o as brief as the one above passed between us, and the
feeling of acquaintance and friendship grew upon me, though I had never
yet had an opportunity of seeing my fair unknown friends.

It was towards the close of the following October that it came under my
notice that the then Premier of the ministry was paying an autumn visit
to a nobleman, whose country seat was situated near a small village on
our line of rail. The Premier's despatch-box, containing, of course, all
the despatches which it was necessary to send down to him, passed between
him and the Secretary of State, and was, as usual, entrusted to the care
of the post-office. The Continent was just then in a more than
ordinarily critical state; we were thought to be upon the verge of an
European war; and there were murmurs floating about, at the dispersion of
the ministry up and down the country. These circumstances made the
charge of the despatch-box the more interesting to me. It was very
similar in size and shape to the old-fashioned workboxes used by ladies
before boxes of polished and ornamental wood came into vogue, and, like
them, it was covered with red morocco leather, and it fastened with a
lock and key. The first time it came into my hands I took such special
notice of it as might be expected. Upon one corner of the lid I detected
a peculiar device scratched slightly upon it, most probably with the
sharp point of a steel pen, in such a moment of preoccupation of mind as
causes most of us to draw odd lines and caricatured faces upon any piece
of paper which may lie under our hand. It was the old revolutionary
device of a heart with a dagger piercing it; and I wondered whether it
could be the Premier, or one of his secretaries, who had traced it upon
the morocco.

This box had been travelling up and down for about ten days, and, as the
village did not make up a bag for London, there being very few letters
excepting those from the great house, the letter-bag from the house, and
the despatch-box, were handed direct into our travelling post-office.
But in compliment to the presence of the Premier in the neighbourhood,
the train, instead of slackening speed only, stopped altogether, in order
that the Premier's trusty and confidential messenger might deliver the
important box into my own hands, that its perfect safety might be
ensured. I had an undefined suspicion that some person was also employed
to accompany the train up to London, for three or fou