The Upas Tree: A Christmas Story for all the YearBarclay, Florence L. (Florence Louisa)
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The Upas Tree: A Christmas Story for all the Year
Barclay, Florence L. (Florence Louisa)
Christmas stories
"'If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin.... If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'
"Oh, Aubrey, act on this! It is true.
"Your cousin, who still hopes better things of you, and who will not
fail in thought and prayer,
"HELEN WEST."
Part III
CHAPTER X
RONNIE ARRIVES IN A FOG
Ronnie reached Liverpool Street Station at 8 o'clock on a foggy November
morning.
After the quiet night on the steamer, the landing in darkness at
Harwich, and the steady run up to town, alone in a first-class
compartment, he felt momentarily confused by the noise and movement
within the great city terminus.
The brilliant lights of the station, combined with the yellow fog
rolling in from the various entrances; the onward rush of many feet, as
hundreds of busy men and eager young women poured out of suburban
trains, hurrying to the scenes which called for their energy during the
whole of the coming day; the gliding in and out of trains, the passing
to and fro of porters, wheeling heavy luggage; the clang of milk-cans,
the hoot of taxi-cabs, and, beyond it all, the distant roar of London,
awaking, and finding its way about heavily, like an angry old giant in
the fog--all seemed to Ronnie to be but another of the queer nightmares
which came to him now with exhausting frequency.
As a rule, he found it best to wait until they passed off. So, holding
the Infant of Prague in its canvas case in one hand, and the bag
containing his manuscript in the other, he stood quite still upon the
platform, waiting for the roar to cease, the rush to pass by, the
nightmare to be over.
Presently an Inspector who knew Ronnie walked down the platform. He
paused at once, with the ready and attentive courtesy of the London
railway official.
"Any luggage, Mr. West?" he asked, lifting his cap.
"No, thank you," replied Ronnie, "not to-day."
He knew he had luggage somewhere--heaps of it. But what was the good of
hunting up luggage in a nightmare? Dream luggage was not worth
retrieving. Besides, the more passive you are, the sooner the delusion
leaves off tormenting you.
"Have you come from the Hook, sir?" inquired the inspector.
"Yes," said Ronnie. "Did you think I had come from the Eye?"
He knew it was a vile pun, but it seemed exactly the sort of thing one
says in a nightmare.
The inspector laughed, and passed on; then returned, looking rather
searchingly at Ronnie.
Ronnie thought it well to explain further. "As a matter of fact, my
friend," he said, "I have come from Central Africa, where I have been
sitting round camp-fires, in company with asps and cockatrices, and
other interesting creatures. I am writing a book about it--the best
thing I have done yet."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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