Chapter 29

           Hiswife’sdarkbluebrougham(withtheweddingvarnishstillonit)metArcherattheferry,andconveyedhimluxuriouslytothePennsylvaniaterminusinJerseyCity.Itwasasombresnowyafternoon,andthegas-lampswerelitinthebigreverberatingstation.Ashepacedtheplatform,waitingfortheWashingtonexpress,herememberedthattherewerepeoplewhothoughttherewouldonedaybeatunnelundertheHudsonthroughwhichthetrainsofthePennsylvaniarailwaywouldrunstraightintoNewYork.TheywereofthebrotherhoodofvisionarieswholikewisepredictedthebuildingofshipsthatwouldcrosstheAtlanticinfivedays,theinventionofaflyingmachine,lightingbyelectricity,telephoniccommunicationwithoutwires,andotherArabianNightmarvels."Idon’tcarewhichoftheirvisionscomestrue,"Archermused,"aslongasthetunnelisn’tbuiltyet."Inhissenselessschool-boyhappinesshepicturedMadameOlenska’sdescentfromthetrain,hisdiscoveryofheralongwayoff,amongthethrongsofmeaninglessfaces,herclingingtohisarmasheguidedhertothecarriage,theirslowapproachtothewharfamongslippinghorses,ladencarts,vociferatingteamsters,andthenthestartlingquietoftheferry-boat,wheretheywouldsitsidebysideunderthesnow,inthemotionlesscarriage,whiletheearthseemedtoglideawayunderthem,rollingtotheothersideofthesun.Itwasincredible,thenumberofthingshehadtosaytoher,andinwhateloquentordertheywereformingthemselvesonhislips...