“Special for Harrisburg, Baltimore and Washington! All aboard!” and up at the further end of the platform Gordon saw the lank form of the detective whom he had tried to avoid an hour before at the other station.
Without taking time for thought he hurried Celia forward and they sprang breathlessly aboard. Not until they were fairly in the cars and the wheels moving under them did it occur to him that his companion had had nothing to eat since about twelve o’clock. She must be famished, and in a fair way to be ill again. What a fool he was not to have thought! They could have stopped in some obscure restaurant along the way as well as not, and taken a later train, and yet it was safer to get away at once. Without doubt there were watchers at East Liberty, too, and he was lucky to have got on the train without a challenge. He was sure that detective’s face lighted strangely as he looked his way. Perhaps there was a buffet attached to the train. At least, he would investigate. If there wasn’t, they must get off at the next stop—there must be another stop surely somewhere near the city—he could not remember, but there surely must be.
They had to wait some time to get the attention of the conductor. He was having much trouble with some disgruntled passengers who each claimed to have the same berth. Gordon finally got his ear, and showing his stateroom tickets inquired if they could be used on this train.
“No,” growled the worried conductor. “You’re on the wrong train. This is a special, and every berth in the train is taken now but one upper.”
“Then, we’ll have to get off at the next stop, I suppose, and take the other train,” said Gordon dismally.
“There isn’t any other stop till somewhere in the middle of the night. I tell you this is a special, and we’re scheduled to go straight through. East Liberty’s the last stop.”
“Then what shall we do?” asked Gordon inanely.
“I’m sure I don’t know,” snapped the conductor. “I’ve enough to do without mending other people’s mistakes. Stay aboard, I suppose, unless you want to jump off and commit suicide.”
“But I have a lady with me who isn’t at all well,” said Gordon, with dignity.
“So much the worse for the lady,” replied the conductor inhumanly. “There’s one upper berth, I told you.”