"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.