The fare had set down her wicker basket, and with some little difficulty had contrived to draw half a crown from the inside of her glove.
The cabman had received this coin dubiously. After gazing at it thoughtfully as it lay in his grimy palm, said he—
“What about the box, miss? And a wet arternoon.”
“Papa said the fare would be half a crown from Waterloo Station,” said the wearer of the preposterous straw hat.
“I don’t know about your pa, miss,” said the cabman, “but I do know that the box is outside luggage. And I lifted it down meself, and I carried it in with my own ’ands, and it’s raining like old boots.”
“Papa said——” the Straw-hatted One was explaining slowly and with patience, when Mr. Marchbanks, in response to John’s appeal, interrupted her with quiet authority.
Very deftly Mr. Marchbanks added sixpence to the cabman’s half-crown.
“Go away as soon as possible,” said Mr. Marchbanks. “We are likely to have callers at any moment.”
The cabman touched his hat in recognition of the fact that he had to do with a gentleman, and proceeded to carry out these instructions.
“Do you mind coming this way, miss—ah,” said Mr. Marchbanks a little haughtily to the lady of the hat.