“Oh, I’m not afraid; and it will make an end of it. Here we are,” she cried, as they emerged suddenly into the moonlight. “Now give me your arm, please, and take me round to the back door. Eddy will be after us in a moment; it will be just the chance for him. That was all very well for ten minutes, but it would not do to carry it on all night. Oh!” she said, suddenly, “look! look!” They had come out suddenly upon the colonnade, and in a moment stood in another world. Far below the Clyde lay like molten silver, in a ripple of glistening movement, with the mass of trees, wholly denuded of their leaves, paving it in on either side. Into the opening glided in a moment a little pleasure boat, with a white sail catching the white blaze of the moon. It was wafted by in a moment, as they stood, appearing and disappearing like a bird across the silver tide. The sky, a wide, vast vault of blue, flaked with little white clouds, seemed to envelop and hold that little vignette of earth and sky. In the far distance was the darkness of heaven’s vault, the smoke of the town on the other side, with a few lights appearing out of it here and there. Rosamond, forgetting herself in the sudden sensation, pressed his arm with her fingers to call his attention. “Did you ever see it like that before?” she said. “Never!” said Archie, with a fervour of which he was not himself conscious, feeling as if all the evil conditions of life had vanished and paradise come. Was this another version of the cat and the mouse? END OF VOL. I. PRINTED BY F. A. BROCKHAUS, LEIPZIG. * * * * * The English Library No. 78 THE RAILWAY MAN AND HIS CHILDREN BY MRS. OLIPHANT _IN TWO VOLUMES_ _VOLUMES BY THE SAME AUTHOR PUBLISHED IN_ The English Library (_In the Press_) THE MARRIAGE OF ELINOR 2 Vols. _Copyright Edition_ THE RAILWAY MAN AND HIS CHILDREN BY MRS. OLIPHANT AUTHOR OF “_KIRSTEEN_,” “_WITHIN THE PRECINCTS_,” “_AT HIS GATES_,” _ETC._ _IN TWO VOLUMES_ VOLUME II. LEIPZIG HEINEMANN AND BALESTIER _LIMITED, LONDON_ 1892 THE RAILWAY MAN AND HIS CHILDREN CHAPTER XXV.