Just before his special rounded the bend which brought it within sight

of Bayham Junction the Lynhaven express had reached within a few

hundred yards of annihilation. The signalman at Bayham Junction had

watched the oncoming rush of Bones's train, and, having a fairly

extensive knowledge of the "Mary Louisa" and her eccentricities, he

realised just what had happened.

There was only one thing to be done. He could see the smoke from the

Cabinet Minister's special rising above the cutting two miles away, and

he threw over two levers simultaneously. The first set the points

which brought the Lynhaven express on to the main line, switching it

from the deadly bay wherein the runaway train would have been smashed

to pieces; the second lever set the distant signal against the special.

It was a toss-up whether the special had not already passed the distant

signal, but he had to take that risk.

Bones, with his arm round the girl, awaiting a noisy and violent

dissolution, felt the "Mary Louisa" sway to the right when it should

have swayed to the left, heard the clang of the points as he passed

them, and drew a long breath when he found himself headed along a

straight clear stretch of line. It was some time before he found his

voice, and then it was little more than a squeak.

"We're going to London, dear old thing," he said tremulously.

The girl smiled, though her face was deathly pale.

"I thought we were going to heaven," she said.

"Never, dear old thing," said Bones, recovering something of his

spirits as he saw the danger past. "Old Bones will never send you

there."

The problem of the "Mary Louisa" was still unsettled. She was tearing

away like a Flying Dutchman. She was oozing steam at every pore, and,

glancing back, Bones saw the agitated countenance of the aged guard

thrust through the window. He waved frantically at Bones, and Bones

waved genially back again.

He was turning back to make another attempt on the lever, when, looking

past the guard, he saw a sight which brought his heart into his mouth.

Pounding along behind him, and emitting feathers of steam from her

whistle, was an enormous locomotive. Bones guessed there was a train

behind it, but the line was too straight for him to see.

"Gracious heavens!" he gasped. "We're being chased!"

He jerked at the lever--though it was a moment when he should have left

it severely alone--and to his ill-founded joy it moved.

The two trains came to a standstill together ten miles from Bayham

Junction, and Bones climbed down into the six-foot way and walked back.

Almost the first person he met was a gesticulating gentleman in a frock

coat and with a red face, who, mistaking him for an engine-driver,

dismissed him on the spot, threatened him with imprisonment--with or

without hard labour he did not specify--and demanded what the dickens

he meant by holding up a Cabinet Minister?




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