第3章

I’vebeeninherhouseandIknow。AndthenshetoldmeabouttheClub，andIthoughtI’daskyou——and——oh，Idon’twantMothertobeworried！Can’twebeintheClub，too，thesameasMrs。Viney？\" TheDoctorwassilent。Hewasratherpoorhimself，andhehadbeenpleasedatgettinganewfamilytoattend。SoIthinkhisfeelingsatthatminutewererathermixed。 \"Youaren’tcrosswithme，areyou？\"saidBobbie，inaverysmallvoice。 TheDoctorrousedhimself。 \"Cross？HowcouldIbe？You’reaverysensiblelittlewoman。Nowlookhere，don’tyouworry。I’llmakeitallrightwithyourMother，evenifIhavetomakeaspecialbrand—newCluballforher。 Lookhere，thisiswheretheAqueductbegins。\" \"What’sanAque——what’sitsname？\"askedBobbie。 \"Awaterbridge，\"saidtheDoctor。\"Look。\" Theroadrosetoabridgeoverthecanal。Totheleftwasasteeprockycliffwithtreesandshrubsgrowinginthecracksoftherock。 Andthecanalhereleftoffrunningalongthetopofthehillandstartedtorunonabridgeofitsown——agreatbridgewithtallarchesthatwentrightacrossthevalley。 Bobbiedrewalongbreath。 \"ItISgrand，isn’tit？\"shesaid。\"It’slikepicturesintheHistoryofRome。\" \"Right！\"saidtheDoctor，\"that’sjustexactlywhatitISlike。TheRomansweredeadnutsonaqueducts。It’sasplendidpieceofengineering。\" \"Ithoughtengineeringwasmakingengines。\" \"Ah，therearedifferentsortsofengineering——makingroadandbridgesandtunnelsisonekind。Andmakingfortificationsisanother。Well，wemustbeturningback。And，remember，youaren’ttoworryaboutdoctor’sbillsoryou’llbeillyourself，andthenI’llsendyouinabillaslongastheaqueduct。\" WhenBobbiehadpartedfromtheDoctoratthetopofthefieldthatrandownfromtheroadtoThreeChimneys，shecouldnotfeelthatshehaddonewrong。SheknewthatMotherwouldperhapsthinkdifferently。ButBobbiefeltthatforonceshewastheonewhowasright，andshescrambleddowntherockyslopewithareallyhappyfeeling。 PhyllisandPetermetheratthebackdoor。Theywereunnaturallycleanandneat，andPhyllishadaredbowinherhair。TherewasonlyjusttimeforBobbietomakeherselftidyandtieupherhairwithabluebowbeforealittlebellrang。 \"There！\"saidPhyllis，\"that’stoshowthesurpriseisready。Nowyouwaittillthebellringsagainandthenyoumaycomeintothedining—room。\" SoBobbiewaited。 \"Tinkle，tinkle，\"saidthelittlebell，andBobbiewentintothedining—room，feelingrathershy。Directlysheopenedthedoorshefoundherself，asitseemed，inanewworldoflightandflowersandsinging。MotherandPeterandPhylliswerestandinginarowattheendofthetable。Theshutterswereshutandthereweretwelvecandlesonthetable，oneforeachofRoberta’syears。Thetablewascoveredwithasortofpatternofflowers，andatRoberta’splacewasathickwreathofforget—me—notsandseveralmostinterestinglittlepackages。AndMotherandPhyllisandPeterweresinging——tothefirstpartofthetuneofSt。Patrick’sDay。 RobertaknewthatMotherhadwrittenthewordsonpurposeforherbirthday。ItwasalittlewayofMother’sonbirthdays。IthadbegunonBobbie’sfourthbirthdaywhenPhylliswasababy。BobbierememberedlearningtheversestosaytoFather’forasurprise。’ ShewonderedifMotherhadremembered，too。Thefour—year—oldversehadbeen：—— Daddydear，I’monlyfourAndI’drathernotbemore。 Four’sthenicestagetobe，Twoandtwoandoneandthree。 WhatIloveistwoandtwo，Mother，Peter，Phil，andyou。 Whatyouloveisoneandthree，Mother，Peter，Phil，andme。 GiveyourlittlegirlakissBecauseshelearnedandtoldyouthis。 Thesongtheothersweresingingnowwentlikethis：—— OurdarlingRoberta，NosorrowshallhurtherIfwecanpreventitHerwholelifelong。 Herbirthday’sourfeteday，We’llmakeitourgreatday，AndgiveherourpresentsAndsingheroursong。 MaypleasuresattendherAndmaytheFatessendherThehappiestjourneyAlongherlife’sway。 WithskiesbrightaboveherAnddearonestoloveher！ DearBob！ManyhappyReturnsoftheday！ Whentheyhadfinishedsingingtheycried，\"ThreecheersforourBobbie！\"andgavethemveryloudly。Bobbiefeltexactlyasthoughsheweregoingtocry——youknowthatoddfeelinginthebridgeofyournoseandtheprickinginyoureyelids？Butbeforeshehadtimetobegintheywereallkissingandhuggingher。 \"Now，\"saidMother，\"lookatyourpresents。\" Theywereverynicepresents。Therewasagreenandredneedle—bookthatPhyllishadmadeherselfinsecretmoments。TherewasadarlinglittlesilverbroochofMother’sshapedlikeabuttercup，whichBobbiehadknownandlovedforyears，butwhichshehadnever，neverthoughtwouldcometobeherveryown。TherewasalsoapairofblueglassvasesfromMrs。Viney。Robertahadseenandadmiredtheminthevillageshop。Andtherewerethreebirthdaycardswithprettypicturesandwishes。 Motherfittedtheforget—me—notcrownonBobbie’sbrownhead。 \"Andnowlookatthetable，\"shesaid。 Therewasacakeonthetablecoveredwithwhitesugar，with’DearBobbie’onitinpinksweets，andtherewerebunsandjam;butthenicestthingwasthatthebigtablewasalmostcoveredwithflowers— —wallflowerswerelaidallroundthetea—tray——therewasaringofforget—me—notsroundeachplate。Thecakehadawreathofwhitelilacroundit，andinthemiddlewassomethingthatlookedlikeapatternalldonewithsinglebloomsoflilacorwallflowerorlaburnum。 \"It’samap——amapoftherailway！\"criedPeter。\"Look——thoselilaclinesarethemetals——andthere’sthestationdoneinbrownwallflowers。Thelaburnumisthetrain，andtherearethesignal— boxes，andtheroaduptohere——andthosefatreddaisiesareusthreewavingtotheoldgentleman——that’shim，thepansyinthelaburnumtrain。\" \"Andthere’s’ThreeChimneys’doneinthepurpleprimroses，\"saidPhyllis。\"Andthatlittletinyrose—budisMotherlookingoutforuswhenwe’relatefortea。Peterinventeditall，andwegotalltheflowersfromthestation。Wethoughtyou’dlikeitbetter。\" \"That’smypresent，\"saidPeter，suddenlydumpingdownhisadoredsteam—engineonthetableinfrontofher。Itstenderhadbeenlinedwithfreshwhitepaper，andwasfullofsweets。 \"Oh，Peter！\"criedBobbie，quiteovercomebythismunificence，\"notyourowndearlittleenginethatyou’resofondof？\" \"Oh，no，\"saidPeter，verypromptly，\"nottheengine。Onlythesweets。\" Bobbiecouldn’thelpherfacechangingalittle——notsomuchbecauseshewasdisappointedatnotgettingtheengine，asbecauseshehadthoughtitsoverynobleofPeter，andnowshefeltshehadbeensillytothinkit。Alsoshefeltshemusthaveseemedgreedytoexpecttheengineaswellasthesweets。Soherfacechanged。 Petersawit。Hehesitatedaminute;thenhisfacechanged，too，andhesaid：\"ImeannotALLtheengine。I’llletyougohalvesifyoulike。\" \"You’reabrick，\"criedBobbie;\"it’sasplendidpresent。\"Shesaidnomorealoud，buttoherselfshesaid：—— \"ThatwasawfullyjollydecentofPeterbecauseIknowhedidn’tmeanto。Well，thebrokenhalfshallbemyhalfoftheengine，andI’llgetitmendedandgiveitbacktoPeterforhisbirthday。\"—— \"Yes，Motherdear，Ishouldliketocutthecake，\"sheadded，andteabegan。 Itwasadelightfulbirthday。AfterteaMotherplayedgameswiththem——anygametheyliked——andofcoursetheirfirstchoicewasblindman’s—buff，inthecourseofwhichBobbie’sforget—me—notwreathtwisteditselfcrookedlyoveroneofherearsandstayedthere。Then，whenitwasnearbed—timeandtimetocalmdown，Motherhadalovelynewstorytoreadtothem。 \"Youwon’tsituplateworking，willyou，Mother？\"Bobbieaskedastheysaidgoodnight。 AndMothersaidno，shewouldn’t——shewouldonlyjustwritetoFatherandthengotobed。 ButwhenBobbiecreptdownlatertobringupherpresents——forshefeltshereallycouldnotbeseparatedfromthemallnight——Motherwasnotwriting，butleaningherheadonherarmsandherarmsonthetable。IthinkitwasrathergoodofBobbietoslipquietlyaway，sayingoverandover，\"Shedoesn’twantmetoknowshe’sunhappy，andIwon’tknow;Iwon’tknow。\"Butitmadeasadendtothebirthday。 ****** TheverynextmorningBobbiebegantowatchheropportunitytogetPeter’senginemendedsecretly。Andtheopportunitycametheverynextafternoon。 Motherwentbytraintothenearesttowntodoshopping。Whenshewentthere，shealwayswenttothePost—office。PerhapstopostherletterstoFather，forshenevergavethemtothechildrenorMrs。 Vineytopost，andsheneverwenttothevillageherself。PeterandPhylliswentwithher。Bobbiewantedanexcusenottogo，buttryasshewouldshecouldn’tthinkofagoodone。Andjustwhenshefeltthatallwaslost，herfrockcaughtonabignailbythekitchendoorandtherewasagreatcriss—crosstearallalongthefrontoftheskirt。Iassureyouthiswasreallyanaccident。Sotheotherspitiedherandwentwithouther，fortherewasnotimeforhertochange，becausetheywereratherlatealreadyandhadtohurrytothestationtocatchthetrain。 Whentheyhadgone，Bobbieputonhereverydayfrock，andwentdowntotherailway。Shedidnotgointothestation，butshewentalongthelinetotheendoftheplatformwheretheengineiswhenthedowntrainisalongsidetheplatform——theplacewherethereareawatertankandalong，limp，leatherhose，likeanelephant’strunk。 Shehidbehindabushontheothersideoftherailway。Shehadthetoyenginedoneupinbrownpaper，andshewaitedpatientlywithitunderherarm。 Thenwhenthenexttraincameinandstopped，Bobbiewentacrossthemetalsoftheup—lineandstoodbesidetheengine。Shehadneverbeensoclosetoanenginebefore。Itlookedmuchlargerandharderthanshehadexpected，anditmadeherfeelverysmallindeed，and，somehow，verysoft——asifshecouldvery，veryeasilybehurtratherbadly。 \"Iknowwhatsilk—wormsfeellikenow，\"saidBobbietoherself。 Theengine—driverandfiremandidnotseeher。Theywereleaningoutontheotherside，tellingthePorterataleaboutadogandalegofmutton。 \"Ifyouplease，\"saidRoberta——buttheenginewasblowingoffsteamandnooneheardher。 \"Ifyouplease，Mr。Engineer，\"shespokealittlelouder，buttheEnginehappenedtospeakatthesamemoment，andofcourseRoberta’ssoftlittlevoicehadn’tachance。 Itseemedtoherthattheonlywaywouldbetoclimbontotheengineandpullattheircoats。Thestepwashigh，butshegotherkneeonit，andclamberedintothecab;shestumbledandfellonhandsandkneesonthebaseofthegreatheapofcoalsthatleduptothesquareopeninginthetender。Theenginewasnotabovetheweaknessesofitsfellows;itwasmakingagreatdealmorenoisethantherewastheslightestneedfor。AndjustasRobertafellonthecoals，theengine—driver，whohadturnedwithoutseeingher，startedtheengine，andwhenBobbiehadpickedherselfup，thetrainwasmoving——notfast，butmuchtoofastforhertogetoff。 Allsortsofdreadfulthoughtscametoheralltogetherinonehorribleflash。Thereweresuchthingsasexpresstrainsthatwenton，shesupposed，forhundredsofmileswithoutstopping。Supposethisshouldbeoneofthem？Howwouldshegethomeagain？Shehadnomoneytopayforthereturnjourney。 \"AndI’venobusinesshere。I’manengine—burglar——that’swhatI am，\"shethought。\"Ishouldn’twonderiftheycouldlockmeupforthis。\"Andthetrainwasgoingfasterandfaster。 Therewassomethinginherthroatthatmadeitimpossibleforhertospeak。Shetriedtwice。Themenhadtheirbackstoher。Theyweredoingsomethingtothingsthatlookedliketaps。 Suddenlysheputoutherhandandcaughtholdofthenearestsleeve。 Themanturnedwithastart，andheandRobertastoodforaminutelookingateachotherinsilence。Thenthesilencewasbrokenbythemboth。 Themansaid，\"Here’sabloomin’go！\"andRobertaburstintotears。 Theothermansaidhewasbloomingwellblest——orsomethinglikeit— —butthoughnaturallysurprisedtheywerenotexactlyunkind。 \"You’reanaughtylittlegell，that’swhatyouare，\"saidthefireman，andtheengine—driversaid：—— \"Daringlittlepiece，Icallher，\"buttheymadehersitdownonanironseatinthecabandtoldhertostopcryingandtellthemwhatshemeantbyit。 Shedidstop，assoonasshecould。OnethingthathelpedherwasthethoughtthatPeterwouldgivealmosthisearstobeinherplace——onarealengine——reallygoing。Thechildrenhadoftenwonderedwhetheranyengine—drivercouldbefoundnobleenoughtotakethemforarideonanengine——andnowthereshewas。Shedriedhereyesandsniffedearnestly。 \"Now，then，\"saidthefireman，\"outwithit。Whatdoyoumeanbyit，eh？\" \"Oh，please，\"sniffedBobbie。 \"Tryagain，\"saidtheengine—driver，encouragingly。 Bobbietriedagain。 \"Please，Mr。Engineer，\"shesaid，\"Ididcallouttoyoufromtheline，butyoudidn’thearme——andIjustclimbeduptotouchyouonthearm——quitegentlyImeanttodoit——andthenIfellintothecoals——andIamsosorryifIfrightenedyou。Oh，don’tbecross—— oh，pleasedon’t！\"Shesniffedagain。 \"Weain’tsomuchCROSS，\"saidthefireman，\"asinterestedlike。Itain’teverydayalittlegelltumblesintoourcoalbunkerouterthesky，isit，Bill？WhatdidyouDOitfor——eh？\" \"That’sthepoint，\"agreedtheengine—driver;\"whatdidyoudoitFOR？\" Bobbiefoundthatshehadnotquitestoppedcrying。Theengine— driverpattedheronthebackandsaid：\"Here，cheerup，Mate。Itain’tsobadasallthat’ere，I’llbebound。\" \"Iwanted，\"saidBobbie，muchcheeredtofindherselfaddressedas’Mate’——\"Ionlywantedtoaskyouifyou’dbesokindastomendthis。\"Shepickedupthebrown—paperparcelfromamongthecoalsandundidthestringwithhot，redfingersthattrembled。 Herfeetandlegsfeltthescorchoftheenginefire，buthershouldersfeltthewildchillrushoftheair。Theenginelurchedandshookandrattled，andastheyshotunderabridgetheengineseemedtoshoutinherears。 Thefiremanshovelledoncoals。 Bobbieunrolledthebrownpaperanddisclosedthetoyengine。 \"Ithought，\"shesaidwistfully，\"thatperhapsyou’dmendthisforme——becauseyou’reanengineer，youknow。\" Theengine—driversaidhewasblowedifhewasn’tblest。 \"I’mblestifIain’tblowed，\"remarkedthefireman。 Buttheengine—drivertookthelittleengineandlookedatit——andthefiremanceasedforaninstanttoshovelcoal，andlooked，too。 \"It’slikeyourpreciouscheek，\"saidtheengine—driver——\"whatevermadeyouthinkwe’dbebotheredtinkeringpennytoys？\" \"Ididn’tmeanitforpreciouscheek，\"saidBobbie;\"onlyeverybodythathasanythingtodowithrailwaysissokindandgood，Ididn’tthinkyou’dmind。Youdon’treally——doyou？\"sheadded，forshehadseenanotunkindlywinkpassbetweenthetwo。 \"Mytrade’sdrivingofanengine，notmendingher，especiallysuchahout—sizeinenginesasthis’ere，\"saidBill。\"An’’owarewea— goin’togetyoubacktoyoursorrowingfriendsandrelations，andallbeforgivenandforgotten？\" \"Ifyou’llputmedownnexttimeyoustop，\"saidBobbie，firmly，thoughherheartbeatfiercelyagainstherarmassheclaspedherhands，\"andlendmethemoneyforathird—classticket，I’llpayyouback——honourbright。I’mnotaconfidencetricklikeinthenewspapers——really，I’mnot。\" \"You’realittlelady，everyinch，\"saidBill，relentingsuddenlyandcompletely。\"We’llseeyougetshomesafe。An’aboutthisengine——Jim——ain’tyougotne’erapalascanuseasolderingiron？ Seemstomethat’saboutallthelittlebounderwantsdoingtoit。\" \"That’swhatFathersaid，\"Bobbieexplainedeagerly。\"What’sthatfor？\" Shepointedtoalittlebrasswheelthathehadturnedashespoke。 \"That’stheinjector。\" \"In——what？\" \"Injectortofilluptheboiler。\" \"Oh，\"saidBobbie，mentallyregisteringthefacttotelltheothers; \"thatISinteresting。\" \"This’ere’stheautomaticbrake，\"Billwenton，flatteredbyherenthusiasm。\"Youjustmovethis’erelittlehandle——doitwithonefinger，youcan——andthetrainjollysoonstops。That’swhattheycallthePowerofScienceinthenewspapers。\" Heshowedhertwolittledials，likeclockfaces，andtoldherhowoneshowedhowmuchsteamwasgoing，andtheothershowedifthebrakewasworkingproperly。 Bythetimeshehadseenhimshutoffsteamwithabigshiningsteelhandle，Bobbieknewmoreabouttheinsideworkingofanenginethanshehadeverthoughttherewastoknow，andJimhadpromisedthathissecondcousin’swife’sbrothershouldsolderthetoyengine，orJimwouldknowthereasonwhy。BesidesalltheknowledgeshehadgainedBobbiefeltthatsheandBillandJimwerenowfriendsforlife，andthattheyhadwhollyandforeverforgivenherforstumblinguninvitedamongthesacredcoalsoftheirtender。 AtStacklepooleJunctionshepartedfromthemwithwarmexpressionsofmutualregard。Theyhandedherovertotheguardofareturningtrain——afriendoftheirs——andshehadthejoyofknowingwhatguardsdointheirsecretfastnesses，andunderstoodhow，whenyoupullthecommunicationcordinrailwaycarriages，awheelgoesroundundertheguard’snoseandaloudbellringsinhisears。Sheaskedtheguardwhyhisvansmeltsofishy，andlearnedthathehadtocarryalotoffisheveryday，andthatthewetnessinthehollowsofthecorrugatedfloorhadalldrainedoutofboxesfullofplaiceandcodandmackerelandsolesandsmelts。 Bobbiegothomeintimefortea，andshefeltasthoughhermindwouldburstwithallthathadbeenputintoitsinceshepartedfromtheothers。Howsheblessedthenailthathadtornherfrock！ \"Wherehaveyoubeen？\"askedtheothers。 \"Tothestation，ofcourse，\"saidRoberta。Butshewouldnottellawordofheradventurestillthedayappointed，whenshemysteriouslyledthemtothestationatthehourofthe3。19’stransit，andproudlyintroducedthemtoherfriends，BillandJim。Jim’ssecondcousin’swife’sbrotherhadnotbeenunworthyofthesacredtrustreposedinhim。Thetoyenginewas，literally，asgoodasnew。 \"Good—bye——oh，good—bye，\"saidBobbie，justbeforetheenginescreamedITSgood—bye。\"Ishallalways，alwaysloveyou——andJim’ssecondcousin’swife’sbrotheraswell！\" Andasthethreechildrenwenthomeupthehill，Peterhuggingtheengine，nowquiteitsownselfagain，Bobbietold，withjoyousleapsoftheheart，thestoryofhowshehadbeenanEngine—burglar。 ChapterV。Prisonersandcaptives。 ItwasonedaywhenMotherhadgonetoMaidbridge。Shehadgonealone，butthechildrenweretogotothestationtomeether。And，lovingthestationastheydid，itwasonlynaturalthattheyshouldbethereagoodhourbeforetherewasanychanceofMother’strainarriving，evenifthetrainwerepunctual，whichwasmostunlikely。 Nodoubttheywouldhavebeenjustasearly，evenifithadbeenafineday，andallthedelightsofwoodsandfieldsandrocksandrivershadbeenopentothem。Butithappenedtobeaverywetdayand，forJuly，verycold。Therewasawildwindthatdroveflocksofdarkpurplecloudsacrossthesky\"likeherdsofdream— elephants，\"asPhyllissaid。Andtherainstungsharply，sothatthewaytothestationwasfinishedatarun。Thentherainfellfasterandharder，andbeatslantwiseagainstthewindowsofthebookingofficeandofthechillplacethathadGeneralWaitingRoomonitsdoor。 \"It’slikebeinginabesiegedcastle，\"Phyllissaid;\"lookatthearrowsofthefoestrikingagainstthebattlements！\" \"It’smuchmorelikeagreatgarden—squirt，\"saidPeter。 Theydecidedtowaitontheupside，forthedownplatformlookedverywetindeed，andtherainwasdrivingrightintothelittlebleakshelterwheredown—passengershavetowaitfortheirtrains。 Thehourwouldbefullofincidentandofinterest，fortherewouldbetwouptrainsandonedowntolookatbeforetheonethatshouldbringMotherback。 \"Perhapsit’llhavestoppedrainingbythen，\"saidBobbie;\"anyhow，I’mgladIbroughtMother’swaterproofandumbrella。\" TheywentintothedesertspotlabelledGeneralWaitingRoom，andthetimepassedpleasantlyenoughinagameofadvertisements。Youknowthegame，ofcourse？ItissomethinglikedumbCrambo。Theplayerstakeitinturnstogoout，andthencomebackandlookaslikesomeadvertisementastheycan，andtheothershavetoguesswhatadvertisementitismeanttobe。BobbiecameinandsatdownunderMother’sumbrellaandmadeasharpface，andeveryoneknewshewasthefoxwhositsundertheumbrellaintheadvertisement。 PhyllistriedtomakeaMagicCarpetofMother’swaterproof，butitwouldnotstandoutstiffandraft—likeasaMagicCarpetshould，andnobodycouldguessit。EveryonethoughtPeterwascarryingthingsalittletoofarwhenheblackedhisfacealloverwithcoal— dustandstruckaspideryattitudeandsaidhewastheblotthatadvertisessomebody’sBlueBlackWritingFluid。 ItwasPhyllis’sturnagain，andshewastryingtolookliketheSphinxthatadvertisesWhat’s—his—name’sPersonallyConductedToursuptheNilewhenthesharptingofthesignalannouncedtheuptrain。Thechildrenrushedouttoseeitpass。Onitsengineweretheparticulardriverandfiremanwhowerenownumberedamongthechildren’sdearestfriends。Courtesiespassedbetweenthem。Jimaskedafterthetoyengine，andBobbiepressedonhisacceptanceamoist，greasypackageoftoffeethatshehadmadeherself。 Charmedbythisattention，theengine—driverconsentedtoconsiderherrequestthatsomedayhewouldtakePeterforarideontheengine。 \"Standback，Mates，\"criedtheengine—driver，suddenly，\"andhorfshegoes。\" Andsureenough，offthetrainwent。Thechildrenwatchedthetail— lightsofthetraintillitdisappearedroundthecurveoftheline，andthenturnedtogobacktothedustyfreedomoftheGeneralWaitingRoomandthejoysoftheadvertisementgame。 Theyexpectedtoseejustoneortwopeople，theendoftheprocessionofpassengerswhohadgivenuptheirticketsandgoneaway。Instead，theplatformroundthedoorofthestationhadadarkblotroundit，andthedarkblotwasacrowdofpeople。 \"Oh！\"criedPeter，withathrillofjoyousexcitement，\"something’shappened！Comeon！\" Theyrandowntheplatform。Whentheygottothecrowd，theycould，ofcourse，seenothingbutthedampbacksandelbowsofthepeopleonthecrowd’soutside。Everybodywastalkingatonce。Itwasevidentthatsomethinghadhappened。 \"It’smybeliefhe’snothingworsethananatural，\"saidafarmerish—lookingperson。Petersawhisred，clean—shavenfaceashespoke。 \"Ifyouaskme，IshouldsayitwasaPoliceCourtcase，\"saidayoungmanwithablackbag。 \"Notit;theInfirmarymorelike——\" ThenthevoiceoftheStationMasterwasheard，firmandofficial：—— \"Now，then——movealongthere。I’llattendtothis，ifYOUplease。\" Butthecrowddidnotmove。Andthencameavoicethatthrilledthechildrenthroughandthrough。Foritspokeinaforeignlanguage。 And，whatismore，itwasalanguagethattheyhadneverheard。 TheyhadheardFrenchspokenandGerman。AuntEmmaknewGerman，andusedtosingasongaboutbedeutenandzeitenandbinandsin。NorwasitLatin。PeterhadbeeninLatinforfourterms。 Itwassomecomfort，anyhow，tofindthatnoneofthecrowdunderstoodtheforeignlanguageanybetterthanthechildrendid。 \"What’sthathe’ssaying？\"askedthefarmer，heavily。 \"SoundslikeFrenchtome，\"saidtheStationMaster，whohadoncebeentoBoulognefortheday。 \"Itisn’tFrench！\"criedPeter。 \"Whatisit，then？\"askedmorethanonevoice。Thecrowdfellbackalittletoseewhohadspoken，andPeterpressedforward，sothatwhenthecrowdclosedupagainhewasinthefrontrank。 \"Idon’tknowwhatitis，\"saidPeter，\"butitisn’tFrench。Iknowthat。\"Thenhesawwhatitwasthatthecrowdhadforitscentre。 Itwasaman——theman，Peterdidnotdoubt，whohadspokeninthatstrangetongue。Amanwithlonghairandwildeyes，withshabbyclothesofacutPeterhadnotseenbefore——amanwhosehandsandlipstrembled，andwhospokeagainashiseyesfellonPeter。 \"No，it’snotFrench，\"saidPeter。 \"TryhimwithFrenchifyouknowsomuchaboutit，\"saidthefarmer— man。 \"ParlayvooFrongsay？\"beganPeter，boldly，andthenextmomentthecrowdrecoiledagain，forthemanwiththewildeyeshadleftleaningagainstthewall，andhadsprungforwardandcaughtPeter’shands，andbeguntopourforthafloodofwordswhich，thoughhecouldnotunderstandawordofthem，Peterknewthesoundof。 \"There！\"saidhe，andturned，hishandsstillclaspedinthehandsofthestrangeshabbyfigure，tothrowaglanceoftriumphatthecrowd;\"there;THAT’SFrench。\" \"Whatdoeshesay？\" \"Idon’tknow。\"Peterwasobligedtoownit。 \"Here，\"saidtheStationMasteragain;\"youmoveonifyouplease。 I’LLdealwiththiscase。\" Afewofthemoretimidorlessinquisitivetravellersmovedslowlyandreluctantlyaway。AndPhyllisandBobbiegotneartoPeter。 AllthreehadbeenTAUGHTFrenchatschool。HowdeeplytheynowwishedthattheyhadLEARNEDit！Petershookhisheadatthestranger，buthealsoshookhishandsaswarmlyandlookedathimaskindlyashecould。Apersoninthecrowd，aftersomehesitation，saidsuddenly，\"Nocomprenny！\"andthen，blushingdeeply，backedoutofthepressandwentaway。 \"Takehimintoyourroom，\"whisperedBobbietotheStationMaster。 \"MothercantalkFrench。She’llbeherebythenexttrainfromMaidbridge。\" TheStationMastertookthearmofthestranger，suddenlybutnotunkindly。Butthemanwrenchedhisarmaway，andcoweredbackcoughingandtremblingandtryingtopushtheStationMasteraway。 \"Oh，don’t！\"saidBobbie;\"don’tyouseehowfrightenedheis？Hethinksyou’regoingtoshuthimup。Iknowhedoes——lookathiseyes！\" \"They’relikeafox’seyeswhenthebeast’sinatrap，\"saidthefarmer。 \"Oh，letmetry！\"Bobbiewenton;\"IdoreallyknowoneortwoFrenchwordsifIcouldonlythinkofthem。\" Sometimes，inmomentsofgreatneed，wecandowonderfulthings—— thingsthatinordinarylifewecouldhardlyevendreamofdoing。 BobbiehadneverbeenanywherenearthetopofherFrenchclass，butshemusthavelearnedsomethingwithoutknowingit，fornow，lookingatthosewild，huntedeyes，sheactuallyrememberedand，whatismore，spoke，someFrenchwords。Shesaid：—— \"Vousattendre。MamereparlezFrancais。Nous——what’stheFrenchfor’beingkind’？\" Nobodyknew。 \"Bongis’good，’\"saidPhyllis。 \"Nousetrebongpourvous。\" Idonotknowwhetherthemanunderstoodherwords，butheunderstoodthetouchofthehandshethrustintohis，andthekindnessoftheotherhandthatstrokedhisshabbysleeve。 ShepulledhimgentlytowardstheinmostsanctuaryoftheStationMaster。Theotherchildrenfollowed，andtheStationMastershutthedoorinthefaceofthecrowd，whichstoodalittlewhileinthebookingofficetalkingandlookingatthefastclosedyellowdoor，andthenbyonesandtwoswentitsway，grumbling。 InsidetheStationMaster’sroomBobbiestillheldthestranger’shandandstrokedhissleeve。 \"Here’sago，\"saidtheStationMaster;\"noticket——doesn’tevenknowwherehewantstogo。I’mnotsurenowbutwhatIoughttosendforthepolice。\" \"Oh，DON’T！\"allthechildrenpleadedatonce。AndsuddenlyBobbiegotbetweentheothersandthestranger，forshehadseenthathewascrying。 Byamostunusualpieceofgoodfortuneshehadahandkerchiefinherpocket。Byastillmoreuncommonaccidentthehandkerchiefwasmoderatelyclean。Standinginfrontofthestranger，shegotoutthehandkerchiefandpassedittohimsothattheothersdidnotsee。 \"WaittillMothercomes，\"Phylliswassaying;\"shedoesspeakFrenchbeautifully。You’djustlovetohearher。\" \"I’msurehehasn’tdoneanythinglikeyou’resenttoprisonfor，\" saidPeter。 \"Lookslikewithoutvisiblemeanstome，\"saidtheStationMaster。 \"Well，Idon’tmindgivinghimthebenefitofthedoubttillyourMammacomes。ISHOULDliketoknowwhatnation’sgotthecreditofHIM，thatIshould。\" ThenPeterhadanidea。Hepulledanenvelopeoutofhispocket，andshowedthatitwashalffullofforeignstamps。 \"Lookhere，\"hesaid，\"let’sshowhimthese——\" Bobbielookedandsawthatthestrangerhaddriedhiseyeswithherhandkerchief。Soshesaid：\"Allright。\" TheyshowedhimanItalianstamp，andpointedfromhimtoitandbackagain，andmadesignsofquestionwiththeireyebrows。Heshookhishead。ThentheyshowedhimaNorwegianstamp——thecommonbluekinditwas——andagainhesignedNo。ThentheyshowedhimaSpanishone，andatthathetooktheenvelopefromPeter’shandandsearchedamongthestampswithahandthattrembled。Thehandthathereachedoutatlast，withagestureasofoneansweringaquestion，containedaRUSSIANstamp。 \"He’sRussian，\"criedPeter，\"orelsehe’slike’themanwhowas’—— inKipling，youknow。\" ThetrainfromMaidbridgewassignalled。 \"I’llstaywithhimtillyoubringMotherin，\"saidBobbie。 \"You’renotafraid，Missie？\" \"Oh，no，\"saidBobbie，lookingatthestranger，asshemighthavelookedatastrangedogofdoubtfultemper。\"Youwouldn’thurtme，wouldyou？\" Shesmiledathim，andhesmiledback，aqueercrookedsmile。Andthenhecoughedagain。Andtheheavyrattlingswishoftheincomingtrainsweptpast，andtheStationMasterandPeterandPhylliswentouttomeetit。Bobbiewasstillholdingthestranger’shandwhentheycamebackwithMother。 TheRussianroseandbowedveryceremoniously。 ThenMotherspokeinFrench，andhereplied，haltinglyatfirst，butpresentlyinlongerandlongersentences。 Thechildren，watchinghisfaceandMother’s，knewthathewastellingherthingsthatmadeherangryandpitying，andsorryandindignantallatonce。 \"Well，Mum，what’sitallabout？\"TheStationMastercouldnotrestrainhiscuriosityanylonger。 \"Oh，\"saidMother，\"it’sallright。He’saRussian，andhe’slosthisticket。AndI’mafraidhe’sveryill。Ifyoudon’tmind，I’lltakehimhomewithmenow。He’sreallyquitewornout。I’llrundownandtellyouallabouthimto—morrow。\" \"Ihopeyouwon’tfindyou’retakinghomeafrozenviper，\"saidtheStationMaster，doubtfully。 \"Oh，no，\"Mothersaidbrightly，andshesmiled;\"I’mquitesureI’mnot。Why，he’sagreatmaninhisowncountry，writesbooks—— beautifulbooks——I’vereadsomeofthem;butI’lltellyouallaboutitto—morrow。\" ShespokeagaininFrenchtotheRussian，andeveryonecouldseethesurpriseandpleasureandgratitudeinhiseyes。HegotupandpolitelybowedtotheStationMaster，andofferedhisarmmostceremoniouslytoMother。Shetookit，butanybodycouldhaveseenthatshewashelpinghimalong，andnotheher。 \"Yougirlsrunhomeandlightafireinthesitting—room，\"Mothersaid，\"andPeterhadbettergofortheDoctor。\" ButitwasBobbiewhowentfortheDoctor。 \"Ihatetotellyou，\"shesaidbreathlesslywhenshecameuponhiminhisshirtsleeves，weedinghispansy—bed，\"butMother’sgotaveryshabbyRussian，andI’msurehe’llhavetobelongtoyourClub。 I’mcertainhehasn’tgotanymoney。Wefoundhimatthestation。\" \"Foundhim！Washelost，then？\"askedtheDoctor，reachingforhiscoat。 \"Yes，\"saidBobbie，unexpectedly，\"that’sjustwhathewas。He’sbeentellingMotherthesad，sweetstoryofhislifeinFrench;andshesaidwouldyoubekindenoughtocomedirectlyifyouwereathome。Hehasadreadfulcough，andhe’sbeencrying。\" TheDoctorsmiled。 \"Oh，don’t，\"saidBobbie;\"pleasedon’t。Youwouldn’tifyou’dseenhim。Ineversawamancrybefore。Youdon’tknowwhatit’slike。\" Dr。Forrestwishedthenthathehadn’tsmiled。 WhenBobbieandtheDoctorgottoThreeChimneys，theRussianwassittinginthearm—chairthathadbeenFather’s，stretchinghisfeettotheblazeofabrightwoodfire，andsippingtheteaMotherhadmadehim。 \"Themanseemswornout，mindandbody，\"waswhattheDoctorsaid; \"thecough’sbad，butthere’snothingthatcan’tbecured。Heoughttogostraighttobed，though——andlethimhaveafireatnight。\" \"I’llmakeoneinmyroom;it’stheonlyonewithafireplace，\"saidMother。Shedid，andpresentlytheDoctorhelpedthestrangertobed。 TherewasabigblacktrunkinMother’sroomthatnoneofthechildrenhadeverseenunlocked。Now，whenshehadlightedthefire，sheunlockeditandtooksomeclothesout——men’sclothes——andsetthemtoairbythenewlylightedfire。Bobbie，cominginwithmorewoodforthefire，sawthemarkonthenight—shirt，andlookedovertotheopentrunk。Allthethingsshecouldseeweremen’sclothes。AndthenamemarkedontheshirtwasFather’sname。ThenFatherhadn’ttakenhisclotheswithhim。Andthatnight—shirtwasoneofFather’snewones。Bobbieremembereditsbeingmade，justbeforePeter’sbirthday。Whyhadn’tFathertakenhisclothes？ Bobbieslippedfromtheroom。Asshewentsheheardthekeyturnedinthelockofthetrunk。Herheartwasbeatinghorribly。WHY hadn’tFathertakenhisclothes？WhenMothercameoutoftheroom，Bobbieflungtightlyclaspingarmsroundherwaist，andwhispered：—— \"Mother——Daddyisn’t——isn’tDEAD，ishe？\" \"Mydarling，no！Whatmadeyouthinkofanythingsohorrible？\" \"I——Idon’tknow，\"saidBobbie，angrywithherself，butstillclingingtothatresolutionofhers，nottoseeanythingthatMotherdidn’tmeanhertosee。 Mothergaveherahurriedhug。\"Daddywasquite，QUITEwellwhenI heardfromhimlast，\"shesaid，\"andhe’llcomebacktoussomeday。 Don’tfancysuchhorriblethings，darling！\" Lateron，whentheRussianstrangerhadbeenmadecomfortableforthenight，Mothercameintothegirls’room。ShewastosleepthereinPhyllis’sbed，andPhylliswastohaveamattressonthefloor，amostamusingadventureforPhyllis。DirectlyMothercamein，twowhitefiguresstartedup，andtwoeagervoicescalled：—— \"Now，Mother，tellusallabouttheRussiangentleman。\" Awhiteshapehoppedintotheroom。ItwasPeter，dragginghisquiltbehindhimlikethetailofawhitepeacock。 \"Wehavebeenpatient，\"hesaid，\"andIhadtobitemytonguenottogotosleep，andIjustnearlywenttosleepandIbittoohard，andithurtseverso。DOtellus。Makeanicelongstoryofit。\" \"Ican’tmakealongstoryofitto—night，\"saidMother;\"I’mverytired。\" BobbieknewbyhervoicethatMotherhadbeencrying，buttheothersdidn’tknow。 \"Well，makeitaslongasyoucan，\"saidPhil，andBobbiegotherarmsroundMother’swaistandsnuggledclosetoher。 \"Well，it’sastorylongenoughtomakeawholebookof。He’sawriter;he’swrittenbeautifulbooks。InRussiaatthetimeoftheCzaronedarednotsayanythingabouttherichpeopledoingwrong，oraboutthethingsthatoughttobedonetomakepoorpeoplebetterandhappier。Ifonedidonewassenttoprison。\" \"ButtheyCAN’T，\"saidPeter;\"peopleonlygotoprisonwhenthey’vedonewrong。\" \"OrwhentheJudgesTHINKthey’vedonewrong，\"saidMother。\"Yes，that’ssoinEngland。ButinRussiaitwasdifferent。Andhewroteabeautifulbookaboutpoorpeopleandhowtohelpthem。I’vereadit。There’snothinginitbutgoodnessandkindness。Andtheysenthimtoprisonforit。Hewasthreeyearsinahorribledungeon，withhardlyanylight，andalldampanddreadful。Inprisonallaloneforthreeyears。\" Mother’svoicetrembledalittleandstoppedsuddenly。 \"But，Mother，\"saidPeter，\"thatcan’tbetrueNOW。Itsoundslikesomethingoutofahistorybook——theInquisition，orsomething。\" \"ItWAStrue，\"saidMother;\"it’sallhorriblytrue。Well，thentheytookhimoutandsenthimtoSiberia，aconvictchainedtootherconvicts——wickedmenwho’ddoneallsortsofcrimes——alongchainofthem，andtheywalked，andwalked，andwalked，fordaysandweeks，tillhethoughtthey’dneverstopwalking。Andoverseerswentbehindthemwithwhips——yes，whips——tobeatthemiftheygottired。Andsomeofthemwentlame，andsomefelldown，andwhentheycouldn’tgetupandgoon，theybeatthem，andthenleftthemtodie。Oh，it’salltooterrible！Andatlasthegottothemines，andhewascondemnedtostaythereforlife——forlife，justforwritingagood，noble，splendidbook。\" \"Howdidhegetaway？\" \"Whenthewarcame，someoftheRussianprisonerswereallowedtovolunteerassoldiers。Andhevolunteered。Buthedesertedatthefirstchancehegotand——\" \"Butthat’sverycowardly，isn’tit\"——saidPeter——\"todesert？ Especiallywhenit’swar。\" \"DoyouthinkheowedanythingtoacountrythathaddoneTHATtohim？Ifhedid，heowedmoretohiswifeandchildren。Hedidn’tknowwhathadbecomeofthem。\" \"Oh，\"criedBobbie，\"hehadTHEMtothinkaboutandbemiserableaboutTOO，then，allthetimehewasinprison？\" \"Yes，hehadthemtothinkaboutandbemiserableaboutallthetimehewasinprison。Foranythingheknewtheymighthavebeensenttoprison，too。TheydidthosethingsinRussia。ButwhilehewasintheminessomefriendsmanagedtogetamessagetohimthathiswifeandchildrenhadescapedandcometoEngland。Sowhenhedesertedhecameheretolookforthem。\" \"Hadhegottheiraddress？\"saidpracticalPeter。 \"No;justEngland。HewasgoingtoLondon，andhethoughthehadtochangeatourstation，andthenhefoundhe’dlosthisticketandhispurse。\" \"Oh，DOyouthinkhe’llfindthem？——Imeanhiswifeandchildren，nottheticketandthings。\" \"Ihopeso。Oh，Ihopeandpraythathe’llfindhiswifeandchildrenagain。\" EvenPhyllisnowperceivedthatmother’svoicewasveryunsteady。 \"Why，Mother，\"shesaid，\"howverysorryyouseemtobeforhim！\" Motherdidn’tanswerforaminute。Thenshejustsaid，\"Yes，\"andthensheseemedtobethinking。Thechildrenwerequiet。 Presentlyshesaid，\"Dears，whenyousayyourprayers，IthinkyoumightaskGodtoshowHispityuponallprisonersandcaptives。\" \"ToshowHispity，\"Bobbierepeatedslowly，\"uponallprisonersandcaptives。Isthatright，Mother？\" \"Yes，\"saidMother，\"uponallprisonersandcaptives。Allprisonersandcaptives。\" ChapterVI。Savioursofthetrain。 TheRussiangentlemanwasbetterthenextday，andthedayafterthatbetterstill，andonthethirddayhewaswellenoughtocomeintothegarden。Abasketchairwasputforhimandhesatthere，dressedinclothesofFather’swhichweretoobigforhim。ButwhenMotherhadhemmeduptheendsofthesleevesandthetrousers，theclothesdidwellenough。Hiswasakindfacenowthatitwasnolongertiredandfrightened，andhesmiledatthechildrenwheneverhesawthem。TheywishedverymuchthathecouldspeakEnglish。 MotherwroteseveralletterstopeopleshethoughtmightknowwhereaboutsinEnglandaRussiangentleman’swifeandfamilymightpossiblybe;nottothepeoplesheusedtoknowbeforeshecametoliveatThreeChimneys——sheneverwrotetoanyofthem——butstrangepeople——MembersofParliamentandEditorsofpapers，andSecretariesofSocieties。 Andshedidnotdomuchofherstory—writing，onlycorrectedproofsasshesatinthesunneartheRussian，andtalkedtohimeverynowandthen。 ThechildrenwantedverymuchtoshowhowkindlytheyfelttothismanwhohadbeensenttoprisonandtoSiberiajustforwritingabeautifulbookaboutpoorpeople。Theycouldsmileathim，ofcourse;theycouldandtheydid。Butifyousmiletooconstantly，thesmileisapttogetfixedlikethesmileofthehyaena。Andthenitnolongerlooksfriendly，butsimplysilly。Sotheytriedotherways，andbroughthimflowerstilltheplacewherehesatwassurroundedbylittlefadingbunchesofcloverandrosesandCanterburybells。 AndthenPhyllishadanidea。Shebeckonedmysteriouslytotheothersanddrewthemintothebackyard，andthere，inaconcealedspot，betweenthepumpandthewater—butt，shesaid：—— \"YourememberPerkspromisingmetheveryfirststrawberriesoutofhisowngarden？\"Perks，youwillrecollect，wasthePorter。\"Well，Ishouldthinkthey’reripenow。Let’sgodownandsee。\" MotherhadbeendownasshehadpromisedtotelltheStationMasterthestoryoftheRussianPrisoner。Buteventhecharmsoftherailwayhadbeenunabletotearthechildrenawayfromtheneighbourhoodoftheinterestingstranger。Sotheyhadnotbeentothestationforthreedays。 Theywentnow。 And，totheirsurpriseanddistress，wereverycoldlyreceivedbyPerks。 \"’Ighlyhonoured，I’msure，\"hesaidwhentheypeepedinatthedoorofthePorters’room。Andhewentonreadinghisnewspaper。 Therewasanuncomfortablesilence。 \"Oh，dear，\"saidBobbie，withasigh，\"Idobelieveyou’reCROSS。\" \"What，me？Notme！\"saidPerksloftily;\"itain’tnothingtome。\" \"WhatAIN’Tnothingtoyou？\"saidPeter，tooanxiousandalarmedtochangetheformofwords。 \"Nothingain’tnothing。What’appenseither’ereorelsewhere，\" saidPerks;\"ifyoulikesto’aveyoursecrets，’ave’emandwelcome。That’swhatIsay。\" Thesecret—chamberofeachheartwasrapidlyexaminedduringthepausethatfollowed。Threeheadswereshaken。 \"Wehaven’tgotanysecretsfromYOU，\"saidBobbieatlast。 \"Maybeyou’ave，andmaybeyou’aven’t，\"saidPerks;\"itain’tnothingtome。AndIwishyouallaverygoodafternoon。\"Heheldupthepaperbetweenhimandthemandwentonreading。 \"Oh，DON’T！\"saidPhyllis，indespair;\"thisistrulydreadful！ Whateveritis，dotellus。\" \"Wedidn’tmeantodoitwhateveritwas。\" Noanswer。ThepaperwasrefoldedandPerksbeganonanothercolumn。 \"Lookhere，\"saidPeter，suddenly，\"it’snotfair。Evenpeoplewhodocrimesaren’tpunishedwithoutbeingtoldwhatit’sfor——asoncetheywereinRussia。\" \"Idon’tknownothingaboutRussia。\" \"Oh，yes，youdo，whenMothercamedownonpurposetotellyouandMr。GillsallaboutOURRussian。\" \"Can’tyoufancyit？\"saidPerks，indignantly;\"don’tyousee’ima— askingofmetostepinto’isroomandtakeachairandlistentowhat’erLadyship’astosay？\" \"Doyoumeantosayyou’venotheard？\" \"Notsomuchasabreath。Ididgosofarastoputaquestion。 Andheshutsmeuplikearat—trap。’AffairsofState，Perks，’sayshe。ButIdidthinkoneo’youwould’a’nippeddowntotellme—— you’reheresharpenoughwhenyouwanttogetanythingoutofoldPerks\"——Phyllisflushedpurpleasshethoughtofthestrawberries—— \"informationaboutlocomotivesorsignalsorthelikes，\"saidPerks。 \"Wedidn’tknowyoudidn’tknow。\" \"WethoughtMotherhadtoldyou。\" \"Wewantedtotellyouonlywethoughtitwouldbestalenews。\" Thethreespokeallatonce。 Perkssaiditwasallverywell，andstillheldupthepaper。ThenPhyllissuddenlysnatcheditaway，andthrewherarmsroundhisneck。 \"Oh，let’skissandbefriends，\"shesaid;\"we’llsaywe’resorryfirst，ifyoulike，butwedidn’treallyknowthatyoudidn’tknow。\" \"Wearesosorry，\"saidtheothers。 AndPerksatlastconsentedtoaccepttheirapologies。 ThentheygothimtocomeoutandsitinthesunonthegreenRailwayBank，wherethegrasswasquitehottotouch，andthere，sometimesspeakingoneatatime，andsometimesalltogether，theytoldthePorterthestoryoftheRussianPrisoner。 \"Well，Imustsay，\"saidPerks;buthedidnotsayit——whateveritwas。 \"Yes，itisprettyawful，isn’tit？\"saidPeter，\"andIdon’twonderyouwerecuriousaboutwhotheRussianwas。\" \"Iwasn’tcurious，notsomuchasinterested，\"saidthePorter。 \"Well，IdothinkMr。Gillsmighthavetoldyouaboutit。Itwashorridofhim。\" \"Idon’tkeepnodownon’imforthat，Missie，\"saidthePorter; \"coswhy？Isee’isreasons。’Ewouldn’twanttogiveaway’isownsidewithatalelikethat’ere。Itain’thumannature。Aman’sgottostandupforhisownsidewhatevertheydoes。That’swhatitmeansbyPartyPolitics。Ishould’a’donethesamemyselfifthatlong—’airedchap’ad’a’beenaJap。\" \"ButtheJapsdidn’tdocruel，wickedthingslikethat，\"saidBobbie。 \"P’r’apsnot，\"saidPerks，cautiously;\"stillyoucan’tbesurewithforeigners。Myownbeliefisthey’realltarredwiththesamebrush。\" \"ThenwhywereyouonthesideoftheJaps？\"Peterasked。 \"Well，yousee，youmusttakeonesideortheother。SameaswithLiberalsandConservatives。Thegreatthingistotakeyoursideandthensticktoit，whateverhappens。\" Asignalsounded。