"Yes," assented the young man.
She turned more definitely towards him, away from the rest of the group, whose attention was called in another direction.
"Will you do something for me, Mr. Francis?"
"Why, of course."
Alice had not anticipated refusal, and her directions were prompt and lucid.
"Please go into that car and ask Mr. Herbert to come out to the platform, at the other end, to speak to me. There isn't much time to lose, so please be quick."
As he lifted his hat and moved away, she joined in the conversation of the others, which seemed to be largely metaphorical.
"So he got it that time," one of the young men was explaining, "where Katy wore the beads."
"Well, it served him quite right," said Alice, with the generosity of ignorance. Her whole attention was apparently given to the matter in hand, but she was standing so that she could see the somewhat vague vestibule of the brilliant but curtained car.
"Oh, yes, but it wasn't on the tintype that the other fellow should have been there at all."