"Come to see me at any time," he said, "and we will talk the matter
over."

Here the train boy came along and Rodney bought a copy of Puck, while
the agent resumed the perusal of a copy of a magazine. For an hour
the cars ran smoothly. Then there was a sudden shock causing all the
passengers to start to their feet.

"We're off the track!" shouted an excitable person in front of Rodney.

The instinct of self preservation is perhaps stronger than any other.
Rodney and his seat mate both jumped to their feet and hurried to the
door of the car, not knowing what was in store for them.

But fortunately the train had not been going rapidly. It was approaching
a station and was "slowing up." So, though it had really run off the
track, there was not likely to be any injury to the passengers.

"We are safe," said Adin Woods. "The only harm done is the delay. I hope
that won't be long. Suppose we go back to our seat." They returned to
the seat which they had jointly occupied.

Then Rodney made an alarming discovery. "My casket!" he exclaimed.
"Where is it?"

"What did you do with it?"

"Left it on the seat."