Richard Barham Middleton (1882-1911) was an English poet and author who is remembered mostly for his supernatural short ghost stories, in particular 'The Ghost Ship', 'The Conjurer' and 'On the Brighton Road'.
'On the Brighton Road' is a strange tale of a homeless man who is trudging between London and Brighton when he meets a fragile-looking young boy, also homeless, who offers to walk with him for a while.
The conversation between the two causes the tramp to question his own existence...in a highly creepy way.