He kept his temper,
too, in all the fuss and ado of departure: the running to and fro after
missing articles, the sitting on the lids of overflowing trunks, the
strapping of carpet-bags, affixing of labels. Their luggage hoisted into
a spring-cart, they themselves took their seats in the buggy and were
driven to the railway station; and to himself Mahony murmured an
all's-well--that-ends-well. On alighting, however, he found that his
greatcoat had been forgotten. He had to re-seat himself in the buggy and
gallop back to the house, arriving at the station only just in time to
leap into the train.
"A close shave that!" he ejaculated as he sank on the cushions and wiped
his face. "And in more senses than one, my dear. In tearing round a
corner we nearly had a nasty spill. Had I pitched out and broken my
neck, this hole would have got my bones after all.--Not that I was
sorry to miss that cock-and-hen-show, Mary. It was really too much of a
good thing altogether."
For a large and noisy crowd had gathered round the door of the carriage
to wish the travellers god-speed, among them people to whom Mahony could
not even put a name, whose very existence he had forgotten. And it had
fairly snowed last gifts and keepsakes. Drying her eyes, Mary now set to
collecting and arranging these. "Just fancy so many turning up, dear.
The railway people must have wondered what was the matter.--Oh, by the
way, did you notice--I don't think you did, you were in such a rush--
who I was speaking to as you ran up? It was Jim, Old Jim, but so changed
I hardly knew him.
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