car
precisely at four o'clock, and had put a piece of knitting in her
handbag with which to occupy herself in case she grew tired of reading
or watching the landscape. After these preparations she anticipated a
comfortable journey, and she leaned back in her corner feeling at peace
with herself and all the world. Her fellow-passengers consisted of two
old ladies, evidently returning home after a holiday in the South; a
morose-looking man with a bundle of Socialist tracts, and a middle-aged
woman, who, with a baby on her knee, occupied the opposite corner.
Nobody spoke a word, except an occasional necessary one about the
opening or closing of a window, and all settled down to read books and
papers, or to enjoy the luxury of a snooze while the train sped swiftly
northwards. The baby was sleeping peacefully, its lips parted, its long
lashes resting on its flushed cheeks, and one little hand flung out from
under the white woolly shawl which was wrapped closely round it. It made
a pretty picture as it lay thus, and Miss Sherbourne's eyes returned
again and again to dwell on the soft lines of the chubby neck and
dimpled chin. She was fond of studying her fellow-creatures, and she
could not quite reconcile the appearance of the child with that of the
woman who held it in her arms. The latter was plainly though tidily
dressed, and did not look like an educated person. There was nothing of
refinement in her face: the features were heavy, the mouth even a trifle
coarse. Her gloveless hands were work-worn, and her wedding ring was of
a cheap gold. The general impression she gave was that of a superior
working woman, or the wife of a small tradesman. The baby did not
resemble her in the least: it was fair, and pretty, and daintily kept,
its bonnet and coat and the shawl in which it was wrapped were of finest
quality, and the tiny boot that lay on the carriage seat was a silk one.

Miss Barbara could not help speculating about the pair. She amused
herself first with vainly trying to trace a likeness, then with
wondering whether the woman were really the mother of the child, and if
so, how she managed to dress it so well, and whether she realized that
its clothes looked out of keeping with her own attire. Finally she gave
up guessing, in sheer despair of arriving at any possible conclusion.

The train had been ten minutes late in starting, and was making up for
lost time by an increase in speed as it dashed across a tract of
moorlan