The Argosy — page 305: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

284 A Drive to the Land’s End. station. My friend and compagnon de voyage, it must be explained, is a notorious stay-at-home. He has been known to pack up his trunks, pay his bills, leave his benediction upon his laundress, go off to the Station, take his ticket, enter the train, and for no earthly reason get out again and return home. Change being good for everyone, this is a very insane proceeding. Well knowing both himself and his eccentricities, I was prepared for something of this sort, if, indeed, he turned up at all. Yes; there he was; patrolling the flags, just where the cabs crash up; in his eyes an ominously restless expression. ‘‘ Just arrived,” said he, on catching sight of me, jerking out his sentences excitedly. ‘Must go back again—forgotten a very important black bag—can’t possibly go without it—just twenty minutes to do it in,” consulting his watch, “‘ not a moment to lose.” This was true enough. ‘For it took rather more than that length of time to accomplish half the distance. A case clearly to be met only by a severe exercise of the will—just as doctors control some of their mad patients by a look of the eye. ‘What about your baggage?” was the natural inquiry. ‘Tt can go back with me, 7 case anything unforeseen—which I do not contemplate—should occur to detain me.” The cabman dismissed, my erratic friend was - marched by the arm into the station. ‘‘Can such a plea hold good?” he was asked quietly. ‘‘Do you for a moment suppose that to-day you will be indulged in your peculiar idiosyncrasies ?” “But the black bag!” he retorted with energy. ‘‘ That valuable black bag! J w// nof travel without that particular black bag.” ‘What does this offending black bag contain ? ” ‘Things most important.’ ‘‘Your will, for instance ? or your best service of gold plate : ay ‘“‘ N—o—t exactly that. Articles of toilet g ‘‘T see. Combs and brushes and shaving tackle. Things in- dispensable it is true, but easily replaced. Here’s the telegraph office. Send off a message requesting them to be forwarded by the next train. If they don’t turn up, buy others.” It ended in victory. The message was despatched. At 11.45 we began slowly to move away from the great Babel: my friend looking the picture of a man in the last extremity of affliction. Five minutes later his hair began gradually to rise up with horror. ‘‘What’s the matter?” I asked anxiously. | “* Left my cheque-book on the table. Must get out at the next station. ‘This time I will wot be thwarted.” Have you ever noticed that persons invariably put on more emphasis, fly into greater passions, make very much more noise, when they are conscious of weakness on their side? Itis the natural pro- test of the mind: as an infant struggles in the hands of a giant. Gomicbooks.co m