stored to her on application, but it
happened that a careless porter searched the "Flying Dutchman" that day,
and had failed to observe the parcel which lay in a dark corner under
the seat. When the carriage therefore was shunted the parcel was left
to repose in it all night as well as all next day, which happened to be
Sunday.

The parcel had a longish excursion on its own account after that. The
carriage in which it lay happened to be a "through one," and belonged to
another company, to whose line it was accordingly forwarded on the
following Monday. It reached a remote station in the west of England
that night and there the parcel was discovered. It lay all night there,
and next day was forwarded to the lost-luggage office of that line.
Here it was examined; the various pieces of paper were unrolled one by
one and the doubled-up slipper was discovered; this was examined, and
the little parcel found; the name of Durby having been noted and
commented on, the covering of note-paper was removed, and the match-box
revealed, from the inside of which was produced the pill-box, which,
when opened, disclosed to the astonished gaze of the officials an
antique gold ring set with diamonds! As the name "Mrs Durby" written
in pencil did not furnish a clue to the owner, the ring was given into
the charge of the custodier of the lost-luggage office, and a
description of it with a note of all particulars regarding it, was
forwarded to the Clearing-House in London.

The lost-luggage office, we may remark in passing, was a wonderful
place--a place in which a moralist might find much material for mental
mastication. Here, on an extensive series of shelves, were deposited in
large quantities the evidences of man's defective memory; the sad proofs
of human fallibility. There were caps and comforters and
travelling-bags in great abundance. There were shawls and rugs, and
umbrellas and parasols, and sticks and hat-boxes in such numbers as to
suggest the idea that hundreds of travellers, smitten with irresistible
feelings of gratitude, had left these articles as a trifling testimony
of respect to the railway company. There were carpet-bags here not only
in large numbers but in great variety of form and size.
Smelling-bottles, pocket-handkerchiefs, flasks, pocket-books, gun-cases,
portmanteaux, books, cigar cases, etcetera, enough to have stocked a
gigantic curiosity shop, and there were several articles which one could
not account