He passed us at first, and was much put out, I could see,
disappointed no doubt, but he came back presently and stood for some
time at our window, while I hid my face in among the rugs, and
Philpotts cowered in a corner.
He came back more than once during the journey and stared. No doubt he
would have taken a seat in our compartment, but it was reserved for
_dames seules_ or ladies alone. He was evidently in great doubt, so
much so that I began to fear he would sheer off altogether. That we
were the women he wanted was probably borne in on him, but what had
become of the baby? I could enter into the workings of his mind on
that point. What could we have done with it? Hidden it, left it
somewhere on the road in the lost property office or at a foundling
hospital? All sorts of suggestions probably presented themselves to
him, but none would satisfy him; for why, he would reason, were we
travelling to Marseilles or anywhere else without it?
To tie him still to our heels, I took the opportunity of having the
compartment to ourselves to revive and reconstitute the dummy.
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