e in order to
go down as quickly as possible to Little Christchurch. At the door of
my house I found a dozen of the English soldiers with a sergeant. He
touched his hat, and asked me very civilly where I was going. When I
told him that it was but five or six miles out of town, he requested
my permission to accompany me. I told him that he certainly might
if he had a vehicle ready, and was ready to use it. But as at that
moment my luggage was brought out of the house with the view of being
taken on board ship, the man thought that it would be as well and
much easier to follow the luggage; and the twelve soldiers marched
off to see my portmanteaus put safely on board the John Bright.

And I was again,--and I could not but say to myself, probably for the
last time,--once again on the road to Little Christchurch. During
the twenty minutes which were taken in going down there, I could
not but think of the walks I had had up and down with Crasweller in
old times, talking as we went of the glories of a Fixed Period, and
of the absolute need which the human race had for such a step in
civilisation. Probably on such occasions the majority of the words
spoken had come from my own mouth; but it had seemed to me then that
Crasweller had been as energetic as myself. The period which we
had then contemplated at a distance had come round, and Crasweller
had seceded wofully. I could not but feel that had he been stanch
to me, and allowed himself to be deposited not only willingly but
joyfully, he would have set an example which could not but have been
efficacious. Barnes and Tallowax would probably have followed as a
matter of course, and the thing would have been done. My name would
have gone down to posterity with those of Columbus and Galileo,
and Britannula would have been noted as the most prominent among
the nations of the earth, instead of having become a by-word among
countries as a deprived republic and reannexed Crown colony. But all
that on the present occasion had to be forgotten, and I was to greet
my old friend with true affection, as though I had received from his
hands no such ruthless ruin of all my hopes.

"Oh, Mr President," he said, as he met me coming up the drive towards
the house, "this is kind of you. And you who must be so busy just
before your departure!"

"I could not go without a word of farewell to you." I had not spoken
with him since we had parted on the top of the hill on our way out to
the college,