第4章

\"There’sthe3。14up，\"saidPerks。\"Youlielowtillshe’sthrough，andthenwe’llgoupalongtomyplace，andseeifthere’sanyofthemstrawberriesripewhatItoldyouabout。\" \"Ifthereareanyripe，andyouDOgivethemtome，\"saidPhyllis，\"youwon’tmindifIgivethemtothepoorRussian，willyou？\" Perksnarrowedhiseyesandthenraisedhiseyebrows。 \"Soitwasthemstrawberriesyoucomedownforthisafternoon，eh？\" saidhe。 ThiswasanawkwardmomentforPhyllis。Tosay\"yes\"wouldseemrudeandgreedy，andunkindtoPerks。Butsheknewifshesaid\"no，\"shewouldnotbepleasedwithherselfafterwards。So—— \"Yes，\"shesaid，\"itwas。\" \"Welldone！\"saidthePorter;\"speakthetruthandshamethe——\" \"Butwe’dhavecomedowntheverynextdayifwe’dknownyouhadn’theardthestory，\"Phyllisaddedhastily。 \"Ibelieveyou，Missie，\"saidPerks，andsprangacrossthelinesixfeetinfrontoftheadvancingtrain。 Thegirlshatedtoseehimdothis，butPeterlikedit。Itwassoexciting。 TheRussiangentlemanwassodelightedwiththestrawberriesthatthethreerackedtheirbrainstofindsomeothersurpriseforhim。 Butalltherackingdidnotbringoutanyideamorenovelthanwildcherries。Andthisideaoccurredtothemnextmorning。Theyhadseentheblossomonthetreesinthespring，andtheyknewwheretolookforwildcherriesnowthatcherrytimewashere。Thetreesgrewallupandalongtherockyfaceofthecliffoutofwhichthemouthofthetunnelopened。Therewereallsortsoftreesthere，birchesandbeechesandbabyoaksandhazels，andamongthemthecherryblossomhadshonelikesnowandsilver。 ThemouthofthetunnelwassomewayfromThreeChimneys，soMotherletthemtaketheirlunchwiththeminabasket。Andthebasketwoulddotobringthecherriesbackiniftheyfoundany。Shealsolentthemhersilverwatchsothattheyshouldnotbelatefortea。 Peter’sWaterburyhadtakenitintoitsheadnottogosincethedaywhenPeterdroppeditintothewater—butt。Andtheystarted。Whentheygottothetopofthecutting，theyleanedoverthefenceandlookeddowntowheretherailwaylineslayatthebottomofwhat，asPhyllissaid，wasexactlylikeamountaingorge。 \"Ifitwasn’tfortherailwayatthebottom，itwouldbeasthoughthefootofmanhadneverbeenthere，wouldn’tit？\" Thesidesofthecuttingwereofgreystone，veryroughlyhewn。 Indeed，thetoppartofthecuttinghadbeenalittlenaturalglenthathadbeencutdeepertobringitdowntothelevelofthetunnel’smouth。Amongtherocks，grassandflowersgrew，andseedsdroppedbybirdsinthecranniesofthestonehadtakenrootandgrownintobushesandtreesthatoverhungthecutting。Nearthetunnelwasaflightofstepsleadingdowntotheline——justwoodenbarsroughlyfixedintotheearth——averysteepandnarrowway，morelikealadderthanastair。 \"We’dbettergetdown，\"saidPeter;\"I’msurethecherrieswouldbequiteeasytogetatfromthesideofthesteps。Yourememberitwastherewepickedthecherryblossomsthatweputontherabbit’sgrave。\" Sotheywentalongthefencetowardsthelittleswinggatethatisatthetopofthesesteps。AndtheywerealmostatthegatewhenBobbiesaid：—— \"Hush。Stop！What’sthat？\" \"That\"wasaveryoddnoiseindeed——asoftnoise，butquiteplainlytobeheardthroughthesoundofthewindintreebranches，andthehumandwhirofthetelegraphwires。Itwasasortofrustling，whisperingsound。Astheylisteneditstopped，andthenitbeganagain。 Andthistimeitdidnotstop，butitgrewlouderandmorerustlingandrumbling。 \"Look\"——criedPeter，suddenly——\"thetreeoverthere！\" Thetreehepointedatwasoneofthosethathaveroughgreyleavesandwhiteflowers。Theberries，whentheycome，arebrightscarlet，butifyoupickthem，theydisappointyoubyturningblackbeforeyougetthemhome。And，asPeterpointed，thetreewasmoving——notjustthewaytreesoughttomovewhenthewindblowsthroughthem，butallinonepiece，asthoughitwerealivecreatureandwerewalkingdownthesideofthecutting。 \"It’smoving！\"criedBobbie。\"Oh，look！andsoaretheothers。 It’slikethewoodsinMacbeth。\" \"It’smagic，\"saidPhyllis，breathlessly。\"Ialwaysknewthisrailwaywasenchanted。\" Itreallydidseemalittlelikemagic。Forallthetreesforabouttwentyyardsoftheoppositebankseemedtobeslowlywalkingdowntowardstherailwayline，thetreewiththegreyleavesbringinguptherearlikesomeoldshepherddrivingaflockofgreensheep。 \"Whatisit？Oh，whatisit？\"saidPhyllis;\"it’smuchtoomagicforme。Idon’tlikeit。Let’sgohome。\" ButBobbieandPeterclungfasttotherailandwatchedbreathlessly。AndPhyllismadenomovementtowardsgoinghomebyherself。 Thetreesmovedonandon。Somestonesandlooseearthfelldownandrattledontherailwaymetalsfarbelow。 \"It’sALLcomingdown，\"Petertriedtosay，buthefoundtherewashardlyanyvoicetosayitwith。And，indeed，justashespoke，thegreatrock，onthetopofwhichthewalkingtreeswere，leanedslowlyforward。Thetrees，ceasingtowalk，stoodstillandshivered。Leaningwiththerock，theyseemedtohesitateamoment，andthenrockandtreesandgrassandbushes，witharushingsound，slippedrightawayfromthefaceofthecuttingandfellonthelinewithablunderingcrashthatcouldhavebeenheardhalfamileoff。 Acloudofdustroseup。 \"Oh，\"saidPeter，inawestrucktones，\"isn’titexactlylikewhencoalscomein？——iftherewasn’tanyrooftothecellarandyoucouldseedown。\" \"Lookwhatagreatmoundit’smade！\"saidBobbie。 \"Yes，\"saidPeter，slowly。Hewasstillleaningonthefence。 \"Yes，\"hesaidagain，stillmoreslowly。 Thenhestoodupright。 \"The11。29downhasn’tgonebyyet。Wemustletthemknowatthestation，orthere’llbeamostfrightfulaccident。\" \"Let’srun，\"saidBobbie，andbegan。 ButPetercried，\"Comeback！\"andlookedatMother’swatch。Hewasverypromptandbusinesslike，andhisfacelookedwhiterthantheyhadeverseenit。 \"Notime，\"hesaid;\"it’stwomilesaway，andit’spasteleven。\" \"Couldn’twe，\"suggestedPhyllis，breathlessly，\"couldn’tweclimbupatelegraphpostanddosomethingtothewires？\" \"Wedon’tknowhow，\"saidPeter。 \"Theydoitinwar，\"saidPhyllis;\"IknowI’veheardofit。\" \"TheyonlyCUTthem，silly，\"saidPeter，\"andthatdoesn’tdoanygood。Andwecouldn’tcutthemevenifwegotup，andwecouldn’tgetup。Ifwehadanythingred，wecouldgetdownonthelineandwaveit。\" \"Butthetrainwouldn’tseeustillitgotroundthecorner，andthenitcouldseethemoundjustaswellasus，\"saidPhyllis; \"better，becauseit’smuchbiggerthanus。\" \"Ifweonlyhadsomethingred，\"Peterrepeated，\"wecouldgoroundthecornerandwavetothetrain。\" \"Wemightwave，anyway。\" \"They’donlythinkitwasjustUS，asusual。We’vewavedsooftenbefore。Anyway，let’sgetdown。\" Theygotdownthesteepstairs。Bobbiewaspaleandshivering。 Peter’sfacelookedthinnerthanusual。Phylliswasred—facedanddampwithanxiety。 \"Oh，howhotIam！\"shesaid;\"andIthoughtitwasgoingtobecold;Iwishwehadn’tputonour——\"shestoppedshort，andthenendedinquiteadifferenttone——\"ourflannelpetticoats。\" Bobbieturnedatthebottomofthestairs。 \"Oh，yes，\"shecried;\"THEY’REred！Let’stakethemoff。\" Theydid，andwiththepetticoatsrolledupundertheirarms，ranalongtherailway，skirtingthenewlyfallenmoundofstonesandrockandearth，andbent，crushed，twistedtrees。Theyranattheirbestpace。Peterled，butthegirlswerenotfarbehind。Theyreachedthecornerthathidthemoundfromthestraightlineofrailwaythatranhalfamilewithoutcurveorcorner。 \"Now，\"saidPeter，takingholdofthelargestflannelpetticoat。 \"You’renot\"——Phyllisfaltered——\"you’renotgoingtoTEARthem？\" \"Shutup，\"saidPeter，withbriefsternness。 \"Oh，yes，\"saidBobbie，\"tearthemintolittlebitsifyoulike。 Don’tyousee，Phil，ifwecan’tstopthetrain，there’llbearealliveaccident，withpeopleKILLED。Oh，horrible！Here，Peter，you’llnevertearitthroughtheband！\" Shetooktheredflannelpetticoatfromhimandtoreitoffaninchfromtheband。Thenshetoretheotherinthesameway。 \"There！\"saidPeter，tearinginhisturn。Hedividedeachpetticoatintothreepieces。\"Now，we’vegotsixflags。\"Helookedatthewatchagain。\"Andwe’vegotsevenminutes。Wemusthaveflagstaffs。\" Theknivesgiventoboysare，forsomeoddreason，seldomofthekindofsteelthatkeepssharp。Theyoungsaplingshadtobebrokenoff。Twocameupbytheroots。Theleaveswerestrippedfromthem。 \"Wemustcutholesintheflags，andrunthesticksthroughtheholes，\"saidPeter。Andtheholeswerecut。Theknifewassharpenoughtocutflannelwith。Twooftheflagsweresetupinheapsofloosestonesbetweenthesleepersofthedownline。ThenPhyllisandRobertatookeachaflag，andstoodreadytowaveitassoonasthetraincameinsight。 \"Ishallhavetheothertwomyself，\"saidPeter，\"becauseitwasmyideatowavesomethingred。\" \"They’reourpetticoats，though，\"Phylliswasbeginning，butBobbieinterrupted—— \"Oh，whatdoesitmatterwhowaveswhat，ifwecanonlysavethetrain？\" PerhapsPeterhadnotrightlycalculatedthenumberofminutesitwouldtakethe11。29togetfromthestationtotheplacewheretheywere，orperhapsthetrainwaslate。Anyway，itseemedaverylongtimethattheywaited。 Phyllisgrewimpatient。\"Iexpectthewatchiswrong，andthetrain’sgoneby，\"saidshe。 Peterrelaxedtheheroicattitudehehadchosentoshowoffhistwoflags。AndBobbiebegantofeelsickwithsuspense。 Itseemedtoherthattheyhadbeenstandingthereforhoursandhours，holdingthosesillylittleredflannelflagsthatnoonewouldevernotice。Thetrainwouldn’tcare。Itwouldgorushingbythemandtearroundthecornerandgocrashingintothatawfulmound。Andeveryonewouldbekilled。Herhandsgrewverycoldandtrembledsothatshecouldhardlyholdtheflag。Andthencamethedistantrumbleandhumofthemetals，andapuffofwhitesteamshowedfarawayalongthestretchofline。 \"Standfirm，\"saidPeter，\"andwavelikemad！Whenitgetstothatbigfurzebushstepback，butgoonwaving！Don’tstandONtheline，Bobbie！\" Thetraincamerattlingalongvery，veryfast。 \"Theydon’tseeus！Theywon’tseeus！It’sallnogood！\"criedBobbie。 Thetwolittleflagsonthelineswayedasthenearingtrainshookandloosenedtheheapsofloosestonesthatheldthemup。Oneofthemslowlyleanedoverandfellontheline。Bobbiejumpedforwardandcaughtitup，andwavedit;herhandsdidnottremblenow。 Itseemedthatthetraincameonasfastasever。Itwasverynearnow。 \"Keepofftheline，yousillycuckoo！\"saidPeter，fiercely。 \"It’snogood，\"Bobbiesaidagain。 \"Standback！\"criedPeter，suddenly，andhedraggedPhyllisbackbythearm。 ButBobbiecried，\"Notyet，notyet！\"andwavedhertwoflagsrightovertheline。Thefrontoftheenginelookedblackandenormous。 It’svoicewasloudandharsh。 \"Oh，stop，stop，stop！\"criedBobbie。Nooneheardher。AtleastPeterandPhyllisdidn’t，fortheoncomingrushofthetraincoveredthesoundofhervoicewithamountainofsound。Butafterwardssheusedtowonderwhethertheengineitselfhadnotheardher。Itseemedalmostasthoughithad——foritslackenedswiftly，slackenedandstopped，nottwentyyardsfromtheplacewhereBobbie’stwoflagswavedovertheline。Shesawthegreatblackenginestopdead，butsomehowshecouldnotstopwavingtheflags。AndwhenthedriverandthefiremanhadgotofftheengineandPeterandPhyllishadgonetomeetthemandpourouttheirexcitedtaleoftheawfulmoundjustroundthecorner，Bobbiestillwavedtheflagsbutmoreandmorefeeblyandjerkily。 Whentheothersturnedtowardshershewaslyingacrossthelinewithherhandsflungforwardandstillgrippingthesticksofthelittleredflannelflags。 Theengine—driverpickedherup，carriedhertothetrain，andlaidheronthecushionsofafirst—classcarriage。 \"Gonerightoffinafaint，\"hesaid，\"poorlittlewoman。Andnowonder。I’lljust’avealookatthis’eremoundofyours，andthenwe’llrunyoubacktothestationandgetherseento。\" ItwashorribletoseeBobbielyingsowhiteandquiet，withherlipsblue，andparted。 \"Ibelievethat’swhatpeoplelooklikewhenthey’redead，\" whisperedPhyllis。 \"DON’T！\"saidPeter，sharply。 TheysatbyBobbieonthebluecushions，andthetrainranback。 BeforeitreachedtheirstationBobbiehadsighedandopenedhereyes，androlledherselfoverandbeguntocry。Thischeeredtheotherswonderfully。Theyhadseenhercrybefore，buttheyhadneverseenherfaint，noranyoneelse，forthematterofthat。Theyhadnotknownwhattodowhenshewasfainting，butnowshewasonlycryingtheycouldthumpheronthebackandtellhernotto，justastheyalwaysdid。Andpresently，whenshestoppedcrying，theywereabletolaughatherforbeingsuchacowardastofaint。 Whenthestationwasreached，thethreeweretheheroesofanagitatedmeetingontheplatform。 Thepraisestheygotfortheir\"promptaction，\"their\"commonsense，\"their\"ingenuity，\"wereenoughtohaveturnedanybody’shead。Phyllisenjoyedherselfthoroughly。Shehadneverbeenarealheroinebefore，andthefeelingwasdelicious。Peter’searsgotveryred。Yethe，too，enjoyedhimself。OnlyBobbiewishedtheyallwouldn’t。Shewantedtogetaway。 \"You’llhearfromtheCompanyaboutthis，Iexpect，\"saidtheStationMaster。 Bobbiewishedshemightneverhearofitagain。ShepulledatPeter’sjacket。 \"Oh，comeaway，comeaway！Iwanttogohome，\"shesaid。 Sotheywent。AndastheywentStationMasterandPorterandguardsanddriverandfiremanandpassengerssentupacheer。 \"Oh，listen，\"criedPhyllis;\"that’sforUS！\" \"Yes，\"saidPeter。\"Isay，IamgladIthoughtaboutsomethingred，andwavingit。\" \"HowluckyweDIDputonourredflannelpetticoats！\"saidPhyllis。 Bobbiesaidnothing。Shewasthinkingofthehorriblemound，andthetrustfultrainrushingtowardsit。 \"AnditwasUSthatsavedthem，\"saidPeter。 \"Howdreadfuliftheyhadallbeenkilled！\"saidPhyllis;\"wouldn’tit，Bobbie？\" \"Wenevergotanycherries，afterall，\"saidBobbie。 Theothersthoughtherratherheartless。 ChapterVII。Forvalour。 Ihopeyoudon’tmindmytellingyouagooddealaboutRoberta。ThefactisIamgrowingveryfondofher。ThemoreIobserveherthemoreIloveher。AndInoticeallsortsofthingsaboutherthatI like。 Forinstance，shewasquiteoddlyanxioustomakeotherpeoplehappy。Andshecouldkeepasecret，atolerablyrareaccomplishment。Alsoshehadthepowerofsilentsympathy。Thatsoundsratherdull，Iknow，butit’snotsodullasitsounds。Itjustmeansthatapersonisabletoknowthatyouareunhappy，andtoloveyouextraonthataccount，withoutbotheringyoubytellingyouallthetimehowsorrysheisforyou。ThatwaswhatBobbiewaslike。SheknewthatMotherwasunhappy——andthatMotherhadnottoldherthereason。SoshejustlovedMothermoreandneversaidasinglewordthatcouldletMotherknowhowearnestlyherlittlegirlwonderedwhatMotherwasunhappyabout。Thisneedspractice。Itisnotsoeasyasyoumightthink。 Whateverhappened——andallsortsofnice，pleasantordinarythingshappened——suchaspicnics，games，andbunsfortea，Bobbiealwayshadthesethoughtsatthebackofhermind。\"Mother’sunhappy。 Why？Idon’tknow。Shedoesn’twantmetoknow。Iwon’ttrytofindout。ButsheISunhappy。Why？Idon’tknow。Shedoesn’t——\" andsoon，repeatingandrepeatinglikeatunethatyoudon’tknowthestoppingpartof。 TheRussiangentlemanstilltookupagooddealofeverybody’sthoughts。AlltheeditorsandsecretariesofSocietiesandMembersofParliamenthadansweredMother’slettersaspolitelyastheyknewhow;butnoneofthemcouldtellwherethewifeandchildrenofMr。 Szezcpanskywouldbelikelytobe。（DidItellyouthattheRussian’sveryRussiannamewasthat？） Bobbiehadanotherqualitywhichyouwillheardifferentlydescribedbydifferentpeople。Someofthemcallitinterferinginotherpeople’sbusiness——andsomecallit\"helpinglamedogsoverstiles，\" andsomecallit\"loving—kindness。\"Itjustmeanstryingtohelppeople。 SherackedherbrainstothinkofsomewayofhelpingtheRussiangentlemantofindhiswifeandchildren。HehadlearnedafewwordsofEnglishnow。Hecouldsay\"Goodmorning，\"and\"Goodnight，\"and\"Please，\"and\"Thankyou，\"and\"Pretty，\"whenthechildrenbroughthimflowers，and\"Ver’good，\"whentheyaskedhimhowhehadslept。 Thewayhesmiledwhenhe\"saidhisEnglish，\"was，Bobbiefelt，\"justtoosweetforanything。\"Sheusedtothinkofhisfacebecauseshefancieditwouldhelphertosomewayofhelpinghim。 Butitdidnot。YethisbeingtherecheeredherbecauseshesawthatitmadeMotherhappier。 \"Shelikestohavesomeonetobegoodto，evenbesideus，\"saidBobbie。\"AndIknowshehatedtolethimhaveFather’sclothes。 ButIsupposeit’hurtnice，’orshewouldn’thave。\" FormanyandmanyanightafterthedaywhensheandPeterandPhyllishadsavedthetrainfromwreckbywavingtheirlittleredflannelflags，Bobbieusedtowakescreamingandshivering，seeingagainthathorriblemound，andthepoor，deartrustfulenginerushingontowardsit——justthinkingthatitwasdoingitsswiftduty，andthateverythingwasclearandsafe。AndthenawarmthrillofpleasureusedtorunthroughherattheremembranceofhowsheandPeterandPhyllisandtheredflannelpetticoatshadreallysavedeverybody。 Onemorningalettercame。ItwasaddressedtoPeterandBobbieandPhyllis。Theyopeneditwithenthusiasticcuriosity，fortheydidnotoftengetletters。 Thelettersaid：—— \"DearSir，andLadies，——Itisproposedtomakeasmallpresentationtoyou，incommemorationofyourpromptandcourageousactioninwarningthetrainonthe———inst。，andthusavertingwhatmust，humanlyspeaking，havebeenaterribleaccident。Thepresentationwilltakeplaceatthe———Stationatthreeo’clockonthe30thinst。，ifthistimeandplacewillbeconvenienttoyou。 \"Yoursfaithfully，\"JabezInglewood。 \"Secretary，GreatNorthernandSouthernRailwayCo。\" Thereneverhadbeenaproudermomentinthelivesofthethreechildren。TheyrushedtoMotherwiththeletter，andshealsofeltproudandsaidso，andthismadethechildrenhappierthanever。 \"Butifthepresentationismoney，youmustsay，’Thankyou，butwe’drathernottakeit，’\"saidMother。\"I’llwashyourIndianmuslinsatonce，\"sheadded。\"Youmustlooktidyonanoccasionlikethis。\" \"PhilandIcanwashthem，\"saidBobbie，\"ifyou’llironthem，Mother。\" Washingisratherfun。Iwonderwhetheryou’veeverdoneit？Thisparticularwashingtookplaceinthebackkitchen，whichhadastonefloorandaverybigstonesinkunderitswindow。 \"Let’sputthebathonthesink，\"saidPhyllis;\"thenwecanpretendwe’reout—of—doorswasherwomenlikeMothersawinFrance。\" \"Buttheywerewashinginthecoldriver，\"saidPeter，hishandsinhispockets，\"notinhotwater。\" \"ThisisaHOTriver，then，\"saidPhyllis;\"lendahandwiththebath，there’sadear。\" \"Ishouldliketoseeadeerlendingahand，\"saidPeter，buthelenthis。 \"Nowtorubandscrubandscrubandrub，\"saidPhyllis，hoppingjoyouslyaboutasBobbiecarefullycarriedtheheavykettlefromthekitchenfire。 \"Oh，no！\"saidBobbie，greatlyshocked;\"youdon’trubmuslin。Youputtheboiledsoapinthehotwaterandmakeitallfrothy—lathery— —andthenyoushakethemuslinandsqueezeit，eversogently，andallthedirtcomesout。It’sonlyclumsythingsliketableclothsandsheetsthathavetoberubbed。\" ThelilacandtheGloiredeDijonrosesoutsidethewindowswayedinthesoftbreeze。 \"It’sanicedryingday——that’sonething，\"saidBobbie，feelingverygrownup。\"Oh，IdowonderwhatwonderfulfeelingsweshallhavewhenweWEARtheIndianmuslindresses！\" \"Yes，sodoI，\"saidPhyllis，shakingandsqueezingthemuslininquiteaprofessionalmanner。 \"NOWwesqueezeoutthesoapywater。NO——wemustn’ttwistthem——andthenrinsethem。I’llholdthemwhileyouandPeteremptythebathandgetcleanwater。\" \"Apresentation！Thatmeanspresents，\"saidPeter，ashissisters，havingdulywashedthepegsandwipedtheline，hungupthedressestodry。\"Whateverwillitbe？\" \"Itmightbeanything，\"saidPhyllis;\"whatI’vealwayswantedisaBabyelephant——butIsupposetheywouldn’tknowthat。\" \"Supposeitwasgoldmodelsofsteam—engines？\"saidBobbie。 \"Orabigmodelofthesceneofthepreventedaccident，\"suggestedPeter，\"withalittlemodeltrain，anddollsdressedlikeusandtheengine—driverandfiremanandpassengers。\" \"DoyouLIKE，\"saidBobbie，doubtfully，dryingherhandsontheroughtowelthathungonarolleratthebackofthescullerydoor，\"doyouLIKEusbeingrewardedforsavingatrain？\" \"Yes，Ido，\"saidPeter，downrightly;\"anddon’tyoutrytocomeitoverusthatyoudon’tlikeit，too。BecauseIknowyoudo。\" \"Yes，\"saidBobbie，doubtfully，\"IknowIdo。Butoughtn’twetobesatisfiedwithjusthavingdoneit，andnotaskforanythingmore？\" \"Whodidaskforanythingmore，silly？\"saidherbrother;\"VictoriaCrosssoldiersdon’tASKforit;butthey’regladenoughtogetitallthesame。Perhapsit’llbemedals。Then，whenI’mveryoldindeed，Ishallshowthemtomygrandchildrenandsay，’Weonlydidourduty，’andthey’llbeawfullyproudofme。\" \"Youhavetobemarried，\"warnedPhyllis，\"oryoudon’thaveanygrandchildren。\" \"IsupposeIshallHAVEtobemarriedsomeday，\"saidPeter，\"butitwillbeanawfulbotherhavingherroundallthetime。I’dliketomarryaladywhohadtrances，andonlywokeuponceortwiceayear。\" \"Justtosayyouwerethelightofherlifeandthengotosleepagain。Yes。Thatwouldn’tbebad，\"saidBobbie。 \"When_I_getmarried，\"saidPhyllis，\"Ishallwanthimtowantmetobeawakeallthetime，sothatIcanhearhimsayhowniceIam。\" \"Ithinkitwouldbenice，\"saidBobbie，\"tomarrysomeoneverypoor，andthenyou’ddoalltheworkandhe’dloveyoumostfrightfully，andseethebluewoodsmokecurlingupamongthetreesfromthedomestichearthashecamehomefromworkeverynight。I say——we’vegottoanswerthatletterandsaythatthetimeandplaceWILLbeconvenienttous。There’sthesoap，Peter。WE’REbothascleanasclean。Thatpinkboxofwritingpaperyouhadonyourbirthday，Phil。\" Ittooksometimetoarrangewhatshouldbesaid。Motherhadgonebacktoherwriting，andseveralsheetsofpinkpaperwithscallopedgiltedgesandgreenfour—leavedshamrocksinthecornerwerespoiledbeforethethreehaddecidedwhattosay。Theneachmadeacopyandsigneditwithitsownname。 Thethreefoldletterran：—— \"DearMr。JabezInglewood，——Thankyouverymuch。Wedidnotwanttoberewardedbutonlytosavethetrain，butwearegladyouthinksoandthankyouverymuch。Thetimeandplaceyousaywillbequiteconvenienttous。Thankyouverymuch。 \"Youraffecatelittlefriend，\" Thencamethename，andafterit：—— \"P。S。Thankyouverymuch。\" \"Washingismucheasierthanironing，\"saidBobbie，takingthecleandrydressesofftheline。\"Idolovetoseethingscomeclean。Oh— —Idon’tknowhowweshallwaittillit’stimetoknowwhatpresentationthey’regoingtopresent！\" Whenatlast——itseemedaverylongtimeafter——itwasTHEday，thethreechildrenwentdowntothestationatthepropertime。Andeverythingthathappenedwassooddthatitseemedlikeadream。 TheStationMastercameouttomeetthem——inhisbestclothes，asPeternoticedatonce——andledthemintothewaitingroomwhereoncetheyhadplayedtheadvertisementgame。Itlookedquitedifferentnow。Acarpethadbeenputdown——andtherewerepotsofrosesonthemantelpieceandonthewindowledges——greenbranchesstuckup，likehollyandlaurelareatChristmas，overtheframedadvertisementofCook’sToursandtheBeautiesofDevonandtheParisLyonsRailway。TherewerequiteanumberofpeopletherebesidesthePorter——twoorthreeladiesinsmartdresses，andquiteacrowdofgentlemeninhighhatsandfrockcoats——besideseverybodywhobelongedtothestation。Theyrecognizedseveralpeoplewhohadbeeninthetrainonthered—flannel—petticoatday。Bestofalltheirownoldgentlemanwasthere，andhiscoatandhatandcollarseemedmorethaneverdifferentfromanyoneelse’s。Heshookhandswiththemandtheneverybodysatdownonchairs，andagentlemaninspectacles——theyfoundoutafterwardsthathewastheDistrictSuperintendent——beganquitealongspeech——verycleverindeed。Iamnotgoingtowritethespeechdown。First，becauseyouwouldthinkitdull;andsecondly，becauseitmadeallthechildrenblushso，andgetsohotabouttheearsthatIamquiteanxioustogetawayfromthispartofthesubject;andthirdly，becausethegentlemantooksomanywordstosaywhathehadtosaythatIreallyhaven’ttimetowritethemdown。Hesaidallsortsofnicethingsaboutthechildren’sbraveryandpresenceofmind，andwhenhehaddonehesatdown，andeveryonewhowasthereclappedandsaid，\"Hear，hear。\" Andthentheoldgentlemangotupandsaidthings，too。Itwasverylikeaprize—giving。Andthenhecalledthechildrenonebyone，bytheirnames，andgaveeachofthemabeautifulgoldwatchandchain。 Andinsidethewatcheswereengravedafterthenameofthewatch’snewowner：—— \"FromtheDirectorsoftheNorthernandSouthernRailwayingratefulrecognitionofthecourageousandpromptactionwhichavertedanaccidenton———1905。\" Thewatcheswerethemostbeautifulyoucanpossiblyimagine，andeachonehadablueleathercasetoliveinwhenitwasathome。 \"Youmustmakeaspeechnowandthankeveryonefortheirkindness，\" whisperedtheStationMasterinPeter’searandpushedhimforward。 \"Begin’LadiesandGentlemen，’\"headded。 Eachofthechildrenhadalreadysaid\"Thankyou，\"quiteproperly。 \"Oh，dear，\"saidPeter，buthedidnotresistthepush。 \"LadiesandGentlemen，\"hesaidinaratherhuskyvoice。Thentherewasapause，andheheardhisheartbeatinginhisthroat。\"LadiesandGentlemen，\"hewentonwitharush，\"it’smostawfullygoodofyou，andweshalltreasurethewatchesallourlives——butreallywedon’tdeserveitbecausewhatwedidwasn’tanything，really。Atleast，Imeanitwasawfullyexciting，andwhatImeantosay——thankyouallvery，verymuch。\" ThepeopleclappedPetermorethantheyhaddonetheDistrictSuperintendent，andtheneverybodyshookhandswiththem，andassoonaspolitenesswouldletthem，theygotaway，andtoreupthehilltoThreeChimneyswiththeirwatchesintheirhands。 Itwasawonderfulday——thekindofdaythatveryseldomhappenstoanybodyandtomostofusnotatall。 \"Ididwanttotalktotheoldgentlemanaboutsomethingelse，\"saidBobbie，\"butitwassopublic——likebeinginchurch。\" \"Whatdidyouwanttosay？\"askedPhyllis。 \"I’lltellyouwhenI’vethoughtaboutitmore，\"saidBobbie。 Sowhenshehadthoughtalittlemoreshewrotealetter。 \"Mydearestoldgentleman，\"itsaid;\"Iwantmostawfullytoaskyousomething。Ifyoucouldgetoutofthetrainandgobythenext，itwoulddo。Idonotwantyoutogivemeanything。Mothersaysweoughtnotto。Andbesides，wedonotwantanyTHINGS。OnlytotalktoyouaboutaPrisonerandCaptive。Yourlovinglittlefriend，\"Bobbie。\" ShegottheStationMastertogivethelettertotheoldgentleman，andnextdaysheaskedPeterandPhyllistocomedowntothestationwithheratthetimewhenthetrainthatbroughttheoldgentlemanfromtownwouldbepassingthrough。 Sheexplainedherideatothem——andtheyapprovedthoroughly。 Theyhadallwashedtheirhandsandfaces，andbrushedtheirhair，andwerelookingastidyastheyknewhow。ButPhyllis，alwaysunlucky，hadupsetajugoflemonadedownthefrontofherdress。 Therewasnotimetochange——andthewindhappeningtoblowfromthecoalyard，herfrockwassoonpowderedwithgrey，whichstucktothestickylemonadestainsandmadeherlook，asPetersaid，\"likeanylittlegutterchild。\" Itwasdecidedthatsheshouldkeepbehindtheothersasmuchaspossible。 \"Perhapstheoldgentlemanwon’tnotice，\"saidBobbie。\"Theagedareoftenweakintheeyes。\" Therewasnosignofweakness，however，intheeyes，orinanyotherpartoftheoldgentleman，ashesteppedfromthetrainandlookedupanddowntheplatform。 Thethreechildren，nowthatitcametothepoint，suddenlyfeltthatrushofdeepshynesswhichmakesyourearsredandhot，yourhandswarmandwet，andthetipofyournosepinkandshiny。 \"Oh，\"saidPhyllis，\"myheart’sthumpinglikeasteam—engine——rightundermysash，too。\" \"Nonsense，\"saidPeter，\"people’sheartsaren’tundertheirsashes。\" \"Idon’tcare——mineis，\"saidPhyllis。 \"Ifyou’regoingtotalklikeapoetry—book，\"saidPeter，\"myheart’sinmymouth。\" \"Myheart’sinmyboots——ifyoucometothat，\"saidRoberta;\"butdocomeon——he’llthinkwe’reidiots。\" \"Hewon’tbefarwrong，\"saidPeter，gloomily。Andtheywentforwardtomeettheoldgentleman。 \"Hullo，\"hesaid，shakinghandswiththemallinturn。\"Thisisaverygreatpleasure。\" \"ItWASgoodofyoutogetout，\"Bobbiesaid，perspiringandpolite。 HetookherarmanddrewherintothewaitingroomwheresheandtheothershadplayedtheadvertisementgamethedaytheyfoundtheRussian。PhyllisandPeterfollowed。\"Well？\"saidtheoldgentleman，givingBobbie’sarmakindlittleshakebeforeheletitgo。\"Well？Whatisit？\" \"Oh，please！\"saidBobbie。 \"Yes？\"saidtheoldgentleman。 \"WhatImeantosay——\"saidBobbie。 \"Well？\"saidtheoldgentleman。 \"It’sallveryniceandkind，\"saidshe。 \"But？\"hesaid。 \"IwishImightsaysomething，\"shesaid。 \"Sayit，\"saidhe。 \"Well，then，\"saidBobbie——andoutcamethestoryoftheRussianwhohadwrittenthebeautifulbookaboutpoorpeople，andhadbeensenttoprisonandtoSiberiaforjustthat。 \"Andwhatwewantmorethananythingintheworldistofindhiswifeandchildrenforhim，\"saidBobbie，\"butwedon’tknowhow。 Butyoumustbemosthorriblyclever，oryouwouldn’tbeaDirectionoftheRailway。AndifYOUknewhow——andwould？We’dratherhavethatthananythingelseintheworld。We’dgowithoutthewatches，even，ifyoucouldsellthemandfindhiswifewiththemoney。\" Andtheotherssaidso，too，thoughnotwithsomuchenthusiasm。 \"Hum，\"saidtheoldgentleman，pullingdownthewhitewaistcoatthathadthebiggiltbuttonsonit，\"whatdidyousaythenamewas—— Fryingpansky？\" \"No，no，\"saidBobbieearnestly。\"I’llwriteitdownforyou。Itdoesn’treallylookatalllikethatexceptwhenyousayit。Haveyouabitofpencilandthebackofanenvelope？\"sheasked。 Theoldgentlemangotoutagoldpencil—caseandabeautiful，sweet— smelling，greenRussianleathernote—bookandopeneditatanewpage。 \"Here，\"hesaid，\"writehere。\" Shewrotedown\"Szezcpansky，\"andsaid：—— \"That’showyouwriteit。YouCALLitShepansky。\" Theoldgentlemantookoutapairofgold—rimmedspectaclesandfittedthemonhisnose。Whenhehadreadthename，helookedquitedifferent。 \"THATman？Blessmysoul！\"hesaid。\"Why，I’vereadhisbook！ It’stranslatedintoeveryEuropeanlanguage。Afinebook——anoblebook。Andsoyourmothertookhimin——likethegoodSamaritan。 Well，well。I’lltellyouwhat，youngsters——yourmothermustbeaverygoodwoman。\" \"Ofcoursesheis，\"saidPhyllis，inastonishment。 \"Andyou’reaverygoodman，\"saidBobbie，veryshy，butfirmlyresolvedtobepolite。 \"Youflatterme，\"saidtheoldgentleman，takingoffhishatwithaflourish。\"AndnowamItotellyouwhatIthinkofyou？\" \"Oh，pleasedon’t，\"saidBobbie，hastily。 \"Why？\"askedtheoldgentleman。 \"Idon’texactlyknow，\"saidBobbie。\"Only——ifit’shorrid，Idon’twantyouto;andifit’snice，I’dratheryoudidn’t。\" Theoldgentlemanlaughed。 \"Well，then，\"hesaid，\"I’llonlyjustsaythatI’mverygladyoucametomeaboutthis——veryglad，indeed。AndIshouldn’tbesurprisedifIfoundoutsomethingverysoon。IknowagreatmanyRussiansinLondon，andeveryRussianknowsHISname。Nowtellmeallaboutyourselves。\" Heturnedtotheothers，buttherewasonlyoneother，andthatwasPeter。Phyllishaddisappeared。 \"Tellmeallaboutyourself，\"saidtheoldgentlemanagain。And，quitenaturally，Peterwasstrickendumb。 \"Allright，we’llhaveanexamination，\"saidtheoldgentleman;\"youtwositonthetable，andI’llsitonthebenchandaskquestions。\" Hedid，andoutcametheirnamesandages——theirFather’snameandbusiness——howlongtheyhadlivedatThreeChimneysandagreatdealmore。 Thequestionswerebeginningtoturnonaherringandahalfforthreehalfpence，andapoundofleadandapoundoffeathers，whenthedoorofthewaitingroomwaskickedopenbyaboot;asthebootenteredeveryonecouldseethatitslacewascomingundone——andincamePhyllis，veryslowlyandcarefully。 Inonehandshecarriedalargetincan，andintheotherathicksliceofbreadandbutter。 \"Afternoontea，\"sheannouncedproudly，andheldthecanandthebreadandbutterouttotheoldgentleman，whotookthemandsaid：—— \"Blessmysoul！\" \"Yes，\"saidPhyllis。 \"It’sverythoughtfulofyou，\"saidtheoldgentleman，\"very。\" \"Butyoumighthavegotacup，\"saidBobbie，\"andaplate。\" \"Perksalwaysdrinksoutofthecan，\"saidPhyllis，flushingred。 \"Ithinkitwasveryniceofhimtogiveitmeatall——letalonecupsandplates，\"sheadded。 \"SodoI，\"saidtheoldgentleman，andhedranksomeoftheteaandtastedthebreadandbutter。 Andthenitwastimeforthenexttrain，andhegotintoitwithmanygood—byesandkindlastwords。 \"Well，\"saidPeter，whentheywereleftontheplatform，andthetail—lightsofthetraindisappearedroundthecorner，\"it’smybeliefthatwe’velightedacandleto—day——likeLatimer，youknow，whenhewasbeingburned——andthere’llbefireworksforourRussianbeforelong。\" Andsotherewere。 Itwasn’ttendaysaftertheinterviewinthewaitingroomthatthethreechildrenweresittingonthetopofthebiggestrockinthefieldbelowtheirhousewatchingthe5。15steamawayfromthestationalongthebottomofthevalley。Theysaw，too，thefewpeoplewhohadgotoutatthestationstragglinguptheroadtowardsthevillage——andtheysawonepersonleavetheroadandopenthegatethatledacrossthefieldstoThreeChimneysandtonowhereelse。 \"Whoonearth！\"saidPeter，scramblingdown。 \"Let’sgoandsee，\"saidPhyllis。 Sotheydid。Andwhentheygotnearenoughtoseewhothepersonwas，theysawitwastheiroldgentlemanhimself，hisbrassbuttonswinkingintheafternoonsunshine，andhiswhitewaistcoatlookingwhiterthaneveragainstthegreenofthefield。 \"Hullo！\"shoutedthechildren，wavingtheirhands。 \"Hullo！\"shoutedtheoldgentleman，wavinghishat。 Thenthethreestartedtorun——andwhentheygottohimtheyhardlyhadbreathlefttosay：—— \"Howdoyoudo？\" \"Goodnews，\"saidhe。\"I’vefoundyourRussianfriend’swifeandchild——andIcouldn’tresistthetemptationofgivingmyselfthepleasureoftellinghim。\" ButashelookedatBobbie’sfacehefeltthatheCOULDresistthattemptation。 \"Here，\"hesaidtoher，\"yourunonandtellhim。Theothertwowillshowmetheway。\" Bobbieran。ButwhenshehadbreathlesslypantedoutthenewstotheRussianandMothersittinginthequietgarden——whenMother’sfacehadlightedupsobeautifully，andshehadsaidhalfadozenquickFrenchwordstotheExile——BobbiewishedthatshehadNOT carriedthenews。FortheRussiansprangupwithacrythatmadeBobbie’sheartleapandthentremble——acryofloveandlongingsuchasshehadneverheard。ThenhetookMother’shandandkisseditgentlyandreverently——andthenhesankdowninhischairandcoveredhisfacewithhishandsandsobbed。Bobbiecreptaway。Shedidnotwanttoseetheothersjustthen。 ButshewasasgayasanybodywhentheendlessFrenchtalkingwasover，whenPeterhadtorndowntothevillageforbunsandcakes，andthegirlshadgotteareadyandtakenitoutintothegarden。 Theoldgentlemanwasmostmerryanddelightful。HeseemedtobeabletotalkinFrenchandEnglishalmostatthesamemoment，andMotherdidnearlyaswell。Itwasadelightfultime。Motherseemedasifshecouldnotmakeenoughfussabouttheoldgentleman，andshesaidyesatoncewhenheaskedifhemightpresentsome\"goodies\"tohislittlefriends。 Thewordwasnewtothechildren——buttheyguessedthatitmeantsweets，forthethreelargepinkandgreenboxes，tiedwithgreenribbon，whichhetookoutofhisbag，heldunheard—oflayersofbeautifulchocolates。 TheRussian’sfewbelongingswerepacked，andtheyallsawhimoffatthestation。 ThenMotherturnedtotheoldgentlemanandsaid：—— \"Idon’tknowhowtothankyouforEVERYTHING。Ithasbeenarealpleasuretometoseeyou。Butweliveveryquietly。IamsosorrythatIcan’taskyoutocomeandseeusagain。\" Thechildrenthoughtthisveryhard。WhentheyHADmadeafriend—— andsuchafriend——theywoulddearlyhavelikedhimtocomeandseethemagain。 Whattheoldgentlemanthoughttheycouldn’ttell。Heonlysaid：—— \"Iconsidermyselfveryfortunate，Madam，tohavebeenreceivedonceatyourhouse。\" \"Ah，\"saidMother，\"IknowImustseemsurlyandungrateful——but——\" \"Youcouldneverseemanythingbutamostcharmingandgraciouslady，\"saidtheoldgentleman，withanotherofhisbows。 Andastheyturnedtogoupthehill，BobbiesawherMother’sface。 \"Howtiredyoulook，Mammy，\"shesaid;\"leanonme。\" \"It’smyplacetogiveMothermyarm，\"saidPeter。\"I’mtheheadmanofthefamilywhenFather’saway。\" Mothertookanarmofeach。 \"Howawfullynice，\"saidPhyllis，skippingjoyfully，\"tothinkofthedearRussianembracinghislong—lostwife。Thebabymusthavegrownalotsincehesawit。\" \"Yes，\"saidMother。 \"IwonderwhetherFatherwillthinkI’VEgrown，\"Phylliswenton，skippingstillmoregaily。\"Ihavegrownalready，haven’tI，Mother？\" \"Yes，\"saidMother，\"oh，yes，\"andBobbieandPeterfeltherhandstightenontheirarms。 \"PooroldMammy，youAREtired，\"saidPeter。 Bobbiesaid，\"Comeon，Phil;I’llraceyoutothegate。\" Andshestartedtherace，thoughshehateddoingit。YOUknowwhyBobbiedidthat。MotheronlythoughtthatBobbiewastiredofwalkingslowly。EvenMothers，wholoveyoubetterthananyoneelseeverwill，don’talwaysunderstand。 ChapterVIII。Theamateurfiremen。 \"That’salikelylittlebroochyou’vegoton，Miss，\"saidPerksthePorter;\"Idon’tknowaseverIseeathingmorelikeabuttercupwithoutitWASabuttercup。\" \"Yes，\"saidBobbie，gladandflushedbythisapproval。\"Ialwaysthoughtitwasmorelikeabuttercupalmostthanevenarealone—— andINEVERthoughtitwouldcometobemine，myveryown——andthenMothergaveittomeformybirthday。\" \"Oh，haveyouhadabirthday？\"saidPerks;andheseemedquitesurprised，asthoughabirthdaywereathingonlygrantedtoafavouredfew。 \"Yes，\"saidBobbie;\"when’syourbirthday，Mr。Perks？\"ThechildrenweretakingteawithMr。PerksinthePorters’roomamongthelampsandtherailwayalmanacs。Theyhadbroughttheirowncupsandsomejamturnovers。Mr。Perksmadeteainabeercan，asusual，andeveryonefeltveryhappyandconfidential。 \"Mybirthday？\"saidPerks，tippingsomemoredarkbrownteaoutofthecanintoPeter’scup。\"Igiveupkeepingofmybirthdayaforeyouwasborn。\" \"ButyoumusthavebeenbornSOMETIME，youknow，\"saidPhyllis，thoughtfully，\"evenifitwastwentyyearsago——orthirtyorsixtyorseventy。\" \"Notsolongasthat，Missie，\"Perksgrinnedasheanswered。\"Ifyoureallywanttoknow，itwasthirty—twoyearsago，comethefifteenthofthismonth。\" \"Thenwhydon’tyoukeepit？\"askedPhyllis。 \"I’vegotsomethingelsetokeepbesidesbirthdays，\"saidPerks，briefly。 \"Oh！What？\"askedPhyllis，eagerly。\"Notsecrets？\" \"No，\"saidPerks，\"thekidsandtheMissus。\" Itwasthistalkthatsetthechildrenthinking，and，presently，talking。Perkswas，onthewhole，thedearestfriendtheyhadmade。 NotsograndastheStationMaster，butmoreapproachable——lesspowerfulthantheoldgentleman，butmoreconfidential。 \"Itseemshorridthatnobodykeepshisbirthday，\"saidBobbie。 \"Couldn’tWEdosomething？\" \"Let’sgouptotheCanalbridgeandtalkitover，\"saidPeter。\"I gotanewgutlinefromthepostmanthismorning。HegaveitmeforabunchofrosesthatIgavehimforhissweetheart。She’sill。\" \"ThenIdothinkyoumighthavegivenhertherosesfornothing，\" saidBobbie，indignantly。 \"Nyang，nyang！\"saidPeter，disagreeably，andputhishandsinhispockets。 \"Hedid，ofcourse，\"saidPhyllis，inhaste;\"directlyweheardshewasillwegottherosesreadyandwaitedbythegate。Itwaswhenyouweremakingthebrekker—toast。Andwhenhe’dsaid’Thankyou’ fortherosessomanytimes——muchmorethanheneedhave——hepulledoutthelineandgaveittoPeter。Itwasn’texchange。Itwasthegratefulheart。\" \"Oh，IBEGyourpardon，Peter，\"saidBobbie，\"IAMsosorry。\" \"Don’tmentionit，\"saidPeter，grandly，\"Iknewyouwouldbe。\" SothentheyallwentuptotheCanalbridge。Theideawastofishfromthebridge，butthelinewasnotquitelongenough。 \"Nevermind，\"saidBobbie。\"Let’sjuststayhereandlookatthings。Everything’ssobeautiful。\" Itwas。Thesunwassettinginredsplendouroverthegreyandpurplehills，andthecanallaysmoothandshinyintheshadow——noripplebrokeitssurface。Itwaslikeagreysatinribbonbetweentheduskygreensilkofthemeadowsthatwereoneachsideofitsbanks。 \"It’sallright，\"saidPeter，\"butsomehowIcanalwaysseehowprettythingsaremuchbetterwhenI’vesomethingtodo。Let’sgetdownontothetowpathandfishfromthere。\" PhyllisandBobbierememberedhowtheboysonthecanal—boatshadthrowncoalatthem，andtheysaidso。 \"Oh，nonsense，\"saidPeter。\"Therearen’tanyboysherenow。Iftherewere，I’dfightthem。\" Peter’ssisterswerekindenoughnottoremindhimhowhehadNOT foughttheboyswhencoalhadlastbeenthrown。Insteadtheysaid，\"Allright，then，\"andcautiouslyclimbeddownthesteepbanktothetowing—path。Thelinewascarefullybaited，andforhalfanhourtheyfishedpatientlyandinvain。Notasinglenibblecametonourishhopeintheirhearts。 Alleyeswereintentonthesluggishwatersthatearnestlypretendedtheyhadneverharbouredasingleminnowwhenaloudroughshoutmadethemstart。 \"Hi！\"saidtheshout，inmostdisagreeabletones，\"getoutofthat，can’tyou？\" Anoldwhitehorsecomingalongthetowing—pathwaswithinhalfadozenyardsofthem。Theysprangtotheirfeetandhastilyclimbedupthebank。 \"We’llslipdownagainwhenthey’vegoneby，\"saidBobbie。 But，alas，thebarge，afterthemannerofbarges，stoppedunderthebridge。