When at last she found herself, a tiny figure, standing upon the
vast platform under the high black dome, the noise and confusion
excited and delighted her. She rose to the waves of sound as a
swimmer rises in the sea, her heart beat fast, and she was so
eagerly engaged in looking about her, in staring at the hurrying
people, in locating the shrill screams of the engines, in
determining not to jump when the carriages jolted together, that her
little black bag opened unexpectedly once more and spilled a
handkerchief, a hand-mirror, a paper packet of sweets, a small pair
of scissors, and a shabby brown purse upon the station-floor. She
was greatly confused when an old gentleman helped her to pick them
up. The little mirror was broken.
"Oh! it's bad luck!" she cried, staring distressfully at the old
man. He smiled, and would have certainly been very agreeable to her
had not Aunt Anne, who had been finding their boxes and securing a
cab, arrived and taken Maggie away. "You shouldn't speak to strange
gentlemen, dear," said Aunt Anne.
But Maggie did not listen. It was characteristic of Anne Cardinal
that she should secure the only four-wheeler in the station,
rejecting the taxi-cabs that waited in rows for her pleasure.
Pages:
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102