not, but since she meant to go, speed was important, because the man
from whom she wanted to escape might see them on the line. He went to
the waiting engine in front of a long row of ballast cars, on which a
big gravel plough loomed faintly in the dark.

"Who's on board?" he asked.

A man he knew looked out from the cab window.

"Hallo, Mr. Lister! I'm on board with Jake. We're going to Malcolm cut
for gravel. Washout's mixed things; operator reckoned he could rush us
through--"

"Then you'll stop and get water at the tank," Lister interrupted. "Will
you make it before the East-bound comes along?"

"We ought to make it half-an-hour ahead. Wires all right that way.
Nothing's on the road."

Lister turned to the girl. "If you're going East you must buy a new
ticket at Malcolm. Have you money?"

"I have some--" she said and stopped, and Lister imagined she had not
until then thought about money and had not much.

"You'll take this lady to Malcolm, Roberts, and put her down where she
can get to the station," he said to the engineer. "Nobody will see you
have a passenger, but if the agent's curious, I'll fix the thing with
him."