ld
enter one again; and that she felt convinced she had been born a hundred
years too late, in which latter opinion most of her friends agreed with
her, although they were glad, considering her loveable disposition, that
the mistake had occurred. Netta did not take quite such an extreme
view, and Joseph laughed at and quizzed them both, in an amiable sort of
fashion, on their views.

Among all the sufferers by that accident few suffered so severely--with
the exception: of course, of those who lost their lives--as the Grand
National Trunk Railway itself. In the course of the trials that
followed, it was clearly shown that the company had run the train much
more with the view of gratifying the public than of enriching their
coffers, from the fact that the utmost possible sum which they could
hope to draw by it was 17 pounds, for which sum they had carried 600
passengers upwards of twenty miles. The accident took place in
consequence of circumstances over which the company had no control, and
the results were--that twenty persons were killed and about two hundred
wounded! that one hundred and sixty claims were made for compensation--
one hundred and forty of which, being deemed exorbitant or fraudulent,
were defended in court; and that, eventually, the company had to pay
from seventy to eighty thousand pounds! out of which the highest sum
paid to one individual was 6750 pounds! The risks that are thus run by
railway companies will be seen to be excessive, especially when it is
considered that excursion trains afford but slight remuneration, while
many of them convey enormous numbers of passengers. On the occasion of
the first excursion from Oxford to London, in 1851, fifty-two of the
broad-gauge carriages of the Great Western were employed, and the
excursionists numbered upwards of three thousand five hundred--a very
town on wheels! Truly the risks of railway companies are great, and
their punishments severe.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

THE LAST.

A certain Christmas-day approached. On the morning of the day
preceding, Will Garvie--looking as broad and sturdy as ever; a perfect
man, but for the empty sleeve--stood at his post near his sentry-box.
His duties that day were severe. At that season of the year there is a
great increase of traffic on all railways, and you may be sure that the
Grand National Trunk Railway had its full share.

On ordinary occasions about three hundred trains passed Will Garvie's
box,