it in her hand-bag, as being easily accessible if she did not wish
to undo the strap.

All was ready at last, the rugs, the hand-bag, and the tin trunk, to
which at the last moment Kate came running to tie a piece of red braid,
by which to distinguish it, making Ella and the boys laugh at what they
called her "incurable old-maidishness."

"Never mind," she replied, nodding sagely, "you will thank me when you
have to hunt for your box amongst twenty others exactly like it."

Kate had suggested going to the station to see them off, but her father
objected.

"We shall get on better alone," he argued. "We settle ourselves
comfortably in our corners at once, unroll our rugs, and make everything
ready before we start, instead of having to make spasmodic efforts to
think of last remarks and messages. Of course, if Ella were going alone
I should go to see her off, but as it is I would rather not have anyone
with us."

Mrs. Hastings thought this a rather hard-hearted way of looking at the
matter; but as Ella quite agreed with her father, feeling convinced she
could not be able to keep from crying if the farewells were too long
protracted, there was nothing for it but to yield, and as soon as the
cab came to the door the parting was hurried through, and, almost before
she had time to realise that she was really going, Ella found herself
halfway to the station.

The railway journey was a long and troublesome one, involving several
changes. Before midday Ella had recovered her spirits and her appetite,
and acted on Kate's advice. "Do not wait for father to suggest lunch,"
she had said; "you may be sure he will not begin to feel hungry till you
are quite ravenous." Remembering this, Ella laughed to herself at Mr.
Hastings's surprise when she suggested that she was ready for her lunch,
and proceeded to unpack her stores.

"This is the first course, I suppose," she said, as she produced two
neat white-paper packages, each with the name of the contents written on
it. "This one contains potted meat sandwiches, and these are chicken.
They look very nice, too. These sprigs of watercress between the
sandwiches are a great improvement."

"Yes, I must confess they are very good ones," assented Mr. Hastings,
after trying one of each kind. "I think someone must have been giving
the cook a lecture on the art of cutting them. Home-made sandwiches have
generally too much butter, so that they are too rich to eat, and the
paper they are