Bob and
Nellie's tickets. "Far up the line, sir?"

"No, only from Guildford," replied the Captain. "That's only half-way
from London; but there's half-a-sovereign, and you may keep the change
for yourself."

"Thank you, sir," said the collector, touching his cap again and taking
the coin. He still lingered, however, as if wanting something more but
hesitated to ask for it.

"Well?" ejaculated the Captain impatiently. "What is it, my man?"

"Your ticket, sir," said the man deferentially. "You forgot to give it
me, sir."

"Zounds!" cried the other, blinking away furiously and moving his
eyebrows up and down as he searched vainly in all his pockets, finally
discovering that he held the missing ticket in his fist all the while!
"I declare I forgot all about it. You see I was ready for you, though,
eh?"

"All right, sir, good-day," said the man, receiving the ticket and
shutting the carriage-door gently, with a bow and a smile and another
touch of his cap; and, the next moment, with another sharp unearthly
shriek of the steam-whistle similar to that which had heralded its
entrance into Havant station, the train, giving a joggle and a jerk as
it got under way, was speeding along again, across the rattling bridges
that spanned the moats of the fortifications and through the Portsea
lines, to the terminus beyond at Landport.

"Here we are, children," exclaimed the Captain, on its pulling up at the
journey's end. "Here we are at last!"

"And is this Portsmouth?" inquired Nellie. But, she need not have asked
the question; for, as she looked down the platform she cried out
excitedly in the same breath--"Why, there's aunt Polly! There's aunt
Polly!"

"Let me look, let me look," said Bob, trying to squeeze in between
Nellie and the Captain, who was fumbling at the handle of the door,
endeavouring to open it. "I can't see her, Nell! Where is she?"

"Hold on, can't you!" grumbled the old sailor, angry with the door for
not yielding at once to his efforts. "If you wait a moment you'll be
able to see your `aunt Polly' and everybody else to your heart's
content; that is, as soon as we can get out on to the platform. Bother
take the door, how it sticks!" With this exclamation, muttered in a
hoarse, stifled voice, by reason of his half-stooping position, the
Captain put his knee against the obnoxious door; and this, giving way to
his shove, unexpectedly, nearly precipitated him into the arms of Mrs
Gilmour, the