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I stood with my lamp held out over the stair-rail, and he caht It was a shaded laht was very contracted; so that he was in it for a mere

instant, and then out of it In the instant, I had seen a face that was

strange totouched

and pleased by the sight ofthe lamp as the man moved, I hly, like a voyager by sea That he had long iron-gray

hair That his age was about sixty That he was a s, and that he was browned and hardened by exposure to

weather As he ascended the last stair or two, and the light of my lamp

included us both, I saith a stupid kind of a out both his hands to me

"Pray what is your business?" I asked hi "Ah! Yes I will explain my

business, by your leave"

"Do you wish to come in?"

"Yes," he replied; "I wish to come in, h, for I resented the

sort of bright and gratified recognition that still shone in his face

I resented it, because it seemed to imply that he expected me to respond

to it But I took hi set the

lamp on the table, asked him as civilly as I could to explain himself