The transitman laughed softly.
“I should like to be behind a tree or a rock,” he said, “and see Nicholson when he comes here after daylight to continue his survey and finds his proposed gap route already taken.”
Ever more deeply as he listened, Dannie appreciated the difficulties in which he had involved the railroad companies, and the dangers into which he himself had plunged. One thing only he was sure of, and that was that his mouth must remain closed.
When everything was ready they all started back, at a good pace, up the hill and into the glen.
“Here, my boy,” said the transitman, “come with me. I want to talk with you.”
Dannie fell back and walked with him. They were the last two in the party.
“There is no need of our being severe with you any longer,” continued the man. “Our task is accomplished, our route is located, no one can interfere with us now. But you understand it was necessary, in order to carry out our scheme successfully, that we shouldn’t be disturbed until after we were through the gap. We couldn’t run the risk of having you go back up or down the road and rouse the country, or the other corps of engineers, or even the owner of this property. So we had to take you along with us. I am sorry to have caused you any inconvenience or anxiety, and I am sure I beg your pardon if I have done so; but really, you see, we couldn’t help it.”
He had a very musical voice and winning manner, this big engineer, now that the stress of his work was off his mind; and Dannie felt at once the strange attraction of his presence.
“Oh! it don’t matter very much,” he replied, “so long as I get home before daylight. They—they don’t know I’m out.”