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4

By this time she had finished her second cigarette and was just about to light a third, when she noticed a change in the life of the station. Movement arose. First it was no more than old Chaffage hurrying along with a red flag to guard the gateless level crossing; but soon, with a lot of noise and clouds of escaping steam, a small train appeared and drew up at the platform. This must be what he called the "up train," though it could be going no further than Sandlake junction on the main line ten miles away. It consisted of a saddle-tank engine, a single third-class carriage, and a couple of open freight cars. Nobody got out of it, but there was a certain activity around the freight cars, from which Chaffage dragged various strange-looking objects of an agricultural nature.

"It's Ellis's, of Maidstone. They've put a lot of their stuff on today," he said as Rosamund strolled up. She was quite uninterested, but at least here was something to look at and talk about. "There's Mr. Vine's pump come at last. I wonder if Ellis'ull have let him know, so he can come and fetch it. If not, I'd better telephone. He told me a week ago he was tired of waiting."