Part 28 (2/2)
As she put foot to the ground she said, half leaning on the arht the feords eagerly, and was fatuous enough to fancy that she e
The station was deserted The express having arrived some half hour before without them, there had evidently been no preparation e, her brand new luggage, the Queen waited on the side of the station that faced the open country, whilst Bulstrodeword to the castle
At this juncture, down the lane, between red thickets and golden hedges, a s driven by a lady She waved a welco hand
”Jimmy,” she said as she drove up and leaned out and nodded to him, ”I knew you'd miss the express, you're so absent-uish between a 350 and a 353? So, as you see, I drove down on the chance”
He had not greeted her in words The long afternoon, the roly a part, made this woanza he had come out into the fresh air; their eyes had
”That lady,” he then said, ”whoe of the platfor on a desert island, is the Queen of Poltavia”
”Heavens!” exclaimed Mrs Falconer
”Yes,” he said indifferently, ”we caether”
”Why, the whole castle is in a state about her A coach and postillion went to fetch her at the express Telegra all over the country Why did she take a local--and with you--Jimmy?”
”Perhaps she is absent-minded about trains as well,” he smiled, ”at all events here she certainly is and it will be char of you to drive her up”
”But I don't know her!”
”Oh,” he shrugged, ”one doesn't exactly _know_ queens, I don't know her either, but that wouldn't preventher a service I am sure she'd rather be driven up to a cup of tea and a fire by an A for a postilion and four It will be nice of you to speak to her,” he suggested, and stepped back
Gathering up her reins, Mrs Falconer whisked her horse about and drove up to the lady's side Bulstrode, froraceful inclination and heard her lovely voice He saw Car her dark, foreign face Slowly going up to the dog-cart's side, together with the groos in the trap
”I alk on slowly up the road,” he suggested, ”and most possibly you will send back for me”
”Oh, I'll drive back myself” She was quite certain about it As he helped the Queen into the dog-cart, as she leaned on his supporting hand, she said:
”Thank you, thank you very much indeed” And he was so vain as to fancy that into tone and words Car, than a wonition of ahand He could not, moreover, have sworn that at the end of the sentence was not ht in Poltavian e of the country he could not be sure
As he watched the trap up the hedged lanes out of sight, he rubbed his eyes as if he were not certain whether or not he had not dozed and dreamed in his compartment on the slow train frohtful heavenly certainty that this was Westboro' of an Indian summer afternoon--and that of the toht, one at least was adorably real
THE SEVENTH ADVENTURE
VII
IN WHICH HE BECOMES THE POSSESSOR OF A CERTAIN PIECE OF PROPERTY
As Bulstrode stood in theof his room at Westboro' Castle, his face turned toward the country, it seemed to beckon him It called hi downs es holding snugly in the roadways, the roads the off on pleasant excursions to townshi+ps whose naentle beauties have ive them value and leave them perfect