Far down the track a bright star came shooting toward Fossingford. He
knew it to be the headlight of the flyer. With a breath of relief he saw
that he was the only human being on the platform. Havens had failed again.
This time he approached the recumbent one determinedly. She was awake the
instant he touched her shoulder.
"Oh," she murmured, sitting erect and looking about, bewildered. "Is
it--has he--oh, you are still here? Has he come?"
"No, Miss Dering, he is not here," and added, under his breath, "damn
him!" Then aloud, "The train is coming."
"And he didn't come?" she almost wailed.
"I fancy you'd better try to sleep until morning. There's nothing to stay
awake for," although it came with a pang.
"Absolutely nothing," she murmured, and his pride took a respectful tumble.
As she began to rearrange her hair, rather clumsily spoiling a charming
effect, he remonstrated.
"Don't bother about your hair." She looked at him in wonder for an
instant, a little smile finally creeping to her lips. He felt that she
understood something. "Maybe he'll come after all," he added quickly.
"What are you doing with my parasol?" she asked sleepily.
"I'm carrying it to establish your identity with Dudley if he happens to
come. He'll recognize the purple parasol, you know."
"Oh, I see," she said dubiously. "He gave it to me for a birthday present."
"I knew it," he muttered.
"What?"
"I mean I knew he'd recognize it," he explained.
The flyer shot through Fossingford at that juncture, a long line of
roaring shadows. There was silence between them until the rumble was lost
in the distance.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go out on the platform for awhile," she
said finally, resignation in her eyes. "Perhaps he's out there, wondering
why the train didn't stop."
"It's cold out there. Just slip into my coat, Miss Dering." He held the
raincoat for her, and she mechanically slipped her arms into the sleeves.
She shivered, but smiled sweetly up at him.
"Thank you, Mr. Rollins, you are very thoughtful and very kind to me."
They walked out into the darkness. After a turn or two in silence she
took the arm he proffered. He admired the bravery with which she was
trying to convince him that she was not so bitterly disappointed. When she
finally spoke her voice was soft and cool, just as a woman's always is
before the break.
"He was to have taken me to his uncle's house, six miles up in the
country. His aunt and a young lady from the South, with Mr. Dudley and me,
are to go to Eagle Nest to-morrow for a month."
"How very odd," he said with well-assumed surprise. "I, too, am going to
Eagle Nest for a month or so."
She stopped stock-still, and he could feel that she was staring at him
hardly.
"You are going there?" she half whispered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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