the wives of
famous men. And then Manners and O'Brien, struggling desperately to
drown each other, sank down, down, down, and Cleopatra could be heard
saying perfectly logically to Neptune, "You didn't!" And then there was
a tremendous shower of roses, and the dream went out like a candle.

Aladdin opened his eyes and stroked his chin. He was troubled about the
dream. The senator had spoken to him of "others." Could Peter Manners
possibly be there? Was that the especial demolishment that fate held in
store for him? He was very wide awake now.

At times, owing to the opaqueness of the storm, it was impossible to see
out of the car window. But there were moments when a sudden rush of wind
blew a path for the eye, and by such occasional pictures--little long
of the instantaneous--one could follow the progress of the blizzard.
Aladdin saw a huddle of sheep big with snow; then a man getting into a
house by the window; an ancient apple-tree with a huge limb torn off;
two telegraph poles that leaned toward each other, like one man fixing
another's cravat; and he caught glimpses of wires broken, loosened,
snarled, and fuzzy with snow. Then the train crawled over a remembered
trestle, and Aladdin knew that he was within four miles of his station,
and within three of the St. Johns' house by the best of short cuts
across country. He looked precisely in its direction, and kissed his
fingers to Margaret, and wondered what she was doing. Then there was a
rumbling, jumping jar, and the train stopped. Minute after minute went
by. Aladdin waited impatiently for the train to start. The conductor
passed hurriedly through.

"What's up?" called Aladdin after him.

"Up!" cried the conductor. "We're off the track."

"Can't we go on to-night?"

"Nup!" The conductor passed out of the car and banged the door.

"Got to sit here all night!" said Aladdin. "Not much! Get up, Troubles!
If you don't think I know the way about here, you can stay by the stove.
I'm going to walk."

Aladdin and Troubles rose, buttoned their coat, left the car, and set
out in the direction of the St. Johns'. Aladdin's watch at starting read
five o'clock.

"Our luggage is all checked, Troubles," he said, "and all we've got
to face is the idea of walking three miles through very disagreeable
weather, over a broad path that we know like the palm of our hand (which
we don't know as well as we might), arriving late, wet to the skin, and
without a change of clothes.