ptain Lee thinking his travelling
companion an extremely agreeable young fellow, and Edwin esteeming the
captain one of the jolliest old boys he had ever met! These are the
very words he used, long after, in commenting on this meeting to his
friend Joseph Tipps.

During a pause in the conversation, Emma asked her father to whom a
certain villa they were passing belonged.

"I don't know," replied the captain; "stay, let me see, I ought to know
most of the places hereabouts--no, I can't remember."

"I rather think it belongs to a Colonel Jones," said Gurwood, for the
first time venturing to address Emma directly. "A friend of mine who is
connected with this railway knows him, and has often spoken to me about
him. The colonel has led an extremely adventurous life, I believe."

"Indeed!"

There was not much apparently in that little word, but there must have
been something mysterious in it, for it caused Edwin's heart to leap as
it had never leapt before. On the strength of it he began to relate
some of Colonel Jones's adventures, addressing himself now partly to the
captain and partly to Emma. He had a happy knack of telling a story,
and had thoroughly interested his hearers when the train slowed and
stopped, but as this was not the station at which he meant to get out--
Langrye being the next--he took no notice of the stoppage. Neither did
he pay any regard to a question asked by the acute man, whose face
appeared at the window as soon as the train stopped.

"Is that your bundle, sir?" repeated Mr Blunt a little louder.

"Eh? yes, yes--all right," replied Edwin, annoyed at the interruption,
and thinking only of Emma Lee, to whom he turned, and went on--"Well,
when Colonel Jones had scaled the first wall--"

"Come, sir," said Blunt, entering the carriage, and laying his hand on
Edwin's shoulder, "it's _not_ all right. This is another man's
property."

The youth turned round indignantly, and, with a flushed countenance,
said, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are travelling with another man's property," said
Blunt, quietly pointing to the strapped rug.

"_That_ is not my property," said Edwin, looking at it with a perplexed
air, "I never said it was."

"Didn't you though?" exclaimed Blunt, with an appealing look to the
captain. "Didn't you say, when I asked you, `Yes, it's all right.'
Moreover, young man, if it's not yours, why did you bring it into the
carriage with you?"

"_I_ did not bring it