Дети железной дороги
Peter’s coal-mine.
(IamtiredofcallingRobertabyhername.Idon’tseewhyIshould.Nooneelsedid.EveryoneelsecalledherBobbie,andIdon’tseewhyIshouldn’t.)
"Idon’tknow;it’sdifferent,"saidPeter."ItseemssooddtoseeALLofatrain.It’sawfullytall,isn’tit?"
"We’vealwaysseenthemcutinhalfbyplatforms,"saidPhyllis.
"IwonderifthattrainwasgoingtoLondon,"Bobbiesaid."London’swhereFatheris."
"Let’sgodowntothestationandfindout,"saidPeter.
Sotheywent.
Theywalkedalongtheedgeoftheline,andheardthetelegraphwireshummingovertheirheads.Whenyouareinthetrain,itseemssuchalittlewaybetweenpostandpost,andoneafteranotherthepostsseemtocatchupthewiresalmostmorequicklythanyoucancountthem.Butwhenyouhavetowalk,thepostsseemfewandfarbetween.
Butthechildrengottothestationatlast.
Neverbeforehadanyofthembeenatastation,exceptforthepurposeofcatchingtrains—orperhapswaitingforthem—andalwayswithgrown-upsinattendance,grown-upswhowerenotthemselvesinterestedinstations,exceptasplacesfromwhichtheywishedtogetaway.
Neverbeforehadtheypassedcloseenoughtoasignal-boxtobeabletonoticethewires,andtohearthemysterious‘ping,ping,’followedbythestrong,firmclickingofmachinery.
