Then I went to your club, to your lawyer's office, and several
other places where I supposed you might go, but no one had seen or heard
of you. Then a fear began to creep over me that you had had some greatly
depressing news from Miss Laniston, and that you had made away with
yourself."
"Walkirk!" I exclaimed, "how dared you think that?"
"Men in the nervous condition I was," he answered, "think all sorts of
things, and that is one of the things I thought. Finally I went to Miss
Laniston's house again, and this time I found her, and learned what had
happened. Then I went to the pier, ordered the trunk sent back here, for
I knew there was no question now of the trip to Europe, and here I am."
It was easy to see that whatever pleasure the turn in my affairs may
have given Walkirk, he was disappointed at losing his trip to Europe;
but I thought it well not to reopen his wounds by any allusion to this
fact, and contented myself by saying the most earnest and cordial things
about what he had done and suffered for me that day, and inwardly
determining that I would make full amends to him for his lost journey.
In about ten days I received a message by cable from Liverpool, which
was sent by my stenographer, informing me that he had gone aboard the
steamer, as per agreement, and being busy writing letters to send back
by the pilot, had not discovered that Walkirk and I were not on board
until it was too late.
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