CHAPTER I.

ELMA'S STRANGER.

It was late when Elma reached the station. Her pony had jibbed on the way downhill, and the train was just on the point of moving off as she hurried upon the platform. Old Matthews, the stout and chubby-cheeked station-master, seized her most unceremoniously by the left arm, and bundled her into a carriage. He had known her from a child, so he could venture upon such liberties.

"Second class, miss? Yes, miss. Here y'are. Look sharp, please. Any more goin' on? All right, Tom! Go ahead there!" And lifting his left hand, he whistled a shrill signal to the guard to start her.

As for Elma, somewhat hot in the face with the wild rush for her ticket, and grasping her uncounted change, pence and all, in her little gloved hand, she found herself thrust, hap-hazard, at the very last moment, into the last compartment of the last carriage --alone--with an artist.

Now, you and I, to be sure, most proverbially courteous and intelligent reader, might never have guessed at first sight, from the young man's outer aspect, the nature of his occupation. The gross and clumsy male intellect, which works in accordance with the stupid laws of inductive logic, has a queer habit of requiring something or other, in the way of definite evidence, before it commits itself offhand to the distinct conclusion. But Elma Clifford was a woman; and therefore she knew a more excellent way. HER habit was, rather to look things once fairly and squarely in the face, and then, with the unerring intuition of her sex, to make up her mind about them firmly, at once and for ever. That's one of the many glorious advantages of being born a woman. You don't need to learn in order to know. You know instinctively. And yet our girls want to go to Girton, and train themselves up to be senior wranglers!

Now, provide a numbered list of answers to these questions:

1. Did Elma almost miss the train?
2. What caused her to be late?
3. Where?
4. Who works at the station?
5. How long had he known her?
6. How did he grab her?
7. Did he make a big show of it?
8. Where did he put her?
9. of what?
10. Did she already pay?
11. What was she doing when he grabbed her?
12. What class is she seated in?
13. Is she the last to board?
14. Is she seated by herself?
15. who is with her?
16. Does he look like one/
17. Did she know that he was?
18. What does Matthews face look like?
19. How does he let them know to start moving the train?
20. To who?
1. yes
2. Her pony had jibbed
3. on the way downhill
4. Old Matthews
5. since she was a child
6. by the left arm
7. no
8. last compartment
9. the last carriage
10. yes
11. received her change
12. Second
13. yes
14. no
15. an artist
16. no
17. She made up her mind
18. stout and chubby-cheeked
19. he whistled
20. the guard