Page:The world's show, 1851, or, The adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Sandboys and family, who came up to London to "enjoy themselves", and to see the Great Exhibition (IA worldsshow1851or00mayh).pdf/51

 its tail was jointed and curled like the flexible tube to a cheap imitation of hookah.

Still there was one consolation: "Psyche" could not well be thinner—had it been a martyr to tight lacing, its waist could not have been smaller; but what effect starvation might have upon such an animal, was more than poor Elcy dare trust herself to conjecture. She felt convinced in her own mind that the skeleton of the poor dear dumb thing would be all that she should find of it when she reached the Metropolis.

No such thoughts, however, troubled the brain of her brother, who, what with playing practical jokes upon Postlethwaite—teazing his sister—coaxing his mother—and exploring the river Duddon, found plenty to occupy his time.

At length the hour for the arrival of the "up train" at the Holborn-hill station came round, and in a few minutes after, the family were being carried swiftly along the road to Carlisle.

It was night when they reached the Car'el station; but the Sandboys, unused to travelling, and tired out with the misadventures of the day, were all fast locked in sleep. Postlethwaite was the only one belonging to them whose eyes were open, but he unfortunately was—what he termed, with a natural desire to take the best possible view of his infirmity—a "little hard of hearing;" so that when the train stopped, and the porters paced the platform, shouting "Change here for Lancaster! Change here for London!" not one of the party heard the important summons; but, still dozing, were whirled away, in blissful ignorance, towards the capital of Scotland instead of England.

It was past midnight when the train halted for the collection of tickets, a little way out of Edinburgh. The letting-down of the carriage-window by the railway officer on the platform roused the still slumbering Mr. Sandboys.

"Tickets please! Tickets!" shouted the official, as he turned his bull's-eye full into the face of the yawning, dazzled, and bewildered Cursty. That gentleman proceeded with as much alacrity as he could, under the circumstances, to draw out from the bottom of his purse the several pieces of card-board which had been handed to him on paying his fare to town.

The collector no sooner glanced his eye at the tickets delivered to him, than he exclaimed, quickly, "These wont do, sir!—these here are for London, and this is Edinburgh."

"Edinburgh!" echoed Mr. Sandboys, his jaw dropping like a carriage dog's at the sound of the word.

"Edinburgh!" repeated Mrs. Sandboys! "Oh, Cursty—Oh, Cursty, what iver 'ull become of us aw."

"Edinburgh!" cried Jobby, waking up. Oh my! here's a lark, Elcy."

"Yes, sir, it's Edinburgh, sure enough," returned the railway official. "You should have changed carriages at Carlisle." Then, holding out his hand to the amazed Mr. Sandboys, who kept rubbing his eyes to rouse himself out of what he fancied must be a continua