Something had taken place to-day; he felt it as a miserable certainty.  The man from London had been with her.  She expected him, and had elaborately planned for a day of freedom.  Perhaps her invitation of Patty had no other motive.

That Patty was a conspirator against him he could not believe.  No!  She was merely an instrument of Eve’s subtlety.  And his suspicion had not gone beyond the truth.  Eve entertained the hope that Patty might take her place.  Perchance the silly, good-natured girl would feel no objection; though it was not very likely that she foresaw or schemed for such an issue.

At Snow Hill station it cost him an effort to rise and leave the carriage.  His mood was sluggish; he wished to sit still and think idly over the course of events.

He went byway of St. Philip’s Church, which stands amid a wide graveyard, enclosed with iron railings, and crossed by paved walks.  The locality was all but forsaken; the church rose black against the grey sky, and the lofty places of business round about were darkly silent.  A man’s footstep sounded in front of him, and a figure approached along the narrow path between the high bars.  Hilliard would have passed without attention, but the man stopped his way.

“Hollo!  Here we are again!”

He stared at the speaker, and recognised Mr. Dengate.

“So you’ve come back?”

“Where from?” said Hilliard.  “What do you know of me?”

“As much as I care to,” replied the other with a laugh.  “So you haven’t quite gone to the devil yet?  I gave you six months.  I’ve been watching the police news in the London papers.”

In a maddening access of rage, Hilliard clenched his fist and struck fiercely at the man.  But he did no harm, for his aim was wild, and Dengate easily warded off the blows.

“Hold on!  You’re drunk, of course.  Stop it, my lad, or I’ll have you locked up till Monday morning.  Very obliging of you to offer me the pleasure I was expecting, but you will have it, eh?”

A second blow was repaid in kind, and Hilliard staggered back against the railings.  Before he could recover himself, Dengate, whose high hat rolled between their feet, pinned his arms.

“There’s someone coming along.  It’s a pity.  I should enjoy thrashing you and then running you in.  But a man of my position doesn’t care to get mixed up in a street row.  It wouldn’t sound well at Liverpool.  Stand quiet, will you!”

A man and a woman drew near, and lingered for a moment in curiosity.  Hilliard already amazed at what he had done, became passive, and stood with bent head.

“I must have a word or two With you,” said Dengate, when he had picked up his hat.  “Can you walk straight?  I didn’t notice you were drunk before I spoke to you.  Come along this way.”

To escape the lookers-on, Hilliard moved forward.

“I’ve always regretted,” resumed his companion, “that I didn’t give you a sound thrashing that night in the train.  It would have done you good.  It might have been the making of you.  I didn’t hurt you, eh?”