Page:Adams - A Child of the Age.djvu/72

60 that I had heard somewhere about a train which left Glastonbury about six and got into London pretty late that night.—Why not go by it? As well as not!

When I had dressed I went into Mother McCarthy's to see if she had a time-table. She had. I found that there was a train left Glastonbury at 5.55 or so, and got into London at about eight. I looked at the clock. It was twenty minutes to six now. I would try it! I had bought a glazed black bag last holidays, as being a useful sort of thing for a peripatetic to have. I got a clean night-gown, a clean shirt, a couple of collars, a pair of socks, and some handkerchiefs out of my linen locker: went back into my room: fished the black bag from under my bed: packed in the things I wanted: took my great-coat off the peg,and started away.

I swung into the station at four or five minutes after the train was due to start. I had a sharp cut and run on to and down the platform and got into an empty carriage just as it moved off. The liveliness of the whole affair delighted me. I felt for a little something like an excited child.

The journey did not seem long to me; for I slowly fell into my dim thought-world, and only came out of it for a moment when (about half-way I think) a fat old gentleman got into the carriage with a bulged old carpet-bag which he put on to the seat beside him: then took a newspaper from his inside breast-pocket: put on a pair of black horn pince-nez, and began to read. Just before London they collected the tickets, and I became aware that I felt empty internally: I had had no tea. But I went back into my old dim thought-world again, and was not out of it when we glided down a long gas-lit platform, and it was borne in on me that we were in London.

I got into a hansom and gave Colonel James's address to the driver. We drove through many streets, mostly having little traffic in them, till we drew up suddenly before a house, above the door of which was an oblong of glass lit by a gas-lamp, and in the middle, in black figures, 15, Colonel James's number. I got out; paid the driver, and rang at the bell. The door was opened almost immediately by a man in evening dress with a