The Broad Highway

He was creeping forward slowly and painfully on his hands and

knees, but, all at once, sank down on his face in the grass, only

to rise, groaning, and creep on once more; and, as he went, I

heard him praying: "Lord, give me strength--O Lord, give me strength. Angela!

Angela! It is so far--so far--" And groaning, he sank down again,

upon his face.

"You are ill!" said I, bending over him.

"I must reach Deptford--she's buried at Deptford, and I shall

die to-night--O Lord, give me strength!" he panted.

"Deptford is miles away," said I.

Now, as I spoke, he lifted himself upon his hands and stared up

at me. I saw a haggard, hairy face, very thin and sunken, but a

fire burned in the eyes, and the eyes seemed, somehow, familiar.

"You!" he cried, and spat up in the air towards me; "devil!" he

cried, "Devil Vibart." I recoiled instinctively before the man's

sudden, wild ferocity, but, propping himself against the bank, he

shook his hand at me, and laughed.

"Devil!" he repeated; "shade!--ghost of a devil!--have you come

back to see me die?"

"Who are you?" I cried, bending to look into the pale, emaciated

face; "who are you?"

"A shadow," he answered, passing a shaking hand up over his face

and brow, "a ghost--a phantom--as you are; but my name was

Strickland once, as yours was Devil Vibart. I am changed of

late--you said so in the Hollow, and--laughed. You don't laugh

now, Devil Vibart, you remember poor John Strickland now."

"You are the Outside Passenger!" I exclaimed, "the madman who

followed and shot at me in a wood--"

"Followed? Yes, I was a shadow that was always behind you

--following and following you, Satan Vibart, tracking and

tracking you to hell and damnation. And you fled here, and you

fled there, but I was always behind you; you hid from me among

lowly folk, but you could not escape the shadow. Many times I

would have killed you--but she was between--the Woman. I came

once to your cottage; it was night, and the door opened beneath

my hand--but your time was not then. But--ha!--I met you among

trees, as I did once before, and I told you my name--as I did

once before, and I spoke of her--of Angela, and cried her name

--and shot you--just here, above the brow; and so you died,

Devil Vibart, as soon I must, for my mission is accomplished--"