"Good evening, sir!" he said, in a strange, hurried sort of way,
"the moon, you will perceive, is very nearly at the full to-night."
And his voice, immediately, struck me as being at odds with his
clothes.
"Why do you stand and peer at me?" said I sharply.
"Peer at you, sir?"
"Yes, from behind the tree, yonder." As I spoke, he craned his
head towards me, and I saw his pale lips twitch suddenly. "And
why have you dogged me; why have you followed me all the way from
Tonbridge?"
"Why, sir, surely there is nothing so strange in that. I am a
shadow."
"What do you mean by 'a shadow'?"
"Sir, I am a shadow cast by neither sun, nor moon, nor star, that
moves on unceasingly in dark as in light. Sir, it is my fate
(in common with my kind), to be ever upon the move--a stranger
everywhere without friends or kindred. I have been, during the
past year, all over England, east, and west, and north, and
south; within the past week, for instance, I have travelled from
London to Epsom, from Epsom to Brighton, from Brighton back again
to London, and from London here. And I peer at you, sir, because
I wished to make certain what manner of man you were before I
spoke, and though the moon is bright, yet your hat-brim left your
face in shade."
"Well, are you satisfied?"
"So much so, sir, so very much so, that I should like to talk
with you, to--to ask you a question," he answered, passing his
hand--a thin, white hand--across his brow, and up over the fur
cap that was so out of keeping with the pale face below.
"A question?"
"If you will be so obliging as to listen, sir; let us sit awhile,
for I am very weary." And with the words he sank down upon the
grass. After a momentary hesitation, I followed his example, for
my curiosity was piqued by the fellow's strange manner; yet, when
we were sitting opposite each other, I saw that his hand was
still hidden in the pocket of his coat.
"Perhaps, sir," said he, in his nervous, hurried manner, "perhaps
you would be better able to answer my question were I first to
tell you a story--an ordinary, a very commonplace one, I fear,
but with the virtue that it is short, and soon told."
"My time is entirely my own," said I, leaning with my shoulders
against the tree behind me; "proceed with your story."