u go away
before I came?'

'Why, of course I did. How long was I to wait?'

'I'm very sorry. Let's go somewhere now. I've been waiting about for
more than an hour on the chance of seeing you.'

He mentioned the chief music-hall of the neighbourhood.

'I don't mind,' said Totty. 'But I can't go beyond sixpence.'

'Oh, all right! I'll see to that.'

'No, you won't. I pay for myself, or I don't go at all. That's my rule.'

'As you like.'

The place of entertainment was only just open; they went in with a
crowd of people and found seats. The prevailing odours of the hall were
stale beer and stale tobacco; the latter was speedily freshened by the
fumes from pipes. Ackroyd ordered a glass of beer, and deposited it on
a little ledge before him, an arrangement similar to that for different
purposes in a church pew; Totty would have nothing.

Ackroyd had changed a good deal during the last few months. The coarser
elements of his face had acquired a disagreeable prominence, and when
he laughed, as he did constantly, the sound lacked the old genuineness.
To-night he was evidently trying hard to believe that he enjoyed the
music-hall entertainment; in former days he would have dismissed
anything of the kind with a few contemptuous words. When the people
about him roared at imbecilities unspeakable, he threw back his head
and roared with them; when they stamped, he raised as much dust as any
one. Totty had no need to affect amusement; her tendency to laughter
was such that very little sufficed to keep her in the carelessly merry
frame of mind which agreed with her, and on the whole it was not
disagreeable to be sitting by Luke Ackroyd; she glanced at him
surreptitiously at times.

He drank two or three glasses of beer, then felt a need of stronger
beverage. Totty remonstrated with him: he laughed, and drank on out of
boastfulness. At length Totty would countenance it no longer; after a
useless final warning, she left her place and pressed through the crowd
to the door. Ackroyd sprang up and followed her. His face was flushed,
and grew more so in the sudden night air.

'What's the matter?' he said, putting his arm through the girl's.
'You're not going to leave me in that way, Totty? Well, let's walk
about then.'

'Look here, Mr. Ackroyd,' began Totty, 'I'm surprised at you! It ain't
like a man of your kind to go muddling his head night after night, in
this way.'

'I know that as well as you do, Totty. See!' He made h