ly enjoyable day, and women
whose aspect was careworn but cheerful, to whom a holiday was probably a
memorable event in the year. Of young people there was of course a
considerable sprinkling, and amongst the crowd could be seen a number of
individuals whose amused expression of countenance and general aspect
bespoke them ordinary travellers, who meant to avail themselves of a
"cheap train." All classes and conditions of men, women, and children
were hustling each other in a state of great excitement; but the
preponderating class was that which is familiarly though not very
respectfully styled "the masses."

Mrs Marrot was there too--much against her will--and little Gertie. A
sister of the former, who lived about twenty miles from Clatterby, had,
a short time before, made her husband a present of a fine fat pugilistic
boy, and Mrs M felt constrained to pay her a visit.

John was on the look-out for his wife and child, so was Will Garvie.
The former waved a piece of cotton-waste to her when she arrived; she
caught sight of him and gave him a cheerful nod in reply; and an
unexpressed blessing on his weather-beaten face arose in her heart as
Garvie pushed through the crowd and conducted her and Gertie to a
carriage.

Timid little Mrs Tipps was also there. It is probable that no power on
earth, save that of physical force, could have induced Mrs Tipps to
enter an excursion train, for which above all other sorts of trains she
entertained a species of solemn horror. But the excitement consequent
on the unexpected recovery of the diamond ring, and the still more
unexpected accession of wealth consequent thereon, had induced her to
smother her dislike to railways for a time, and avail herself of their
services in order to run down to a town about twenty miles off for the
purpose of telling the good news to Netta, who chanced to be on a short
visit to a friend there at the time. When Mrs Tipps reached the
station, her ignorance of railway matters, and the confused mental state
which was her normal condition, prevented her from observing that the
train was an excursion one. She therefore took out a first-class ticket
and also an insurance ticket for 500 pounds, for which latter she paid
sixpence! Her ignorance and perturbation also prevented her from
observing that this rate of insurance was considerably higher than she
was accustomed to pay, owing to the fact of the train being an excursion
one. If she had been goin