persisted in questioning her, detained her
when she rose to leave the room, made any kind of protest, instead of
silently compromising himself, as he felt he had done, he would have
been more at ease.

'Why did I let her say it was a secret, and she trusted it to me!' said
Gabriel, putting his wig on one side to scratch his head with greater
ease, and looking ruefully at the fire. 'I have no more readiness than
old John himself. Why didn't I say firmly, "You have no right to such
secrets, and I demand of you to tell me what this means," instead of
standing gaping at her, like an old moon-calf as I am! But there's my
weakness. I can be obstinate enough with men if need be, but women may
twist me round their fingers at their pleasure.'

He took his wig off outright as he made this reflection, and, warming
his handkerchief at the fire began to rub and polish his bald head with
it, until it glistened again.

'And yet,' said the locksmith, softening under this soothing process,
and stopping to smile, 'it MAY be nothing. Any drunken brawler trying to
make his way into the house, would have alarmed a quiet soul like her.
But then'--and here was the vexation--'how came it to be that man; how
comes he to have this influence over her; how came she to favour his
getting away from me; and, more than all, how came she not to say it
was a sudden fright, and nothing more? It's a sad thing to have, in one
minute, reason to mistrust a person I have known so long, and an old
sweetheart into the bargain; but what else can I do, with all this upon
my mind!--Is that Barnaby outside there?'

'Ay!' he cried, looking in and nodding. 'Sure enough it's Barnaby--how
did you guess?'

'By your shadow,' said the locksmith.

'Oho!' cried Barnaby, glancing over his shoulder, 'He's a merry fellow,
that shadow, and keeps close to me, though I AM silly. We have such
pranks, such walks, such runs, such gambols on the grass! Sometimes
he'll be half as tall as a church steeple, and sometimes no bigger
than a dwarf. Now, he goes on before, and now behind, and anon he'll
be stealing on, on this side, or on that, stopping whenever I stop, and
thinking I can't see him, though I have my eye on him sharp enough. Oh!
he's a merry fellow. Tell me--is he silly too? I think he is.'

'Why?' asked Gabriel.

'Because he never tires of mocking me, but does it all day long.--Why
don't you come?'

'Where?'

'Upstairs. He wants you. Stay--where's HIS shadow? Co