“A beautiful day, is it not?” said the Count genially, as he stepped past Buckland.
“Rather hot in town,” replied Buckland, burying his face in his newspaper. Really, these intrusive Russians were very annoying.
The two foreigners occupied the far corners of the compartment, and chatted to each other on subjects in which Buckland took no interest. The train crawled down the line; it takes forty-seven minutes to perform its short journey of nineteen miles; and Buckland felt rather sleepy. At Sunbury, just as the guard’s whistle sounded, the two foreigners suddenly jumped up, the Count saying to his secretary in French,“We must get out here.” There was a moment of hurry-scurry; the train was already in motion when the two men sprang on to the platform. The Count waved his hand to Buckland, with a hurried “Bon soir, monsieur!” and Buckland wondered for a brief moment why they had alighted a station short of Shepperton. But he was so little interested in them that before he reached his own station he had forgotten them.
When the train drew up, he rose and took up the black bag from the seat. An unaccustomed something in the feel of the handle caused him to look at it. It was exactly similar to his own bag, but it was not his.
“I suppose I took up the wrong bag at the Foreign Office,” he said to himself; “though I didn’t notice anything in the feel of it before.”
The bag was not locked, and he opened it There was nothing in it but a morning newspaper.
The household at the Acacias was variously sorry when Buckland announced his immediate departure. Mrs. Courtenay-Greene was regretful at losing the company of a man of the world; Sheila was fond of her brother when he allowed his natural self to appear; and George had found him a very pleasant companion since he had become interested in the gyro-car.
“How rotten!” said the boy on hearing the news. “Why can’t they let you enjoy your holiday in peace?”
“My dear George,” replied Maurice, “our little private concerns are as dust swept by a broom when world-forces are at work. You’ll learn that some day.”
George merely snorted.