingfeatures。Nodress-Brothersonwasneverseeninanyotherthanthehomeliestgarbinthesedays-couldmakehimlookcommonorakintohissurroundings。Whetherseennearorfar，hispresencealwayscausedsurprise，andsurprisewaswhattheyoungmanshowed，asheansweredbriskly：”Yes，thisistobemycastle。Areyoutheownerofthebuildings?
Ifso-””Iamnottheowner。Ilivenextdoor。Haven’tIseenyoubefore，youngman?”
NeverwasthereamorepenetratingeyethanOrlandoBrotherson’s。
Asheaskedthisquestionittooksomeeffortonthepartoftheothertoholdhisownandlaughwithperfectnaturalnessashereplied：”IfyouevergoupHenryStreetit’slikelyenoughthatyou’veseenmenotonce，butmanytimes。I’mthefellowwhoworksatthebenchnextthewindowinSchuper’srepairingshop。Everybodyknowsme。”
Audacityoftencarriesthedaywhensubtlermeanswouldfail。
Brothersonstaredattheyouth，thenventuredanotherquestion：”Acarpenter，eh?””Yes，andI’manA1manatmyjob。Excusemybrag。It’smyonecardofintroduction。””I’veseenyou。I’veseenyousomewhereelsethaninSchuper’sshop。
Doyourememberme?””No，sir；I’msorrytobeimperlitebutIdon’trememberyouatall。
Won’tyousitdown?It’snotverycheerful，butI’msogladtogetoutoftheroomIwasinlastnightthatthislooksallrighttome。Backthere，otherbuilding，”hewhispered。”Ididn’tknow，andtooktheroomwhichhadawindowinit；but-”Thestopwassignificant；sowashissmilewhichhadatouchofsicklinessinit，aswellashumour。
ButBrothersonwasnottobecaught。”Yousleptinthebuildinglastnight?Intheotherhalf，Imean?””Yes，I-slept。”
Thestronglipoftheothermancurleddisdainfully。”Isawyou，”saidhe。”Youwerestandinginthewindowoverlookingthecourt。Youwerenotsleepingthen。Isupposeyouknowthatawomandiedinthatroom?””Yes；theytoldmesothismorning。””Wasthatthefirstyou’dheardofit?””Sure！”Thewordalmostjumpedatthequestioner。”DoyousupposeI’dhavetakentheroomif-”
Butheretheintruder，withadisdainfulgrunt，turnedandwentout，disgustineveryfeature，-plain，unmistakable，downrightdisgust，andnothingmore！
ThiswaswhatgaveSweetwaterhissecondbadnight；thisandacertaindiscoveryhemade。Hehadcountedonhearingwhatwentonintheneighbouringroomthroughthepartitionrunningbackofhisowncloset。Buthecouldhearnothing，unlessitwastheshuttingdownofawindow，aloudsneeze，ortherattlingofcoalsastheywereputonthefire。Andthesepossessednosignificance。
Whathewantedwastocatchthesecretsigh，themutteredword，theinvoluntarymovement。Hewastoofarremovedfromthismanstill。
Howshouldhemanagetogetnearerhim-atthedoorofhismind-ofhisheart?Sweetwaterstaredallnightfromhismiserablecotintothedarknessofthatseparatingcloset，andwithnoresult。Histasklookedhopeless；nowonderthathecouldgetnorest。
Nextmorninghefeltill，butheroseallthesame，andtriedtogethisownbreakfast。Hehadbutpartiallysucceededandwassittingontheedgeofhisbedinwretcheddiscomfort，whentheverymanhewasthinkingofappearedathisdoor。”I’vecometoseehowyouare，”saidBrotherson。”Inoticedthatyoudidnotlookwelllastnight。Won’tyoucomeinandsharemypotofcoffee?”