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the Wessex line, and probably everywhere, Crowds of people had fiocked to all the stations on the way up to witness the unwonted sight of so long a train’s passage, even where they did not take advantage of the opportunity it offered. The seats for the humbler clasa of travellera in these early experiments in steam-locomotion were open trucks, without any protection whatever from the wind and rain; and damp weather having set in with the afternoon, the unfortunate occupants of these vehicles were, on the train drawing up at the London terminus, found to be in a pitiable condition from their long journey ; blue- faced, stiff- necked, sneezing, rain-beaten, chilled to the marrow, many of the men being hatlesa; in fact, they resembled people who had been out all night in an open boat on a rough sea, rather than inland excursionista for pleasure, The women had in some degree protected themselves by turning up the skirts of their gowns over their heads, but as by this arrangement they were additionally exposed about the hips, they were all more or less in a sorry plight.

In the bustle and crush of alighting forms of both sexes which followed the entry of the huge concatenation into the station, Ned Hipcroft soon discerned the alim little figure bis eye was in search of in the sprigged lilac, as described, She came up to him with a frightened esmile—etill pretty, thongh so damp, weather-beaten, and shivering from long exposure to the wind,

“Oh, Ned!” she sputtered, “I—I—” He clasped her in his arms and kissed her, whereupon she burst into a flood of tears.

“You are wet, my poordear! I hope you"ll not get cold,” he said, And surveying her and her multifarious surrounding packages, he noticed that by the hand she led a toddling child—a little girl of three or so—