“If the marchese hastens,” replied the interested Gilda. “My padrona——”
But the Elder quenched her with a silver lira and strode away. Even after he had ordered a cabman to hurry him to the station, though, he did not really believe he would go in. Indeed, by the time he reached the station he was quite sure he would not go in. That would be too——Yet he jumped out of the carriage before it stopped, and ran through to the platform. He would just find out! And he charged into the arms of the Younger, who was strolling up and down with a cigarette.
“It is true, eh?” asked the Elder, collecting himself against this new surprise. For the moment it escaped him that he and the Younger were no longer on the best of terms.
“It looks like it,” replied the other. “Shall I take you to the compartment?”
The Elder did not answer. But he followed his companion, replacing his monocle on the way; and presently, in all truth, he beheld Susannah and The General enthroned amid mountains of luggage.
“Why, we began to think you weren’t coming!” cried Susannah, smiling out of the window. “That would have been a nice way to treat us!”
The Elder made an extravagant bow.
“If you give no hint——”
Susannah laughed. “No one ever got so many hints. We have told you every day. We told you yesterday.”
The Elder passed it off with a shrug.