She took no notice of me, but quietly arranged her belongings as if she were accustomed to take care of herself.  She had only just sat down, when she was followed by another lady, who appeared, from the sign of recognition that passed between them, an acquaintance.

Evidently, however, the younger lady was not delighted at the advent of the elder.  A look of annoyance swept across her face, as if she could have very comfortably excused her presence.  I did not wonder at it.  This second comer was a woman of about fifty-five years of age.  She had yellow wrinkled skin, a square upright forehead, shaggy grey eyebrows, beneath which, in two cavernous sockets, were two black beady-looking eyes.  Her mouth was large and coarse, and, to make that feature still more objectionable, two large teeth, like two fangs, stuck out at a considerable angle from her upper jaw and rested on the lower lip.  Altogether the face was repulsive.  Added to this, she was tall and bony, and would have passed anywhere for one of the witches of olden time.

“I have altered my mind, Gertrude, and am going with you.”  This was said in a harsh, thick voice.

“I see you are here, Miss Staggles,” said the younger lady very coolly.

“I did not intend coming at first, but your aunt, poor silly thing, said you would not take your maid with you, and so I thought it would be a sin for a young girl like you to travel alone to Yorkshire on a day like this.”

“Yorkshire?” I thought.  “Is that old woman to be in this carriage with me for five or six long hours?  I’ll get out.”

I was too late; at that moment the guard’s whistle blew, and the train moved slowly out of the station.  At all events, I had to remain until the train stopped, so I composed myself as well as I could, and resolved to make the best of it.  Neither of them paid the slightest attention to me.  The elder lady sat bolt upright opposite the younger, and began to harangue her.

“Don’t you know it was very foolish of you to think of coming alone?”

“No,” said the younger lady; “I’m tired of having a maid dogging my every footstep, as if I were a child and unable to do for myself.”

“Nevertheless, Gertrude, you should have brought her; no young lady should travel alone.  However, you will have a chaperon, so the deficiency will be more than remedied;” and there was grim satisfaction in the woman’s voice.

There was no satisfaction in the young lady’s face, however, and she turned with what I thought an angry look towards the scrawny duenna, who had claimed guardianship over her, and said——­

“But, Miss Staggles, you are in a false position.  You have received no invitation.”

“No, I have not; but your aunt had one, poor silly creature, and so, for duty’s sake, I am breaking the rules of etiquette.  Those fine people you are about to visit did not think it worth their while to invite your aunt’s late husband’s step-sister—­perhaps because she is poor; but she has a soul above formalities, and so determined to come and take care of her niece.”