"But why should I go?"
"Come, and if you ask me that when you have seen, I will ask nothing for my silence."
"Only a woman?"
"Only a woman."
They descended the stairs.
CHAPTER X.
[LEIGH PROMISES ONE VISIT AND PAYS ANOTHER.]
That morning when Edith Grace fell asleep in the corner of the third-class carriage, on her way from Millway to London, she sank into the most profound unconsciousness. No memory of life disturbed her repose. No dreams intruded. The forward movement of the train was unheeded. The vibration did not break in upon her serenity. At the various stations where the train stopped people got in or out, the door banged, men and women talked to one another, the engine shrieked, and still Edith not only slept, but slept as peacefully and free from vision or fear as though all were silent and at rest. Before closing her eyes she took fully into her mind the friendly porter's assurance there would be no need to change her carriage between Millway and the end of her journey.
When she opened her eyes they had arrived at Grosvenor Road, where tickets are taken up for Victoria. She was conscious of being shaken by the shoulder; she awoke and saw opposite her a stout, kind-faced countrywoman, with a basket on her arm. The woman said: "This is Grosvenor Road. We are just at Victoria. They want your ticket."
Two other women were in the carriage--no man. A ticket-collector standing at the door, impatient of delay, was flicking the tickets in his hand.