countries. The civil population--"

"Plays golf, I suppose," Mr. Dunster interrupted. "Young man, I
haven't been in England for some years, and you rather take my
breath away. All the same, you can come along with me as far as
Harwich."

The young man showed signs of some satisfaction. "I am very much
obliged to you, sir," he declared. "I promise you I won't be in
the way."

The station-master, who had been looking through a little pile of
telegrams brought to him by a clerk from his office, now turned
towards them. His expression was a little grave.

"Your special will be backing down directly, sir," he announced,
"but I am sorry to say that we hear very bad accounts of the line.
They say that this is only the fag-end of the storm that we are
getting here, and that it's been raging for nearly twenty-four
hours on the east coast. I doubt whether the Harwich boat will be
able to put off."

"We must take our chance about that," Dunster remarked. "If the
mail boat doesn't run, I presume there will be something else we
can charter."

The station-master looked the curiosity which he did not actually
express in words.

"Money will buy most things, nowadays, sir," he observed, "but if