# The Encounter of the Pavement explained — The Three Impostors

> Chapter companion for The Three Impostors by Arthur Machen.

## What happens

Mr. Dyson, while walking along Oxford Street, is accosted by a frantic man named Mr. Wilkins, who has just missed pursuing a youngish man with dark whiskers and spectacles. After calming down, Wilkins invites Dyson to a secluded French café, where he begins to explain his strange behavior.

## Themes in this chapter

### Urban Mystery and the Sublime

The chance encounter on a busy London street and the hidden, tranquil café create a contrast between the chaotic city and a mysterious, intimate space.

### Deception and Identity

Wilkins's intense pursuit of a man with spectacles hints at hidden identities and a secret that drives his frantic behavior.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Dyson

Observes the frantic man from across the street and calmly engages with him, eventually accompanying him to a café.

### Mr. Wilkins

A well-dressed but agitated man who desperately tries to cross Oxford Street to follow a man with spectacles; later composes himself and begins to tell his story.

## Key lines

> I saw you looking about you... would you mind telling me this? Was the man who came out of the Aerated Bread Shop and jumped into the hansom three minutes ago a youngish looking man with dark whiskers and spectacles?

Wilkins urgently asks Dyson if he saw a specific man leave the shop and enter a hansom.

_This moment establishes the central mystery and Wilkins's desperate state._

> You see, we shall be quiet... This is the quiet time; the place will be like a hive at six o’clock, and the chairs and tables will overflow into that little alley there.

Dyson describes the café's peaceful atmosphere during the afternoon, contrasting with its later busyness.

_Highlights the secluded, almost secretive setting where Wilkins will tell his story._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_three_impostors_se/chapters/the-encounter-of-the-pavement
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_three_impostors_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_three_impostors_se/chapters