Eleanor was replying with
equal blitheness.
"How nice of you to come. Where are you going?"
"Surprised, are you?" he was floundering. "Charmed. Ha, ha! By Jove,
Eleanor--er--I heard you were booked by this train and I--I tried to
catch it for a bit of a ride with you. I missed it, don't you know.
I'll--I'll wager you don't know what I did in my desperation."
"I couldn't guess," she said, trying to catch Joe's eye.
"I hired a private engine, 'pon my word, and then telegraphed ahead to
stop this train!"
"Di--did you do that?" she gasped, forgetting that the bridge was out.
Dauntless, meantime, was trying to explain to Miss Courtenay. She
already had told him that her aunt was ill in Vancouver, and he had
smiled politely and aimlessly.
"I'm on my way to M----. Sudden trip, very important," he was saying.
"Missed the train--I dare say it was this one--so I took an engine to
follow up. Had to ride in the tender."
"It must have been important," she ventured.
"It was. I--" then with an inspired plunge--"I was due at a wedding."
"How unfortunate! I hope you won't miss it altogether."
Joe caught his breath and thought: "Now what the devil did she mean by
that? Has Eleanor told her the whole story?"
It must not be supposed that these young persons were lacking in the
simpler gifts of intelligence; they were, individually, beginning to
put two and two together, as the saying goes.
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