As he went on he began to have a curious fancy, which he could hardly persuade himself was a fancy.

It seemed to him that Barney Thayer was walking like the man whom he had just met, that his back had that same terrible curve.
Thomas Payne stared in strange bewilderment at Barney's back.

"It can't be that he has spine disease, that he has got hurt in any way," he thought to himself.

The purpose with which he had started out rather paled in his mind.

He walked more rapidly.