She shunned him purposely beyond a doubt, and did not that denote a fear of him justified by her inclination?
The postponement of what must necessarily come to pass between them began to try his patience, as assuredly it inflamed his ardour.

If no other resource offered, he would be obliged to make his cousin an accomplice by requesting her beforehand to leave him alone with Rhoda some evening when he had called upon them.
But it was time that chance favoured him, and his interview with Miss Nunn came about in a way he could not have foreseen.
At the end of the first week of January he was invited to dine at Miss Barfoot's.

The afternoon had been foggy, and when he set forth there seemed to be some likelihood of a plague of choking darkness such as would obstruct traffic.

As usual, he went by train to Sloane Square, purposing (for it was dry under foot, and he could not disregard small economies) to walk the short distance from there to Queen's Road.

On coming out from the station he found the fog so dense that it was doubtful whether he could reach his journey's end.