70
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN
come down by. Say it is for Peter that was sorry about the coals and he will know all right.
"ROBERTA.
"PHYLLIS.
"PETER."
Then came the list of things the doctor had ordered.
The old gentleman read it through once, and his eyebrows went up. He read it twice and smiled a little. When he had read it thrice, he put it in his pocket and went on reading the Times.
At about six that evening there was a knock at the back door. The three children rushed to open it, and there stood the friendly Porter, who had told them so many interesting things about railways. He dumped down a big hamper on the kitchen flags.
"Old gent," he said; "he asked me to fetch it up straight away."
"Thank you very much," said Peter, and then, as the Porter lingered, he added:—
"I'm most awfully sorry I haven't got twopence to give you like Father does, but—"
"You drop it if you please, Sir," said the Porter, indignantly. "I wasn't thinking about no tuppences. I only wanted to say I was sorry your