Tomb of the Golden Bird - Elizabeth Peters [97]
“We have no other choice,” I said uneasily. “We must leave at once. Barkins, if the old idiot—the old gentleman—should come back, hang on to him and send someone to the station to inform us.”
Our luggage had been sent on, so we got ourselves and our purchases into a cab without delay. Dusk advanced as the cab wound its way along the busy streets. The gathering darkness increased my uneasiness. The note I had left on the table for Gargery was missing too. He must have taken it with him. How could he have misconstrued my instructions?
My spirits sank further when we reached the main railway station. Supposing Gargery had found his way here, how were we to locate him amid the shoving, shouting crowds? We found the platform where the express to Luxor and Aswan was waiting. There was still half an hour before it was due to leave. Some people were boarding, others stood chatting with friends. Gargery could not have got on board, we had his ticket. He was not among the passengers still on the platform.
“Find your compartment,” Ramses ordered. “And stay there. We’ll look for him.”
He waited until we had boarded before he and David went off in different directions. Porters were sorting out the luggage; I identified ours and had it brought to our compartments. I stood at the open window scanning the passersby, replying absently to Sennia’s bright chatter. A quarter of an hour passed. Most of the passengers were boarding.
Then I saw Ramses and David, converging on the train. Seeing me at the window, they hurried up. I did not need to ask whether they had found him. Obviously they had not.
“I’m staying,” Ramses said, before I could speak. “David, hop on and toss my bag out, will you?”
“We can’t go without Gargery,” Sennia exclaimed. “Where is he?”
“He’s got lost, I expect,” Ramses said with a forced smile. “The rest of you may as well go on; I’ll track him down and bring him with me tomorrow.”
I could not contain myself. “Ramses, do you think—”
“I think he’s lost,” Ramses said loudly. “Don’t worry, Sennia, I’ll—”
She interrupted him with a shriek of delight. “No, he’s not! There he is now!”
David, in the next compartment, dropped the suitcase he was holding out to Ramses and stared. Ramses turned and stared. I stared. There he was indeed, hatless, white hair standing on end, pushing through the crowd, which gave way to him with good-natured grins. Old age is respected in Egypt.
Ramses kept his head. He usually does. Shoving his suitcase back at David, he reached Gargery in a matter of seconds, caught hold of him, and towed him toward the train. Gargery was talking and waving his cane, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. The pair made their way to the end of the carriage. I closed the window and went to the door of the compartment. My thoughts were in a whirl. Evidently my worst fears had been unfounded. The old rascal had got himself lost, and that was all. He had scared the wits out of me, though, and had made it only just in time. A jolt and a whistle from the engine betokened the train’s departure. Coming toward us along the corridor were Gargery and Ramses.
Sennia wriggled past me, squeezed by a large lady enveloped in a feather-trimmed cloak, and flung herself at Gargery. “That was too bad of you, Gargery. We were afraid you would be late.”
“It wasn’t my fault, Miss Sennia. Wait till I tell you—” Another lurch of the carriage made him stagger. Ramses shoved him into the outstretched arms of David, who stood at the door of their compartment. “Get in there, Gargery. Sit down and keep quiet.”
We all piled into the compartment. The two long couches which could be made into beds had seating for six. Gargery dropped, wheezing, into his seat, but he looked a good deal livelier than he had before. His lips parted in a grin, displaying an elegant set of false teeth we had had made for him. “I got away from them,” he declared. “Clean away! They made a big mistake, I tell you, thinking they could hold a chap like me prisoner.”
Sennia’s eyes were