My first thought was for the letter-case in my pocket, for I had a
horrible idea that the scare might have been got up for the express
purpose of robbing me of it. But I could feel its outline as plainly as
ever under my coat, and decided, thankfully, that after all the alarm
had had nothing to do with me.
I had wired for a private cabin, thinking it would be well to be out of
the way of my fellow-passengers during the crossing: but the weather had
been rough for a day or two (it was not yet the middle of April) and
everything was already engaged; therefore I walked the deck most of the
time, always conscious of the unusual thickness of my breast pocket. The
little man paced up and down, too, though his yellow face grew slowly
green, and he would have been much better off below, lying on his back.
As for the two others, they also remained on deck, talking together as
they leaned against the rail; but though I passed them now and again, I
noticed that the little man invariably avoided them by turning before he
reached their "pitch."
At the Gare du Nord I regretted that I had not carried my own bag,
because if I had it would have been examined on the boat, and all bother
would have been over.
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