He was a
good-natured fellow, and behaved magnanimously.
"Things have turned out wonderfully well," he said, as he took a seat,
"but I shall be more delighted with the state of affairs when I am a
little less fatigued. Minor annoyances ought not to be considered, but I
assure you I have had a pretty rough time of it. As the hour for sailing
drew near, and you did not make your appearance, I became more and more
nervous and anxious. I would not allow our baggage to be put on board,
for I knew a conference with a lady was likely to be of indefinite
duration, and when at last the steamer sailed, I went immediately to
Miss Laniston's house to inform you of the fact, and to find out what
you proposed to do; but Miss Laniston was not at home, and the servant
told me that a gentleman--undoubtedly you--had left the house nearly an
hour before, and his great haste made her think that he was trying to
catch a steamer.
"'People would not hurry like that,' she said, 'to catch a train, for
there's always another one in an hour or two.'
"Then I began to fear that in your haste you had gone on board the wrong
steamer--two others sailed to-day, a little later than ours, and I went
to their piers and made all sorts of inquiries, but I could find out
nothing.
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