ratulated. Scott was with the bachelors at the
far end of the train, where they chaffed him mercilessly about feeding
babies and milking goats; but from time to time he would stroll up to
William's window, and murmur: "Good enough, isn't it?" and William would
answer with sighs of pure delight: "Good enough, indeed." The large
open names of the home towns were good to listen to. Umballa, Ludianah,
Phillour, Jullundur, they rang like the coming marriage-bells in her
ears, and William felt deeply and truly sorry for all strangers and
outsiders--visitors, tourists, and those fresh-caught for the service of
the country.

It was a glorious return, and when the bachelors gave the Christmas
Ball, William was, unofficially, you might say, the chief and honoured
guest among the Stewards, who could make things very pleasant for their
friends. She and Scott danced nearly all the dances together, and sat
out the rest in the big dark gallery overlooking the superb teak floor,
where the uniforms blazed, and the spurs clinked, and the new frocks and
four hundred dancers went round and round till the draped flags on the
pillars flapped and bellied to the whirl of it.

About midnight half a dozen men who did not care for dancing came over
from the Club to play "Waits," and that was a surprise the Stewards had
arranged--before any one knew what had happened, the band stopped, and
hidden voices broke into "Good King Wenceslaus," and William in the
gallery hummed and beat time with her foot:

"Mark my footsteps well, my page,
Tread thou in them boldly.
Thou shalt feel the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly!"

"Oh, I hope they are going to give us another! Isn't it pretty, coming
out of the dark in that way? Look--look down. There's Mrs. Gregory
wiping her eyes!"

"It's like Home, rather," said Scott. "I remember--"

"Hsh! Listen!--dear." And it began again:

"When shepherds watched their flocks by night--"

"A-h-h!" said William, drawing closer to Scott.

"All seated on the ground,
The Angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.
'Fear not,' said he (for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind);
'Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.'"

This time it was William that wiped her eyes.

.007

A locomotive is