kept her by him, but no one else seemed so much as to remark her

distress; and I am ashamed to say that I ran among the rest. I was

so weary that I had twice to make a halt and set down my bundles in

the hundred yards or so between the pier and the railway station,

so that I was quite wet by the time that I got under cover. There

was no waiting-room, no refreshment room; the cars were locked; and

for at least another hour, or so it seemed, we had to camp upon the

draughty, gaslit platform. I sat on my valise, too crushed to

observe my neighbours; but as they were all cold, and wet, and

weary, and driven stupidly crazy by the mismanagement to which we

had been subjected, I believe they can have been no happier than

myself. I bought half-a-dozen oranges from a boy, for oranges and

nuts were the only refection to be had. As only two of them had

even a pretence of juice, I threw the other four under the cars,

and beheld, as in a dream, grown people and children groping on the

track after my leavings.

At last we were admitted into the cars, utterly dejected, and far

from dry. For my own part, I got out a clothes-brush, and brushed

my trousers as hard as I could till I had dried them and warmed my

blood into the bargain; but no one else, except my next neighbour

to whom I lent the brush, appeared to take the least precaution.

As they were, they composed themselves to sleep. I had seen the

lights of Philadelphia, and been twice ordered to change carriages

and twice countermanded, before I allowed myself to follow their

<<BackPagesTo menuNext>>