The other day, to my great astonishment, I caught a train; it was
a train going into the Eastern Counties, and I only just caught it.
And while I was running along the train (amid general admiration)
I noticed that there were a quite peculiar and unusual number of
carriages marked "Engaged." On five, six, seven, eight, nine carriages
was pasted the little notice: at five, six, seven, eight, nine windows
were big bland men staring out in the conscious pride of possession.
Their bodies seemed more than usually impenetrable, their faces more
than usual placid. It could not be the Derby, if only for the minor
reasons that it was the opposite direction and the wrong day.
It could hardly be the King. It could hardly be the French President.
For, though these distinguished persons natu
