Year: 1869




Aveminster to Chichester by country
line, London line, and branch line OF
railway. In the first place, as the country
line only ran three trains day, passenger
and goods together, necessltatlng weary
shuntings at every station, we could hardly
be said to have made a good start. In
the next place, the strategic arrangement
whereby the London line managed lnvarl-
ably to start its trains five minutes before
the arrival of the cup country train,
making us wait for two hours at Marl-
bury Junction, to spite the country COM
pany, scarcely tended to rapid progress.
In the third place as it always happens to
be the aim of traffic-manager to endeavor
to drive passengers on to the main line,
and to visit with all possible retributive de-
lays the hostile British public when it acilt
travel on a branch, we could not be con-
sidered to have made up for the lost time
on the branch In the fourth place, it
didn't help US forward to be compelled to
travel one hundred and twenty-seven
miles round about in parabola, in order
to reach Chelche'ter, which, at starting,
was only fifty light miles from Aveminster.
In the fifth and last place, we were not
got to Chichester yet; and it would have
been money in my pocket if | never had.


Swinbro'-Swinbro' Change here
for Marchmont aud Nutchley. Change
here"


Almost time for a change, l reflected,
considering had been nine hours out on
journey of fifty-elght miles, and was
still far off from my destination. Look
ing out from my window of first class
compartment, saw it was cherries,
drizzling night, and the railway porters
we're streaming in the misty air as they
hurried to and fro past the gleam of the
lamps. demonstrating with the guard re-
specting our train being an hour late, and
the time past eleven at night, he soothed
my irritation by telling me gruffly | had
no business on a branch line if wanted
to go anywhere and if | would go to out
of-the-wav places like Chichester, must
be very thankful if the company put
themselves to the expense of taking me
there at ali, considering branches didn't
pay to work as a rule.


A solitary passenger then entered my
carriage, or rather was banged into it by
the guard Another minute, and the
guard had banged himself into his van,
emitting the grOwl; "Change here p
Our fiery and restive iron stead, no doubt
weary with its headlong career Of full
twelve miles an hour, gave heroic neigh
of triumph, resembling feeble crow, in
emulation of past exploits, in days long
before it was condemned to transporta-
ton on a branch. and dragged us off into
the bleak night.


My companion was a tall, thin, middle
aged man, with face lean and withered
like shrivelled apple, concluded below
the chin by stiff satin cravat. In dress,
tight fitting, and of ancient and faded
black, be looked altogether like man
who had run very much to seed, which
perhaps accounted for the luxuriant
growth of his arms and legs. Observing
his clothes steaming with the damp air, l
began to realize 1t was very chilly. 1t
certainly was.


"Quite change in the weather"
remarked, Every cold tonight, is it not ?"
Don't feel the cold myself. Perhaps
you would like to change places acith me-
There is no draught here"


replied | should be very pleased to do
so, if not to his inconvenience; and ac-
cOrdingly we changed seats.


1t aodS cold, and no mistake | must
have taken chill, for felt the cold creep
ing over me in most unaccountable man
ner.



posite seat, on whom the lamp light now
shOne full, | saw that his face was not so
thin, nor his features so withered, as / had
at first supposed and | must have made a
mistake as to his age, for he was by no
means so old as had previously judged
How cold it was to be sure AS l con-
tinued too look at him, noticed his aspect
changed momently-that he was growing
younger that the wrinkles in his face
were filling out and smoothing down and
that he was gradually becoming like some
one ] had seen before. AS his checks
grew round and ruddy, and his hair
changed from gray to brown, before my
very eyes, | became in such a state of
nervous agitation, l endeavored to cry
out, bit could not. WAS paralyzed with
the cold,-cold that seemed to make my
limbs rigid, and numb my vitals; for
saw the man sitting before me was no
longer stranger-no more friend or
acquaintance he had become MET


| held up my hands to try and smut out
the sight, and as did so, saw that they
were withered, and thin, and old l pressed
them on my brow, to see if were dream.
ing but found it shrivelled, and scanned,
and puckered. And / knew that this man,
this tiend, had stolen my body, and given
me his. Maddened with the discovery,
rose to my feet, his feet,-which swayed
beneath me, and | struck wildly at the
vision of myself on the other seat. But
found my arms light as vapor, for they
passed over his body, which went through
them, giving me the impression of pain.
1t was body of shade that had been
given me for my own body Of flesh and
blood, which this wretch had stolen By
some sOrcery or other, we had indeed
changed places.


"Sorcerer demon!" 1 cried out, only to
hear myself speaking with his sharp,
cracked voice. When saw myself sitting
opposite 10 me coolly addressing me in
my own voice, / could no longer credit my
senses, if indeed had any of them at all
left of my own.


Dare say you think you are speaking
loud nOw," he said.


L answered by calling the guard as loud
ly as could halloo.


"Ah, you might call good deal louder
than that, if the carriage were full of pas
sengers, and they could no more hear YOU
than they could see you," he continued,
chuckling, and screwing up my features
into hideously knowing grin, such as |
could never have made them assume. 4" You
see, my friend, yours is body of air, of
shadow, insensible, impalpable to all but
myself, just as it was to all but you when
entered the carriage. You wish, per
haps, to know who | am? Well, two
years ago tonight, was passenger by
this very up-mail. There was collision
with stupid wn-goods, you see, and
the result was that several passengers were
injured One of them was-well, its no
use mincing matters-killed on the spot.
4 L ,r1t,