ught the
more. My sleepiness seemed to have left me, and all my wits were at
work. If I could prevent him, I determined that Mr. Baker should not
take me back to Ascot House, although as yet I had not the remotest
notion how to hinder his purpose.

One thing appeared certain. He was only to be defeated by strategy, and
not by force. As I looked at his large fist resting on his arm-chair, I
knew that if I attempted to resist I should be as powerless in his arms
as I had been in those of the tramp. Presently Eliza re-entered the room
to say the bed was ready, and when I arose Mr. Baker held out his arm to
shake hands, causing me to feel not a little shamefaced. My friend
seemed to have become an enemy. He had treated me kindly, and, indeed,
still intended to do what he considered best for me, while my chief aim
was to oppose him. But to have said right out that I would not go back
to Castlemore would have defeated my own ends, so that I put my hand in
his, received a cordial shake, and then followed Eliza upstairs. She
carried a candle, which she set down on the washing-stand, and I saw
that I was in a small room, extremely cool and clean, with one window,
in front of which stood a muslin-covered dressing-table.

'Now tumble in quick,' she cried, 'and I will come to take the candle.'

(_Continued on page 58._)

[Illustration: "I felt in mortal dread lest Tiger should spring at me
during my descent."]

[Illustration: "The other passengers thought him mad."]

A NOVEL RAIN PROTECTOR.

One day, some years ago, a number of people were travelling in Ireland
by coach. The day turned wet, and threatened to continue so till night.
The moment the coach stopped, one of the outside passengers, who was
without an umbrella, rushed into an ironmonger's shop and came out with
a grid-iron in his hand. All the other outside passengers thought he was
mad, but he wrapped himself in a large cloak, which covered his cap and
most of his face and came down to his feet, and seated himself on his
gridiron in the middle of his seat. In a couple of hours it was seen
what he meant.

While the other passengers were sitting in pools of water from the
dripping of the umbrellas, he was sitting high and dry above the seat on
his gridiron; all the water ran under it, and when they got to their
destination, the man on the gridiron was as dry as a bone, whilst the
other outside passengers were soaked to the skin.

W. YARWOOD.

PUZZ