s not so late.
I know we're allowed to remain in the car till eight. I'll hurry. But,
oh! isn't it dark outside?"

"Now, you're showing a little common sense," snapped Bess. "But do you
see that my watch has stopped?"

"Oh! so it has," agreed Nan. "But, then, honey, you're always letting it
run down."

"I know," said Bess, impatiently. "And at first I thought it must have
stopped last evening at a quarter to eight. When I woke up just now it
was just as dark as it was yesterday morning at six. But I took a peep at
the porter's clock and what do you think?"

"I'll shave you for nothing and give you a drink," laughed Nan, quoting
the old catch-line.

Bess was too excited to notice her chum's fun. She said, dramatically:

"The porter's clock says half-past nine and half the berths are put up
again at the other end of the car!"

"Mercy!" gasped Nan, and swung her feet over the edge of the berth. "Oh!"
she squealed the next moment.

"What's the matter now?" demanded her chum.

"Oh! I feel like a poor soldier who's having his legs cut off. My! isn't
the edge of this berth sharp?"

"But what do you know about its being half-past nine?" demanded Bess.

"And the train is standing still," said Nan. "Do you suppose we can be at
Tillbury?"

"Goodness! we ought to be," said Bess. "But it is so dark."

"And Papa Sherwood would be down in the yards looking for me before this
time, I know."

"Well! what do you think it means?" demanded her chum. "And b-r-r-r! it's
cold. There isn't half enough steam on in this car."

Nan was scrambling into her outer garments. "I'll see about this in a
minute, Bess," she said, chuckling. "Maybe the sun's forgotten to rise."

Bess had managed to draw aside the curtain of the big window. She uttered
a muffled scream.

"Oh, Nan! It's sno-ow!"

"What? Still snowing?" asked her chum.

"No. It's all banked up against the pane. I can't see out at all."

"Goodness--gracious--me!" ejaculated Nan. "Do you suppose we're
snowed in?"

That was just exactly what it meant. The porter, his eyes rolling, told
them all about it. The train had stood just here, "in the middle of a
snow-bank," since midnight. It was still snowing. And the train was
covered in completely with the soft and clinging mantle.

At first the two chums bound for Tillbury were only excited and pleased
by the novel situation. The porter arranged their seats for them and Bess
proudly produced the box of lunch she had boug