Part 7 (1/2)
Hold her!” and waved him at Mrs. Biggleswade.
Blazer darted forward, growling with a fine show of teeth.
Mrs. Biggleswade, like a wise woman, stood stock-still, and sent a shrill scream ringing down the sh.o.r.e, and another, and another, and another.
Tinker caught Elizabeth's hand and cried, ”Come on! Come on! We've only just time to catch the train!” And the two children set off running to the station.
On the edge of the sands Tinker stopped for a moment, whistled shrilly, brought Blazer racing after them, and ran on again. He could hear the far-away rattle of the express.
Mr. Biggleswade was too deeply engrossed in his talk with Sir Tancred to notice the first half-dozen screams from his wife; and they came faintly round the promontory. Then he heard them, said, ”By Jove!
that's Maria!” and started to run back. Sir Tancred ran by his side.
When they came round the promontory they saw Mrs. Biggleswade waving frantically towards the station, and half-way to it two little figures running. Mr. Biggleswade showed himself a man of action. He swung round, and, with the swiftness of an accomplished boxer, dealt Sir Tancred an unexpected blow on the side of the head which knocked him over half-stunned, and almost in the same moment started to run after the children. He was half a mile from them, and they were less than a quarter of a mile from the station, but naturally he ran much faster.
As the children reached the platform the express steamed in. Tinker hurried his prize into an empty third-cla.s.s carriage, in the forepart of the train, and pushed the ticketless Blazer under the seat. Then he put his head out of the window, and saw to his disgust Mr. Biggleswade, his coat-tails flying, two hundred yards from the station, yelling l.u.s.tily, but making a very good pace indeed for his flabby bulk. The doors were shutting, and Tinker watched the guard breathlessly. When he whistled, Mr. Biggleswade had yet fifty yards to go. At the sound he yelled louder than ever, and made a tremendous spurt. The train was well on the move when he rushed into the station; but he dashed at a compartment in the last carriage, wrenched the door open, scrambled on to the footboard, and tumbled in, amidst the shouts of the indignant porters.
Tinker drew in his head with a blank face. It had been no part of his father's plan that Mr. Biggleswade should travel by the same train to London, and his heart sank a little. But remembering Blazer, his spirits rose, and he turned to the little girl with a cheerful face.
She was panting, crying, and wringing her hands in a paroxysm of nervous excitement. He sat down beside her, thumped her on the back--a way he had with tearful females--wiped away her tears with his handkerchief, and poured comforting a.s.surances of safety into her ears.
[Ill.u.s.tration: He poured comforting a.s.surances of safety into her ears.]
When at last he had soothed her he began to question her, and drew from her the story of her captivity. She had driven miles and miles with the gentleman who had fetched her from Kensington Gardens, to a little house in a long street. There she had found the Biggleswades. Mrs.
Biggleswade had taken away her nice clothes, and dressed her in these common things. Then she had cut off her hair.
”I was wondering about your hair,” interrupted Tinker.
For answer the little girl lifted up her black locks, hat and all; displayed a fuzzy little fair poll underneath them, and let them drop on it again.
”I see,” said Tinker, and he went on with his questioning.
She had stayed with the Biggleswades, shut up in a room upstairs, she did not know how many days; and then they had come down to Solesgate.
All the while Mrs. Biggleswade had been very unkind to her, and slapped her whenever she cried for her mother.
The remembrance of her misfortunes set her crying again, and again, with quiet patience, he consoled her. Presently she was babbling cheerfully of her home, her mother, and her dolls, and asking many questions. He made the replies politeness demanded, but he lent an abstracted ear to her talk, for he was considering different plans for escaping Mr. Biggleswade, most of them useless by reason of the slowness of Elizabeth. He could only make up his mind that they must dash for a cab as quickly as they could, and trust to Blazer for protection.
It seemed to him a very long journey; and even when he had made his plan, he found it no little task to take his part in the conversation.
As the train ran into London, he told her that Mr. Biggleswade was in the train, and they must bolt for the cab. At once she was all panic and tears, and he had much ado to brace her for effort before the train slowed down at the terminus. Before it had stopped he was out of the carriage, helping her down. They ran towards the barrier; but the platform was long, and Elizabeth was slow. While they were yet thirty yards from it, Mr. Biggleswade was on them. With a savage blow he sent Tinker flying, caught up the screaming Elizabeth, and dashed on, crying loudly, ”The nearest hospital! The nearest hospital! My little girl!
My little girl!”
Everyone made way for him; but Tinker picked himself up, bolted after him, hissing on Blazer, took a flying leap on to his back, and locked his arms round his neck in a strangling grip, as the prompt and nimble Blazer buried his teeth in his calf. Mr. Biggleswade dropped Elizabeth and tore viciously at Tinker's hands. The pa.s.sengers and porters came crowding round, and the moment the throng was thick enough, Tinker dropped to his feet and gripped Elizabeth by the arm, shouting, ”Police! Police!”
Mr. Biggleswade struggled to choke Blazer off his leg. A police inspector pushed through the crowd, and cried, ”What's all this?”
”The young rascal has enticed away my little girl, and brought her up to London!” cried Mr. Biggleswade, who had divested himself of Blazer, and was holding him off by the collar; and with the other hand he grabbed at Elizabeth.
”It's a lie!” cried Tinker, as the inspector grasped his shoulder.
”This is Elizabeth Kernaby! He stole her!” And on the words he jerked off her hat and wig.