"She's given us about ten thousand last directions! Can you remember any of them?" said Mabel.
"Never a one!" laughed Aldred. "The engine was snorting so loudly, I couldn't hear a single word."
"And I could only catch a word here and there. I have a general impression that we aren't to hang out of the window, or speak to strangers, and that we must call the guard if anyone disagreeable gets into the carriage."
"Well, we had all that before, from Miss Drummond!"
"And not to lose our tickets!"
"As if we should! I always keep mine in this inner pocket; it was made in my coat on purpose. I'm much more likely to lose my temper with so many instructions—we might be babies, five years old! I wonder Miss Bardsley did not tie a luggage label to each of us, marked, 'Perishable Goods, at Owner's Risk'!"
"Yes, or 'Live Stock; Immediate," suggested Mabel. "Then we could have gone in the guard's van, and she would have been perfectly easy about us."
"There's only one outrageous thing that always tempts me," declared Aldred. "I do so want to pull down the cord, and stop the train!"
"A five pounds penalty if you indulge yourself, my dear."
"If I had five pounds I would, just for the sheer fun of it. All the people would rush out of the carriages, to see what was the matter. It would make such a sensation! By the by, how can the guard know who has pulled the cord? Suppose we simply looked innocent and astonished when he came to our compartment, he couldn't tell it was either of us; I don't think he could possibly know."