bags as soon as it drew up at a large importantstation, one of the two or three at which the express stopped on itsnorthward route.
Solomon yawned and looked about him, then fixed his gaze inquiringly onhis master as if to ask: "Do _we_ get out here too?" But to thisinarticulate question the young man vouchsafed no reply, and Solomonsettled himself down again.
"Are you not getting tired of having him?" he said to Philippa, when hehad courteously helped the old ladies and their belongings on to theplatform.
"Oh, no, no, thank you, sir," she replied, "not at all; but," getting upfrom her seat, "I must go to see if my lady wants anything. She is inthe next carriage."
"You had better be quick," said her fellow-traveller, warningly; "we aregoing on again almost immediately, and I fancy we are a little behindtime."
Philippa managed, however, to peep in next door where Evelyn was stillalone, apparently very comfortable and rather sleepy.
"I am all right, thank you, quite right," she volunteered, before hersister had time to make any inquiry. "I think I must have been asleep alittle, but I don't mind when there is nobody in the carriage."
"The best thing you could have done," said Philippa, approvingly. "Idon't think we stop again now till Great Malden, where we change, youknow, for the local line," and nodding cheerfully she turned away, butnot till some last words from Evelyn reached her.
"It is nice to know you're next door, Phil."
The girl sprang up into her own compartment just as the train began tomove. Her former fellow-traveller, who was near the door, caught herarm to help her in.
"You really should be more careful," he said; "there is nothing so riskyas waiting till the last moment."
"Thank you, sir," said Philippa, feeling guilty; "it was careless ofme."
She ensconced herself in her corner again, but with a sensation ofannoyance, which even Solomon's unmistakable satisfaction at herreappearance did not allay.
"How stupid I am," she thought to herself, "always doing something orother to attract notice when I should be quite unobserved!" and herface, as she sat staring out of the window, had lost its former cheerfulexpression.
So, at least, it seemed to Solomon's master, as in spite of himself heglanced at her more than once.
"There's something uncommon about the girl," he thought to himself,"hyper-sensitive, I should say, for her position--possibly she was bornin a better one. I don't see that there was anything to hurt herfeelings in what I said just now."
But he was essentially kind-hearted, and the worried look on the girl'scountenance, and the absent way in which she returned the little dog'sfriendly demonstrations, made him feel sorry for her.
"Perhaps her mistress is down upon her, poor girl," he thought; "somewomen must be terribly tyrannical to their servants."
They travelled on in silence, however, for a considerable time. Bydegrees the aspect of the country through which they were passingchanged for the better--a little exclamation of pleasure escapedPhilippa involuntarily as a charming view burst upon them. It was thatof a small lake, its shores beautifully wooded, with rising ground onthe farther side.
"Oh, how pretty!" she said, quickly, though instantly checking herselfas she remembered that she was not alone. Rather to her surprise herfellow-traveller responded to her exclamation.
"Yes," he said, "the part of the country we are coming to now is worthlooking at, if you've never been here before. It's rather like theprettiest part of Nethershire."
"Oh," said Philippa, impulsively, interested at once; "isn'tMerle-in-the-Wold in Nethershire? I passed that way last week--it wascharming."
Again the change in her tone and way of speaking struck her companioncuriously. There was a coincidence, too, in the name she had justmentioned.
"Yes," he replied; "it is that part I was thinking of; I know it well."
But already Philippa had had time to repent her impulsiveness, and aslight feeling of alarm added to her discomfort--alarm at her ownindiscretion.
"I shall be telling where my own home is next," she thought to herself;"I really am too foolish for words."
It was too late, however, to do away with the impression herinconsistency had produced. The young man went on speaking.
"Have you seen the ruins of the old abbey at Merle-in-the-Wold?" hesaid.
"Oh, no, sir, I have never stayed there," Philippa replied, but she feltthat she was not playing her part as she should. For something in hismanner, quiet as it was, convinced her that her companion's curiositywas aroused.
"Oh, I thought that you knew that part of Nethershire?" he said, morefor the sake of saying something to cause her to reply than from anydefinite motive in the inquiry.
"N-no," said Philippa, "I have only passed that way. I never heard ofthe ruins."--"How I wish I had a book!" she thought to herself; "thoughhe is perfectly nice, he is evidently trying to make me out I am afraidto speak, and I am afraid not to speak. I wish to goodness he hadn'thad a dog with him, though you _are_ such a darling," this last withreference to Solomon, who, seeming to read her thoughts, poked his longnose affectionately right up into her face.
Something in her manner made the young man conscious that his speakingto her caused her annoyance, and he turned his attention again to hismagazine, greatly to Philippa's relief.
"I suppose it is really a very good thing," she thought again, "that Ihave had this experiment. I had no idea I should be so utterly sillyand without presence of mind; I really must drill myself!"
For the present, however, there was no further opportunity of doing so,her fellow-traveller leaving her and his dog to their own devices forthe rest of the time that had to pass till they reached Great Malden.At this station the sisters were to leave the main line for a branchone, by which an hour's much slower travelling would bring them to theirjourney's end.
As they entered the large station, Philippa collected her few belongingspreparatory to getting out and rejoining Mrs Headfort.
"Good-bye, poor doggie," she said, softly, as she patted Solomon's sleekhead; and, short as their acquaintance had been, a curious feeling ofsadness stole over her as she caught sight of the unmistakable regret inthe dachs' wistful eyes. His master read on till after Philippa hadleft the compartment, apparently unconscious of the farewell and of thegirl's departure.
Evelyn, by this time more or less in a fluster as to catching the othertrain without leaving her luggage behind her, or similar catastrophes,welcomed her sister joyfully.
"Really," she said, when she found herself once more comfortablyestablished for the third and last time with nothing missing or leftbehind, "really, Phil, what a splendid courier you are! I have gotquite out of things with India, and leading such a stay-at-home lifesince I came back, and you never seem to lose your head in the least,"she concluded, admiringly.
"I have always been stronger than you, you know, Evey," said Philippa,glancing affectionately at her sister, whose pretty face had just nowthe added charm of a soft flush of excitement. "And really," she added,"there has been nothing whatever just now to lose one's head about. Toall appearance this little train might have been peacefully waiting forus all day, and, now we are here, it shows no signs of intending tomove." Then, with a sudden change of tone--"Oh, I declare," sheexclaimed, as at that moment a dog, catching sight of her as she stoodat the door of Mrs Headfort's carriage, rushed up and sprang at herwith the liveliest delight.
It was Solomon.
"Down, down, good doggie, be quiet," said Philippa, hastily, afraid ofstartling Evelyn. But that small piece of mischief was alreadyaccomplished. Mrs Headfort jumped up in alarm.
"Phil, Phil," she cried, "do send him away! A strange dog dashing atyou like that; he must be mad!"
"Nonsense," said Philippa: "look at him; he's a perfect dear--just likeValentine; as gentle as he can be. Don't be so silly, Evey."
But as she said the last words, looking round, to her horror, she caughtsight of Solomon's owner standing, as might have been ex
pected under thecircumstances, but a few paces off.
Could he have heard her! Philippa trembled at the thought.
"And I, who had imagined he was safely whizzing off northwards in theexpress!" she reflected.
Nerving herself she turned round so as to face him. His expression ofcountenance was entirely imperturbable; it told her nothing. Coollywhistling the dog off, he walked along the platform to the farther endof the train--whether to get into it, or to pass the time while waitingfor some other, Philippa could not discover--Solomon obediently,
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