"Thisisnotasmoking-carriage,"Mrs.Normanprotested,nervouslybutveryfeebly,asthedoorswungopenandapowerfullybuiltyoungmanjumpedin.Heseemednottohearher.ThetraindidnotstopbeforeitreachedCambridge,andhereshewasshutupalone,inarailwaycarriage,withayoungman.
Shetouchedthespringofherdressing-case,andascertainedthatthescent-bottleandanovelfromMudie'swerebothhandy(theyoungmanwasstandingupwithhisbacktoher,puttinghisbagintherack).Shewouldthrowthescent-bottlewithherrighthand,shedecided,andtugthecommunicationcordwithherleft.Shewasfiftyyearsofage,andhadasonatcollege.Nevertheless,itisafactthatmenaredangerous.Shereadhalfacolumnofhernewspaperthenstealthilylookedovertheedgetodecidethequestionofsafetybytheinfallibletestofappearance….Shewouldliketoofferhimherpaper.ButdoyoungmenreadtheMorningPost?Shelookedtoseewhathewasreading—theDailyTelegraph.
Takingnoteofsocks(loose),oftie(shabby),sheoncemorereachedhisface.Shedweltuponhismouth.Thelipswereshut.Theeyesbentdown,sincehewasreading.Allwasfirm,yetyouthful,indifferent,unconscious—asforknockingonedown!No,no,no!Shelookedoutofthewindow,smilingslightlynow,andthencamebackagain,forhedidn'tnoticeher.Grave,unconscious…nowhelookedup,pasther…heseemedsooutofplace,somehow,alonewithanelderlylady…thenhefixedhiseyes—whichwereblue—onthelandscape.Hehadnotrealizedherpresence,shethought.YetitwasnoneofHERfaultthatthiswasnotasmoking-carriage—ifthatwaswhathemeant.
Nobodyseesanyoneasheis,letaloneanelderlyladysittingoppositeastrangeyoungmaninarailwaycarriage.Theyseeawhole—theyseeallsortsofthings—theyseethemselves….Mrs.NormannowreadthreepagesofoneofMr.Norris'snovels.Shouldshesaytotheyoungman(andafterallhewasjustthesameageasherownboy):"Ifyouwanttosmoke,don'tmindme"?No:heseemedabsolutelyindifferenttoherpresence…shedidnotwishtointerrupt.
Butsince,evenatherage,shenotedhisindifference,presumablyhewasinsomewayorother—toheratleast—nice,handsome,interesting,distinguished,wellbuilt,likeherownboy?Onemustdothebestonecanwithherreport.Anyhow,thiswasJacobFlanders,agednineteen.Itisnousetryingtosumpeopleup.Onemustfollowhints,notexactlywhatissaid,noryetentirelywhatisdone—forinstance,whenthetraindrewintothestation,Mr.Flandersburstopenthedoor,andputthelady'sdressing-caseoutforher,saying,orrathermumbling:"Letme"veryshylyindeedhewasratherclumsyaboutit.
"Who…"saidthelady,meetinghersonbutastherewasagreatcrowdontheplatformandJacobhadalreadygone,shedidnotfinishhersentence.AsthiswasCambridge,asshewasstayingtherefortheweek-end,asshesawnothingbutyoungmenalldaylong,instreetsandroundtables,thissightofherfellow-travellerwascompletelylostinhermind,asthecrookedpindroppedbyachildintothewishing-welltwirlsinthewateranddisappearsforever.
Theysaytheskyisthesameeverywhere.Travellers,theshipwrecked,exiles,andthedyingdrawcomfortfromthethou