Year: 1868




stood observing all I could in the frs
glance.


ooh, mamma, the music !" cried t b.
pale girl, rising from her seat by the piano
and running toward me; and then, as
clumsily held it out, saw that [ was re
cognized, as she thanked me for bringine
it, and also for what she called my kind
mess at the station.


teAsk him to take glass of wine
Louise" said the lady on the sofa, when
I say the color flush in her daughters s
cheek as she said hastily:


II think, mamma, we have none in tht
housel'


IefhHsily protested that I would rath
'er rot take any wire, and was backing
toward the door, when Sudden pain shot
through me, for | had detected motion
On the part of the pale girl, and caught
sight of a shilling ii her hand sup.
pose [ showed what / felt, for she paused
and colored deeply, and, as / STOOD out
side, she once more thanked me, passed
the shilling hastily into her left hand,
and held it out to me.


I have sorqe recollection of having ta-
ken it, and pressed it to my quiverihg
lips, and then [ was blundering along the
streets in sort of wild dream, seeing no
thing, hearing nothing, bat right appa-
rently lost.


The days went on till Christmas eve. [
had watched for her next coming to the
station, and, as usual, seen to the carriage
in which she went [ knew [ had no.
thing to hope for, being only railway
servant, and she lady but. for all that,
it seemed my duty to watch over her,
though since the day when [ returned the
folio her bows had been little more dis
tant, and she hurried into the carriage.


But it was Christmas eve, and all
through that week 7 had seen her. "Hol-
idays," I said to myself, and then tried
to be as busy as possible, to keep myself
from thinking that 1t would be perhaps a
month or six weeks before | saw her
again. But there was no fear of my not
being busy. for most people know what
sort of Christmas railway servants keep
ali hurry, drive, hustle, worry and rush.
Dull, heavy weather it was, yellow fog
and driving snow. The train came III
covered with white, which slowly thawed
and dripped off, SO that the terminus was
wet and cold, and miserably dirty. Peo
pie didn't seem to mind it though for
the station was thronged with comers and
goers-friends coming to meet those from
the country, and as many coming to see
others off "By yer leave - it was all
day long, as the barrows full of parcels
and luggage were run here and there along
the platform. The place seemed alive with
fish baskets oyster barrels and poultry
while, somehow or other, from the poor
est and shabbiest third class people up
to the grandees of the first class, every
one looked happy and comfortable


So there was at it, helping to get train
after train off-all late of course or, do
what you would, there was no fndiag
room enough for the people, and so it got
to be past four, with the gas all alight and
ii fog and snow thicker than ever. A
train was Just starting when there was a
bat of confusion at kthe door. Some one
shouts, Hold hard p and then from
where I was-seme distance up the plat
form-I saw gentleman hurry up to a
frst-class carriage, almost dragging lady
with him--a lady in black. Before any
one could stop him, he had opened the
door and pushed her in, and then follow
ed just as the train began gliding off.


This happened to be a carriage just
put on, and the compartment the gentle-
man entered was locked but he had one
of the pocket railway keys, for before the
carriage reached to where [ stood, with
my neart somehow beating very strangely.
[ saw his hand out Of the windo lock-
ing the door again. In the 1omentary
glance / caught as the lamps Of the sta
| ton flashed into the carriage, [ could see
that there was no light inside, while two
little gloved hands pressed down the win
dow the man tried to draw up; and there
pale and horrible stricken, eyes starting
and lips open, as if she were crying
"help," | saw the face of the young gov
erness.


The time did not appear long enough
to see so much but [ saw all that, and
my mind seemed to keep up with my
eyes and explain it all, and | know that
there was some internal piece Of viIlainy
on the way.


"Whatto do?" seemed rushing through
my mind, and in the agony [ felt turn
ed all of a tremble. Telegraph to the
station in front to stop the train, which
was the express, with fifty miles to run
before pulling up send special engine
and tender after them? How could [ dc
either on my own responsibility, and only
on suspicion Should | go and report
it ! | should have an hour wasted in
questioning, and then perhaps be told
that it was poor ground to work upon
And what had [ to advance Nothing
| but tho apooa1inr Loeb for old from bo,