Ordinarily I should have had time enough and to spare, but everything was delayed and confused.

I had thought of going back by Dieppe and Newhaven; but a storm was blowing, and I knew that meant a longer sea-passage, so I went to Calais, thus riding through one of the most uninteresting parts of France.

It was five o'clock on Christmas Eve when we arrived at this little French seaport, and then it took us two hours to cross the straits, although we happened to be on one of the fast-sailing steamers.

We had now five hours to get to Kensington.

I was getting terribly anxious now.