"It would be a good time for him to break through, and go into the
room again," she thought to herself. But Thomas did not fall in with
her little scheme.

"I'll put it on the top stair, where you can see it," he called up,
"and I'll go and tidy myself now, and make a start for the station.
I shan't be so very much too soon."

"Only half-an-hour or so," said Patience to herself with a smile.
Aloud she said, "I think you're wise, father, then you'll be able to
take it easy on the way, and to explain to Station-Master all about
it, in case she don't come, and I expect you'll find she won't be
here for a day or two."

They kept on telling each other that, to try and prevent themselves
from counting on it too much.

"No, I don't see how she can come to-day, but I'll step along to see
the train come in; it'll satisfy our minds. We shouldn't feel happy
to shut up the house and go to bed if we didn't know for certain."

So Thomas started off with a calm, businesslike air, outwardly, but
inside him his heart was beating fast with expectation, and his step
grew quicker and quicker as soon as he was out of sight of his own
cottage windows.

He slackened his pace a little when he came within sight of the
station, for it looked as quiet and sleepy as though no train was
expected for ages yet; and the eager, shy old man felt that the men