The evening train, as it was known,--a local from the south,--was
approaching the little village of Ellisburg, winding its way over miles
of rolling country dotted with farm-houses of snowy white; to the east,
rough, rugged hills surmounted by a wall of forest, while far to the
west could be seen the sandy beaches and blue waters of Lake Ontario.
The arrival of this train formed one of the chief events in the daily
life of the little town, and each summer evening found a group of from
twenty to fifty of the village folk awaiting its incoming. To them it
afforded a welcome break in the monotony of their lives, a fleeting
glimpse of people and things from that vague world outside the horizon
bounding their own.
Amid the usual handful of passengers left at the station on this
particular evening were two who immediately drew the attention of the
crowd. Two men, one something over fifty years of age, tall, with erect
form and dark hair well silvered, and with a grave, sweet face; the
other not more than seven-and-twenty, but with hair as white as snow,
while his face wore an inscrutable look, as though the dark, piercing
eyes held within their depths secrets which the sphinx-like lips would
not reveal. Closely following them was a splendid collie, trying in
various ways to give expression to his delight at being released from
the confinement of the baggage-car.
There was a sudden, swift movement in the crowd as a young man stepped
quickly forward and grasped the younger of the two by the hand.
"Darrell, old boy! is this you?" he exclaimed; "Great Scott! what have
you been doing to yourself these two years?"
"Plenty of time for explanations later," said Darrell, shaking hands
heartily; "Ned, I want you to know my father; father, this is my old
chum, now Dr. Elliott."
The young physician's face betrayed astonishment, but he shook hands
with Mr. Britton with no remarks beyond the customary greeting.
"Now, Ned," continued Darrell, "get us out of this mob as quickly as you
can; I don't want to be recognized here."
"Not much danger with that white pate of yours; but come this way, my
carriage is waiting. I did not let out that you were coming back, for I
thought you wouldn't want any demonstration from the crowd here, so I
told no one but father; he's waiting for you in the carriage."
"You're as level-headed as ever," Darrell remarked.
They reached the carriage, greetings were exchanged with Mr. Elliott,
and soon the party was driving rapidly towards the village.
"We will go at once to my office," Dr. Elliott remarked to Darrell, who
was seated beside himself; "we can make arrangements there as to the
best method of breaking this news to your mother."