His sister had prepared a strenuous lecture on the theme of ’I told you so’; but the man was so broken, so meek, and so plainly unhinged in his faculties, that she suppressed it.  Instead, she gave him comfortable talk, and made him promise in the end to sleep that night, and take up his customary work in the morning.

He did these things, and could have worked placidly enough had he but been alone; but the tale had reached the workshop, and there was no lack of brutish chaff to disorder him.  This the decenter men would have no part in, and even protested against.  But the ill-conditioned kept their way, till, at the cry of ‘Bell O!’ when all were starting for dinner, one of the worst shouted the cruellest gibe of all.  Bob Jennings turned on him and knocked him over a scrap-heap.

A shout went up from the hurrying workmen, with a chorus of ’Serve ye right,’ and the fallen joker found himself awkwardly confronted by the shop bruiser.  But Bob had turned to a corner, and buried his eyes in the bend of his arm, while his shoulders heaved and shook.

He slunk away home, and stayed there:  walking restlessly to and fro, and often peeping down the street from the window.  When, at twilight, his sister came again, he had become almost cheerful, and said with some briskness:  ‘I’m agoin’ to meet ’er, Jin, at seven.  I know where she’ll be waitin’.’

He went upstairs, and after a little while came down again in his best black coat, carefully smoothing a tall hat of obsolete shape with his pocket-handkerchief.  ‘I ain’t wore it for years,’ he said.  ’I ought to ‘a’ wore it—­it might ‘a’ pleased ’er.  She used to say she wouldn’t walk with me in no other—­when I used to meet ‘er in the evenin’, at seven o’clock.’  He brushed assiduously, and put the hat on.  ’I’d better ’ave a shave round the corner as I go along,’ he added, fingering his stubbly chin.

He received as one not comprehending his sister’s persuasion to remain at home; but when he went she followed at a little distance.  After his penny shave he made for the main road, where company-keeping couples walked up and down all evening.  He stopped at a church, and began pacing slowly to and fro before it, eagerly looking out each way as he went.

His sister watched him for nearly half an hour, and then went home.  In two hours more she came back with her husband.  Bob was still there, walking to and fro.

‘’Ullo, Bob,’ said his brother-in-law; ’come along ‘ome an’ get to bed, there’s a good chap.  You’ll be awright in the mornin’.’

‘She ain’t turned up,’ Bob complained, ’or else I’ve missed ’er.  This is the reg’lar place—­where I alwis used to meet ’er.  But she’ll come tomorrer.  She used to leave me in the lurch sometimes, bein’ nach’rally larky.  But very good-’arted, mindjer; very good-’arted.’

She did not come the next evening, nor the next, nor the evening after, nor the one after that.  But Bob Jennings, howbeit depressed and anxious, was always confident.  ’Somethink’s prevented ‘er tonight,’ he would say, ’but she’ll come tomorrer....  I’ll buy a blue tie tomorrer—­she used to like me in a blue tie.  I won’t miss ’er tomorrer.  I’ll come a little earlier.’