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- Артур Конан Дойл
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- Tales of Terror and Mystery
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Monsieur
Caratal
’
s
business
was
quickly
dispatched
.
He
had
arrived
that
afternoon
from
Central
America
.
Affairs
of
the
utmost
importance
demanded
that
he
should
be
in
Paris
without
the
loss
of
an
unnecessary
hour
.
He
had
missed
the
London
express
.
A
special
must
be
provided
.
Money
was
of
no
importance
.
Time
was
everything
.
If
the
company
would
speed
him
on
his
way
,
they
might
make
their
own
terms
.
Mr
.
Bland
struck
the
electric
bell
,
summoned
Mr
.
Potter
Hood
,
the
traffic
manager
,
and
had
the
matter
arranged
in
five
minutes
.
The
train
would
start
in
three
-
quarters
of
an
hour
.
It
would
take
that
time
to
insure
that
the
line
should
be
clear
.
The
powerful
engine
called
Rochdale
(
No
.
247
on
the
company
’
s
register
)
was
attached
to
two
carriages
,
with
a
guard
’
s
van
behind
.
The
first
carriage
was
solely
for
the
purpose
of
decreasing
the
inconvenience
arising
from
the
oscillation
.
The
second
was
divided
,
as
usual
,
into
four
compartments
,
a
first
-
class
,
a
first
-
class
smoking
,
a
second
-
class
,
and
a
second
-
class
smoking
.
The
first
compartment
,
which
was
nearest
to
the
engine
,
was
the
one
allotted
to
the
travellers
.
The
other
three
were
empty
.
The
guard
of
the
special
train
was
James
McPherson
,
who
had
been
some
years
in
the
service
of
the
company
.
The
stoker
,
William
Smith
,
was
a
new
hand
.
Monsieur
Caratal
,
upon
leaving
the
superintendent
’
s
office
,
rejoined
his
companion
,
and
both
of
them
manifested
extreme
impatience
to
be
off
.
Having
paid
the
money
asked
,
which
amounted
to
fifty
pounds
five
shillings
,
at
the
usual
special
rate
of
five
shillings
a
mile
,
they
demanded
to
be
shown
the
carriage
,
and
at
once
took
their
seats
in
it
,
although
they
were
assured
that
the
better
part
of
an
hour
must
elapse
before
the
line
could
be
cleared
.
In
the
meantime
a
singular
coincidence
had
occurred
in
the
office
which
Monsieur
Caratal
had
just
quitted
.
A
request
for
a
special
is
not
a
very
uncommon
circumstance
in
a
rich
commercial
centre
,
but
that
two
should
be
required
upon
the
same
afternoon
was
most
unusual
.
It
so
happened
,
however
,
that
Mr
.
Bland
had
hardly
dismissed
the
first
traveller
before
a
second
entered
with
a
similar
request
.
This
was
a
Mr
.
Horace
Moore
,
a
gentlemanly
man
of
military
appearance
,
who
alleged
that
the
sudden
serious
illness
of
his
wife
in
London
made
it
absolutely
imperative
that
he
should
not
lose
an
instant
in
starting
upon
the
journey
.
His
distress
and
anxiety
were
so
evident
that
Mr
.
Bland
did
all
that
was
possible
to
meet
his
wishes
.
A
second
special
was
out
of
the
question
,
as
the
ordinary
local
service
was
already
somewhat
deranged
by
the
first
.
There
was
the
alternative
,
however
,
that
Mr
.
Moore
should
share
the
expense
of
Monsieur
Caratal
’
s
train
,
and
should
travel
in
the
other
empty
first
-
class
compartment
,
if
Monsieur
Caratal
objected
to
having
him
in
the
one
which
he
occupied
.
It
was
difficult
to
see
any
objection
to
such
an
arrangement
,
and
yet
Monsieur
Caratal
,
upon
the
suggestion
being
made
to
him
by
Mr
.
Potter
Hood
,
absolutely
refused
to
consider
it
for
an
instant
.
The
train
was
his
,
he
said
,
and
he
would
insist
upon
the
exclusive
use
of
it
.
All
argument
failed
to
overcome
his
ungracious
objections
,
and
finally
the
plan
had
to
be
abandoned
.
Mr
.
Horace
Moore
left
the
station
in
great
distress
,
after
learning
that
his
only
course
was
to
take
the
ordinary
slow
train
which
leaves
Liverpool
at
six
o
’
clock
.
At
four
thirty
-
one
exactly
by
the
station
clock
the
special
train
,
containing
the
crippled
Monsieur
Caratal
and
his
gigantic
companion
,
steamed
out
of
the
Liverpool
station
.
The
line
was
at
that
time
clear
,
and
there
should
have
been
no
stoppage
before
Manchester
.
The
trains
of
the
London
and
West
Coast
Railway
run
over
the
lines
of
another
company
as
far
as
this
town
,
which
should
have
been
reached
by
the
special
rather
before
six
o
’
clock
.
At
a
quarter
after
six
considerable
surprise
and
some
consternation
were
caused
amongst
the
officials
at
Liverpool
by
the
receipt
of
a
telegram
from
Manchester
to
say
that
it
had
not
yet
arrived
.
An
inquiry
directed
to
St
.
Helens
,
which
is
a
third
of
the
way
between
the
two
cities
,
elicited
the
following
reply
—
"
To
James
Bland
,
Superintendent
,
Central
L
.
&
W
.
C
.
,
Liverpool
.
—
Special
passed
here
at
4
:
52
,
well
up
to
time
.
—
Dowster
,
St
.
Helens
.
"
This
telegram
was
received
at
six
-
forty
.
At
six
-
fifty
a
second
message
was
received
from
Manchester
—
