er
both go third as far as the station just before Chailfield, and then I
will take your ticket and get into a first and make my arrival in state.
By the way, did you send a telegram to Mrs. Murray telling her you had
missed an earlier train?"

"No," owned Margaret, conscience stricken, "I am afraid the idea that I
should do so never occurred to me."

"Very careless of you," commented Eleanor. "Nobody may be at the station
to meet me. I treated you much better, for I sent one to Mrs. Danvers.
However, the porter will send one for me," and after asking Margaret for
Mrs. Murray's address, and the porter for the time at which the train was
due at Chailfield, she wrote out the following telegram: "Missed
connection at Carden. Arriving Chailfield 7.56. Margaret." This she
handed to the porter, asking him to send it off as soon as he had seen
them into the train.

"I wonder," she added, as they stood waiting for the train to come in,
"how soon we shall get accustomed to our new names. You will probably
find that part easier than I shall, for the name of Margaret is quite
strange to me, whereas you told me that you had had a great friend called
Eleanor, so that the name will have a familiar ring to you at any rate.
By the way, you never explained to me how you reconcile the two
conflicting statements you made me, for after telling me that you had
scarcely ever spoken to a girl in your life, you went on to say that your
dearest friend was a namesake of mine."

The two girls had been fortunate enough to secure a carriage to
themselves, for very few people were travelling by that slow train, and
as soon as the door was shut upon them they settled themselves opposite
one another, and Margaret proceeded to give the desired explanation. For,
as Eleanor, who to Margaret's relief had now quite emerged from the
dreamy mood into which the thought of her future fame had led her,
remarked, that if their plans were not to topple ignominously about their
ears at the very outset, it was absolutely essential that each should
know as much about the other as possible.

And so, though rather reluctantly, Margaret spoke of her dream friend,
and of how, since the days of her childhood, she had managed to keep her
existence a secret even from her grandfather and her governess until ten
days ago, when the former, overhearing her talking to herself in the
wood, had suspected the presence of a stranger, and though that had been
contrary to his m