"Where are you going?"
"Out into the open air. To the park."
"Now? It is quite dark."
"But I must go out for all that; the air here oppresses me. Perhaps--" he smiled strangely--"perhaps I shall bring better thoughts in with me. Good-night."
Freeing his arm by a hasty movement, he left the room. Atkins gazed uneasily after him.
"Something terrible may happen. If they should chance to meet just now!--Foolishness!" he cried interrupting himself. "Just as if Henry were such a lunatic as to stake life, honor, and future for a mad jealous whim! If he were to meet this Fernow alone in the mean time, I would answer for nothing; but hero among his comrades, where discovery would be inevitable, and revenge sure--no, he would not venture it!"
He opened his door to listen if any sound came from Jane's chamber which lay opposite. "She shut herself in immediately upon our arrival," he said to himself, "and called out to me that she had already lain down--a pretence! I heard her plainly pacing to and fro; but it is of no use to renew my effort to force a conversation with her; perhaps her intervention would only make matters worse.--I had better see that we leave early to-morrow morning, for no matter where; if things come to the worst we can go back to B. When this Fernow is only out of sight, it will be an easy matter to keep our betrothed couple together, and until then--well in any event they can only sleep one single night under the same roof!"
With this consoling thought, Mr. Atkins closed the door, and returned to his chamber.