第2章

AndifMotheraskswhereIam，sayI’mplayingatmines。\" \"Whatsortofmines？\" \"Youjustsaymines。\" \"YoumighttellUS，Pete。\" \"Well，then，COAL—mines。Butdon’tyouletthewordpassyourlipsonpainoftorture。\" \"Youneedn’tthreaten，\"saidBobbie，\"andIdothinkyoumightletushelp。\" \"IfIfindacoal—mine，youshallhelpcartthecoal，\"Petercondescendedtopromise。 \"Keepyoursecretifyoulike，\"saidPhyllis。 \"KeepitifyouCAN，\"saidBobbie。 \"I’llkeepit，rightenough，\"saidPeter。 Betweenteaandsupperthereisanintervaleveninthemostgreedilyregulatedfamilies。AtthistimeMotherwasusuallywriting，andMrs。Vineyhadgonehome。 TwonightsafterthedawningofPeter’sideahebeckonedthegirlsmysteriouslyatthetwilighthour。 \"Comehitherwithme，\"hesaid，\"andbringtheRomanChariot。\" TheRomanChariotwasaveryoldperambulatorthathadspentyearsofretirementintheloftoverthecoach—house。Thechildrenhadoileditsworkstillitglidednoiselessasapneumaticbicycle，andansweredtothehelmasithadprobablydoneinitsbestdays。 \"Followyourdauntlessleader，\"saidPeter，andledthewaydownthehilltowardsthestation。 Justabovethestationmanyrockshavepushedtheirheadsoutthroughtheturfasthoughthey，likethechildren，wereinterestedintherailway。 Inalittlehollowbetweenthreerockslayaheapofdriedbramblesandheather。 Peterhalted，turnedoverthebrushwoodwithawell—scarredboot，andsaid：—— \"Here’sthefirstcoalfromtheSt。Peter’sMine。We’lltakeithomeinthechariot。Punctualityanddespatch。Allorderscarefullyattendedto。Anyshapedlumpcuttosuitregularcustomers。\" Thechariotwaspackedfullofcoal。Andwhenitwaspackedithadtobeunpackedagainbecauseitwassoheavythatitcouldn’tbegotupthehillbythethreechildren，notevenwhenPeterharnessedhimselftothehandlewithhisbraces，andfirmlygraspinghiswaistbandinonehandpulledwhilethegirlspushedbehind。 ThreejourneyshadtobemadebeforethecoalfromPeter’sminewasaddedtotheheapofMother’scoalinthecellar。 AfterwardsPeterwentoutalone，andcamebackveryblackandmysterious。 \"I’vebeentomycoal—mine，\"hesaid;\"to—morroweveningwe’llbringhometheblackdiamondsinthechariot。\" ItwasaweeklaterthatMrs。VineyremarkedtoMotherhowwellthislastlotofcoalwasholdingout。 Thechildrenhuggedthemselvesandeachotherincomplicatedwrigglesofsilentlaughterastheylistenedonthestairs。TheyhadallforgottenbynowthattherehadeverbeenanydoubtinPeter’smindastowhethercoal—miningwaswrong。 ButtherecameadreadfulnightwhentheStationMasterputonapairofoldsandshoesthathehadwornattheseasideinhissummerholiday，andcreptoutveryquietlytotheyardwheretheSodomandGomorrahheapofcoalwas，withthewhitewashedlineroundit。Hecreptoutthere，andhewaitedlikeacatbyamousehole。Onthetopoftheheapsomethingsmallanddarkwasscrabblingandrattlingfurtivelyamongthecoal。 TheStationMasterconcealedhimselfintheshadowofabrake—vanthathadalittletinchimneyandwaslabelled：—— G。N。andS。R。 34576 ReturnatoncetoWhiteHeatherSidingsandinthisconcealmenthelurkedtillthesmallthingonthetopoftheheapceasedtoscrabbleandrattle，cametotheedgeoftheheap，cautiouslyletitselfdown，andliftedsomethingafterit。 ThenthearmoftheStationMasterwasraised，thehandoftheStationMasterfellonacollar，andtherewasPeterfirmlyheldbythejacket，withanoldcarpenter’sbagfullofcoalinhistremblingclutch。 \"SoI’vecaughtyouatlast，haveI，youyoungthief？\"saidtheStationMaster。 \"I’mnotathief，\"saidPeter，asfirmlyashecould。\"I’macoal— miner。\" \"TellthattotheMarines，\"saidtheStationMaster。 \"ItwouldbejustastruewhoeverItolditto，\"saidPeter。 \"You’rerightthere，\"saidtheman，whoheldhim。\"Stowyourjaw，youyoungrip，andcomealongtothestation。\" \"Oh，no，\"criedinthedarknessanagonisedvoicethatwasnotPeter’s。 \"NotthePOLICEstation！\"saidanothervoicefromthedarkness。 \"Notyet，\"saidtheStationMaster。\"TheRailwayStationfirst。 Why，it’saregulargang。Anymoreofyou？\" \"Onlyus，\"saidBobbieandPhyllis，comingoutoftheshadowofanothertrucklabelledStaveleyColliery，andbearingonitthelegendinwhitechalk：’WantedinNo。1Road。’ \"Whatdoyoumeanbyspyingonafellowlikethis？\"saidPeter，angrily。 \"Timesomeonedidspyonyou，_I_think，\"saidtheStationMaster。 \"Comealongtothestation。\" \"Oh，DON’T！\"saidBobbie。\"Can’tyoudecideNOWwhatyou’lldotous？It’sourfaultjustasmuchasPeter’s。Wehelpedtocarrythecoalaway——andweknewwherehegotit。\" \"No，youdidn’t，\"saidPeter。 \"Yes，wedid，\"saidBobbie。\"Weknewallthetime。Weonlypretendedwedidn’tjusttohumouryou。\" Peter’scupwasfull。Hehadminedforcoal，hehadstruckcoal，hehadbeencaught，andnowhelearnedthathissistershad’humoured’ him。 \"Don’tholdme！\"hesaid。\"Iwon’trunaway。\" TheStationMasterloosedPeter’scollar，struckamatchandlookedatthembyitsflickeringlight。 \"Why，\"saidhe，\"you’rethechildrenfromtheThreeChimneysupyonder。Sonicelydressed，too。Tellmenow，whatmadeyoudosuchathing？Haven’tyoueverbeentochurchorlearnedyourcatechismoranything，nottoknowit’swickedtosteal？\"Hespokemuchmoregentlynow，andPetersaid：—— \"Ididn’tthinkitwasstealing。Iwasalmostsureitwasn’t。I thoughtifItookitfromtheoutsidepartoftheheap，perhapsitwouldbe。ButinthemiddleIthoughtIcouldfairlycountitonlymining。It’lltakethousandsofyearsforyoutoburnupallthatcoalandgettothemiddleparts。\" \"Notquite。Butdidyoudoitforalarkorwhat？\" \"Notmuchlarkcartingthatbeastlyheavystuffupthehill，\"saidPeter，indignantly。 \"Thenwhydidyou？\"TheStationMaster’svoicewassomuchkindernowthatPeterreplied：—— \"Youknowthatwetday？Well，Mothersaidweweretoopoortohaveafire。Wealwayshadfireswhenitwascoldatourotherhouse，and——\" \"DON’T！\"interruptedBobbie，inawhisper。 \"Well，\"saidtheStationMaster，rubbinghischinthoughtfully，\"I’lltellyouwhatI’lldo。I’lllookoveritthisonce。Butyouremember，younggentleman，stealingisstealing，andwhat’smineisn’tyours，whetheryoucallitminingorwhetheryoudon’t。Runalonghome。\" \"Doyoumeanyouaren’tgoingtodoanythingtous？Well，youareabrick，\"saidPeter，withenthusiasm。 \"You’readear，\"saidBobbie。 \"You’readarling，\"saidPhyllis。 \"That’sallright，\"saidtheStationMaster。 Andonthistheyparted。 \"Don’tspeaktome，\"saidPeter，asthethreewentupthehill。 \"You’respiesandtraitors——that’swhatyouare。\" ButthegirlsweretoogladtohavePeterbetweenthem，safeandfree，andonthewaytoThreeChimneysandnottothePoliceStation，tomindmuchwhathesaid。 \"WeDIDsayitwasusasmuchasyou，\"saidBobbie，gently。 \"Well——anditwasn’t。\" \"ItwouldhavecometothesamethinginCourtswithjudges，\"saidPhyllis。\"Don’tbesnarky，Peter。Itisn’tourfaultyoursecretsaresojollyeasytofindout。\"Shetookhisarm，andhelether。 \"There’sanawfullotofcoalinthecellar，anyhow，\"hewenton。 \"Oh，don’t！\"saidBobbie。\"Idon’tthinkweoughttobegladaboutTHAT。\" \"Idon’tknow，\"saidPeter，pluckingupaspirit。\"I’mnotatallsure，evennow，thatminingisacrime。\" Butthegirlswerequitesure。Andtheywerealsoquitesurethathewasquitesure，howeverlittlehecaredtoownit。 ChapterIII。Theoldgentleman。 AftertheadventureofPeter’sCoal—mine，itseemedwelltothechildrentokeepawayfromthestation——buttheydidnot，theycouldnot，keepawayfromtherailway。Theyhadlivedalltheirlivesinastreetwherecabsandomnibusesrumbledbyatallhours，andthecartsofbutchersandbakersandcandlestickmakers（Ineversawacandlestick—maker’scart;didyou？）mightoccuratanymoment。Hereinthedeepsilenceofthesleepingcountrytheonlythingsthatwentbywerethetrains。Theyseemedtobeallthatwaslefttolinkthechildrentotheoldlifethathadoncebeentheirs。 StraightdownthehillinfrontofThreeChimneysthedailypassageoftheirsixfeetbegantomarkapathacrossthecrisp，shortturf。 Theybegantoknowthehourswhencertaintrainspassed，andtheygavenamestothem。The9。15upwascalledtheGreenDragon。The10。7downwastheWormofWantley。Themidnighttownexpress，whoseshriekingrushtheysometimeswokefromtheirdreamstohear，wastheFearsomeFly—by—night。Petergotuponce，inchillstarshine，and，peepingatitthroughhiscurtains，nameditonthespot。 ItwasbytheGreenDragonthattheoldgentlemantravelled。Hewasaverynice—lookingoldgentleman，andhelookedasifhewerenice，too，whichisnotatallthesamething。Hehadafresh—coloured，clean—shavenfaceandwhitehair，andheworeratherodd—shapedcollarsandatop—hatthatwasn’texactlythesamekindasotherpeople’s。Ofcoursethechildrendidn’tseeallthisatfirst。Infactthefirstthingtheynoticedabouttheoldgentlemanwashishand。 ItwasonemorningastheysatonthefencewaitingfortheGreenDragon，whichwasthreeandaquarterminuteslatebyPeter’sWaterburywatchthathehadhadgivenhimonhislastbirthday。 \"TheGreenDragon’sgoingwhereFatheris，\"saidPhyllis;\"ifitwereareallyrealdragon，wecouldstopitandaskittotakeourlovetoFather。\" \"Dragonsdon’tcarrypeople’slove，\"saidPeter;\"they’dbeaboveit。\" \"Yes，theydo，ifyoutamethemthoroughlyfirst。Theyfetchandcarrylikepetspaniels，\"saidPhyllis，\"andfeedoutofyourhand。 IwonderwhyFatherneverwritestous。\" \"Mothersayshe’sbeentoobusy，\"saidBobbie;\"buthe’llwritesoon，shesays。\" \"Isay，\"Phyllissuggested，\"let’sallwavetotheGreenDragonasitgoesby。Ifit’samagicdragon，it’llunderstandandtakeourlovestoFather。Andifitisn’t，threewavesaren’tmuch。Weshallnevermissthem。\" SowhentheGreenDragontoreshriekingoutofthemouthofitsdarklair，whichwasthetunnel，allthreechildrenstoodontherailingandwavedtheirpocket—handkerchiefswithoutstoppingtothinkwhethertheywerecleanhandkerchiefsorthereverse。Theywere，asamatteroffact，verymuchthereverse。 Andoutofafirst—classcarriageahandwavedback。Aquitecleanhand。Itheldanewspaper。Itwastheoldgentleman’shand。 Afterthisitbecamethecustomforwavestobeexchangedbetweenthechildrenandthe9。15。 Andthechildren，especiallythegirls，likedtothinkthatperhapstheoldgentlemanknewFather，andwouldmeethim’inbusiness，’ whereverthatshadyretreatmightbe，andtellhimhowhisthreechildrenstoodonarailfarawayinthegreencountryandwavedtheirlovetohimeverymorning，wetorfine。 Fortheywerenowabletogooutinallsortsofweathersuchastheywouldneverhavebeenallowedtogooutinwhentheylivedintheirvillahouse。ThiswasAuntEmma’sdoing，andthechildrenfeltmoreandmorethattheyhadnotbeenquitefairtothisunattractiveaunt，whentheyfoundhowusefulwerethelonggaitersandwaterproofcoatsthattheyhadlaughedatherforbuyingforthem。 Mother，allthistime，wasverybusywithherwriting。Sheusedtosendoffagoodmanylongblueenvelopeswithstoriesinthem——andlargeenvelopesofdifferentsizesandcoloursusedtocometoher。 Sometimesshewouldsighwhensheopenedthemandsay：—— \"Anotherstorycomehometoroost。Oh，dear，Oh，dear！\"andthenthechildrenwouldbeverysorry。 Butsometimesshewouldwavetheenvelopeintheairandsay：—— \"Hooray，hooray。Here’sasensibleEditor。He’stakenmystoryandthisistheproofofit。\" Atfirstthechildrenthought’theProof’meanttheletterthesensibleEditorhadwritten，buttheypresentlygottoknowthattheproofwaslongslipsofpaperwiththestoryprintedonthem。 WheneveranEditorwassensibletherewerebunsfortea。 OnedayPeterwasgoingdowntothevillagetogetbunstocelebratethesensiblenessoftheEditoroftheChildren’sGlobe，whenhemettheStationMaster。 Peterfeltveryuncomfortable，forhehadnowhadtimetothinkovertheaffairofthecoal—mine。Hedidnotliketosay\"Goodmorning\" totheStationMaster，asyouusuallydotoanyoneyoumeetonalonelyroad，becausehehadahotfeeling，whichspreadeventohisears，thattheStationMastermightnotcaretospeaktoapersonwhohadstolencoals。’Stolen’isanastyword，butPeterfeltitwastherightone。Sohelookeddown，andsaidNothing。 ItwastheStationMasterwhosaid\"Goodmorning\"ashepassedby。 AndPeteranswered，\"Goodmorning。\"Thenhethought：—— \"Perhapshedoesn’tknowwhoIambydaylight，orhewouldn’tbesopolite。\" Andhedidnotlikethefeelingwhichthinkingthisgavehim。AndthenbeforeheknewwhathewasgoingtodoheranaftertheStationMaster，whostoppedwhenheheardPeter’shastybootscrunchingtheroad，andcomingupwithhimverybreathlessandwithhisearsnowquitemagenta—coloured，hesaid：—— \"Idon’twantyoutobepolitetomeifyoudon’tknowmewhenyouseeme。\" \"Eh？\"saidtheStationMaster。 \"Ithoughtperhapsyoudidn’tknowitwasmethattookthecoals，\" Peterwenton，\"whenyousaid’Goodmorning。’Butitwas，andI’msorry。There。\" \"Why，\"saidtheStationMaster，\"Iwasn’tthinkinganythingatallaboutthepreciouscoals。Letbygonesbebygones。Andwherewereyouofftoinsuchahurry？\" \"I’mgoingtobuybunsfortea，\"saidPeter。 \"Ithoughtyouwereallsopoor，\"saidtheStationMaster。 \"Soweare，\"saidPeter，confidentially，\"butwealwayshavethreepennyworthofhalfpenniesforteawheneverMothersellsastoryorapoemoranything。\" \"Oh，\"saidtheStationMaster，\"soyourMotherwritesstories，doesshe？\" \"Thebeautifulestyoueverread，\"saidPeter。 \"YououghttobeveryproudtohavesuchacleverMother。\" \"Yes，\"saidPeter，\"butsheusedtoplaywithusmorebeforeshehadtobesoclever。\" \"Well，\"saidtheStationMaster，\"Imustbegettingalong。YougiveusalookinattheStationwheneveryoufeelsoinclined。Andastocoals，it’sawordthat——well——oh，no，wenevermentionit，eh？\" \"Thankyou，\"saidPeter。\"I’mverygladit’sallstraightenedoutbetweenus。\"Andhewentonacrossthecanalbridgetothevillagetogetthebuns，feelingmorecomfortableinhismindthanhehadfeltsincethehandoftheStationMasterhadfastenedonhiscollarthatnightamongthecoals。 NextdaywhentheyhadsentthethreefoldwaveofgreetingtoFatherbytheGreenDragon，andtheoldgentlemanhadwavedbackasusual，Peterproudlyledthewaytothestation。 \"Butoughtwe？\"saidBobbie。 \"Afterthecoals，shemeans，\"Phyllisexplained。 \"ImettheStationMasteryesterday，\"saidPeter，inanoffhandway，andhepretendednottohearwhatPhyllishadsaid;\"heexpresspeciallyinvitedustogodownanytimeweliked。\" \"Afterthecoals？\"repeatedPhyllis。\"Stopaminute——mybootlaceisundoneagain。\" \"ItalwaysISundoneagain，\"saidPeter，\"andtheStationMasterwasmoreofagentlemanthanyou’lleverbe，Phil——throwingcoalatachap’sheadlikethat。\" Phyllisdidupherbootlaceandwentoninsilence，buthershouldersshook，andpresentlyafattearfelloffhernoseandsplashedonthemetaloftherailwayline。Bobbiesawit。 \"Why，what’sthematter，darling？\"shesaid，stoppingshortandputtingherarmroundtheheavingshoulders。 \"Hecalledmeun—un—ungentlemanly，\"sobbedPhyllis。\"Ididn’tnevercallhimunladylike，notevenwhenhetiedmyClorindatothefirewoodbundleandburnedheratthestakeforamartyr。\" Peterhadindeedperpetratedthisoutrageayearortwobefore。 \"Well，youbegan，youknow，\"saidBobbie，honestly，\"aboutcoalsandallthat。Don’tyouthinkyou’dbetterbothunsayeverythingsincethewave，andlethonourbesatisfied？\" \"IwillifPeterwill，\"saidPhyllis，sniffling。 \"Allright，\"saidPeter;\"honourissatisfied。Here，usemyhankie，Phil，forgoodness’sake，ifyou’velostyoursasusual。Iwonderwhatyoudowiththem。\" \"Youhadmylastone，\"saidPhyllis，indignantly，\"totieuptherabbit—hutchdoorwith。Butyou’reveryungrateful。It’squiterightwhatitsaysinthepoetrybookaboutsharperthanaserpentitistohaveatoothlesschild——butitmeansungratefulwhenitsaystoothless。MissLowetoldmeso。\" \"Allright，\"saidPeter，impatiently，\"I’msorry。THERE！Nowwillyoucomeon？\" TheyreachedthestationandspentajoyoustwohourswiththePorter。Hewasaworthymanandseemednevertiredofansweringthequestionsthatbeginwith\"Why——\"whichmanypeopleinhigherranksoflifeoftenseemwearyof。 Hetoldthemmanythingsthattheyhadnotknownbefore——as，forinstance，thatthethingsthathookcarriagestogetherarecalledcouplings，andthatthepipeslikegreatserpentsthathangoverthecouplingsaremeanttostopthetrainwith。 \"Ifyoucouldgetaholtofoneo’themwhenthetrainisgoingandpull’emapart，\"saidhe，\"she’dstopdeadoffwithajerk。\" \"Who’sshe？\"saidPhyllis。 \"Thetrain，ofcourse，\"saidthePorter。Afterthatthetrainwasneveragain’It’tothechildren。 \"Andyouknowthethinginthecarriageswhereitsaysonit，’Fivepounds’fineforimproperuse。’Ifyouwastoimproperlyusethat，thetrain’udstop。\" \"Andifyouuseditproperly？\"saidRoberta。 \"It’udstopjustthesame，Isuppose，\"saidhe，\"butitisn’tproperuseunlessyou’rebeingmurdered。Therewasanoldladyonce——someonekiddedheronitwasarefreshment—roombell，andsheuseditimproper，notbeingindangerofherlife，thoughhungry，andwhenthetrainstoppedandtheguardcamealongexpectingtofindsomeonewelteringintheirlastmoments，shesays，\"Oh，please，Mister，I’lltakeaglassofstoutandabathbun，\"shesays。Andthetrainwassevenminutesbehindhertimeasitwas。\" \"Whatdidtheguardsaytotheoldlady？\" \"_I_dunno，\"repliedthePorter，\"butIlayshedidn’tforgetitinahurry，whateveritwas。\" Insuchdelightfulconversationthetimewentbyalltooquickly。 TheStationMastercameoutonceortwicefromthatsacredinnertemplebehindtheplacewheretheholeisthattheysellyouticketsthrough，andwasmostjollywiththemall。 \"Justasifcoalhadneverbeendiscovered，\"Phylliswhisperedtohersister。 Hegavethemeachanorange，andpromisedtotakethemupintothesignal—boxoneofthesedays，whenhewasn’tsobusy。 Severaltrainswentthroughthestation，andPeternoticedforthefirsttimethatengineshavenumbersonthem，likecabs。 \"Yes，\"saidthePorter，\"Iknowedayounggentasusedtotakedownthenumbersofeverysingleoneheseed;inagreennote—bookwithsilvercornersitwas，owingtohisfatherbeingverywell—to—dointhewholesalestationery。\" Peterfeltthathecouldtakedownnumbers，too，evenifhewasnotthesonofawholesalestationer。Ashedidnothappentohaveagreenleathernote—bookwithsilvercorners，thePortergavehimayellowenvelopeandonithenoted：—— 379 663 andfeltthatthiswasthebeginningofwhatwouldbeamostinterestingcollection。 ThatnightatteaheaskedMotherifshehadagreenleathernote— bookwithsilvercorners。Shehadnot;butwhensheheardwhathewanteditforshegavehimalittleblackone。 \"Ithasafewpagestornout，\"saidshe;\"butitwillholdquitealotofnumbers，andwhenit’sfullI’llgiveyouanother。I’msogladyouliketherailway。Only，please，youmustn’twalkontheline。\" \"Notifwefacethewaythetrain’scoming？\"askedPeter，afteragloomypause，inwhichglancesofdespairwereexchanged。 \"No——reallynot，\"saidMother。 ThenPhyllissaid，\"Mother，didn’tYOUeverwalkontherailwaylineswhenyouwerelittle？\" MotherwasanhonestandhonourableMother，soshehadtosay，\"Yes。\" \"Well，then，\"saidPhyllis。 \"But，darlings，youdon’tknowhowfondIamofyou。WhatshouldI doifyougothurt？\" \"AreyoufonderofusthanGrannywasofyouwhenyouwerelittle？\" Phyllisasked。Bobbiemadesignstohertostop，butPhyllisneverdidseesigns，nomatterhowplaintheymightbe。 Motherdidnotanswerforaminute。Shegotuptoputmorewaterintheteapot。 \"Noone，\"shesaidatlast，\"everlovedanyonemorethanmymotherlovedme。\" Thenshewasquietagain，andBobbiekickedPhyllishardunderthetable，becauseBobbieunderstoodalittlebitthethoughtsthatweremakingMothersoquiet——thethoughtsofthetimewhenMotherwasalittlegirlandwasalltheworldtoHERmother。ItseemssoeasyandnaturaltoruntoMotherwhenoneisintrouble。Bobbieunderstoodalittlehowpeopledonotleaveoffrunningtotheirmotherswhentheyareintroubleevenwhentheyaregrownup，andshethoughtsheknewalittlewhatitmustbetobesad，andhavenomothertoruntoanymore。 SoshekickedPhyllis，whosaid：—— \"Whatareyoukickingmelikethatfor，Bob？\" AndthenMotherlaughedalittleandsighedandsaid：—— \"Verywell，then。Onlyletmebesureyoudoknowwhichwaythetrainscome——anddon’twalkonthelinenearthetunnelornearcorners。\" \"Trainskeeptotheleftlikecarriages，\"saidPeter，\"soifwekeeptotheright，we’reboundtoseethemcoming。\" \"Verywell，\"saidMother，andIdaresayyouthinkthatsheoughtnottohavesaidit。Butsherememberedaboutwhenshewasalittlegirlherself，andshedidsayit——andneitherherownchildrennoryounoranyotherchildrenintheworldcouldeverunderstandexactlywhatitcosthertodoit。Onlysomefewofyou，likeBobbie，mayunderstandaverylittlebit。 ItwastheverynextdaythatMotherhadtostayinbedbecauseherheadachedso。Herhandswereburninghot，andshewouldnoteatanything，andherthroatwasverysore。 \"IfIwasyou，Mum，\"saidMrs。Viney，\"Ishouldtakeandsendforthedoctor。There’salotofcatchycomplaintsa—goingaboutjustnow。Mysister’seldest——shetookachillanditwenttoherinside，twoyearsagocomeChristmas，andshe’sneverbeenthesamegellsince。\" Motherwouldn’tatfirst，butintheeveningshefeltsomuchworsethatPeterwassenttothehouseinthevillagethathadthreelaburnumtreesbythegate，andonthegateabrassplatewithW。W。 Forrest，M。D。，onit。 W。W。Forrest，M。D。，cameatonce。HetalkedtoPeteronthewayback。Heseemedamostcharmingandsensibleman，interestedinrailways，andrabbits，andreallyimportantthings。 WhenhehadseenMother，hesaiditwasinfluenza。 \"Now，LadyGrave—airs，\"hesaidinthehalltoBobbie，\"Isupposeyou’llwanttobehead—nurse。\" \"Ofcourse，\"saidshe。 \"Well，then，I’llsenddownsomemedicine。Keepupagoodfire。 Havesomestrongbeefteamadereadytogiveherassoonasthefevergoesdown。Shecanhavegrapesnow，andbeefessence——andsoda—waterandmilk，andyou’dbettergetinabottleofbrandy。 Thebestbrandy。Cheapbrandyisworsethanpoison。\" Sheaskedhimtowriteitalldown，andhedid。 WhenBobbieshowedMotherthelisthehadwritten，Motherlaughed。 ItWASalaugh，Bobbiedecided，thoughitwasratheroddandfeeble。 \"Nonsense，\"saidMother，layinginbedwitheyesasbrightasbeads。 \"Ican’taffordallthatrubbish。TellMrs。Vineytoboiltwopoundsofscrag—endoftheneckforyourdinnersto—morrow，andI canhavesomeofthebroth。Yes，Ishouldlikesomemorewaternow，love。Andwillyougetabasinandspongemyhands？\" Robertaobeyed。WhenshehaddoneeverythingshecouldtomakeMotherlessuncomfortable，shewentdowntotheothers。Hercheekswereveryred，herlipssettight，andhereyesalmostasbrightasMother’s。 ShetoldthemwhattheDoctorhadsaid，andwhatMotherhadsaid。 \"Andnow，\"saidshe，whenshehadtoldall，\"there’snoonebutustodoanything，andwe’vegottodoit。I’vegottheshillingforthemutton。\" \"Wecandowithoutthebeastlymutton，\"saidPeter;\"breadandbutterwillsupportlife。Peoplehavelivedonlessondesertislandsmanyatime。\" \"Ofcourse，\"saidhissister。AndMrs。Vineywassenttothevillagetogetasmuchbrandyandsoda—waterandbeefteaasshecouldbuyforashilling。 \"Butevenifweneverhaveanythingtoeatatall，\"saidPhyllis，\"youcan’tgetallthoseotherthingswithourdinnermoney。\" \"No，\"saidBobbie，frowning，\"wemustfindoutsomeotherway。NowTHINK，everybody，justashardaseveryoucan。\" Theydidthink。Andpresentlytheytalked。Andlater，whenBobbiehadgoneuptositwithMotherincaseshewantedanything，theothertwowereverybusywithscissorsandawhitesheet，andapaintbrush，andthepotofBrunswickblackthatMrs。Vineyusedforgratesandfenders。Theydidnotmanagetodowhattheywished，exactly，withthefirstsheet，sotheytookanotheroutofthelinencupboard。Itdidnotoccurtothemthattheywerespoilinggoodsheetswhichcostgoodmoney。Theyonlyknewthattheyweremakingagood——butwhattheyweremakingcomeslater。 Bobbie’sbedhadbeenmovedintoMother’sroom，andseveraltimesinthenightshegotuptomendthefire，andtogivehermothermilkandsoda—water。Mothertalkedtoherselfagooddeal，butitdidnotseemtomeananything。Andonceshewokeupsuddenlyandcalledout：\"Mamma，mamma！\"andBobbieknewshewascallingforGranny，andthatshehadforgottenthatitwasnousecalling，becauseGrannywasdead。 IntheearlymorningBobbieheardhernameandjumpedoutofbedandrantoMother’sbedside。 \"Oh——ah，yes——IthinkIwasasleep，\"saidMother。\"Mypoorlittleduck，howtiredyou’llbe——Idohatetogiveyouallthistrouble。\" \"Trouble！\"saidBobbie。 \"Ah，don’tcry，sweet，\"Mothersaid;\"Ishallbeallrightinadayortwo。\" AndBobbiesaid，\"Yes，\"andtriedtosmile。 Whenyouareusedtotenhoursofsolidsleep，togetupthreeorfourtimesinyoursleep—timemakesyoufeelasthoughyouhadbeenupallnight。Bobbiefeltquitestupidandhereyesweresoreandstiff，butshetidiedtheroom，andarrangedeverythingneatlybeforetheDoctorcame。 Thiswasathalf—pasteight。 \"Everythinggoingonallright，littleNurse？\"hesaidatthefrontdoor。\"Didyougetthebrandy？\" \"I’vegotthebrandy，\"saidBobbie，\"inalittleflatbottle。\" \"Ididn’tseethegrapesorthebeeftea，though，\"saidhe。 \"No，\"saidBobbie，firmly，\"butyouwillto—morrow。Andthere’ssomebeefstewingintheovenforbeeftea。\" \"Whotoldyoutodothat？\"heasked。 \"InoticedwhatMotherdidwhenPhilhadmumps。\" \"Right，\"saidtheDoctor。\"Nowyougetyouroldwomantositwithyourmother，andthenyoueatagoodbreakfast，andgostraighttobedandsleeptilldinner—time。Wecan’taffordtohavethehead— nurseill。\" Hewasreallyquiteanicedoctor。 Whenthe9。15cameoutofthetunnelthatmorningtheoldgentlemaninthefirst—classcarriageputdownhisnewspaper，andgotreadytowavehishandtothethreechildrenonthefence。Butthismorningtherewerenotthree。Therewasonlyone。AndthatwasPeter。 Peterwasnotontherailingseither，asusual。Hewasstandinginfrontoftheminanattitudelikethatofashow—manshowingofftheanimalsinamenagerie，orofthekindclergymanwhenhepointswithawandatthe’ScenesfromPalestine，’whenthereisamagic—lanternandheisexplainingit。 Peterwaspointing，too。Andwhathewaspointingatwasalargewhitesheetnailedagainstthefence。Onthesheettherewerethickblacklettersmorethanafootlong。 Someofthemhadrunalittle，becauseofPhyllishavingputtheBrunswickblackontooeagerly，butthewordswerequiteeasytoread。 Andthiswhattheoldgentlemanandseveralotherpeopleinthetrainreadinthelargeblacklettersonthewhitesheet：—— LOOKOUTATTHESTATION。 Agoodmanypeopledidlookoutatthestationandweredisappointed，fortheysawnothingunusual。Theoldgentlemanlookedout，too，andatfirsthetoosawnothingmoreunusualthanthegravelledplatformandthesunshineandthewallflowersandforget—me—notsinthestationborders。ItwasonlyjustasthetrainwasbeginningtopuffandpullitselftogethertostartagainthathesawPhyllis。Shewasquiteoutofbreathwithrunning。 \"Oh，\"shesaid，\"IthoughtI’dmissedyou。MybootlaceswouldkeepcomingdownandIfelloverthemtwice。Here，takeit。\" Shethrustawarm，dampishletterintohishandasthetrainmoved。 Heleanedbackinhiscornerandopenedtheletter。Thisiswhatheread：—— \"DearMr。Wedonotknowyourname。 Motherisillandthedoctorsaystogiveherthethingsattheendoftheletter，butshesaysshecan’tafordit，andtogetmuttonforusandshewillhavethebroth。Wedonotknowanybodyherebutyou，becauseFatherisawayandwedonotknowtheaddress。Fatherwillpayyou，orifhehaslostallhismoney，oranything，Peterwillpayyouwhenheisaman。Wepromiseitonourhoner。I。O。U。 forallthethingsMotherwants。 \"sinedPeter。 \"WillyougivetheparseltotheStationMaster，becauseofusnotknowingwhattrainyoucomedownby？SayitisforPeterthatwassorryaboutthecoalsandhewillknowallright。 \"Roberta。 \"Phyllis。 \"Peter。\" ThencamethelistofthingstheDoctorhadordered。 Theoldgentlemanreaditthroughonce，andhiseyebrowswentup。 Hereadittwiceandsmiledalittle。Whenhehadreaditthrice，heputitinhispocketandwentonreadingTheTimes。 Ataboutsixthateveningtherewasaknockatthebackdoor。Thethreechildrenrushedtoopenit，andtherestoodthefriendlyPorter，whohadtoldthemsomanyinterestingthingsaboutrailways。 Hedumpeddownabighamperonthekitchenflags。 \"Oldgent，\"hesaid;\"heaskedmetofetchitupstraightaway。\" \"Thankyouverymuch，\"saidPeter，andthen，asthePorterlingered，headded：—— \"I’mmostawfullysorryIhaven’tgottwopencetogiveyoulikeFatherdoes，but——\" \"Youdropitifyouplease，\"saidthePorter，indignantly。\"I wasn’tthinkingaboutnotuppences。IonlywantedtosayIwassorryyourMammawasn’tsowell，andtoaskhowshefindsherselfthisevening——andI’vefetchedheralongabitofsweetbrier，verysweettosmellitis。Twopenceindeed，\"saidhe，andproducedabunchofsweetbrierfromhishat，\"justlikeaconjurer，\"asPhyllisremarkedafterwards。 \"Thankyouverymuch，\"saidPeter，\"andIbegyourpardonaboutthetwopence。\" \"Nooffence，\"saidthePorter，untrulybutpolitely，andwent。 Thenthechildrenundidthehamper。Firsttherewasstraw，andthentherewerefineshavings，andthencameallthethingstheyhadaskedfor，andplentyofthem，andthenagoodmanythingstheyhadnotaskedfor;amongotherspeachesandportwineandtwochickens，acardboardboxofbigredroseswithlongstalks，andatallthingreenbottleoflavenderwater，andthreesmallerfatterbottlesofeau—de—Cologne。Therewasaletter，too。 \"DearRobertaandPhyllisandPeter，\"itsaid;\"herearethethingsyouwant。Yourmotherwillwanttoknowwheretheycamefrom。Tellhertheyweresentbyafriendwhoheardshewasill。Whensheiswellagainyoumusttellherallaboutit，ofcourse。Andifshesaysyououghtnottohaveaskedforthethings，tellherthatIsayyouwerequiteright，andthatIhopeshewillforgivemefortakingthelibertyofallowingmyselfaverygreatpleasure。\" TheletterwassignedG。P。somethingthatthechildrencouldn’tread。 \"IthinkweWEREright，\"saidPhyllis。 \"Right？Ofcoursewewereright，\"saidBobbie。 \"Allthesame，\"saidPeter，withhishandsinhispockets，\"Idon’texactlylookforwardtotellingMotherthewholetruthaboutit。\" \"We’renottodoittillshe’swell，\"saidBobbie，\"andwhenshe’swellweshallbesohappyweshan’tmindalittlefusslikethat。 Oh，justlookattheroses！Imusttakethemuptoher。\" \"Andthesweetbrier，\"saidPhyllis，sniffingitloudly;\"don’tforgetthesweetbrier。\" \"AsifIshould！\"saidRoberta。\"Mothertoldmetheotherdaytherewasathickhedgeofitathermother’shousewhenshewasalittlegirl。\" ChapterIV。Theengine—burglar。 WhatwasleftofthesecondsheetandtheBrunswickblackcameinverynicelytomakeabannerbearingthelegendSHEISNEARLYWELLTHANKYOU andthiswasdisplayedtotheGreenDragonaboutafortnightafterthearrivalofthewonderfulhamper。Theoldgentlemansawit，andwavedacheerfulresponsefromthetrain。AndwhenthishadbeendonethechildrensawthatnowwasthetimewhentheymusttellMotherwhattheyhaddonewhenshewasill。Anditdidnotseemnearlysoeasyastheyhadthoughtitwouldbe。Butithadtobedone。Anditwasdone。Motherwasextremelyangry。Shewasseldomangry，andnowshewasangrierthantheyhadeverknownher。Thiswashorrible。Butitwasmuchworsewhenshesuddenlybegantocry。 Cryingiscatching，Ibelieve，likemeaslesandwhooping—cough。Atanyrate，everyoneatoncefounditselftakingpartinacrying— party。 Motherstoppedfirst。Shedriedhereyesandthenshesaid：—— \"I’msorryIwassoangry，darlings，becauseIknowyoudidn’tunderstand。\" \"Wedidn’tmeantobenaughty，Mammy，\"sobbedBobbie，andPeterandPhyllissniffed。 \"Now，listen，\"saidMother;\"it’squitetruethatwe’repoor，butwehaveenoughtoliveon。Youmustn’tgotellingeveryoneaboutouraffairs——it’snotright。Andyoumustnever，never，neveraskstrangerstogiveyouthings。Nowalwaysrememberthat——won’tyou？\" Theyallhuggedherandrubbedtheirdampcheeksagainsthersandpromisedthattheywould。 \"AndI’llwritealettertoyouroldgentleman，andIshalltellhimthatIdidn’tapprove——oh，ofcourseIshallthankhim，too，forhiskindness。It’sYOUIdon’tapproveof，mydarlings，nottheoldgentleman。Hewasaskindaseverhecouldbe。AndyoucangivethelettertotheStationMastertogivehim——andwewon’tsayanymoreaboutit。\" Afterwards，whenthechildrenwerealone，Bobbiesaid：—— \"Isn’tMothersplendid？Youcatchanyothergrown—upsayingtheyweresorrytheyhadbeenangry。\" \"Yes，\"saidPeter，\"sheISsplendid;butit’sratherawfulwhenshe’sangry。\" \"She’slikeAvengingandBrightinthesong，\"saidPhyllis。\"I shouldliketolookatherifitwasn’tsoawful。Shelookssobeautifulwhenshe’sreallydownrightfurious。\" TheytooktheletterdowntotheStationMaster。 \"Ithoughtyousaidyouhadn’tgotanyfriendsexceptinLondon，\" saidhe。 \"We’vemadehimsince，\"saidPeter。 \"Buthedoesn’tlivehereabouts？\" \"No——wejustknowhimontherailway。\" ThentheStationMasterretiredtothatsacredinnertemplebehindthelittlewindowwheretheticketsaresold，andthechildrenwentdowntothePorters’roomandtalkedtothePorter。Theylearnedseveralinterestingthingsfromhim——amongothersthathisnamewasPerks，thathewasmarriedandhadthreechildren，thatthelampsinfrontofenginesarecalledhead—lightsandtheonesatthebacktail—lights。 \"Andthatjustshows，\"whisperedPhyllis，\"thattrainsreallyARE dragonsindisguise，withproperheadsandtails。\" Itwasonthisdaythatthechildrenfirstnoticedthatallenginesarenotalike。 \"Alike？\"saidthePorter，whosenamewasPerks，\"lor，loveyou，no，Miss。Nomorealikenorwhatyouan’meare。Thatlittle’unwithoutatenderaswentbyjustnowallonherown，thatwasatank，thatwas——she’sofftodosomeshuntingt’othersideo’ Maidbridge。That’sasitmightbeyou，Miss。Thenthere’sgoodsengines，great，strongthingswiththreewheelseachside——joinedwithrodstostrengthen’em——asitmightbeme。Thenthere’smain— lineenginesasitmightbethis’ereyounggentlemanwhenhegrowsupandwinsalltheracesat’isschool——sohewill。Themain—lineengineshe’sbuiltforspeedaswellaspower。That’sonetothe9。15up。\" \"TheGreenDragon，\"saidPhyllis。 \"WecallshertheSnail，Miss，amongourselves，\"saidthePorter。 \"She’softenerbe’ind’andnoranytrainontheline。\" \"Buttheengine’sgreen，\"saidPhyllis。 \"Yes，Miss，\"saidPerks，\"so’sasnailsomeseasonso’theyear。\" ThechildrenagreedastheywenthometodinnerthatthePorterwasmostdelightfulcompany。 NextdaywasRoberta’sbirthday。Intheafternoonshewaspolitelybutfirmlyrequestedtogetoutofthewayandkeeptheretilltea— time。 \"Youaren’ttoseewhatwe’regoingtodotillit’sdone;it’saglorioussurprise，\"saidPhyllis。 AndRobertawentoutintothegardenallalone。Shetriedtobegrateful，butshefeltshewouldmuchratherhavehelpedinwhateveritwasthanhavetospendherbirthdayafternoonbyherself，nomatterhowgloriousthesurprisemightbe。 Nowthatshewasalone，shehadtimetothink，andoneofthethingsshethoughtofmostwaswhatmotherhadsaidinoneofthosefeverishnightswhenherhandsweresohotandhereyessobright。 Thewordswere：\"Oh，whatadoctor’sbillthere’llbeforthis！\" Shewalkedroundandroundthegardenamongtherose—bushesthathadn’tanyrosesyet，onlybuds，andthelilacbushesandsyringasandAmericancurrants，andthemoreshethoughtofthedoctor’sbill，thelessshelikedthethoughtofit。 Andpresentlyshemadeuphermind。Shewentoutthroughthesidedoorofthegardenandclimbedupthesteepfieldtowheretheroadrunsalongbythecanal。Shewalkedalonguntilshecametothebridgethatcrossesthecanalandleadstothevillage，andhereshewaited。Itwasverypleasantinthesunshinetoleanone’selbowsonthewarmstoneofthebridgeandlookdownatthebluewaterofthecanal。Bobbiehadneverseenanyothercanal，excepttheRegent’sCanal，andthewaterofthatisnotatallaprettycolour。 AndshehadneverseenanyriveratallexcepttheThames，whichalsowouldbeallthebetterifitsfacewaswashed。 Perhapsthechildrenwouldhavelovedthecanalasmuchastherailway，butfortwothings。OnewasthattheyhadfoundtherailwayFIRST——onthatfirst，wonderfulmorningwhenthehouseandthecountryandthemoorsandrocksandgreathillswereallnewtothem。Theyhadnotfoundthecanaltillsomedayslater。Theotherreasonwasthateveryoneontherailwayhadbeenkindtothem——theStationMaster，thePorter，andtheoldgentlemanwhowaved。Andthepeopleonthecanalwereanythingbutkind。 Thepeopleonthecanalwere，ofcourse，thebargees，whosteeredtheslowbargesupanddown，orwalkedbesidetheoldhorsesthattrampledupthemudofthetowing—path，andstrainedatthelongtow—ropes。 Peterhadonceaskedoneofthebargeesthetime，andhadbeentoldto\"getoutofthat，\"inatonesofiercethathedidnotstoptosayanythingabouthishavingjustasmuchrightonthetowing—pathasthemanhimself。Indeed，hedidnoteventhinkofsayingittillsometimelater。 Thenanotherdaywhenthechildrenthoughttheywouldliketofishinthecanal，aboyinabargethrewlumpsofcoalatthem，andoneofthesehitPhyllisonthebackoftheneck。Shewasjuststoopingdowntotieupherbootlace——andthoughthecoalhardlyhurtatallitmadehernotcareverymuchaboutgoingonfishing。 Onthebridge，however，Robertafeltquitesafe，becauseshecouldlookdownonthecanal，andifanyboyshowedsignsofmeaningtothrowcoal，shecouldduckbehindtheparapet。 Presentlytherewasasoundofwheels，whichwasjustwhatsheexpected。 ThewheelswerethewheelsoftheDoctor’sdogcart，andinthecart，ofcourse，wastheDoctor。 Hepulledup，andcalledout：—— \"Hullo，headnurse！Wantalift？\" \"Iwantedtoseeyou，\"saidBobbie。 \"Yourmother’snotworse，Ihope？\"saidtheDoctor。 \"No——but——\" \"Well，skipin，then，andwe’llgoforadrive。\" Robertaclimbedinandthebrownhorsewasmadetoturnround——whichitdidnotlikeatall，foritwaslookingforwardtoitstea——I meanitsoats。 \"ThisISjolly，\"saidBobbie，asthedogcartflewalongtheroadbythecanal。 \"Wecouldthrowastonedownanyoneofyourthreechimneys，\"saidtheDoctor，astheypassedthehouse。 \"Yes，\"saidBobbie，\"butyou’dhavetobeajollygoodshot。\" \"HowdoyouknowI’mnot？\"saidtheDoctor。\"Now，then，what’sthetrouble？\" Bobbiefidgetedwiththehookofthedrivingapron。 \"Come，outwithit，\"saidtheDoctor。 \"It’sratherhard，yousee，\"saidBobbie，\"tooutwithit;becauseofwhatMothersaid。\" \"WhatDIDMothersay？\" \"ShesaidIwasn’ttogotellingeveryonethatwe’repoor。Butyouaren’teveryone，areyou？\" \"Notatall，\"saidtheDoctor，cheerfully。\"Well？\" \"Well，Iknowdoctorsareveryextravagant——Imeanexpensive，andMrs。VineytoldmethatherdoctoringonlycosthertwopenceaweekbecauseshebelongedtoaClub。\" \"Yes？\" \"Youseeshetoldmewhatagooddoctoryouwere，andIaskedherhowshecouldaffordyou，becauseshe’smuchpoorerthanweare。