Mr. Leffington Feels Inspired 



in an instant Mr. Leffington was shaking his hand 

 and dragging him towards the waiting room. 

 Having once deposited him there and told him to 

 wait, he shut the door behind him and reached 

 the platform just in time to escort Gwen around 

 the corner of the station, install her in the break- 

 cart, spring in himself, and urge the not unwilling 

 Nut-Cracker in the direction of home at a smart 

 canter. 



In spite of the fact that Gwen kept up a spright- 

 ly conversation and seemed peculiarly flushed and 

 talkative, Mr. Leffington could not rid his imagi- 

 nation of the picture of John Rexford, sitting for 

 the next three-quarters of an hour in the cold 

 waiting room at Harkaway with only the half- 

 witted baggage man for company. 



He remembered now for the first time that John 

 had a very nasty temper when sufficiently aroused 

 and he looked at Gwen with a feeling something 

 akin to sympathetic fellowship, and his replies 

 were absent-mindedly brief and thoughtful. 



In the driveway before the house he left Gwen 

 and Mrs. Leffington locked in an affectionate 

 embrace, which seemed to fairly cry out that all 

 men were bad, and standing up in the cart tanned 

 the Nut-Cracker into a healthy sweat, until the 

 latter had entered so much into the spirit of the 

 game that he galloped one of the fastest quarters 

 105 



