Year: 1871

uality When l was young the coach
journey was deliberate quiet affair-the
traveller was a recognized individuality.
The coachman and guard knew you and
chatted the landlord chatted the ostler
chatted the insides and outsides knew
you, and chatted. There was interest in
every village the people came out to see
you pass the inn-dinner was amusing.
Now you are mere parcel sent by train.
The pointsman, the singnalman, are mere
machines, not cared for by you. Whiz,
rattle, battle, scream, hiss away you
are flashed, and the only thing to break
Journey is the name of station so pro-
nounced as to be uninIeligible."


/ laughed, and limited at the aDnoyances
delays and dangers of the old systematic
overladen coaches, the exorbitant land
lords, the endless fees.


"Well, " he said, perhaps in future age
of balloons or electric-spark expresses peo-
pie will talk of the delight of railway trav-
cling. The past is always praised in order
to spite the present"


Then we fell to reading. We had scarce
ly begun before-whirr the darkness of
a tunnel fell upon us.


"It is always so," said my amusing COM
panion. 81 never began to read in a rail
way car in my life that we did not pass
through a tunnel before l had read the first
page"


My travelling companion was an extra
ordinary person. He had been everywhere,
and seen everything. No capita; of Europe
but lie knew intimately.


"You seem surprised" he said, cat my
having travelled so much but when l was
at Oxford spent all my long vacations in
travelling and during the little time was
in the army, before more serious convic-
tion induced me to enter the church, l saw
something of the colonies"


The Wears information seemed bound
less. lie discussed the Geology of Devon
shire and the mineralogy of Cornwall He
had views on military tactics and artillery.
He was interested in engineering and chem
istry, and seemed quite conversant with all
the latest discoveries in the latter science.


went the other day." he said to me,
as it began to grow dark, "to lecture on
alchemy. The professor expressed his be-
lief in great discoveries shortly to be made
in something that would supersedc coal
and steam in areial navigation, and in the
transmutation of metals. But tire you


"Not at ALL"


" He expressed his own and Liebig's be-
lief that the manufacture of diamonds and
gold would soon be possible by the merest
tyro. He showed us small rubies that had
been produced by chemical action. There
seemed no bound to the discoveries this
thoughtful man did not suggest-the prin-
cple of beef and corn from the common
earth, gold and jewels from the very road
side flints: gold would soon, ho said, be OF
no value, poverty would disappear from the
earth; new manures would soon turn the
deserts into prairies, and double the resour.
ces of the world. He ridiculed steam; he


All this was profoundly interesting; but,
somehow or other, weared by long days
tagging about London, felt drowsy, and
the words of my companion seemed sud.
denly to change into a buz, buz, buz, that
kept in cadence with the sound of the train
as it tore through part of Devonshire.


fell asleep, and a dream arose before
me. was alone at night in railway car
riage with man who thought me asleep.
lie stole towards the door, unlocked it qui.
city with railway-key he drew from his
pocket, and opened it. Then rifling my
pockets, (some strange numbness prevent
cd my crying out, he dragged me to the
door, and shut me out into the darkness
! The horror of that moment and some rus
ling movement of the carriage awoke me.
| scarcely know why, but a strange instan-
taneous caution prevented me moving or at
once opening my eyes. At that moment !
felt light hand with practsed care, touch
my breast-pocket where my money was,
and felt hot breath upon my cheek, as if
some one was listing to my breathing.


Presently felt the breath no longer, nor
the motion of the hand, and heard my COM
panion-for the breath and hand were his
return to his seat. A moment or two after,
without moving, opened one eye for an
instant only and to my horror and surprise
saw the Vicar sitting at the farther window
perfectly bald and with a wig in his hand
a pair of black moustaches and beard
were on his knees, and he was slipping a
pair of large green spectacles into ash
green case a little bottle and a small
sponge were on the cushion by his side.