Frederick turned round, right facing the lamp, where the gas

darted up in vivid anticipation of the train. A man in the dress

of a railway porter started forward; a bad-looking man, who

seemed to have drunk himself into a state of brutality, although

his senses were in perfect order.

'By your leave, miss!' said he, pushing Margaret rudely on one

side, and seizing Frederick by the collar.

'Your name is Hale, I believe?' In an instant--how, Margaret did not see, for everything danced

before her eyes--but by some sleight of wrestling, Frederick had

tripped him up, and he fell from the height of three or four

feet, which the platform was elevated above the space of soft

ground, by the side of the railroad. There he lay.

'Run, run!' gasped Margaret. 'The train is here. It was Leonards,

was it? oh, run! I will carry your bag.' And she took him by the

arm to push him along with all her feeble force. A door was

opened in a carriage--he jumped in; and as he leant out t say,

'God bless you, Margaret!' the train rushed past her; an she was

left standing alone. She was so terribly sick and faint that she

was thankful to be able to turn into the ladies' waiting-room,

and sit down for an instant. At first she could do nothing but

gasp for breath. It was such a hurry; such a sickening alarm;

such a near chance. If the train had not been there at the

moment, the man would have jumped up again and called for

assistance to arrest him. She wondered if the man had got up: she

tried to remember if she had seen him move; she wondered if he

could have been seriously hurt. She ventured out; the platform

was all alight, but still quite deserted; she went to the end,

and looked over, somewhat fearfully. No one was there; and then

she was glad she had made herself go, and inspect, for otherwise

terrible thoughts would have haunted her dreams. And even as it

was, she was so trembling and affrighted that she felt she could

not walk home along the road, which did indeed seem lonely and

dark, as she gazed down upon it from the blaze of the station.

She would wait till the down train passed and take her seat in

it. But what if Leonards recognised her as Frederick's companion!

She peered about, before venturing into the booking-office to

take her ticket. There were only some railway officials standing

about; and talking loud to one another.

'So Leonards has been drinking again!' said one, seemingly in

authority. 'He'll need all his boasted influence to keep his

place this time.' 'Where is he?' asked another, while Margaret, her back towards

them, was counting her change with trembling fingers, not daring

to turn round until she heard the answer to this question.




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