"Don't dare to say such a cruel thing--a thing you don't mean!" I cried,
catching at the closed door of a first-class compartment. As I did so, a
little man inside jumped to the window and shouted, "Reserved! Don't you
see it's reserved?" which explained the fact that the door seemed to be
fastened.
I stepped back, my eyes falling on the label to which the man pointed,
and would have tried the handle of the next carriage, had not two men
rushed at the door as the train began to move, and dexterously opened it
with a railway key. Their throwing themselves thus in my way would have
lost me my last chance of catching the moving train, had I not dashed in
after them. If I could choose, I would be the last man to obtrude myself
where I was not wanted, but there was no time to choose; and I was
thankful to get in anywhere, rather than break my word. Besides, my
heart was too sore at leaving Diana as I had had to leave her, to care
much for anything else. I had just sense enough to fight my way in,
though the two men with the key (not the one who had occupied the
compartment first), now yelled that it was reserved, and would have
pushed me out if I hadn't been too strong for them.
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