But when a tall, somewhat bent, white-bearded old man with baggy black
clothes appeared in the doorway, Larcher jumped up smiling.
"Why, Mr. Bud! This _is_ a pleasant surprise!"
Mr. Bud, from a somewhat timid and embarrassed state, was warmed into
heartiness by Larcher's welcome, and easily induced to doff his overcoat
and be comfortable before the fire. "I thought, as you'd gev me your
address, you wouldn't object--" Mr. Bud began with a beaming countenance;
but suddenly stopped short and looked thoughtful. "Say--I met a young man
down-stairs, goin' out."
"Mr. Turl probably. He just left me. A neat-looking, smooth-faced young
man, smartly dressed."
"That's him. What name did you say?"
"Turl."
"Never heard the name. But I've seen that young fellow somewhere. It's
funny: as I looked round at 'im just now, it seemed to me all at wunst as
if I'd met that same young man in that same place a long time ago. But
I've never been in this house before, so it couldn't 'a' been in that
same place."
"We often have that feeling--of precisely the same thing having happened
a long time ago. Dickens mentions it in 'David Copperfield.' There's a
scientific theory--"
"Yes, I know, but this wasn't exactly that. It was, an' it wasn't. I'm
dead sure I did reely meet that chap in some such place. An' a funny
thing is, somehow or other you was concerned in the other meeting like
you are in this."
"Well, that's interesting," said Larcher, recalling how Turl had once
seemed to be haunting his footsteps.
Pages:
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157