Bob Strongs Holidays | Page 9

something more but
hesitated to ask for it.

"Well?" ejaculated the Captain impatiently. "What is it, my man?"
"Your ticket, sir," said the man deferentially. "You forgot to give it me,
sir."
"Zounds!" cried the other, blinking away furiously and moving his
eyebrows up and down as he searched vainly in all his pockets, finally
discovering that he held the missing ticket in his fist all the while! "I
declare I forgot all about it. You see I was ready for you, though, eh?"
"All right, sir, good-day," said the man, receiving the ticket and
shutting the carriage-door gently, with a bow and a smile and another
touch of his cap; and, the next moment, with another sharp unearthly
shriek of the steam-whistle similar to that which had heralded its
entrance into Havant station, the train, giving a joggle and a jerk as it
got under way, was speeding along again, across the rattling bridges
that spanned the moats of the fortifications and through the Portsea
lines, to the terminus beyond at Landport.
"Here we are, children," exclaimed the Captain, on its pulling up at the
journey's end. "Here we are at last!"
"And is this Portsmouth?" inquired Nellie. But, she need not have
asked the question; for, as she looked down the platform she cried out
excitedly in the same breath--"Why, there's aunt Polly! There's aunt
Polly!"
"Let me look, let me look," said Bob, trying to squeeze in between
Nellie and the Captain, who was fumbling at the handle of the door,
endeavouring to open it. "I can't see her, Nell! Where is she?"
"Hold on, can't you!" grumbled the old sailor, angry with the door for
not yielding at once to his efforts. "If you wait a moment you'll be able
to see your `aunt Polly' and everybody else to your heart's content; that
is, as soon as we can get out on to the platform. Bother take the door,
how it sticks!" With this exclamation, muttered in a hoarse, stifled
voice, by reason of his half-stooping position, the Captain put his knee
against the obnoxious door; and this, giving way to his shove,

unexpectedly, nearly precipitated him into the arms of Mrs Gilmour,
the aunt of our hero and heroine, who had recognised little Nellie's face
at the window and advanced to the side of the carriage, without his
perceiving her approach.
"Dear me, Captain Dresser!" she cried with a laugh, just catching him
from falling on his face. "I've no doubt you are very glad to say me
again, but you needn't be quite so demonstrative in public."
The Captain rose up, looking very red and confused. "I'm sure I beg
your pardon, ma'am," said he, bowing and laughing, too, as he
recovered himself; "but those porters slam and jam the doors so, that
they never will open properly when you want to get out quickly!"
His further excuses, however, were cut short by Nellie springing out of
the carriage before he could utter another word.
"Oh, aunt Polly!" she exclaimed, hugging the smiling lady, who was a
plump merry-looking little body, with dark wavy hair and large,
lustrous, almond-shaped eyes, which, strange to say, were of an intense
violet blue, presenting a curious contrast. "You dear auntie Polly! How
glad I am to see you again!"
"So am I, me dearie, to say you," replied the other, with the slightest
wee bit of a brogue, aunt Polly having been born in the North of Ireland,
where blue eyes with black hair and brogues are common; "an' Bob, too,
the darlint! How are you, me boy!"
"All right, auntie, right as a jiffy," said he brightly, greeting her with
like effusion to his sister. "Really, I don't know when I was so glad as I
am to come down here to the sea and see you. Hullo, though, I'm
forgetting about Rover!"
With these words, Master Bob darted down the platform to the guard's
van at the end of the train, with Miss Nellie cantering after him; both
leaving their newly-met aunt as unceremoniously as the Captain had
tumbled against her on emerging from the carriage the moment before!

However, Mrs Gilmour did not appear to mind this, only exchanging a
smile with the old sailor, who of course remained beside her; while
Dick, as if anxious to make some return for the kindness shown him,
had started taking the children's traps out of the train without waiting
for any one's orders.
As for the Captain, he had no luggage beyond the queer-looking
malacca walking-stick called a `Penang lawyer' which he held in his
hand, never troubling himself with `stray dunnage,' as he said, when
travelling by railway.
Bob and Nellie were presently seen in the distance, in close colloquy
with the guard, who, after a bit, lugged