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one. Rose-Anne went to make a last check on her twin's room and her own, Peter went out to see to the loading of the luggage, and Linda nibbled a cake and finished her cup of tea. She wondered where Gertrude was, but didn't bother to ask. Somehow, Gertrude was always standing right beside the vehicle carrying the luggage when it was time to leave. |
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"You are sure you have the tickets, Linda?" |
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"Right here, Mrs. Bates," Linda replied, smiling and pulling a corner of the packet out of her purse so it could be seen. |
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"I should have saved myself the breath for asking. Really, Linda, you have made this trip so easy and pleasant. What I always hated and what finally made me stop taking trains was chasing all along them in the wake of a porter who didn't know where you belonged any better than you did. How do you always know which car we are in?" |
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"By running down and looking at the train the day before," Linda confessed, laughing. "Didn't you notice how I disappeared for an hour just about departure time the previous day?" |
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Mrs. Bates laughed aloud at Linda's exposure of her methods. Then she sighed. "Well, that can't work for the ship. I suppose we'll be caught in that awful crush of people waiting for a steward." |
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"Oh, no, ma'am, I'm smarter than that," Linda protested. "I wrote to the line and got a plan of the ship." She pulled this from her purse and spread it on the low table in front of them. |
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