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But one steamer-trunk remained to be packed; the boat-train would leave before midnight, the steamer with the morning tide; by the morrow's noon he would be upon the high seas, within ten days in New York and among friends; and then ... The problem of that afterwards perplexed Kirkwood more than he cared to own.
He lost faith in love, in womanhood, in God, in everything. And his books reflected the cynicism of his soul. This is Rodney Steele as the story opens. The boat-train moves into Charing Cross, and, after an absence of ten years, he finds himself once more in London.
She said, "God bless you!" and he had to say, "Thank you." As he was descending the outer steps, the pipe-case clipped under his arm, Louis threw at him "I say, old man!" "What?" He turned round with sharp defiance beneath the light of the street-lamp. "How are you going to get to London to-morrow morning in time for the boat-train at Waterloo, if you're staying at Knype to-night."
If the night boat-train from Ostend had only had the decency to be twenty-five minutes late, instead of arriving promptly on the minute of 4:45 they two might have escaped by the 5:09 for Dunkerque and Calais. There remained but a single untried ruse in his bag of tricks; mercifully it might suffice.
He cut off abruptly, seeming depressed by the thought that he might have been outwitted; and, clasping hands behind his back, chewed savagely on his cigar, watching the river. Kirkwood found himself somewhat wearied; the uselessness of his presence there struck him with added force. He bethought him of his boat-train, scheduled to leave a station miles distant, in an hour and a half.
He gave a long breath of relief a sort of "Thank God that's over!" and arranged his affairs of both art and business with such dispatch as to leave for Paris in peace and comfort by the night boat-train.
Pausing in the office long enough to settle his bill and leave instructions to have his luggage conveyed to the boat-train, he received with entire equanimity the affable benediction of the clerk, in whose eyes he still figured as that radiant creature, an American millionaire; and passed on to the lobby, where he surrendered hat, coat and stick to the cloak-room attendant, ere entering the dining-room.
Excitedly Kirkwood touched the man's arm with a detaining hand. "Boat-train?" he gasped, pointing at the board. "Left ten minutes ago, thank you, sir." "Wel-l, but...! Of course I can get another train at Tilbury?" "For yer boat? No, sir, thank you, sir. Won't be another tryne till mornin', sir." "Oh-h!..." Aimlessly Kirkwood drifted away, his mind a blank.
Continental boat-train pulled out of Charing Cross, with Seymour Merriman in the corner of a first-class compartment. It had been a glorious day of clear atmosphere and brilliant sunshine, and there was every prospect of a spell of good weather.
And so, after the relationship had been thoroughly established through the kindly offices of a third party, they fraternized to the extent of riding up to London on the same boat-train, merely using different compartments of different carriages. The English aristocrat is a tolerably social animal when traveling; but, at the same time, he does not carry his sociability to an excess.
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