An hour! Then I had missed my man once more! Was ever luck like mine? I gathered up my crumpled hat and umbrella, and staggered out of that awful cabin. "Look here," said I to the sailor, "did you see the passengers go ashore?" "I saw the steerage passengers go," said he; "and a nice-looking lot they was." "There was one of the steerage passengers I wanted particularly to see. Did you see one with a portmanteau and hat-box?" "Plenty of 'em," was the reply. "Yes; but his was quite a new hat-box; you couldn't mistake it," said I. "Maybe I saw him. There was one young fellow--" "Dark?" "Yes; dark." "And tall?" "Yes; tall enough." "Dismal-looking?" "They were all that." "Did you see which way he went?" "No; but I heard him ask the mate the way to the Northern Counties Railway; so I guess he's for the Derry line." It was a sorry clue; but the only one. I was scarcely awake; and, after my night of tragedy, was hardly in a position to resume the hue and cry. Yet anything was preferable to going back to sea. So I took a car for the Northern Counties station. For a wonder I was in time for the train, which, I was told, was due to start in an hour's time. I spent that hour first of all in washing, then in breakfasting, finally in telegraphing to my manager-- "Fancy tracked him here rough crossing--will wire again shortly." Then having satisfied myself that none of the steamer passengers could possibly have caught an earlier train, and determined not to lose the train this time, I took a ticket for Londonderry, and ensconced myself a good quarter of an hour before the appointed hour in a corner of a carriage commanding a good view of the booking-office door. As the minutes sped by, and no sign of my man, I began to grow nervous. After all he might be staying in Belfast, or, having got wind of my pursuit, might be escaping in some other direction. It was not a comfortable reflection, not did it add to my comfort that among the passengers who crowded into my carriage, and helped to keep out my view of the booking-office door, was the gloomy, detective-looking individual whose demeanour had so disconcerted me during the first stage of this disastrous journey.