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thoughts were beginning to gnaw at her, but she set her jaw and packed her clothing into her large cases, placing only her underthings in a used valise she had purchased in a secondhand store near Victoria Station. Then she paid her bill. |
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Linda started to slip the charge card into her purse as she walked toward the bell captain, then stared down at it. With a hollow, frightened feeling, she went to the writing room, wrapped the charge card in a sheet of paper, and sealed it in an envelope. After she had locked the envelope into one of her cases, she requested the bell captain to store her things and arrange to have her mail kept for her. This time, when she walked out with the worn valise in her hand, the commissionaire looked at her very peculiarly as she refused a cab. It was not his business to interfere with guests, however, and he merely watched as she walked slowly away. |
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The fun had gone out of the enterprise, but Linda went along grimly, switching her valise from hand to hand. Down the steps and onto the train. What a relief to sit down. Change trains. It seemed a mile along the platform, and the steps to the next line looked like Mount Everest. Ah, a blessed seat again. As she emerged into the chill dark, Linda's lips quivered. It was an awfully lonely feeling to be trudging along with her valise to a small, ugly room. She stopped for a moment to rest and looked around, her stomach tying itself into knots. |
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