She vouchsafed no reply, but, clutching my arm, dragged me unceremoniously to my feet and piloted me back the way we had come, clearing a path through the throng as if by magic, interposing her broad person between me and the rough element, and forging ahead as if pursued by wild beasts. I could not understand her sudden haste, and, being quite breathless, tried to stop and rest, but she pulled me relentlessly on.
Once, near the level crossing, I saw a girl being led past, as if ill, followed by someone carrying a bundle of wet clothes, and I tried to draw Belinda Ann’s attention to it, but she chose that identical moment to dash across the rails in face of the warning shout, “Express coming!” and I had to fly after her. She never stopped or spoke till we got to the Underground Railway Station, when, for the first time, she looked at me and said shortly—
“What next?”
Then I noticed that she was white and looked strangely scared, and concluding she was faint, I replied, “We’ll go home by train!” and diving into the station I committed the extravagance of buying two first-class tickets, as the crush in the third class was not to be thought of.
A train came in five minutes afterwards, and we secured two seats so that the journey home was quickly accomplished, rather to my relief, for Belinda Ann really looked ill.
As we drew near home I heard boys shouting, “Haccident at a Launch! Horful Scenes!” but somehow I did not associate it with what I had just come from, and Belinda Ann never said a word till I had landed her in the upstairs room at home which we had left so gaily that morning.
I plied her with tea and cake and bread-and-butter until the colour began to come back to her face, and then I said—
“Why, Belinda, what has come over you, and why were you in such a tearing hurry, and what did you mean by saying something would happen?”
“What I said,” she replied shortly; “and I was right too. That ship’ll be unlucky, you see if ’taint, and what’s more, they’ll ’ave trouble in gettin’ sailors to man ’er, you mark my words!”
“I don’t understand you one bit,” I said impatiently.