But he was soon back again, perturbed by a new complication.

They were crossing the street.
This would put him on the inside.

He should be on the outside.

Should he therefore drop her arm and change over?
And if he did so, would he have to repeat the manoeuvre the next time?
And the next?
There was something wrong about it, and he resolved not to caper about and play the fool.

Yet he was not satisfied with his conclusion, and when he found himself on the inside, he talked quickly and earnestly, making a show of being carried away by what he was saying, so that, in case he was wrong in not changing sides, his enthusiasm would seem the cause for his carelessness.
As they crossed Broadway, he came face to face with a new problem.