"Ay, ay!" answered Jim, from the back of the roof, where he was
arranging the mail-bags.

"Here's an outside extry." He lowered his voice, so that I caught
only these words: "The youngster . . . Minden Cottage . . .
I reckoned they'd be sending--"

"Hey?"

Jim the guard bent over for a look at me, and scrambled down by the
steps of his dickey, just as Mrs. Stimcoe emerged from the office.
She was pale and agitated, and stood for a moment gazing about her
distractedly, when Jim blundered against her, whereat she put out a
hand and spoke to him. I saw Jim fall back a step and touch his hat.
He was listening, with a very serious face. I could not hear what
she said.

"Cert'nly, ma'm'," he answered. "Cert'nly, under the circumstances,
you may depend on me."

He mounted the coach again, and, climbing forward whispered in the
back of the coachman's ear. The passengers bent their heads to
listen. They nodded; the coachman nodded too, and stretched down a
hand.

"Can you climb, sonny, or shall we fetch the steps for you?
There, I reckoned you was more of a man than to need 'em!"

Mrs. Stimcoe detained me for a moment to fold me in a masculine hug.