Page:The railway children (IA railwaychildren00nesb 1).pdf/193

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THE AMATEUR FIREMEN
179

nice, as Bobbie said, and so had the baby, and even Spot, who might have bitten them quite badly if he had liked.

"It was simply ripping, Mother," said Peter, when they reached home very happy, very tired, and very dirty, "right over that glorious aqueduct. And locks—you don't know what they're like. You sink into the ground and then when you feel you're never going to stop going down, two great great black gates open slowly, slowly—you go out, and there you are on the canal just like you were before."

"I know," said Mother, "there are locks on the Thames. Father and I used to go on the river at Marlowe before we were married."

"And the dear, darling, ducky baby," said Bobbie; "it let me nurse it for ages and ages—and it was so good. Mother, I wish we had a baby to play with."

"And everybody was so nice to us," said Phyllis, "everybody we met. And they say we may fish whenever we like. And Bill is going to shew us the way next time he's in these parts. He says we don't know really."

"He said you didn't know," said Peter; "but, Mother, he said he'd tell all the bargees up and