A coach was ready at the door, and Dolly found herself safe and whole
inside, between her father and mother, with Emma Haredale and her uncle,
quite real, sitting opposite. But there was no Joe, no Edward; and they
had said nothing. They had only bowed once, and kept at a distance. Dear
heart! what a long way it was to the Black Lion!
Chapter 72
The Black Lion was so far off, and occupied such a length of time in the
getting at, that notwithstanding the strong presumptive evidence she had
about her of the late events being real and of actual occurrence, Dolly
could not divest herself of the belief that she must be in a dream which
was lasting all night. Nor was she quite certain that she saw and heard
with her own proper senses, even when the coach, in the fulness of time,
stopped at the Black Lion, and the host of that tavern approached in a
gush of cheerful light to help them to dismount, and give them hearty
welcome.
There too, at the coach door, one on one side, one upon the other, were
already Edward Chester and Joe Willet, who must have followed in another
coach: and this was such a strange and unaccountable proceeding, that
Dolly was the more inclined to favour the idea of her being fast asleep.
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