ABSTRACT

Aglionby carried himself homewards as fast as might be, through a tortuous maze of side streets and short cuts. He lived in lodgings in a southern suburb of Irkford, in a quiet, modest, dingy-looking street, called Crane Street, and in apartments suited to his very moderate means. As he bent his steps towards Crane Street, his mind was running eagerly and delightedly on the spectacle, the excitement of that afternoon. He was not given to airing any crotchets or enthusiasms; his fault was extreme reserve and taciturnity; but at the same time he silently cherished ardent longings, wishes, ambitions.