Whenever Thorwald struck these high spiritual themes he spoke with such
enthusiasm and positiveness that our respect for him increased rapidly.




CHAPTER XII.

WE REACH THORWALD'S HOME.


All this time we had been riding leisurely along, enraptured with the
delightful country, while the way itself and the estates on either hand
offered such variety of landscape that the view never became tiresome nor
uninteresting.

But as the day was waning, our friends quickened the pace and showed us a
burst of speed. This was most exhilarating, and soon brought us to the
station where Thorwald told us we were to take an express train for home,
which was about two hundred miles distant.

When we alighted we left our carriage by the roadside among many others,
and entered an immense building. Both inside and out there were plenty of
people moving around, but without noise or unpleasant bustle. With no
delay, and also with no haste, we entered what appeared to be a smaller
apartment opening out of the general waiting-room. It had the appearance
of an elegant drawing-room, the rich but comfortable-looking furniture
being disposed in a careless manner, which helped to make us feel at home,
if anything could bring us that sensation. There was a door at each end of