The little President and the lumbering great Vice-President, mopping his forehead, walked after the coffin side by side, and disappeared into the gloom of the cathedral, followed by all the untidy string of notables, who scrambled in after them in a very undignified manner, as though they wanted to get out of the heat.
As the last one crowded in, the velvet curtains were drawn across the door again and shut out the noise of the singing.
'That's the last time any one will see those two together again in peace,' Gerald muttered, and turning round I saw that he was looking fearfully worried and anxious.
'What's the matter?' I asked.
'There's hardly a Vice-President's man among that lot,' he whispered.
'What's that mean?'
'They've cleared out, Billums—fled to the country—it's the beginning. Something's gone wrong. It's beginning too soon.' He was very excited, and could hardly sit still. In a minute or two he jumped up, sang out that he must find out how the land 'lay,' and told us to stay where we were.
'If there's any shooting, lie down on the floor—there may be some.'
'Let me come with you?' I asked, awfully keen to go, but he shook his head, and went out.
I wished he'd have let me go with him.