FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121  
122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   >>   >|  
as difficult to keep them in sight, for everyone made way upon recognising them, but showed less consideration for a small panting child; and the head of the field, by the exit gate, was packed by a most exasperating throng pressing to admire a giant motor-car that waited in the roadway with lamps blazing and a couple of men in chauffeurs' dress keeping guard in attitudes of sublime _hauteur_. Sir Elphinstone, with Miss Sally on his arm, reached the car while yet Tilda struggled in the gateway. A policeman roughly ordered her back. She feigned to obey, and dropping out of sight, crawled forth past the policeman's boots, with her head almost butting the calves of a slow-moving yeoman farmer. Before she could straighten herself up Sir Elphinstone had climbed into the car after his sister, and the pair were settling down in their rugs. One of the chauffeurs was already seated, the other, having set the machine throbbing, was already clambering to his seat. The crowd set up three parting cheers, and Miss Sally, remembering her Ham, held it aloft in farewell. But while Miss Sally waved and laughed, of a sudden, amid the laughter and cheers and throbbing of the motor, a small child sprang out of the darkness and clung upon the step. "Lady! Lady!" Miss Sally stared down upon the upturned face. "Miles Chandon, lady?--where does 'e live?--For the Lord's sake--" But already Sir Elphinstone had called the order. The car shot away smoothly. "Elphinstone--a moment, please! Stop! The child--" "Eh? . . . Stop the car! . . . Anything wrong?" Miss Sally peered back into the darkness. "There was a child . . . We have hurt her, I fear. Tell George to jump down and inquire." But Tilda was not hurt. On the contrary, she was running and dodging the crowd at that moment as fast as her hurt leg permitted. For in the press of it, not three yards away, by the light of the side lamp, she had caught sight of Dr. Glasson and Gavel. They were on foot, and Gavel had seen her, she could make no doubt. He was bearing down straight upon her. Not until she had run fifty yards did she pluck up courage to look back. Gavel was nowhere in sight. The car had come to a standstill, and the people were yelling. Was it after her? Was _this_ the hue-and-cry? They were certainly yelling--and behaving too, in the strangest fashion. They seemed by one impulse to be running from the car and crowding back towards the gate.
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121  
122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Elphinstone

 

policeman

 

cheers

 
moment
 
throbbing
 

running

 
darkness
 

chauffeurs

 

yelling

 

George


impulse
 

Chandon

 

peered

 

called

 

crowding

 
smoothly
 

Anything

 

bearing

 

straight

 
behaving

standstill

 
people
 

courage

 

permitted

 

dodging

 

inquire

 

contrary

 
Glasson
 

strangest

 

fashion


caught

 

machine

 

attitudes

 

sublime

 

hauteur

 

keeping

 

blazing

 

couple

 

reached

 

ordered


feigned

 

roughly

 

struggled

 

gateway

 

roadway

 

waited

 
recognising
 

showed

 

difficult

 

consideration