aunt of our hero and heroine, who had recognised little
Nellie's face at the window and advanced to the side of the carriage,
without his perceiving her approach.

"Dear me, Captain Dresser!" she cried with a laugh, just catching him
from falling on his face. "I've no doubt you are very glad to say me
again, but you needn't be quite so demonstrative in public."

The Captain rose up, looking very red and confused. "I'm sure I beg
your pardon, ma'am," said he, bowing and laughing, too, as he recovered
himself; "but those porters slam and jam the doors so, that they never
will open properly when you want to get out quickly!"

His further excuses, however, were cut short by Nellie springing out of
the carriage before he could utter another word.

"Oh, aunt Polly!" she exclaimed, hugging the smiling lady, who was a
plump merry-looking little body, with dark wavy hair and large,
lustrous, almond-shaped eyes, which, strange to say, were of an intense
violet blue, presenting a curious contrast. "You dear auntie Polly!
How glad I am to see you again!"

"So am I, me dearie, to say you," replied the other, with the slightest
wee bit of a brogue, aunt Polly having been born in the North of
Ireland, where blue eyes with black hair and brogues are common; "an'
Bob, too, the darlint! How are you, me boy!"

"All right, auntie, right as a jiffy," said he brightly, greeting her
with like effusion to his sister. "Really, I don't know when I was so
glad as I am to come down here to the sea and see you. Hullo, though,
I'm forgetting about Rover!"

With these words, Master Bob darted down the platform to the guard's van
at the end of the train, with Miss Nellie cantering after him; both
leaving their newly-met aunt as unceremoniously as the Captain had
tumbled against her on emerging from the carriage the moment before!

However, Mrs Gilmour did not appear to mind this, only exchanging a
smile with the old sailor, who of course remained beside her; while
Dick, as if anxious to make some return for the kindness shown him, had
started taking the children's traps out of the train without waiting for
any one's orders.

As for the Captain, he had no luggage beyond the queer-looking malacca
walking-stick called a `Penang lawyer' which he held in his hand, never
troubling himself with `stray dunnage,' as he said, when travelling by
railway.

Bob and Nellie were presently seen in the distance, in close colloquy
with the guard, who,