Year: 1869

HAD been all day trying to get from
Aveminster to Chichester by country
line, a London line, and branch line of
railway. In the first place, as the country
line only ran three trains day, passenger
and goods together, necessitating weary
shuntings at every station, we could hardly
be said to have made q good start. In
the next place, the strategic arrangement
whereby the London line managed invari-
ably to start its trains five minutes before
the arrival of the "up" 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 ssiU
travel on 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 Chichester, which, at starting,
was only fifty eight miles from Aveminster
got to Chichester yet and it would have





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


Almost time for change, l reflected,
considering had been zine hours out on
q journey of tifty-eight miles, and was
still far off from my destination. Look
ing out from my window of first class
compartment, saw it was cheerless,
drizzling night, and the railway porters
were streaming in the misty air as they
hurried to and fro past the CLEAN 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 branch line if l wanted
to 90 anywhere ; and if | would go to out
of-the-way places like Chichester, must
be very thankful if the company put
themselves to the expense of taking me
there at all, considering branches didn't
pay to work as 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 Transports
tion on a branch. and dragged us off into
the bleak night.


My companion was tall, thin, middle
aged man, with face lean and withered
like shrivelled apple, concluded below
the chin by stiff satin cravat In a 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.
remarked, Every cold tonight, is it not ?"


"Don't feel the cold myself. Perhaps
you would like to change places aoith 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 aoas cold, and no mistake l must
have taken chill, for felt the cold creep
ing over Inc In most unaccountable man
ner.


Looking at my companion on the op-
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
mistake as to his age, for he was by no
means so old as I had previously judged.
How cold it was to be surel As I con-
tinued too look at him, noticed his aspect
changed momently--thst 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 cheeks
grew round and ruddy, and his hair
changed from gray to brown, before my
very eyes, / became in such a state OF
nervous agitation, endeavored to cry
out, but 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 nc
longer stranger-no more friend OF
acquaintance he had become ME!


held up my hands to try and smut out
the sight, and as did so, saw that they
were withered, and thin, and old. pressed
them on my brow, to see if / were dream
ing; but found it shrivelled, and scanned
and puckered. And knew that this man