I set it down
the man had a stammer, but 'twas only the shock an' the chill of his
duckin'.
"'Well,' says I, 'this ain't the Land's End, though I dessay it feels
a bit like it. Then you wasn' _thrown_ out?' I says.
"'Th-thrown out?' says he. 'N-no. They told us Penzance was the
next stop.'
"'Then,' says I, 'if you got out accidental you've had a most
providential escape, an' me an' my mates don't deserve less than to
hear about it. There's bound to be inquiries after you when the
guard finds your compartment empty an' the door open. May be the
train'll put back; more likely they'll send a search-party; but
anyways you're all wet through, an' the best thing for health is to
off wi' your clothes an' dry 'em, this warm afternoon.'
"'I dessay,' says he, 'you'll have noticed that our eyesight is
affected.'
"'All the better if you're anyways modest,' says I. 'You couldn'
find a retirededer place than this--not if you searched: an' _we_
don't mind.'
"Well, sir, the end was we stripped 'em naked as Adam, an' spread
their clothes to dry 'pon the grass. While we tended on 'em the mild
young man told us how it had happened.
Pages:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26