ain's yacht,
which had been sparred and rigged anew, the little _Zephyr_ looking now
"as fresh as paint again" after her eventful vicissitudes adrift in the
Channel.

Aye, they paid farewell visits to every one and everything, and then
wanted to begin over again, it was so hard to part with them all!

At last, however, the ordeal was accomplished; and all their goods and
chattels and new acquisitions, especially the aquarium and its various
occupants, that terrible Mesembryanthemum included, being properly
packed up and labelled, behold the party one fine morning at the
railway-station on their way to London as soon as the train should
start!

Here Rover, despite his frantic howls on escaping his former prison, was
snugly incarcerated in the guard's van; when the others, after
exchanging last words with Mrs Gilmour and the Captain, entered a
saloon-carriage which had been reserved for them for the journey, Bob
and Nell, it may be taken for granted, being the last to get in, loth to
leave "aunt Polly" and "that dear old sailor" who had won their hearts,
as well as say "good-bye" to Dick, the whilom uninvited guest of their
first eventful journey "Down the line," and subsequent faithful
companion of Bob in his wonderful adventures by sea and land.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

A LAST WORD.

There was a warning shriek from the engine's steam-whistle, as if it
were impatient to be off, and angrily wanting to know why it was kept
thus unnecessarily waiting.

Following up the scream of the whistle came the last cling! clang! of
the railway-porter's bell, telling belated passengers that "time" was
"up."

Next ensued the scrambling and scurrying of the aforesaid belated
passengers, who always appear to put off making up their minds as to
whether they shall start or not until the last moment of grace has
expired.

Then, finally, after much clanging of doors upon the backs of those thus
nearly left behind, with a snort of indignation and defiance of things
in general, and late passengers in particular, the panting, puffing,
fuming iron horse metaphorically and practically "put his shoulder to
the wheel," lugging the rolling, rumbling, heavy train out of the
station Londonwards, with a "puff-puff, pant-pant!" from his hoarse
throat, answered by the groans and creaks of sympathy from the laden
carriages and the clinking rattle of the coupling-chains, as they drew
taut from the tension, lending a sort of cymbal-like accomp