Part 6 (1/2)

”'The man, who wore a Thomas Cook and Son hat, was very polite after he had recovered from his surprise. I explained the difficulty we were in as quickly as possible, and he, in turn, said that second-cla.s.s tickets to Berlin cost in the neighborhood of four dollars, that the train left in seven minutes, and that if we would give him the money he would gladly make the purchase.

”'”Four dollars!” gasped Anne. ”Apiece, you mean, or together?”

”'”Apiece,” said the man.

”'”Then we can't go,” said Anne. ”I knew it all the time.” And she dropped in a limp little heap on the bench near by just as though she never could get up.

”'”Why, what's the matter?” asked the man. ”Out of money?”

”'Then Jess, who was really to blame, felt called upon to explain.

”'”Yes, sir, we are,” she said, ”all but eight dollars and fifty cents. You see, we experienced a severe shock in seeing G---- Miss Green, an old teacher of ours, by the drinking-fountain, when we thought she was in Athens. We didn't feel as though we could speak to her until--until we had washed and brushed up a little, and so we--well, we ran, and somehow I lost our family purse.”

”'”I see,” said the man.

”'He seemed very interested all of a sudden, and said we needn't worry at all if we had eight dollars and a half. There was another train leaving an hour later, he said--a train which carried third-cla.s.s carriages. We would be quite safe in traveling that way, and he would personally see us on board, if we wished. At that Anne and her spirits arose.

”'”Miss Green,” he repeated. ”You say she was your teacher?”

”'”Yes,” said I wonderingly. ”She most certainly was.”

”'”Harriet, her given name?” asked the man.

”'”Yes!” cried Jess and Anne and I all together. ”You don't know her, do you?”

”'”An angular person in a gray suit?” he continued. ”Wears spectacles and----”

”'”Crimps,” interrupted Jess. ”Yes, she's the one, though she hasn't any this morning. You see, at school she always was a little--well, formidable, and we----”

”'”I see,” said the man again. ”Well, since I know she's around here, I may as well wait. I told her to be at our office just outside the station at ten o'clock, and it's nearly that now. You see,” he explained, ”she's been in Athens for six months, and she's very anxious to conduct a small party back there--lecture on the ancient civilization and all that sort of thing, you know. Perhaps, since she was your teacher, you'll be able to tell me how she'd do. She hasn't had time to get recommendations for just this sort of work, you see.”

”'”How--how long would she be gone?” ventured Jess.

”'”Well,” explained the Thomas Cook man, ”if she did well, we'd probably keep her on the force. We're always looking for folks like that--to take parties--especially to Athens or Egypt. They're rare!

This might be a life job.”

”'”I'd be willing to recommend her!” said Jess, a little too promptly, I thought.

”'”I think,” said Anne, ”it depends a good deal on the party she's going to take.”

”'”It certainly does,” I agreed.

”'”Well,” said the man again, ”it's an easy party. There's a professor who's nearly eighty, and who's wanted all his life to go to Athens; and a minister who's trying to discover the exact spot where Paul preached to the Athenians; and a couple of teachers who are something like Miss Green, I think--about that type, you know.

They're terribly interested in the temples on the Acropolis.”

”'”Miss Green then is certainly the woman for you, sir,” I announced, feeling like an Employment Bureau. ”She's steeped in the Ancient World! She dotes on Rameses and the Pharaohs and the Tarquins and Solon; and she knows more about every one of them than she knows about--us, for instance.”

”'”I see,” said the man.