"Possibly," said he, with an ambiguous half smile, which I did not understand.
"Miss Hallam--the lady I came with--is almost blind. Her maid had to look after her, and I suppose that is why they did not wait for me," said I.
"It must have been a very strong reason, at any rate," he said, gravely.
Now the train rolled into the Elberthal station. There were lights, movement, a storm of people all gabbling away in a foreign tongue. I looked out. No face of any one I knew. Courvoisier sprung down and helped me out.
"Now I will put you into a drosky," said he, leading the way to where they stood outside the station.
"Alléestrasse, thirty-nine," he said to the man.
"Stop one moment," cried I, leaning eagerly out. At that moment a tall, dark girl passed us, going slowly toward the gates. She almost paused as she saw us. She was looking at my companion; I did not see her face, and was only conscious of her as coming between me and him, and so annoying me.
"Please let me thank you," I continued. "You have been so kind, so very kind--"
"_O, bitte sehr!_ It was so kind in you to get lost exactly when and where you did," said he, smiling. "_Adieu, mein Fräulein_," he added, making a sign to the coachman, who drove off.
I saw him no more. "Eugen Courvoisier"--I kept repeating the name to myself, as if I were in the very least danger of forgetting it--"Eugen Courvoisier." Now that I had parted from him I was quite clear as to my own feelings. I would have given all I was worth--not much, truly--to see him for one moment again.
Along a lighted street with houses on one side, a gleaming shine of water on the other, and trees on both, down a cross-way, then into another street, very wide, and gayly lighted, in the midst of which was an avenue.
We stopped with a rattle before a house door, and I read, by the light of the lamp that hung over it, "39."
I was expected. That was very evident. An excited-looking _Dienstmädchen_ opened the door, and on seeing me, greeted me as if I had been an old friend. I was presently rescued by Merrick, also looking agitated.
"Ho, Miss Wedderburn, at last you are here! How Miss Hallam has worried, to be sure."
"I could not help it, I'm very sorry," said I, following her upstairs--up a great many flights of stairs, as it seemed to me, till she ushered me into a sitting-room where I found Miss Hallam.