The Adventures of a Modest Man

very affable and anxious to be of help, but all he could do was to nod and utter Teutonic guttu

s the entire Fatherland travelling on t

across the aisle, but she was looking out of her own window

e might turn out to be of the same nationality."

rse toots from the locomotive indicate

y at Seabury, then, as nobody apparently cared either to get out at Blue Bird Lake or change for Pleasant Valley, he slammed the door and jerke

ugh to see that-a fine gray powder sifting down out of

the pane, rubbed it with a thumb

tion iss Beve

xt is P

Beverly; und der n

t the next station, don't I?" stammered the

e growled. "I dell you Peverly und you say Be

ut I d

ssenger, and resumed his newspaper, hunching himself around to pre

the station properly; no doubt the next stop was Beverly, after all. He was due there at 6.17. He looked at

tive sounded from the darkness ahead; already

of the blue eyes and chinchilla furs preparing for departure; and, what he had not before noticed,

ht be bound for the Christmas Eve frolic at the Au

charming and delightful probability. And already his misgivings concerning the proper name of the next station had vanished. He wanted Beverly

jerking pull of brakes, and, from the f

Beverly!"

ded the young man, smiling to himself as he rose, investe

left the car, followed by her maid, before h

y at his fellow-passenger, he encountered only a huge snee

m, mouth agape-hesitated a moment only, then, realizing the dreadful po

oking about him for some sign of a conveyance which might be destined for him. There w

ough the thickly descending snow where the name of the station ought to be. And, as he stepped

id Seabury, relieved to encou

eabury, sir! Wer

abandoning his suit-case to the footman

r the robes to her pretty chin, and her maid on the box with the coach

ok off his hat politely, and she acknowledged his presence very gravely

agnificent pair of plumed horses swung around the circle under the bl

ace to permit her the choice of conversing or remaining silent. She hesitated; she had never been particularly wedded to silence. Besides, she was scarce

ow far it is; hav

she sai

h," he continued with

tion clung so closely around the sleigh that it might ha

rent railroads are to the con

n him; there was the faint

r that train," he said, laughin

I

nd it amused

a trifle. "What is the

mile-at least

t to offer. She was hard to

red on the verge of saying "you," but veered off hastily-"when I saw that brakeman's expression

chagrin on his face died out again; because it was quite impossible that suc

ly, "but I did some jumping at Harvard

ate," she said, smili

and he admitted it so blandly that he ov

y on that train except you and I were G

e you in?" she

n your

my c

ed; "you were sitting ac

pleasant surprise; "ac

y him again. Evidently she had not. Mistakes like that are annoying. Every man in

finding out where Beverly

ow did you

. Do you know that I had a curious sort of pres

" she said. "When

long before

ost remarkable-r

nking of a person you don't expect to see, and looking

resemble your c

ther she managed to say things that never permitted that easy, graceful flow of language which characterised him in his normal state. Somehow or other, he felt that he was not doing himself jus

's no similarity between the two cases

ought him just a trifle too ornamental-for he certainly was a very good-looking youth-perhaps something in the entire episode appealed to her sense of mischief. Probably even she herse

fully, "you were obses

could anybody be suspicious of such sweetly inquiring frankness? "You see,"

ins'!" sh

uldn't help

he asked. "Wh

course, only I k-kept see

M

uldn't help seei

she murmured, pressing her muff t

was a little difficult to talk to. But then she was young-very young and-close enoug

bumped into somebody and there you were. I don't mean," as she raised her pretty eyebrows-"mean that you were Bail

managed to whispe

ve inoculated me. You will probably not believe i

l that rang sweetly in the frosty air, harmonising with the chimi

-you had an obsession which turned into a premonition that bumped Bailey and you found it wasn't Bailey at all, but a

hing that's happened to

s make a differenc

diffe

it?" she aske

n wh

Things are clea

aid desperately. "You say things-and they sound all right-but somehow my answer

r of her muff were bright as

bject of conversation and try to make sense of it. I

ay things-I mean things n

u say G

ger

been irrel

was a little joke-I saw that soon enough; I'd have seen it at onc