His wife threw him a
few kisses and waved her handkerchief. The whistle sounded, and
the train started.
At that precise moment, and despite the protests of the guards,
the door was opened, and a man rushed into our compartment. My
companion, who was standing and arranging her luggage, uttered a
cry of terror and fell upon the seat. I am not a coward--far from
it--but I confess that such intrusions at the last minute are
always disconcerting. They have a suspicious, unnatural aspect.
However, the appearance of the new arrival greatly modified the
unfavorable impression produced by his precipitant action. He was
correctly and elegantly dressed, wore a tasteful cravat, correct
gloves, and his face was refined and intelligent. But, where the
devil had I seen that face before? Because, beyond all possible
doubt, I had seen it. And yet the memory of it was so vague and
indistinct that I felt it would be useless to try to recall it at
that time.
Then, directing my attention to the lady, I was amazed at the
pallor and anxiety I saw in her face. She was looking at her
neighbor--they occupied seats on the same side of the compartment--
with an expression of intense alarm, and I perceived that one of
her trembling hands was slowly gliding toward a little traveling
bag that was lying on the seat about twenty inches from her.
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