The sun, suddenly dipping down, struck clearly on the faces of the couple. Tom saw them, and his lips formed a name.
“Shambler! That’s whom she meant when she said she could not go with me. Shambler!”
The couple passed on, and Tom stood there looking at them, his hands clenched so that the nails deeply indented his palms.
“Shambler!” he murmured. “Shambler!”
[CHAPTER XIV]
SHAMBLER’S VISITOR
Tom Parsons’s chums had the common sense—or shall we say grace—not to mention his non-appearance at the May walk. As they came into the room at the close of the day that had meant so much to them, and which had been fraught with incidents that would be long remembered, Sid, Phil and Frank acted just as though, all along, they had not expected Tom to go, or as if he would be on hand to meet them on their return. For he was back ahead of them. He had fairly rushed for a car after seeing Madge with Shambler.
“Did you finish your book?” asked Frank, as he slumped down into an easy chair.
“No,” replied Tom quietly. “I went for a walk.”