strap."

"It is broken!" he lied, gladly, "There is no danger. See! My
hand does not tremble, does it? Be calm! It cannot be much
farther."

"Will it not be dreadful if the conductor refuses to stop?" she
cried, her hand resting calmly beneath its protector. He
detected a tone of security in her voice.

"But he will stop! Your uncle will see to that, even if the
operator fails."

"My uncle will kill him if he does not stop or come back for me,"
she said, complacently.

"I was mot wrong," thought Grenfall; "he looks like a duelist.
Who the devil are they, anyhow?" Then aloud: "At this rate we'd
be able to beat the train to Washington in a straight-away race.
Isn't it a delightfully wild ride?"

"I have acquired a great deal of knowledge in America, but this
is the first time I have heard your definition of delight. I
agree that it is wild."

For some moments there was silence in the noisy conveyance.
Outside, the crack of the driver's whip, his hoarse cries, and
the nerve-destroying crash of the wheels produced impressions of
a mighty storm rather than of peace and pleasure.