“He’s joking you, my lad,” said the other gentleman smiling. “I see you are not hurt.”
“No, sir,” I said; “I—”
The trembling came over me again, and I could not speak for a minute or two, but sat gazing helplessly from one to the other.
“Give him a drop of brandy,” said the big bluff man.
“No, let him be for a few minutes; he’s mastering it,” was the reply.
This did me good, and making an effort I said quickly:
“A man in the carriage tried to rob me, and I got on to the foot-board and came along here.”
“Then you did what I dare not have done,” said the one who dragged me in. “But a pretty state of affairs this. On the railway, and no means of communicating.”
“But there are means.”
“Tchah! How was the poor lad to make use of them? Well, we shall have the scoundrel, unless he gets out of the train and jumps for it. We must look out when we stop for taking the tickets. We shall not halt before.”