s ticket, he
civilly wished him good-evening. When the train entered the station, he
followed the lad to a third-class compartment, and seated himself
opposite him. They were the only two occupants of the carriage, and Max
was in the humour for conversation. He felt as if he had been alone in
the world for countless years, and for some reason the boy's broad
Hampshire dialect was soothing to his ears. The lad was on his way to a
new situation, so he informed his companion, a farm on the outskirts of
the village of Dean. It was his first absence from home, and Max noticed
that an ominous snuffle followed his statement of the fact. To the elder
man there was something engaging about this encounter. They were both
stepping out of their old into a new world, in order to gain experience,
and were equally anxious, yet equally loth to say farewell to their old
surroundings.

"I knew it was coming for a long time, sir," said the boy in a burst of
confidence. "Father always had a sort of feeling that he wanted me to go
along o' Mr. Simpkins, but, somehow, mother didn't kind o' fancy it. Not
but that I can do my work, sir. I bain't afraid of work--not a bit of
it. It's the going away from home and mother, that's the worst of it.
But there, it will seem kind of strange at first, sir, I don't doubt;
but bless you, I reckon somehow it will come right in the end. Anyways,
I am going to do my best to make it."

For many a long day that homely speech was destined to live in Max's
memory. It was an augury for the future; at any rate, he determined to
regard it as such. When they reached Dean, and the boy had made his
preparations to alight, Max held out his hand.

"Good-bye," he said. "I hope you may prosper in your undertaking. Like
you, I, too, am starting out into the world to gain experience. I have
wished you good luck; won't you do the same for me?"

The boy shyly took the hand held out to him, and, as he did so, he said:
"God speed ye, sir, and thank ye kindly for the way you've let me talk
to you. It's done me a world o' good."

A second later he was gone, and the train was on its way once more. In
something under twenty minutes they had reached Salisbury, where Max
discovered, as he had quite made up his mind he would do, that the last
train for Bristol had departed. In consequence, he would be compelled to
wait in Salisbury until morning for another. The disappointment was a
severe one, for he had hoped to reach his desti