Patience Wins Part 41

I saw him start as I clung there just a little way below him to his right, and within easy reach, and, for I should think a minute, we stared hard at each other.

Then he spoke in a quiet matter-of-fact way.

"Don't be scared, my lad," he said; "it's alright. I can take hold of you tightly. Hold fast till I get you by the arms. That's it; now loose your right hand and take hold of the door; here pa.s.s it in.

That's the way; edge along. I've got you tight. Come along; now the other hand in. That's the way."

I obeyed him, for he seemed to force me to by his firm way, but the thought came over me, "Suppose he is that man's companion." But even if he had been, I was too much unnerved to do anything but what he bade me, so I pa.s.sed one hand on to the window-frame of the door, then edged along and stood holding on with the other hand, for he had me as if his grasp was a vice, and then his hands glided down to my waist. He gripped me by my clothes and flesh, and before I could realise it he had dragged me right in through the window and placed me on the seat.

Then dragging up the window he sank back opposite to me and cried to a gentleman standing in the compartment:

"Give me a drop of brandy, Jem, or I shall faint!"

I crouched back there, quivering and unable to speak. I was so unnerved; but I saw the other gentleman hand a flask to the bluff-looking man who had saved me, and I saw him take a hearty draught and draw long breath, after which he turned to me.

"You young scoundrel!" he cried; "how dare you give me such a fright!"

I tried to speak, but the words would not come. I was choking, and I believe for a minute I literally sobbed.

"There, there, my lad," said the other kindly, "You're all right. Don't speak to him like that now, Jordan. The boy's had a horrible scare."

"Scare!" said the big bluff man; "and so have I. Why, my heart was in my mouth. I wouldn't go through it again for a hundred pounds. How did you come there, sir?"

"Let him be for a few minutes," said the other gently. "He'll come round directly, and tell us."

I gave him a grateful look and held out my wet hand, which he took and held in his.

"The boy has had a terrible shock," he said. "He'll tell us soon.

Don't hurry, my lad. There, be calm."

I clung to his hand, for he seemed to steady me, my hand jerking and twitching, and a curious sensation of horror that I had never felt before seeming to be upon me; but by degrees this pa.s.sed off, the more quickly that the two gentlemen went on talking as if I were not there.

"I'm so much obliged," I said at last, and the big bluff man laughed.

"Don't name it," he said, nodding good-humouredly. "Five guineas is my fee."

I s.h.i.+vered.

"And my friend here, Doctor Brown, will have a bigger one for his advice."

"He's joking you, my lad," said the other gentleman smiling. "I see you are not hurt."

"No, sir," I said; "I--"

The trembling came over me again, and I could not speak for a minute or two, but sat gazing helplessly from one to the other.

"Give him a drop of brandy," said the big bluff man.

"No, let him be for a few minutes; he's mastering it," was the reply.

This did me good, and making an effort I said quickly:

"A man in the carriage tried to rob me, and I got on to the foot-board and came along here."

"Then you did what I dare not have done," said the one who dragged me in. "But a pretty state of affairs this. On the railway, and no means of communicating."

"But there are means."

"Tchah! How was the poor lad to make use of them? Well, we shall have the scoundrel, unless he gets out of the train and jumps for it. We must look out when we stop for taking the tickets. We shall not halt before."

By degrees I grew quite composed, and told them all.

"Yes," said my big friend, "it was very brave of you; but I think I should have parted with all I had sooner than have run such a risk."

"If it had been your own," said the other gentleman. "In this case it seems to me the boy would have been robbed, and probably thrown out afterwards upon the line. I think you did quite right, my lad, but I should not recommend the practice to anyone else."

They chatted to me pleasantly enough till the train began at last to slacken speed preparatory to stopping for the tickets to be taken, and at the first symptom of this my two new friends jumped up and let down the windows, each leaning out so as to command a view of the back of the train.

I should have liked to look back as well, but that was impossible, so I had to be content to sit and listen; but I was not kept long in suspense, for all at once the quieter and more gentlemanly of my companions exclaimed:

"I thought as much. He has just jumped off, and run down the embankment. There he goes!"

I ran to the side, and caught a glimpse of a figure melting away into the darkness. Then it was gone.

"There goes all chance of punis.h.i.+ng the scoundrel," said the big bluff man, turning to me and smiling good-temperedly. "I should have liked to catch him, but I couldn't afford to risk my neck in your service, young man."

I thanked him as well as I could, and made up my mind that if my father was waiting on the platform he should make a more satisfactory recognition of the services that had been performed.

This did not, however, prove so easy as I had hoped, for in the confusion of trying to bring them together when I found my father waiting, I reached the spot where I had left my travelling-companions just in time to see them drive off in a cab.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

AGAINST THE LAW.

The next day, after recounting plenty of my adventures to my mother, but, I am afraid, dressing some of them up so that they should not alarm her, a letter reached me from Uncle Bob.

It was very short. He hoped I had reached town safely, and found all well. The night had pa.s.sed quite quietly at the works, and he ended by saying:

"I took up the trap. All right!"

That was a great relief to me, and made my stay in town quite pleasant.

I went down to the old works with my father, and it made me smile to see how quiet and orderly everything was, and how different to the new line of business we had taken up. The men here never thought of committing outrages or interfering with those who employed them, and I could not help thinking what a contrast there was between them and the Arrowfield rough independence of mien.

My father questioned me a great deal about matters upon which my uncles had dwelt lightly, but I found that he thoroughly appreciated our position there and its risks.

"Not for another six months, Cob," he said in answer to an inquiry as to when he was coming down.