cathedral at Bruges. He must have made up his mind to
travel rather suddenly, for, in spite of the weather, he had neither
overcoat nor umbrella--merely the frock coat and silk hat of
Piccadilly. But there was no spot of rain on him, and no sign of
disarray.

As I gazed with alarmed eyes into the face of that strange, forbidding
personality, the gaiety of my mood went out like a match in a breeze.
The uncomfortable idea oppressed me that I was being surely caught and
enveloped in a net of adverse circumstances, that I was the
unconscious victim of a deep and terrible conspiracy which proceeded
slowly forward to an inevitable catastrophe. On each of the previous
occasions when this silent and malicious man had crossed my path I had
had the same feeling, but in a less degree, and I had been able to
shake it off almost at once. But now it overcame and conquered me.

The train thundered across Grosvenor Bridge through the murky weather
on its way to the coast, and a hundred times I cursed it for its lack
of speed. I would have given much to be at the journey's end, and away
from this motionless and inscrutable companion. His eyes were
constantly on my face, and do what I would I could not appear at ease.
I tried to read the paper, I pretended to sleep, I hummed a tune, I
even went so far as to whistle, but my efforts at sang-froid were
ridiculous. The worst of it was that he was aware of my despicable
condition; his changeless cynical smile made that fact obvious to me.

At last I felt that something must happen. At any rate, the silence of
the man must be broken. And so I gathered together my courage, and
with a preposterous attempt at a friendly smile remarked:

"Beastly weather we're having. One would scarcely expect it so early
in September."

It was an inane speech, so commonplace, so entirely foolish. And the
man ignored it absolutely. Only the corners of his lips drooped a
little to express, perhaps, a profounder degree of hate and scorn.

This made me a little angry.

"Didn't I see you last in the cathedral at Bruges?" I demanded curtly,
even rudely.

He laughed. And his laugh really alarmed me.

The train stopped at that moment at a dark and deserted spot, which
proved to be Sittingbourne. I hesitated, and then, giving up the
struggle, sped out of the compartment, and entered another one lower
down. My new compartment was empty. The sensation of relief was
infinitely soothing. Placing the jewel-case care