"
He detached her fingers from his sleeve, pushed her gently back into an
arm-chair, and hurried from the house.
In less than half an hour the Admiral was whirled into Victoria Station
and found himself amid a dense bustling throng, who jostled and pushed
in the crowded terminus. His errand, which had seemed feasible enough
in his own room, began now to present difficulties in the carrying out,
and he puzzled over how he should take the first steps. Amid the stream
of business men, each hurrying on his definite way, the old seaman in
his grey tweed suit and black soft hat strode slowly along, his head
sunk and his brow wrinkled in perplexity. Suddenly an idea occurred to
him. He walked back to the railway stall and bought a daily paper.
This he turned and turned until a certain column met his eye, when he
smoothed it out, and carrying it over to a seat, proceeded to read it at
his leisure.
And, indeed, as a man read that column, it seemed strange to him that
there should still remain any one in this world of ours who should be in
straits for want of money. Here were whole lines of gentlemen who were
burdened with a surplus in their incomes, and who were loudly calling to
the poor and needy to come and take it off their hands.
Pages:
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136