Part 26 (1/2)

With these words the incognita drew herself up, and her ed fronity not without a certain rigidness, and as Bulstrode re, and he was conscious in her of a so he had never quite nity, an ultra poise, an assurance--Who was she?--And whom did she take him to be? With every turn of the fast wheels of the express it was growing more difficult to explain She would more keenly feel the fact that he had not cut her frankness short--he had no right to her confidences even though she took their ranted

”When,” he ventured it delicately--”did you last see o, isn't it? You were last on the Continent I think in August at Trouville, during La Grande Semaine”

Ah, he reflected, _of course_! _That_ here, ast so many other celebrities and beauties, she had attracted his attention But his rapid mental calculations of those seven days could reveal to him no woman's face but one He found hi hard on Molly's forst the brightest in his life No, there had been no foreign element at Trouville for hiht--for Jimmy Bulstrode, in all the scene she summoned up, there was but one woman He came back with a start to the other

”Then yesterday, as you passed our table at the Carlton, and it seemed as if heaven had sent you to us to help us--at least so we both felt”

And Bulstrode doubtfully smiled and, now determined, broke in, or would have done so, but she waved hiently, ”is on the wrong side to-day Try to think only of the happiness towards which I alanced out of the , she cried: ”Oh, what if so should happen to the train--what if some horrible delay----”

And he shook hiravely, ”you reat mistake I am certainly not the man”

”I _command_ you, sir,” she flashed out at him--”surely you will not disobeya ht her words gratefully, ”is just the point”

She se! Only don't condelad you can so enerously lend yourself for these few hours to aid in uessed it! The new luggage alone was an indication Unless her ers to be inti a madhouse! From what did she so deter her? Did she think he was going to ly i on the scene in ould his absence involve poor Bulstrode?

He took off his hat and put it down on the seat--thus his fine head was fully revealed to the lady's view

”I do not know you,” he said determinedly ”You do not knowthis fact or per me to state it”

But even this plain state with him:

”If I had ever spoken with you--been near you before, I would not be here now You see it is just your _i in my life that makes it possible! But why,”

she exclaimed impatiently, ”do you spend these few hours with less warfare? You should, it seeraciously, and since you are here, have consented to be here, show ly or not, you are in effect nobly helping ht hi? What was he supposed to be furthering here? It was his expression, no doubt, that made her ask with curious aptness: ”Just how entleman threw out his hands desperately ”You can't think how in the dark I ahed sweetly, ”and how a and all the more beautiful and like you, to be, in spite of yourself, here You see we have switched off--just as you said ould do”

So they had indeed: they had stopped, and the fact fetched hih train--the first stop should have been Westboro' Abbey

”Yes, we're switched off!” she cried delightedly, ”as you know: as you arranged so cleverly!--and the Westboro' people will go on without us”

Would they indeed! Lucky people, but not if he could prevent it But his attention to the train's procedure had come too late

He opened theand looked out They stood at the side of a switch some three hundred yards above a small squat station, and in the far distance Bulstrode could see the end of a disappearing train He drew in his head and quietly asked his companion:

”What has happened to us, do you know?”