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He crossed the street, and began pacing up and down, and unconsciously he quickened his steps as he went over every moment of his brief interview with Nan. All that was himself and there was a good deal more of John Coxeter than even he was at all aware of had gone out to her in a rapture of memory and longing, but she, or so it seemed to him, had purposely made herself remote.
Why, even Coxeter became interested in spite of himself, for the Jew was an intelligent man, and as he talked on Coxeter learned with surprise that there is a romantic and exciting side even to making sweets. "What a pity it is," he heard Nan say at last in her low, even voice, "that you can't now come back to England and settle down there.
There'll be room in the boats for every soul on board," and Coxeter, looking at the pale, glistening face, told himself that the man was lying, and that he knew he lied. They stumbled out, one by one, and joined the great company which was now swarming over the upper deck, each man and woman forlorn and lonely as human beings must ever be when individually face to face with death.
When the train started the boy did not give the seat back to the courteous Englishwoman to whom it belonged, and Coxeter, more vexed by the matter than it was worth, would have liked to punch the boy's head.
Coxeter came back into the present; he looked round him, and for the first time he felt the disabling clutch of physical fear.
"I suppose," she said at last, "that you have made a proper provision for your your friend? I mean in case of your death. I hope you have so arranged matters that if anything should happen to you, this poor woman who loves you would not have to go back to the kind of life from which you took her." Even Coxeter divined that Nan had not found it easy to say this thing.
If you have any influence with her, I beg you to persuade her to refuse herself to the endless busybodies who want to hear her account of what happened. She won't have a trained nurse, but there ought to be someone on guard a human watchdog warranted to snarl and bite!" "Do you think she ought to go away from London?" asked Coxeter in a low voice.
Those who spend their lives in speeding others on their way are generally allowed to trudge along alone; so at least this woman had found it to be. Coxeter made no answer to her words perhaps he did not hear them. Even in the few minutes which had elapsed since they came on board, the fog had deepened.
"I beg your pardon," he said; "of course I had no notion who you were. She says you saved her life! That but for you she would have been in that boat the boat that was lost." Coxeter tried to say something in denial of this surprising statement, but the doctor hurried on, "I may tell you that I'm very worried about Mrs. Archdale in fact seriously concerned at her condition.
At last, after what seemed a very long time, the doctor came out of Mrs. Archdale's house and began walking quickly down the street. Coxeter crossed over and touched him on the arm. "If I may," he said, "I should like a word with you. I want to ask you I mean I trust that Mrs. Archdale is recovering from the effect of the terrible experience she went through the other night."
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