Part 20

"Yes, and tear their--why, what in this world are we stopping for?" cried Alexia in one breath.

So everybody else wondered, as the train gradually slackened speed and came to a standstill. Everybody who was going in to town to the theatre or opera, began to look impatient at once.

"Oh dear!" cried the girls who were going to sit up to study, "now isn't this just as hateful as it can be?"

"I don't care," said Alexia, settling comfortably back, "because I can't study much anyway, so I'd just as soon sit on this old train an hour."

"Oh Alexia!" exclaimed Polly in dismay, with her heart full at the thought of Mamsie's distress, and that of dear Grandpapa and Jasper. Phronsie would be abed anyway by the time the early train was in, so she couldn't worry. But all the others--"Oh dear me!" she gasped.

"Don't look so, Polly," said Alexia, "we'll start pretty soon, I guess."

The governess, Miss Baker, came over from the opposite seat to stand in the aisle. "I think we'll start soon," she said. But her eyes looked worried.

"What is it--oh, Miss Baker, what is the reason we're stopping?" cried two or three of the girls.

"I don't know," said the governess.

A man coming in from outside, where a lot of gentlemen were pouring out of the cars to investigate, furnished the information.

"Driving wheel broken," he said, being sparing of words.

"Oh, can't we go out to see?" cried Alexia, hopping out of her seat. "Come on," and she was prancing down the aisle.

"No, indeed," said Miss Baker in displeasure, "and do you come directly back," she commanded.

"Oh dear me!" grumbled Alexia to Sally, who had tumbled out after her, "she's worse than Miss Anstice--stiff, precise old thing!" She came slowly back.

"That a young lady under my care," said Miss Baker, lifting her black gloves in amazement, "should so far forget herself as to want to run out on that track with a lot of men! I am astonished."

"There's a girl out there," said Alexia, sinking into her seat crossly, and peering over Polly Pepper's head.

"And there's another," proclaimed Sally triumphantly.

"Well, if they've forgotten themselves so far as to go out there under such circumstances, I shall not let any young lady in my care do it," said Miss Baker emphatically.

So, swallowing their disappointment at not being allowed to see all that presented itself, the girls settled back and made themselves as comfortable as possible. Meantime almost everybody else poured out of their car. But it seemed to Polly Pepper as if she never could keep still in all this world. And she clasped her hands tightly together and hoped nobody would speak to her just yet.

"Polly,"--Alexia gave a little push, as she leaned over,--"isn't it perfectly dreadful to be mewed up here in this way? Say, Polly, do talk."

"Go right away, Alexia." Polly gave a little flounce, and sat quite straight.

"Oh dear me!" exclaimed Alexia in astonishment, and falling back.

"And I wish you would let me alone," cried Polly, quite aghast at herself, but unable to stop.

"Oh dear me!" Alexia kept saying quite faintly, and rolling her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad Polly has made you behave for once," said Clem, who never could forgive Alexia for getting Polly so much to herself.

Alexia stopped saying, "Oh dear me!" and sat quite still. Just then Polly turned and saw her face.

"Oh Alexia!" she cried, flying at her, when an awful bump, and then another much worse, and then a grinding noise, perfectly terrible,--and everybody who was left in the car, went tumbling out of their seats.

"Oh, we're run into!" screamed half a dozen of the girls. Miss Baker, who had been standing in the aisle, was down in a heap on the floor.