Elizabeth rubbed her eyes. "But what's wrong, Simpson, and where are we?"
"Goodness knows, my lady. We're hours away from Winnipeg--that's all I know--and we're likely to stay here, by what Yerkes says."
"Has there been an accident?"
Simpson replied--sombrely--that something had happened, she didn't know what--that Yerkes put it down to "the sink-hole," which according to him was "always doing it"--that there were two trains in front of them at a standstill, and trains coming up every minute behind them.
"My dear Simpson!--that must be an exaggeration. There aren't trains every minute on the C.P.R. Is Mr. Philip awake?"
"Not yet, my lady."
"And what on earth is a sink-hole?" asked Elizabeth.
CHAPTER II
Elizabeth had ample time during the ensuing sixteen hours for inquiry as to the nature of sink-holes.