nced the fact of his having been born in Sussex. "Hellyer's
school i' the village, b'y, that's wat I mean! Y'er to come along o'
me. Poot yer box on yer shoulder and crass the line, young maister, an'
I'll shoo yer way down."

This was not to be borne.

I had been treated like a menial in my uncle's household, and had
perforce to bear it, but I had made up my mind on leaving Tapioca Villa
that I should never be so degraded again if I could possibly help it.

It wasn't likely, therefore, that I was now going to be at the beck and
call of a railway porter, after all my boastful resolves--not quite!

I flew into a passion at once: I felt inclined to kill the unfortunate
man.

"Come over and take up my box yourself, porter," I cried angrily, my
face flaring up furiously as I spoke, I have no doubt. "I shall not
forget, either, to complain to Dr Hellyer about your insolence."

"Ho, ho, ho, the-at be a good un," laughed the old man from his vantage-
ground on the opposite platform. "I thinks I say un neow, an' you a-
talkin' 'bout I!"

However, as I stamped my foot and repeated my order in a tone of
command, he, evidently much surprised and obeying from the force of
habit in one accustomed to yield to others, crossed over the line, the
broad country yokel grin with which he had received my first reply,
giving place to a surly look.

"Y'er a foine young bantam," he muttered grumblingly in his wheezy
cracked voice, as he stooped to raise my precious box, "but I specs,
young maister, yer'll soon ha' yer comb cut, sure-ly!"

I said nothing further to this sally, my anger having by this time
evaporated; and the old man, poising the light load easily on one
shoulder, walked leisurely out of the station without uttering another
word, I following him also in silence.

Proceeding along a straggling street, which was more like a country lane
than anything else, with a few shops scattered about here and there at
intervals, for more than half a mile or more--he in front with my box, I
closely stepping in the rear--after turning sharp round to the right and
then to the left, past a little corner building which seemed to be a
wayside inn, but was triumphantly lettered "hotel" along the top of its
gable end, we at length debouched on to a solitary-looking semi-deserted
row of red-brick houses that occupied one side of a wild-looking, furze-
grown common, which I could perceive faced the sea; the sound of the low
murmurs of