posited her satchel on a seat he turned
over to face her so she would be sure to have plenty of room.

She chattered away, these last few precious moments, as merrily as if
Timothy were companioning the adventure of this trip to Lewisburg, but
he found no tongue to reply. It is true that he was not allowed very
much chance, but even if he had been, there was no heart in him for
talk. Timothy was finding the actual reality of parting with Arethusa
for heaven-only-knew-how-long-a-time, far worse than its anticipation,
as bad as that had been.

The conductor called, "All a--bo-ard!"

And in sudden, desperate utterance of a wild little wish. Timothy
leaned close to Arethusa.

"Kiss me good-bye again, Arethusa," he coaxed, all his young heart in
his blue eyes. "Please!"

Arethusa stared at him, frankly amazed at such a remarkable request.

"What's the matter with you, Timothy Jarvis? Kiss you good-bye? Why,
the very idea! And what on earth do you mean by 'again'?"

For she was completely unaware that in her excitement she had given
Timothy that kiss.

His spirits went clear to zero, but fortune spared him the necessity of
a reply, for the conductor called another raucous signal, and the train
began to move. Timothy had barely time to save himself from being
carried off.

Arethusa stuck her head out of the car window, regardless of one of
Miss Eliza's very last and most positive instructions, and waved and
waved to the ones she had left behind on the Vandalia platform, and she
kept on waving long after they had become mere indistinguishable specks
as the train gathered speed.

Then she settled back against the luxury of her dusty red-plush seat
with a soft little sigh.

The swift motion of the train was most exhilarating, for every single
click of the car-wheels meant a turn which brought her just that much
nearer to her father and Elinor and the wonderful Visit.

After a while, when her agitation had begun to subside a trifle,
Arethusa began to remember a few of the multitude of directions Miss
Eliza had given that were most important to be carried out without
fail. She removed her hat with care and reached down into the ancient
travelling bag and brought forth a piece of manila paper in which she
wrapped it, to save its newness from flying cinders. She took off her
coat and folded it, lining outside, and hung it over the arm of the
opposite seat and rolled her white cotton gloves into a neat little
ball and