“By Heavens, I’ll kiss you for that!” he cried—and let her go with a
stifled curse. The girl sank into her corner, ruddy. The man sat down,
ghastly.
The corridor door was drawn back by a young woman in rather fashionable
attire. In her left hand she had a “sevenpenny,” a finger marking the
place. Without a glance at either occupant she stepped in and, leaving
the door open, seated herself and began to read.
Kitty had again turned her face to the window, and soon the shameful glow
faded, leaving her pale. The natural reaction came, and she wanted to
cry. Symington’s colour, on the other hand, had risen. Once more he sat
opposite, looking hot and sulky. After a little while he produced his
cigarette case, but he put it back unopened. He would have given
something for a newspaper though it had been a week old. He was furious
with the intruder, and now and then took a stealthy glance at her which
might possibly have alarmed her had she observed it. Now and then, also,
he took such a glance at Kitty, and at last discovered that she was on
the verge of tears. Confound it! she must not be allowed to make a
scene. He transferred himself to her side.
“Look here, Kitty, it’s all right,” he whispered, and surreptitiously put
his hand on her elbow.
She started as if from pollution. “Can’t you leave me alone?” she said
under her breath. “I’ll never want to see you again, but I’ll hate you a
little less, perhaps, if you go back to the compartment you came
from—anywhere out of this.”
Nettled, he replied, “You may as well make up your mind that I’m going to
see you start safe in London.”
She drew away from him as far as possible and resumed her study of the
darkness.
Symington, trying to look as if he had not been rebuffed, lay back,
folded his arms and stared openly, rather rudely at the intruder, who was
now making a pencil jotting on the fly-leaf of her book. When she had
finished writing she went back to the printed page, read for a few
moments, and stopped as if an idea had struck her. She put up her hand
and pressed the button labelled “Attendant.” Then she returned to the
story.
It was beginning to dawn on Symington that she was not a bad looking
girl, though she must be a pure idiot, when a steward from the
sleeping-car appeared in the doorway. The man saluted the girl
respectfully, and as though he were pleased to see her.
“Didn’t know you were travelling with us to-night, Miss,” he remarked.
She smiled upon him, and tearing out the fly-leaf, folded and handed it
to him with a look which apparently he understood. He bowed and retired.
Symington had got the length of admitting to himself that in other
circumstances she might have made a pleasant enough travelling companion,
when the official again appeared. Not a little to Symington’s surprise
it was himself who the man now addressed.
“Excuse me, sir,” came the polite English speech, “but I can find you a
comfortable seat in another part of the train.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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