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his way, he walked from the cupboard to the glass
door, he felt he was being pursued, and the sweat
stood on his brow. He slipped on the step, he looked
back to see who was there, and he ran through the
shop. He tugged at the bolt. When he stood out-
side he trembled as he closed the door noiselessly.
He looked the house up and down, the windows were
dark, but they hid something. Suddenly he sobbed
and began to run. At the corner he turned round
and through his tears he said : c I don't want to do
it, but in that house it's too much for me.3 Then he
ran faster. He heard the clock in the Tower, and he
ran faster still. He didn't stop until he reached the
other side of the railway and stood beneath the trees
of the Rampart; he looked back at the Jansweg,
deserted as far as the other side of the bridge in the
dim morning light; he couldn't go back there
again, for beyond that was the terrifying house.
The tears sprang into his eyes again, he began to run
once more, looking back from time to time to see if he
was being followed. On his right stood three black-
and-white cows bent over the dark ditch ; they
turned round and began to run away ; he could still
hear them lowing when he had passed the church-
yard.
The sky was bright over the canal where he had to
halt; he sat down on the edge of a field of rape-
seed. As he thought over what he had done, the
tears streamed down his face. It was not his fault,