y spot, go to ground in
fact, or travel in another direction.

My first business was to inquire in and about the station for a person
or persons answering to the parties I missed. Had they separated,
these two women, for good and all? That was most unlikely. If the maid
had gone off first, I had to consider whether they would not again
join forces as soon as I was well out of the way. They would surely
feel safer, happier, together, and this encouraged me to ask first for
two people, two females, a lady and her servant, one of them, the
latter, carrying a child.

There were many officials about in uniform, and all alike supercilious
and indifferent, after the manner of their class, to the travelling
public, and I could get none to take the smallest interest in my
affairs. One shrugged his shoulders, another stared at me in insolent
silence, a third answered me abruptly that he was too occupied to
bother himself, and a fourth peremptorily ordered me not to hang any
longer about the station.

Foiled thus by the railway staff--and I desire to place on record here
my deliberate opinion after many years' experience in many lands, that
for rudeness and overbearing manners the Swiss functionary has no
equal in the whole world--I went outside the station and sought
information among the cabmen and touts who hang about waiting to take
up travellers. I accosted all the drivers patiently one by one, but
could gather nothing definite from any of them. Most had been on the
stand at the arrival of the midday train, many had been engaged to
convey passengers and baggage up into the town of Lausanne, and had
deposited their fares at various hotels and private residences, but no
one had driven any party answering to those of whom I was in search.

This practically decided the point that my lady had not left the
station in a carriage or openly, if she had walked. But that she had
not been observed did not dispose of the question. They were dull,
stupid men, these, only intent on their own business, who would pay
little attention to humble persons on foot showing no desire to hire a
cab. I would not be baffled thus soon in my quest. A confidential
agent who will not take infinite pains in his researches had better
seek some other line of business. As I stood there in front of the
great station belonging to the Jura-Simplon, I saw facing me a small
facade of the Gare Sainte Luce, one of the intermediate stations on
the _Ficelle_ or ca