The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-12-27 00:00:00

.------- -
A RAILROAD JOURNEY.
nrin you mind having the window up, old fellow?"
,aid 1 to Cherley Howard, one foggy afternoon as wo
„re 'revelling down to BootienA together, "it
rrechms raw day this same twenty-ninth of
a
_mciubdr..
"Twenty-numof Dmenther r repeated Cli•aley,
parrot, pausing with the window hall up In his
Lipg, " is it possibte r
o possible indeed. But what on earth lithe inalt,r
~ith you, diarist, F'
~pred," said Charley in • sutdued quiet way very
unlike himself, for he is • noisy fellow is Charley,
wot high. and always in the open sir. I believe he
house need only consist of • bedroom and
‘40,44‘11, with perhaps a lean-to for a billard-table
wet day. '' You know I am not • fellow to take
fancies into my head • don't laugh now, if I
to you a very strange thing that happened to se on
du. very line, four years ago this very day."
° You nervous I well I should not have thought It
sertainly, although I wish my beet ties were ever as
,bite as your blamed fees is at this very moment. Go
..toed, Charley I but let me light my cigar to keep my
spirits up • nothing like • story for sending • man to
sleep—particularly yours"—which last utterance was
sotto TOOIII.
" Four years ago, to-day" began Charley, in such •
solemn tone. Upon my if. I felt rather Inclined
to kick the fellow for making me feel drowsy before
my time. "Four years no, I wee travelling on this
very line—n
"You told me:that before," said 1; " 00
do I"
"—sad. as I wanted to have a quiet smoke—"
"No harm In that," said I, approvingly ; " a thing I
am not averse to myself."
"—I bribed the guard to look m° in a carriage by
myself—"
" Your foresight was goof," said thon
In h
tampering with the consmoll's o°^°°lll° forbidden."
1 bed performed 'boot half the journey n mush
comfort." resumed Guyeel," when the train stopped
sin ',meth= station shout Ave o'clock in the afternoon.
Then woe • good deal of crowd on the platform, and,
re to the pushes, I bad made of the guard's
promise, I amused myself by watching the people
elbowing sod pushing mesh other about. There was
oas lure, however, which attracted my attention by
the outran* it formed to the rest. It was a lady
wrapped in a long white bouroous, whisk looked *old
and chilly that leggy atternooo."
posibly her dressing-gown," said I ,"an ill-judpd
'whams, certainly.
"She was apparently young, for the tall figure 1/1111
very 'lender ; but she bad so thick • veil on her fees I
could not distinguish the features. She alone seemed
to know neither bustle nor hurry; she moved slowly
along, with • sort of undulating motion, and with the
utmost uneenesin walked up and down until the bell
bed tuns, and the train was just starting, when to my
surprise, she stopped opposite my carriage, gently
opened the door, and placed herself on the opposite side
to me. ' Hang the fellow l' said I to myself, 'I thought
be told me the door was locked.' But there was no
time for remonstrance then, for the train had started.
Eke sat quite still with her veil down, and I begazt to
wish very mush to see her face."
"Very pardonable, as you thought she was young,"
muttered L
"There was • long bright curl banging from beneath
the veil which took my fancy very much—"
"I should have taken the earl, I think," said I.
"So, to begin the conversation. I said I wile afraid
she might End the carriage small of smoke. As I spoke
the turned her head towards me. '1 am afraid then
eir,' she said, 'that I am a most unwelcome intruder
in your carriage, for I must have interfered with your
smoking.' As Nhe spoke, she lifted the thick veil, and
—upon my life Fred, I Dever saw so beautiful • fee.,
It was it perfect oval, with beautiful soft brown eyes,
very delicately traced eyebrows shove them and
long lashes that rested on her cheek when the lo,,ked
down."
" How they must have tickled," I once more inter-
polated.
" The only fault of her face was perhaps a want of
eolour." . . .

—;;Tiastilt probably of dissipation—bot rooms," inter.
rooted I. but Clitrley got impatient.
" Positively, Fred, I will UAL you no more, if you
won't attend.' _

" Attend, my dear fellow! my little remarks are
to show the unflagging attention with which I am
listening. But go on, Charley, I won't say much more
U I can help it."
" What more I have to say will soon to said," con-
tinued Charley, speaking more to himself than to me—
which was rude, but I forgave him. "1 have seldom
had • more witty and intellectual companion. She
scold talk of every subject below the stars and some
beyond them. I can't talk to women generally ; for I
ean't pay compliments, and never go to the opera. But
WI woman was as reasonable as a man, while she WM
as quick aaa. woman."
. . . . _

" Ab, integeotual women—wisdom snd water ; I
know," suggested 1, but tills time so slow that he did
not hear me, end went on,.

"It had meanwhile got dark. but there was a young
moon, and by the uncertain light of the lamp, I could
only see the outline of her figure and the dazzling
whiteness of her face, supported by her hand on whist'
I, for the first time noticed • weddiatring ; but, to
my surprise, the band wee streaked with blood. 'Good
grasious I madam, I am afraid you have hurt your
bond' I said, starting forward.
'I have not hurt it,' she replied faintly, 'lt is
stained.'

She did not attempt to move It or to change her
position, and I set looking at it and at the wedding.
ring, and wondering what her history was, i.e., think.
lug it must be • mournful one, for she never onee
smiled— not even the shadow of a smile--all the time
we were talkingthough we were witty enough, as I
have told you—
.
. . . . . .

"I hesid you my she was," I replied, "and don't
deny the possibility of that- but from what I know of
you, can scarcely credit it of you boik."
"—when a sudden gust of wind coming whistling
down the cutting, extinguished the lamp—" (" What
a disagreeable smell it mast have made," said I.)—" and
left us in perfect darkness. ' How very unfortunate,'
said I to the lady, 'just as we are coming to. tunnel,
too.' I thought I heard a faint sigh and her dress
rustling. I remember thinking how cold it was in that
tunnel. There was such a rush of cold damp air over
us, then we began to emerge and I wondered with •
kind of childish speculation bow soon, by the feeble
moonlight, I should be able to tram her outline on the
opposite mat. I sat with my eyes fired on it, but mull
ISO nothing. It to too dark, thought Ito myself,
thought I pould distinguish Me divisions of the mate
and my cloak and rug on one of them. 'We must get
the lamp re-lighted,' said I, aloud, but there was no
answer, and I shivered at the sound of my own voice. I
bent forward and felt over the seats. I could feel
nothing there. I spoilt match after match of my cigar
lights, is I endeavoured to make one burn. I thought
we should never stop again ; at last, however, we came
to a station, and I halliled to the guard to light tie
lamp. ' The door is not locked after all your promises,
saki I to him, ' take it out that way.'
I beg your pardon, sir.' said • porter. 'the door
is looked and be lighted the lamp from the top.
"I was Woes in the earriage. '1:lood heavens l' said
' where is the lady r
"The men Oared at me. 'I tell you there was a
lady here,' I repeated, 'she must have got out in the
tunnel.'
'"flees was no lady, air,' said the guard ; but the
porter, with • mysterious face, shook his head, and
said, All, you've seen her, too, sir, have you?'
"The train, however, went on at that moment, and
I had no time ,to investigate the subject further. Well
Fred, what do you think? Don't think me coed, for it
Is iris."
" certainly not, my dear fellow, only • little
sleepy, as indeed your most interesting story has made
"Ime
TM not asleep, Fred," replied Charley ; "I was
as broed awake as lam now, Besides, the porter evi-
dently knew there was a mystery."
"Oh, if you are going to mike the whole thing turn
upos.the porter's shaking his heed, I have done with
you, said I. incredulously. "I could make as good a
romance, and call it the Porter's Wink, it that is all
that is necessary, Seriously, Charley, how can you be
such an old fool? You had been dreaming, or else
eating oat-pie at the last station."
Charley shook his head, and began murmuring some-
thing about never eating cat-pies at stations.
Well, at any rate,' said I, "I did, the very last
time we stopped. and I think it must have been an old
Tom ; the remembrance of it makes me so uncomfort-
able I mast go to sleep at once." Thee speaking, I
wrapped myself well in my rag, as I naturally did not
believe a word of the narrative with which my friend
Charley had (availed me."
I might have been Weep half an hour and more when
I suddenly woke up, feeling thmoughly chilled and un-
easy, and, looking up, saw Charley who was slitting
opposite me, with such a look of terror and amamment
on his pale face that I immediately putdowE my enemy
slumbers to his sooosint.
"Good heavens I Charley," said I, "how the dickens
do you expect a fellow to sleep if you sit pulling such
long faces opposite him. No wonder I couldn't keep
quiet. What is the matter now. Bat thinking of
your mysterious fiddlesticks r
" Hush I " said Charley, " there she is
I jumped round—sure enough next the other window
on my side sat a lady, wrapped, as Charley had des-
cribed. in • while boanious ; the curl of which he had
spoken escaping from under the thick veil which con.
mailed her face from us. I'm not each a fool as I look
10 general, bat I must say I was a little staggered for
a moment : my next impulse was to enter into center.
union with her.
" hell your pardon, madam," said I, raising my hat,
"I am afraid you must have thought I used strong
language just now, but I felt myself aggrieved by ml
tricot', ae I am a very light sleeper. *ad I considered
he had disturbed me by the very disagreeable face he
Ism making.•
"I should not have thought you so light a sleeper,
rites, tie," Sep
lied a sweet low voice, as the lady
ed "ton "for y did not to heed the
bate unc-on o
of the J you
p°
seem
n my getting in." go saying
Me relied h •
char', sr ?ea, end the identiosi soft brown eyes
I had spoken of peed wily at me from her
Isteinshinelf white brow
"T_ some sherry, Charley " said I, handing him
the desk, for I saw his whole frame. quivering.
any I offer you some, madam r
N 2,..".
'.thal4 you," she replied.
band shook so he dropped the stopper, aid
It roiled towards her, lib 'eked It to ejn it up, and restored
me. He Her glove was off.
Bevies., madam ! Is it broken? It has out ans
bled! I exclaimed. "it is bleeding." 7
"I have not hurt it, it is maimed," was the quid
sewer.
klzum.
one
gettiag very unsomfortabie ; how was this?
often has a feeling when • thing takes
Swa I have dose this before. I know exactly whet
11, I°,n tto happen next • but it was somethin mole
tbni new. W I d • g
hew . roaming ? surely not. for I
10 sir, the oecoacusj stimuli on through the evening
whistle, the flash of a light as we
MAW • @Lego% so*
animas the we eometimes, and hearing fast
Ira_
aaa 9ppowte what) all the time Charley
kla lip itimbfi,-;..7' Waage-looking, and I could see
ma sat whoa
"mare the light shone on him. Beside
face run., is cittsn'Pea, ion. still and motionless, her
Mad. teied tolaned described it, on the stained
wire moping over see, the feelings of dread that
Montag* with IhigUr, 'ad/
Wining to her bed an a
• toned that Chide,. hal