Surprising as it may appear, nothing happened on that railroad journey.  No cow of Cathay blundered in front of the locomotive; no freight train came around a curve going in the opposite direction upon the same track; everything went smoothly and according to schedule.  Miss Willoughby did not talk all the time.  She was not the greatest talker I ever knew; she was not even the fastest; she was always willing to wait until her turn came, but she had wonderful endurance for a steady stretch.  She never made a bad start, she never broke, she went steadily over the track until the heat had been run.

When the time came for me to speak she listened with great interest, and sometimes at my words her eyes sparkled almost as much as they did when she was speaking herself.  She knew a great many things, and I was pleased to find out that she was especially interested in the good qualities of the people she knew.  I never heard so many gracious sentiments in so short a time.

Miss Willoughby’s residence was but a short distance from the station at Waterton; and as she thought it entirely unnecessary to take a cab, I attended to her baggage, and offered to walk with her to her home and carry her little bag.  I was about to leave her at the door, but this she positively forbade.  I must step in for a minute or two to see her mother and her aunt They had heard of me, and would never forgive her if she let me go without their seeing me.  As the door opened immediately, we went in.

Miss Willoughby’s mother and aunt were two most charming elderly ladies, immaculately dainty in their dress, cordial of manner, bright of eye, and diminutive of hand, producing the impression of gentle goodness set off by soft white muslin, folded tenderly.

They had heard of me.  In the few days in which I had been with the Larramies, Miss Willoughby had written of me.  They insisted that I should stay to supper, for what good reason could there be for my taking that meal at the hotel—­not a very good one—­when they would be so glad to have me sup with them and talk about our mutual friends?

I had no reasonable objection to offer, and, returning to the station, I took my baggage to the hotel, where I prepared to sup with the Willoughby family.

They were now a little family of three, although there was a brother who had started away the day before on a bicycling tour very like my own, and they were both so delighted to have Amy visit the Larramies, and they were both so delighted to have her come back.

The supper was a delicate one, suitable for canary birds, but at an early stage of the meal a savory little sirloin steak was brought on which had been cooked especially for me.  Of course I could not be expected to be satisfied with thin dainties, no matter how tasteful they might be.