If there
is any difference of opinion between the passengers, owing to some
of them wishing to go to Spain, while others want to get home to
Russia, they, no doubt, settle the matter by tossing up.
B., however, refuses to entertain this theory, and says he wishes I
would not talk so much when I see how harassed he is. That's all
the thanks I get for trying to help him.
He worries along for another five minutes, and then he discovers a
train that gets to Heidelberg all right, and appears to be in most
respects a model train, the only thing that can be urged against it
being that it does not start from anywhere.
It seems to drop into Heidelberg casually and then to stop there.
One expects its sudden advent alarms the people at Heidelberg
station. They do not know what to make of it. The porter goes up
to the station-master, and says:
"Beg pardon, sir, but there's a strange train in the station."
"Oh!" answers the station-master, surprised, "where did it come
from?"
"Don't know," replies the man; "it doesn't seem to know itself."
"Dear me," says the station-master, "how very extraordinary! What
does it want?"
"Doesn't seem to want anything particular," replies the other.
"It's a curious sort of train. Seems to be a bit dotty, if you ask
me."
"Um," muses the station-master, "it's a rum go. Well, I suppose we
must let it stop here a bit now. We can hardly turn it out a night
like this. Oh, let it make itself comfortable in the wood-shed till
the morning, and then we will see if we can find its friends."
At last B. makes the discovery that to get to Heidelberg we must go
to Darmstadt and take another train from there. This knowledge
gives him renewed hope and strength, and he sets to work afresh -
this time, to find trains from Munich to Darmstadt, and from
Darmstadt to Heidelberg.
"Here we are," he cries, after a few minutes' hunting. "I've got
it!" (He is of a buoyant disposition.) "This will be it. Leaves
Munich 10, gets to Darmstadt 5.25. Leaves Darmstadt for Heidelberg
5.20, gets to - "
"That doesn't allow us much time for changing, does it?" I remark.
"No," he replies, growing thoughtful again. "No, that's awkward.
If it were only the other way round, it would be all right, or it
would do if our train got there five minutes before its time, and
the other one was a little late in starting."
"Hardly safe to reckon on that," I suggest; and he agrees with me,
and proceeds to look for some more fitable trains.
