o, yes!" and cover her face with her
handkerchief, in which position she remained immovable until the train
arrived at Wreckumoft, despite the kindly efforts at consolation made by
the navvy, who arranged her shawl and offered her a glass of gin from
his own private bottle; and, finally, seeing that all his efforts were
fruitless, wound up by patting her on the shoulder, and advising her to
cheer up, for "wotever it was that ailed her, there was sure to be
better luck next time."

Arrived at Wreckumoft, Miss Peppy hastened to her brother's residence.
On the way she had to pass Bingley Hall, and, feeling that it would be
an unutterable relief to her feelings to tell somebody something, or,
more correctly, to tell anybody anything, she darted in and met my niece
Lizzie, to whom she stated wildly that Bella Crusty had run off with
Kenneth Stuart, and that in all probability the colonel was mad or dead
by that time.

Having thus let off a little steam, the worthy lady rushed out of my
house, entered the dining-room of Seaside Villa, where she found Kenneth
and his father seated at breakfast, and related to them in wild surprise
how that Bella and Kenneth had run away together the night before, and
that she had come in hot haste to tell them so, but how it happened that
Kenneth was there and Bella not there, she could not understand at all;
and concluding that the incomprehensibilities of the world were
culminating, and that the sooner she prepared for the final winding up
of all terrestrial things the better, she ran to her own room, embraced
the wondering Emmie, burst into a flood of tears, rummaged her pocket
for her thimble, scissors, and key, and, not finding them there, fell
into the arms of Mrs Niven, and fainted dead away for the second time
that morning.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

STRANGE SCENES AND DOINGS FAR AWAY.

Let us turn, now, to a very different region of the world from that in
which the events just narrated took place.

It is an island of the sea. Nature has been bountiful to that island,
for there is redundant verdure on every side. Paradise of old may have
been something like it,--could not have been much better, physically,
although it was so in a moral point of view. Yet, even in that aspect
our island is superior to many others, for there are only two human
beings upon it, and these are less sinful specimens of humanity than one
usually meets with. They are peculiar, too.

One is an athletic m