ay, until it was too dark to seeworked on,

half an hour after Mr. Lorry could not have seen, for his life, to

read or write. When he put his tools aside as useless, until

morning, Mr. Lorry rose and said to him:

“Will you go out?”

He looked down at the floor on either side of him in the old

manner, looked up in the old manner, and repeated in the old low

voice:

“Out?”

“Yes; for a walk with me. Why not?”

He made no effort to say why not, and said not a word more.

But, Mr. Lorry thought he saw, as he leaned forward on his bench

in the dusk, with his elbows on his knees and his head in his

hands, that he was in some misty way asking himself, “Why not?”

The sagacity of the man of business perceived an advantage here,

and determined to hold it.

Miss Pross and he divided the night into two watches, and

observed him at intervals from the adjoining room. He paced up

and down for a long time before he lay down; but, when he did

finally lay himself down, he fell asleep. In the morning, he was up

betimes, and went straight to his bench and to work.

On this second day, Mr. Lorry saluted him cheerfully by his

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name, and spoke to him on topics that had been of late familiar to

them. He returned no reply, but it was evident that he heard what

was said, and that he thought about it, howe