hare of mud and wet from the thawing
ground and rainy sky outside. His long walk did not seem to have
relieved the uneasiness of mind which had induced him to separate
so suddenly from Zack. He talked almost perpetually to himself in a
muttering, incoherent way; his heavy brow was contracted, and the scars
of the old wounds on his face looked angry and red. The first thing
he did was to make some inquiries of his landlord relating to railway
traveling, and to the part of London in which a certain terminus that
he had been told of was situated. Finding it not easy to make him
understand any directions connected with this latter point, the
shopkeeper suggested sending for a cab to take him to the railway. He
briefly assented to that arrangement; occupying the time before the
vehicle arrived, in walking sullenly backwards and forwards over the
pavement in front of the shop door.

When the cab came to take him up, he insisted, with characteristic
regardlessness of appearances, on riding upon the roof, because he could
get more air to blow over him, and more space for stretching his legs
in, there than inside. Arriving in this irregular and vagabond fashion
at the terminus, he took his ticket for DIBBLEDEAN, a quiet little
market town in one of the midland counties.

When he was set down at the station, he looked about him rather
perplexedly at first; but soon appeared to recognize a road, visible
at some little distance, which led to the town; and towards which he
immediately directed his steps, scorning all offers of accommodation
from the local omnibus.

It did not happen to be market day; and the thaw looked even more dreary
at Dibbledean than it looked in London. Down the whole perspective of
the High Street there appeared only three human figures--a woman in
pattens; a child under a large umbrella; and a man with a hamper on his
back, walking towards the yard of the principal inn.

Mat had slackened his pace more and more as he approached the
town, until he slackened it altogether at last, by coming to a dead
stand-still under the walls of the old church, which stood at one
extremity of the High Street, in what seemed to be the suburban district
of Dibbledean. He waited for some time, looking over the low parapet
wall which divided the churchyard from the road--then slowly
approached a gate leading to a path among the grave-stones--stopped at
it--apparently changed his purpose--and, turning off abruptly, walked up