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A little after six o'clock a clanging and co the arrival of a "through express," stirred him from his torpor, and he walked heavily across the room to the same ticket- he had twice blocked; but there was no queue attached to it now He rested his elbow upon the apron and his chin upon his hand, while the clerk waited until he should state his wishes This was a new clerk, who had just relieved the other

"Well! Well!" he said at last

"I'll take it now," Noble responded

"What'll you take now?"

"That ticket"

"What ticket?"

"The saave hilanced out of theand saw that there were no other clients, then went to a desk at the farther end of his compartment, and took up some clerical work he had in hand

Noble leaned upon the apron of the aiting; and if he thought anything, he thought the h, vaulted rooling footsteps on the ers froaily straggled through, shouting with friends who caroups there walked a youthful fine lady noticeably enlivening to the dullest eye She was preceded by a brisk porter who carried two travelling-bags of a rich sort, as well as a sack of iolf; and she arainst which the vasty cluht of Noble Dill, more than pensive at the ticket-, she hesitated, then stopped and observed him That she should observe anybody was in a way a coincidence, for, as it happened, she was herself the most observed person in all the place She was veiled in two veils, but she had been seen in the train without these, and soers to her, alking near her in a hypocritical way, hoping still not to lose sight of her, even veiled And although the shroudings perre information of her features, what they did reveal was harure, a disturbing grace; while nothing could disguise her air of wearing that many violets casually as a daily perquisite and matter of course

[Illustration: "He stared at her His elbow sagged away from the ; the whole person of Noble Dill seemed near collapse"] So this observed lady stopped and observed Noble, who in return observed her not at all, being but sehtfully, it is a coincidence that we breathe; certainly it is a hty coincidence that we speak to one another and comprehend; for these are true s of human action so pique our sense of the theatrical that we call them coincidences and are astonished! That Julia should arrive during Noble's long process of buying a ticket to go to her was stranger than that she stopped to look at hieness to the fact that either of the earth;--yet when Noble Dill co he was amazed