waiting valet. She caught him sharply by the arm. He shook free and walked
quickly away up the platform, guided by a wise instinct for avoiding a
scene in front of fellow-travellers. She followed close after him, talking
with rapidity. They receded. Audrey and Miss Ingate leaned out of the
windows to watch, and still farther and farther out. Just as the
honeymooning pair disappeared altogether their two forms came into contact,
and Audrey's eyes could see the arm of Lord Southminster take the arm of
Lady Southminster. They vanished from view like one flesh. And Audrey and
Miss Ingate, deserted, forgotten utterly, unthanked, buffeted by passengers
and by the valet who had climbed up into the carriage to take away the
impedimenta of his master, gazed at each other and then burst out laughing.

"So that's marriage!" said Audrey.

"No," said Miss Ingate. "That's love. I've seen a deal of love in my time,
ever since my sister Arabella's first engagement, but I never saw any that
wasn't vehy, vehy queer."

"I do hope they'll be happy," said Audrey.

"Do you?" said Miss Ingate.

CHAPTER VIII

EXPLOITATION OF WIDOWHOOD

The carriage had emptied, and the two adventurers stood alone among empty
compartments. The platform was also empty. Not a porter in sight. One after
the other, the young widow and the elderly spinster, their purses bulging
with money, got their packages by great efforts down on to the platform.

An employee strolled past.

"_Porteur?_" murmured Audrey timidly.

The man sniggered, shrugged his shoulders, and vanished.

Audrey felt that she had gone back to her school days. She was helpless,
and Miss Ingate was the same. She wished ardently that she was in Moze
again. She could not imagine how she had been such a fool as to undertake
this absurd expedition which could only end in ridicule and disaster. She
was ready to cry. Then another employee appeared, hesitated, and picked up
a bag, scowling and inimical. Gradually the man, very tousled and dirty,
clustered all the bags and parcels around his person, and walked off.
Audrey and Miss Ingate meekly following. The great roof of the station
resounded to whistles and the escape of steam and the clashing of wagons.

Beyond the platforms there were droves of people, of whom nearly every
individual was preoccupied and hurried. And what people! Audrey had in her
heart expected a sort of glittering white terminus full of dandiacal men
and elegant Pari