case might be, he discovered to his horror that he had
fallen amongst no strangers.

The three were his old acquaintances, Coker, Coggs, and the virtuous
Chawner--of whom he had fondly hoped to have seen the last for ever!

The moral and physical shock of such an encounter took all Mr.
Bultitude's remaining breath away. He stood panting under the sickly
rays of a street-lamp, the very incarnation of helpless, hopeless
dismay.

"Hallo!" said Coker, "it's young Bultitude!"

"What do you mean by cannoning into a fellow like this?" said Coggs.
"What are you up to out here, eh?"

"If it comes to that," said Paul, casting about for some explanation of
his appearance, "what are you up to here?"

"Why," said Chawner, "if you want to know, Dick, we've been to fetch the
_St. James' Gazette_ for the Doctor. He said I might go if I liked, and
I asked for Coker and Coggs to come too; because there was something I
wanted to tell them, very important, and I have told them, haven't I,
Corny?"

Coggs growled sulkily; Coker gave a tragic groan, and said: "I don't
care when you tell, Chawner. Do it to-night if you like. Let's talk
about something else. Bultitude hasn't told us yet how he came out here
after us."

His last words suggested a pretext to Paul, of which he hastened to make
use. "Oh," he said, "I? I came out here, after you, to say that Dr.
Grimstone will not require the _St. James' Gazette_. He wants the
_Globe_ and, ah, the _Star_ instead."

It did not sound a very probable combination; but Paul used the first
names that occurred to him, and, as it happened, aroused no suspicions,
for the boys read no newspapers.

"Well, we've got the other now," said Coker. "We shall have to go back
and get the fellow at the bookstall to change it, I suppose. Come on,
you fellows!"

This was at least a move in the right direction; for the three began at
once to retrace their steps. But, unfortunately, all these explanations
had taken time, and before they had gone many yards, Mr. Bultitude was
horrified to hear the station-bell ring loudly, and immediately after a
cloud of white steam rose above the station roof as the London train
clanked cumbrously in, and was brought to with a prolonged screeching of
brakes.

The others were walking very slowly. At the present pace it would be
almost impossible to reach the train in time. He looked round at them
anxiously. "H-hadn't we better run, don't you think?" he asked.

"Run!" sai