I wasn’t in a mood to enjoy even Miss Cullen’s gratitude. Without stopping for words, I dashed into 218, and, going straight to Albert Cullen, I shook him out of a sound sleep, and before he could well understand me I was alternately swearing at him and raging at Lord Ralles. Finally he got the truth through his head, and it was nuts to me, even in my rage, to see how his English drawl disappeared, and how quick he could be when he really became excited.
I left him hurrying into his clothes, and went to my car, for I didn’t dare to see the exodus of Lord Ralles, through fear that I couldn’t behave myself. Albert came into 97 in a few moments to say that the Englishmen were going to the hotel as soon as dressed, the captain having elected to stay by his brother.
“I wouldn’t have believed it of Ralles. I feel jolly cut up, you know,” he drawled.
I had been so enraged over Lord Ralles that I hadn’t stopped to reckon in what position I stood myself towards Miss Cullen, but I didn’t have to do much thinking to know that I had behaved about as badly as was possible for me. And the worst of it was that she could not know that right through the whole I had never quite been able to think badly of her. I went out on the platform of the station, and was lucky enough to find her there alone.
“Miss Cullen,” I said, “I’ve been ungentlemanly and suspicious, and I’m about as ashamed of myself as a man can be and not jump into the Grand Cañon. I’ve not come to you to ask your forgiveness, for I can’t forgive myself, much less expect it of you. But I want you to know how I feel, and if there’s any reparation, apology, anything, that you’d like, I’ll—”
Madge interrupted my speech there by holding out her hand.
“You don’t suppose,” she said, “that, after all you have done for us, I could be angry over what was merely a mistake?”
That’s what I call a trump of a girl, worth loving for a lifetime.
Well, we coupled on to No. 2 that morning and started East, this time Mr. Cullen’s car being the “ender.” All on 218 were wildly jubilant, as was natural, but I kept growing bluer and bluer. I took a farewell dinner on their car the night we were due in Albuquerque, and afterwards Miss Cullen and I went out and sat on the back platform.
“I’ve had enough adventures to talk about for a year,” Madge said, as we chatted the whole thing over, “and you can no longer brag that the K. & A. has never had a robbery, even if you didn’t lose anything.”