"He is not the man who saw me," she whispered, when I pointed to Dormund, who caught sight of me soon afterwards and came over.
"Why you couldn’t see that all the things were brought beats me," I exclaimed in a loud, irritable tone to Althea. "I thought you could be trusted to count as far as four without a mistake. Giving all this infernal trouble. I shall have to go back for it, and so miss the train. Enough to make a man almost swear."
Dormund was now close and had heard much of what I said and was looking intently at Althea.
I turned on him quickly and irritably, and then smiled. "Hullo, Herr Dormund. I wondered who the deuce it was, and was within an ace of venting a bit of temper on you for the interruption. My sister has forgotten a trunk of mine, and now I shall miss the train," I gestured toward Althea. She had her profile toward him, and his face showed me that he had no suspicion.
"Ah, your sister," he said; and raised his hat and looked first at her and then to me as if expecting an introduction. "I heard you were leaving Berlin to-day," he continued, when I did not take the hint. "It is indeed annoying."
A scowl and an angry murmur gave him the measure of my temper. "It’s a marvel to me that women can make such blunders," I growled.
"London. And now there’s no train till the night mail, and I hate night travelling."
"About half an hour or so. It took my sister that time to find out that she had made any mistake at all"; and I shot another wrathful glance at Althea. There was no doubt about my being in a very bad temper over it.
"Then perhaps you can do me a little service. You know Fräulein Korper, I believe? Have you seen her here within the last few minutes?"
"My dear fellow, I haven’t had eyes for anything but my luggage, and not enough eyes to see all that even," I replied with a short angry laugh. "Have you seen anything of Althea Korper here, Bessie?" I called.
"No," she snapped, as irritably as I had spoken before. It was well done.
"Thank you," I replied in the same snappy tone, "I am sorry," I said to Dormund; "don’t you know her by sight then?"
I lowered my voice. "You’re surely not seeking her officially?"
He smiled and threw up his hands, leaving me to infer what I pleased.