the little station to which I had been consigned on leaving
London.

"'Champt'n! 'Champt'n!" cried out somebody with a cracked voice, and
this sound approximating to the name of the place I was looking out for,
combined with the fact that the engine began vigorously to blow off
steam, I became convinced that I had arrived at my goal; so, out I got
from the uncomfortable and cushionless carriage in which I had performed
the toilsome journey, not forgetting, you may be sure, the box
containing my grand rig-out of new clothes, which Aunt Matilda would not
let me wear on the journey for fear, as she said, of my spoiling them.
This box I had carefully kept on a seat beside me, in full view of my
watchful eye, all the way, lest some accident might befall it, although
not another soul save myself occupied the compartment.

When taking leave of me, Uncle George had said that some responsible
person would meet me on my arrival at the station to take charge of me,
from the "scholastic establishment;" and as I had conceived the most
magnificent ideas of this place from a lithograph I had seen at the top
of the prospectus referring to it, representing a palatial mansion
standing in its own grounds, with a commanding view of the adjacent sea,
I stared about the platform, expecting to see a gorgeous footman in
livery or some other imposing personage, who would presently step up
requesting me to take a seat in a coach-and-four or similar stately
vehicle, and then drive me off in triumph to the educational mansion.

But, lo and behold! no footman or imposing personage made his
appearance; nor did any one seem to be on the look-out for my
insignificant self. My spirits began to sink almost to zero, which
point they reached anon in the descending scale, when, as soon as
everybody else who had come by the train had bustled out of the station,
an old and broken-down looking porter, in a shabby velveteen jacket,
standing on the other side of the line, shouted out to me across the
rails in a tone of inquiry, and in a voice which I immediately
recognised as that which had screeched out the name of the place as the
train ran in--

"B'y fur Hellyer's, hey?"

I felt annihilated.

"Do you mean to ask whether I am the new pupil for Dr Hellyer's
establishment?" I said--with some dignity, I flatter myself.

But that horrible porter was not a bit abashed!

"Yees," he drawled out in his cracked accents, with an intonation that
clearly evi