he had not more
deeply impressed himself upon Bursley as an individuality, and not
merely as a voice. But he seemed never to seek to do so. He was
without ambition; and, though curiously careful sometimes about
preserving his own dignity, and beyond question sensitive by
temperament, he showed marked respect, and even humility, to the
worldly-successful. Despite his bigness and simplicity there was
something small about him which came out in odd trifling details. Thus
it was characteristic of Big James to ask Edwin to be waiting for him at
the back gates in Woodisun Bank when he might just as easily have met
him at the side door by the closed shop in Wedgwood Street.

Edwin, who from mere pride had said nothing to his sisters about the
impending visit to the Dragon, was a little surprised and dashed to see
Big James in broadcloth and a high hat; for he had not dreamed of
changing his own everyday suit, nor had it occurred to him that the
Dragon was a temple of ceremoniousness. Big James looked enormous. The
wide lapel of his shining frock-coat was buttoned high up under his
beard and curved downwards for a distance of considerably more than a
yard to his knees: it was a heroic frock-coat. The sleeves were wide,
but narrowing at the wrists, and the white wristbands were very tight.
The trousers fell in ample folds on the uppers of the gigantic boots.
Big James had a way of sticking out his chest and throwing his head back
which would have projected the tip of his beard ten inches forth from
his body, had the beard been stiff; but the soft silkiness of the beard
frustrated this spectacular phenomenon which would have been very
interesting to witness.

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

TWO.

The pair stepped across Trafalgar Road together, Edwin, though he tried
to be sedate, nothing but a frisking morsel by the side of the vast
monument. Compared with the architectural grandeur of Mr Varlett, his
thin, supple, free-moving limbs had an almost pathetic appearance of
ephemeral fragility.

Big James directed himself to the archway leading to the Dragon stables,
and there he saw an ostler or oddman. Edwin, feeling the imminence of
an ordeal, surreptitiously explored a pocket to be sure that the proof
of the wedding-card was safely there.

The ostler raised his reddish eyebrows to Big James. Big James jerked
his head to one side, indicating apparently the entire Dragon,