He seemed a careworn man.

He carried a brick in his hand, tied to a piece of rope.

He entered nervously and hurriedly, closed the door carefully behind him, saw to it that it was fastened, peered out of the window long and earnestly, and then, with a sigh of relief, laid his brick upon the bench beside him and called for food and drink.
There was something mysterious about the whole affair.

One wondered what he was going to do with the brick, why he had closed the door so carefully, why he had looked so anxiously from the window; but his aspect was too wretched to invite conversation, and we forbore, therefore, to ask him questions.

As he ate and drank he grew more cheerful, sighed less often.