Year: 1875

Imply ocooIIu-cltSS carriage near M
van, and with much labor and assist
ance got herself and her packages int
| it.


When | passed, few minutes after
ward, she was standing in the doorway
effectually barring the door to anothel
passenger Of her own unattractive ap
pearance there, and prolonging with al
evident relish the anxieties of the obse
quious porters. / fancy that though tht
purse she fumbled in was large the coir
she wanted was but small, for passed
on and left her still searching and ask
| ing questions of the men, but hearing
nothing either of their replies or of The
loud asides in which they indulged te
each other. l had reached the Other
end OF the train and was just about
making my way back to my own var
when the young lady I had before no
ticed went slowly in front of me toward
the empty first-class compartment nea,
which | stood.


"Am l right for Eustonpn she asked
me gently, as she hesitated at the door


"All right, Miss" said, taking the
door from her, and standing while she
got in. ''Any luggage?" For from
that very moment took her in sort
of way into my charge, because she was
so thoroughly alone, you see, not hav-
ing any friends there even to see her off.


No luggage, thank you,, she an
swered, putting her little leather sachel
down beside her On the seat, and setting
herself in the corner furthest from the
open door. DO we stop anywhere
between here and London?''


"Don't stop again, Miss, except for a
few minutes to take tickets.' Then
looked at her as to say. ss You're all
right, because I'm the guard and shut
the door.


/ suppose that, without exactly being
aware of it, kept sort of watch over
this carriage, for l saw plainly enough
a lazy young gentleman who persist
emily kept lowering about it and look
ing in. His inquisitive eyes had of
course caught sight of the pretty face in
there alone, and could see that he was
making up his mind to join her; but he
seemed doing it in most careless and
languid manner. He was no gentleman
for that reason, / said to myself, vet his
dress was handsome, and the hand that
played with his long, dark beard, was
small and fashionably gloved CHANGING
still into that far corner of that one
first-class compartment, he fingered un-
til the last moment was come; then
quite leisurely he walked up to the door,
opened it, entered the carriage, and in
an instant the door was banged to be-
hind him. Without the least hesitation
[ went up to the window and stood near
it while the lamp was fitted in the COM
partment. The gentleman was stand
ing up within, drawing on a dark over
coat; the young lady in the distant cor
ner was looking from the window as if
even the half darkness was better to
look at than this companion. Mortified
a good deal at the failure of my scheme
for her comfort, went on to my van,
beside which the detective waited for me.


mo go, you see,'' he muttered
GROSSLY, land yet it seemed to me so
likely they'd take this train.''


81 don't see how it should seem like
ly," answered, for hadn't gone with
him in the idea. ssIt doesn't seem to
me very likely that three such skillful
thieves as you are dodging, who did
their work in this neighborhood so
cleverly two nights ago, should leave
the station any night by the very train
which the police watch with double
suspicion"


doesn't itp'' he echoed; with q
most satirical knowingness. s.Perhaps
you haven't yet got it quite clear in
your mind how they will leave the
town; for IFS sure enough that they
haven't left it up to now. That they'll
b in hurry to leave it is sure enough
too, for this isn't the sort of place
they'll care to hide in longer than neces-
sary. Well, what's the hardest place
for us to track them inP-London.
And what's the easiest place for them
to get to sea from?-London. Then
naturally enough to London they'll
want to go. Isn't this fast train, and
shouldn't you choose a fast train if you
were running away from the policep''


l didn't tell him what sort of a train
/ should choose, because / hadn't quite
made up mind, and he was looking
cross enough for any thing in that last
glimpse l caught of him.


Having nothing better to do, l won-
dered good deal how these thieves
could arrange their getting away while
the walls were covered with the de-
scription of them, and every official in
the line was up to it. There was no
doubt about their being three very dex-
ferrous knayes, but then our detective
force was very dexterous too, though
they were not knayes (and do believe,
the greater dexterity is generally ON the
knavish side), and so it was odd that the
description still was ineffective and the
offered reward unclaimed / read over
again the bill in my pocket which de-