“You must first understand that the chief difficulty railroads meet with in maintaining a fast schedule is the vexatious delays caused by stops at way-stations.  My idea does away with all stops.  I eliminate them entirely, and yet I pick up all the passengers who wish to travel by that particular train—­”

He stopped and looked at them as if he expected exclamations of wonder and demands for further explanation.  Virginia looked puzzled.  Fanny, quite excited, beamed with enthusiasm.

“How do you do it?” exclaimed the elder sister admiringly.  Assuredly she had made no mistake when she had selected so gifted a life partner.

“Yes,” demanded Virginia.  “How do you pick them up?”

The young man laughed outright.  Confidently he went on: 

“Pick ’em up?  It’s so easy that I can’t understand why no one ever thought of it before.  Did you ever see the way the fast expresses pick up mail bags?  Near the track there is an upright post, from which extends an arm.  On this arm is suspended the mail bag.  The onrushing train, which is travelling perhaps at a speed of a mile a minute, is fitted on the outside with a sort of hook which catches the mail bag and jerks it into the car.  Well, that same idea can just as well be applied to waiting passengers as to waiting mail bags.  The passengers would all be gathered together in a car which would wait on a siding for the arrival of the express.  By some mechanical contrivance—­exactly what it would be I haven’t yet figured out—­this waiting car would be instantly switched on to the rapidly-moving express—­would become, so to speak, the rear car.  The passengers would go forward through the vestibule to take their seats in the train proper and the emptied waiting car would then be unswitched and go back to the station to begin the performance all over again—­all this while the train was going at top speed.  Isn’t that some idea?  Isn’t it a dandy?”

Fanny was silent.  Virginia, hardly able to control her merriment, took up her book again.  Jim was about to enter into further details when suddenly there was a noise behind them.  Fanny started up with a cry.

“Virginia!  Look!” she exclaimed.

Mrs. Blaine had half fallen out of her chair.  In her sleep she had lost her balance and slipped down sideways.  With the clerk’s assistance the two girls sat her up again.  Apparently she was not hurt, but her eyes were closed.  She was strangely silent, and her hands were very cold.  When they laid her head gently back on the back of the armchair they noticed that she was very white.

“She’s fainted!” cried Fanny excitedly.

Virginia, greatly alarmed, exclaimed anxiously: 

“Mother, dear, what’s the matter?  Speak to me.”

Still no answer.  The girls, now thoroughly frightened, ran for restoratives.  Virginia poured out some brandy.  Even Jimmie was frightened out of his usual levity and self-possession.  Quickly taking her hand, which hung over the chair limp and lifeless, he put his finger on her pulse.