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“Harold Wing”

“And you?”

“Louis Loh”

“L-e-is or L-o-u Louis?”

“L-o-u”

“Pleased to meet you”

“Little wonder that unpleasant chap is hungry,” growled Arnold Bennett, as standing first in line “The breakfasting accommodation of this particular unit of the Overland Lined on the same scale as its bedroom accommodation”

Isaac Bell winked at Louis and Harold, who looked bewildered by Bennett’s densely circuitous English “Mr Arnoldberths in the Pullmans than chairs in the diner”

The students nodded with vague smiles

“They had better open that dining car,” Bennetthordes”

“Did you sleep well?” Bell asked Harold and Louis “Are you getting used to the motion?”

“Very well, sir,” said Louis

“Despite,” said Bennett, “ about jerky trains”

The dining car finally opened for breakfast, and Bell sat with them The Chinese were silent as sphinxes no matter what Bell said to draw them into conversation while the writer was happy to talk nonstop about everything he saw, read, or overheard Wing took a small Bible from his coat and read quietly Loh stared out theat a land growing green in the spring and speckled with cattle

ISAAC BELL LAY IN WAIT for Louis Loh in the corridor outside Arnold Bennett’s staterooms