I felt irritated to a degree that I could scarcely account for; and, rolling myself into a corner, I gazed steadfastly out into the country, as though an agent for a telegraph company em ployed to count the poles. _ The stranger, coolly collecting his lug gage and divesting himself of a courier bag which hung across his shoulder, pro ceeded, with the nonchalance of a s messenger, to prepare to smoke; and, having selected a cigar, and biting off the end, languidly observed. ' No objection to smoking t « This is not a smoking carriage, I re plied. •Eeally?' ♦ I object!' < Eeally ?' There was a cool impertinence in the tone that roused my anger, and 1 turned round and gazed at him. he was a well built, handsome man, apparently about fire and-thirty. His eyes were small and glittering as those of a rat. His mous tache very busby, and carefully pointed. He was dressed in a grey tweed travel ling suit; his gloves were yellow and in one hand he held a very handsome Russian leather cigar case, with the initials C. B. engraven thereon, in the other the un lighted cigar and fuzee. • Your objection shall not affect my re solve in the least, and I shall smoke.' So saying, he lifted his right foot, laid it delicately across his left knee, and ad justing the fuzee, rubbed it deliberate y against the dry leather of the sole The combustible portion of the match fell off « Confound it, the only one I had ; 1 must wait till we get to Canterbury. I was so eager for a contest with this man that this was a source of intense dis appointment. If I had had a light about me indeed I should have presented it to him for the purpose of bringing the ques tion to an issue. < I imagine if you tried you would nnd one, sir,' I sneered. ~,.„,. , , ♦ Can you give me a light t" he asked. • I cannot.' , , < Wait till we get to Canterbury, and I'll smoke dry as an Egyptian mummy, I shall.' This closed our conversation. I leaned back in the eorner of the carriage, an un accountable hatred against tins man en venoming every thought I did not stay to reason with myself. 