“Vous attendre. Ma mere parlez Francais. Nous—what's the French for 'being kind'?”
Nobody knew.
“Bong is 'good,'” said Phyllis.
“Nous etre bong pour vous.”
I do not know whether the man understood her words, but he understood the touch of the hand she thrust into his, and the kindness of the other hand that stroked his shabby sleeve.
She pulled him gently towards the inmost sanctuary of the Station Master. The other children followed, and the Station Master shut the door in the face of the crowd, which stood a little while in the booking office talking and looking at the fast closed yellow door, and then by ones and twos went its way, grumbling.
Inside the Station Master's room Bobbie still held the stranger's hand and stroked his sleeve.
“Here's a go,” said the Station Master; “no ticket—doesn't even know where he wants to go. I'm not sure now but what I ought to send for the police.”
“Oh, DON'T!” all the children pleaded at once. And suddenly Bobbie got between the others and the stranger, for she had seen that he was crying.
By a most unusual piece of good fortune she had a handkerchief in her pocket. By a still more uncommon accident the handkerchief was moderately clean. Standing in front of the stranger, she got out the handkerchief and passed it to him so that the others did not see.