London, Edinburgh
Dublin, And
New York





TROUBLESOME COMFORTS.




CHAPTER I.


Mrs. Beauchamp sat in a stuffy third-class carriage at Liverpool Street
Station, and looked wistfully out of the window at her husband. Behind
her the carriage seemed full to overflowing with children and paper
parcels, and miscellaneous packages held together by straps. Even the
ticket collector failed in his mental arithmetic when nurse confronted
him with the tickets.

"There's five halfs and two wholes," she said, "and a dog and a bicycle."

"All right, madam," he said politely, "but I don't see the halfs."

"There's Miss Susie, and Master Dick, and Miss Amy," began nurse
distractedly, "and the child in my arms; and now there's Master Tommy
disappeared."