The Railway Children (Graded Reader), Chapter 2. Peter’s Idea

Chapter 2. Peter's Idea

‘Wake up!' said Bobbie. ‘We're in a new house, remember?'

‘Yes, a new house with a rat,' said Phyllis.

‘Yes, but it's exciting,' said Peter. ‘I want to go outside. We didn't see much last night. It was too dark.'

‘Yes, I want to go out,' said Bobbie. So, they went into the garden.

‘It's very green,' said Phyllis.

‘We didn't like that hill last night,' said Bobbie.' We had to go up with our bags. It's better to go down a hill.' So, they ran down the hill.

‘Wait! I can see the railway track and a tunnel', said Peter. ‘I want to go there.'

They started running again. Soon they arrived at the track.

‘It's fantastic,' said Bobbie. Then they heard a noise. It was from the tunnel.

Choo choo, Choo choo!

It was a train and it was very fast.

‘That was exciting,' said Peter.

‘It was exciting to be very near a train and see all of it,' said Phyllis. Often at the station you can't see all of the train at the same time. I want to go to the station now.'

‘Good idea!' said Bobbie. They followed the track, and soon they arrived. ‘We usually go to the station to get a train or to meet someone. Today we're here because we want to be here and it's only us. No Mother and no Father.'

The station was an exciting place. There were lots of things to do.

At home there were also lots of things to do. They helped to cook and clean the house. ‘No more rats,' said Bobbie. The children were happy. The house, the hill, and the station were new and very interesting.

In June it started raining. The children couldn't go out. The house was cold.

‘Mother,' said Peter, ‘can we have a fire?'

‘No, dear,' said Mother. ‘We haven't got much coal. Coal is expensive. Go and play. Then you'll be warm again.'

At dinner-time, the children looked at the table. There was bread and butter and jam.

‘You can have jam or butter on your bread. Not jam and butter. We don't have a lot of money,' said Mother.

No jam and butter and no coal. This is really bad, Peter thought. At the station there's a lot of coal. Then he had an idea.

After dinner, Peter called his sisters. ‘I've got an idea,' he said. ‘Come with me to the station and bring some bags with you.'

‘Alright,' said Bobbie and Phyllis.

When they arrived, Peter put some coal in his bag. ‘Quick! Help me!' he said to his sisters.

‘But stealing is wrong,' said Bobbie. ‘We mustn't do this.'

‘We need to do it, Bobbie. We need some coal. We're not stealing. There's so much coal here. They don't need it all.'

‘Alright,' said Bobby. ‘But we have to be quick.'

But then they heard a noise. ‘There you are!' It was the porter. ‘I've got you now, you bad children' he said.

‘We're not bad,' said Peter. The porter had a candle, and he looked at the children.

‘Well, you're the children from “Three Chimneys”. Why did you do this? Don't you know it's wrong to steal?'

‘I didn't think it was wrong,' said Peter. ‘There was so much coal. You didn't need it all. We had no coal for a fire. We were cold, Mother was cold and …'

‘Well,' said the porter. ‘Alright, let's forget about it this time, but remember young man: it's wrong to take something that's not yours. Don't do it again.'

‘I promise. Thank you so much,' said Peter. ‘We're going home now.'

The children tried to stay at home, but it was difficult. It was very interesting at the station and very different from life in London. Soon, they decided to go back.

‘Only to watch the trains. We mustn't do anything bad again,' said Bobbie.

They went to the station every day and they learnt all the times of the trains that arrived. The porter's name was Perks. He saw the children every day. I was wrong about those children, thought Perks. They're good and they're really interested in the trains.

One morning the children were near the tunnel. ‘Maybe the next train is going where Father lives now. I really want to see him again,' said Phyllis.

‘Me too,' said Peter. ‘The 9.15 train is arriving now. We can wave at the passengers.'

The train went by and the children started to wave. On this train there was an old gentleman. He had white hair and he wore a large hat. From a train window the children saw a hand. This hand held a newspaper. It was the old gentleman's hand.

From that day, at 9.15 the children waved at the train and the old gentleman always waved at them. Maybe the old gentleman knows Father. He can tell him that we wave every day, thought Bobbie.

The children asked Perks a lot of things and Perks tried to answer all their questions. They were now good friends. Every day the children went to the station. They stayed with Perks and they waited for the 9.15 train.

One day, they couldn't wave at the train.

Mother wasn't well. She stayed in bed, but in the evening, she didn't feel better.

‘Let's get the doctor,' said Bobbie. ‘He can help Mother.' Soon the doctor arrived.

‘What is it? What's wrong?' asked Bobbie.

‘She needs some medicine,' said the doctor. ‘The house must be warm. And she needs some good hot food and a lot of tea.'

Mmm, all things that are very expensive thought Bobbie. We don't have the money. What can we do? Think Bobbie. Think!

That evening, the children took a sheet from their bed.

What did they do with the sheet? Wait and see.

Chapter 2. Peter's Idea Kapitel 2. Die Idee des Petrus Κεφάλαιο 2. Η ιδέα του Πέτρου Capítulo 2. La idea de Pedro La idea de Pedro فصل 2. ایده پیتر Chapitre 2. L'idée de Pierre Capitolo 2. L'idea di Pietro 第2章.ピーターのアイデア 2장. 피터의 아이디어 Rozdział 2. Pomysł Petera Capítulo 2. A ideia de Pedro Глава 2. Идея Петра Bölüm 2. Peter'ın Fikri Розділ 2. Ідея Петра 第 2 章彼得的想法第 2 章彼得的想法

‘Wake up!' said Bobbie. Aufwachen!", sagte Bobbie. "¡Despierta!" dijo Bobbie. ‘We're in a new house, remember?' Wir sind in einem neuen Haus, schon vergessen?

‘Yes, a new house with a rat,' said Phyllis.

‘Yes, but it's exciting,' said Peter. Ja, aber es ist aufregend", sagte Peter. ‘I want to go outside. Ich möchte nach draußen gehen. We didn't see much last night. Wir haben gestern Abend nicht viel gesehen. It was too dark.' Estaba demasiado oscuro".

‘Yes, I want to go out,' said Bobbie. Ja, ich will ausgehen", sagte Bobbie. Sí, quiero salir', dijo Bobbie. So, they went into the garden. Also gingen sie in den Garten. Entonces, fueron al jardín.

‘It's very green,' said Phyllis. Es muy verde', dijo Phyllis.

‘We didn't like that hill last night,' said Bobbie.' We had to go up with our bags. Wir mochten den Hügel letzte Nacht nicht", sagte Bobbie, "wir mussten mit unseren Taschen hinaufgehen. 'No nos gustó esa colina anoche,' dijo Bobbie.' Tuvimos que subir con nuestras maletas. It's better to go down a hill.' So, they ran down the hill. Es ist besser, einen Hügel hinunterzugehen", und so rannten sie den Hügel hinunter. Es mejor bajar una colina'. Así que corrieron colina abajo.

‘Wait! ¡Espera! I can see the railway track and a tunnel', said Peter. Ich kann die Bahnstrecke und einen Tunnel sehen", sagte Peter. Veo la vía del tren y un túnel", dice Peter. ‘I want to go there.' Ich möchte dorthin gehen. Quiero ir allí.

They started running again. Sie begannen wieder zu laufen. Empezaron a correr de nuevo. Soon they arrived at the track. Bald erreichten sie die Strecke. Pronto llegaron a la pista.

‘It's fantastic,' said Bobbie. Then they heard a noise. Dann hörten sie ein Geräusch. It was from the tunnel. Es kam aus dem Tunnel.

Choo choo, Choo choo!

It was a train and it was very fast.

‘That was exciting,' said Peter. Das war aufregend", sagte Peter.

‘It was exciting to be very near a train and see all of it,' said Phyllis. Es war aufregend, ganz in der Nähe eines Zuges zu sein und das alles zu sehen", sagte Phyllis. Fue emocionante estar muy cerca de un tren y verlo todo", dijo Phyllis. Often at the station you can't see all of the train at the same time. Am Bahnhof kann man oft nicht den ganzen Zug gleichzeitig sehen. A menudo, en la estación no se puede ver todo el tren al mismo tiempo. I want to go to the station now.' Ich möchte jetzt zum Bahnhof gehen".

‘Good idea!' said Bobbie. They followed the track, and soon they arrived. Sie folgten der Spur, und bald waren sie da. ‘We usually go to the station to get a train or to meet someone. Normalerweise gehen wir zum Bahnhof, um einen Zug zu nehmen oder um jemanden zu treffen. Solemos ir a la estación para coger un tren o encontrarnos con alguien. Today we're here because we want to be here and it's only us. Heute sind wir hier, weil wir hier sein wollen und weil wir allein sind. Hoy estamos aquí porque queremos y sólo estamos nosotros. No Mother and no Father.'

The station was an exciting place. Der Bahnhof war ein aufregender Ort. La estación era un lugar emocionante. There were lots of things to do. Es gab viele Dinge zu tun. Había muchas cosas que hacer.

At home there were also lots of things to do. Auch zu Hause gab es eine Menge zu tun. En casa también había muchas cosas que hacer. They helped to cook and clean the house. Sie halfen beim Kochen und Reinigen des Hauses. Ayudaban a cocinar y a limpiar la casa. ‘No more rats,' said Bobbie. Keine Ratten mehr", sagte Bobbie. "No más ratas", dijo Bobbie. The children were happy. The house, the hill, and the station were new and very interesting. La casa, la colina y la estación eran nuevas y muy interesantes.

In June it started raining. En junio empezó a llover. The children couldn't go out. Los niños no podían salir. The house was cold.

‘Mother,' said Peter, ‘can we have a fire?' Madre", dijo Peter, "¿podemos encender el fuego?".

‘No, dear,' said Mother. ‘We haven't got much coal. 'No tenemos mucho carbón. Coal is expensive. Go and play. Then you'll be warm again.' Así volverás a estar caliente'.

At dinner-time, the children looked at the table. A la hora de cenar, los niños miraban a la mesa. There was bread and butter and jam. Había pan con mantequilla y mermelada.

‘You can have jam or butter on your bread. Puedes poner mermelada o mantequilla en el pan. Not jam and butter. |||butter No mermelada y mantequilla. We don't have a lot of money,' said Mother.

No jam and butter and no coal. Ni mermelada ni mantequilla ni carbón. This is really bad, Peter thought. Esto está muy mal, pensó Peter. At the station there's a lot of coal. En la estación hay mucho carbón. Then he had an idea.

After dinner, Peter called his sisters. Después de cenar, Peter llamó a sus hermanas. ‘I've got an idea,' he said. ‘Come with me to the station and bring some bags with you.' 'Ven conmigo a la estación y trae algunas bolsas contigo'.

‘Alright,' said Bobbie and Phyllis.

When they arrived, Peter put some coal in his bag. ‘Quick! ¡Rápido! Help me!' he said to his sisters. Help||||||

‘But stealing is wrong,' said Bobbie. Pero robar está mal', dijo Bobbie. ‘We mustn't do this.' 'No debemos hacer esto.'

‘We need to do it, Bobbie. We need some coal. We're not stealing. No estamos robando. There's so much coal here. Aquí hay mucho carbón. They don't need it all.'

‘Alright,' said Bobby. ‘But we have to be quick.' 'Pero tenemos que ser rápidos'.

But then they heard a noise. |||||noise ‘There you are!' It was the porter. Da sind Sie ja!" Es war der Portier. "¡Ahí estás! Era el portero. ‘I've got you now, you bad children' he said. 'Jetzt habe ich euch, ihr bösen Kinder', sagte er. Ya os tengo, niños malos', dijo.

‘We're not bad,' said Peter. The porter had a candle, and he looked at the children. Der Pförtner hatte eine Kerze und schaute die Kinder an. El portero tenía una vela y miró a los niños.

‘Well, you're the children from “Three Chimneys”. 'Bueno, sois los niños de "Tres Chimeneas". Why did you do this? Warum haben Sie das getan? ¿Por qué lo has hecho? Don't you know it's wrong to steal?' Weißt du nicht, dass es falsch ist, zu stehlen?' ¿No sabes que está mal robar?".

‘I didn't think it was wrong,' said Peter. Ich hielt es nicht für falsch", sagte Peter. ‘There was so much coal. Es gab so viel Kohle. 'Había mucho carbón. You didn't need it all. Sie brauchten nicht alles. No lo necesitabas todo. We had no coal for a fire. Wir hatten keine Kohle für ein Feuer. No teníamos carbón para el fuego. We were cold, Mother was cold and …' Uns war kalt, Mutter war kalt und ...' Teníamos frío, mamá tenía frío y ...'

‘Well,' said the porter. "Bueno", dijo el portero. ‘Alright, let's forget about it this time, but remember young man: it's wrong to take something that's not yours. Na gut, vergessen wir es diesmal, aber denk daran, junger Mann: Es ist falsch, etwas zu nehmen, das einem nicht gehört. 'Está bien, olvidémoslo por esta vez, pero recuerda jovencito: está mal tomar algo que no es tuyo. Don't do it again.' No lo vuelvas a hacer'.

‘I promise. Lo prometo. Thank you so much,' said Peter. Muchas gracias", dijo Peter. ‘We're going home now.' 'Nos vamos a casa ahora.'

The children tried to stay at home, but it was difficult. Los niños intentaron quedarse en casa, pero era difícil. It was very interesting at the station and very different from life in London. La estación era muy interesante y muy diferente de la vida en Londres. Soon, they decided to go back. Pronto decidieron volver.

‘Only to watch the trains. We mustn't do anything bad again,' said Bobbie.

They went to the station every day and they learnt all the times of the trains that arrived. Iban a la estación todos los días y se aprendían todos los horarios de los trenes que llegaban. The porter's name was Perks. El portero se llamaba Perks. He saw the children every day. I was wrong about those children, thought Perks. Me equivoqué con esos niños, pensó Perks. They're good and they're really interested in the trains.

One morning the children were near the tunnel. Una mañana los niños estaban cerca del túnel. ‘Maybe the next train is going where Father lives now. Quizá el próximo tren vaya a donde vive papá ahora. I really want to see him again,' said Phyllis.

‘Me too,' said Peter. ||said| ‘The 9.15 train is arriving now. We can wave at the passengers.' Podemos saludar a los pasajeros".

The train went by and the children started to wave. El tren pasó y los niños empezaron a saludar. On this train there was an old gentleman. En este tren había un señor mayor. He had white hair and he wore a large hat. Tenía el pelo blanco y llevaba un gran sombrero. From a train window the children saw a hand. Desde la ventanilla de un tren, los niños vieron una mano. This hand held a newspaper. Esta mano sostenía un periódico. It was the old gentleman's hand. Era la mano del viejo caballero.

From that day, at 9.15 the children waved at the train and the old gentleman always waved at them. Desde aquel día, a las 9.15 los niños saludaban al tren y el anciano caballero siempre les saludaba. Maybe the old gentleman knows Father. Quizá el viejo caballero conozca a papá. He can tell him that we wave every day, thought Bobbie. Puede decirle que saludamos todos los días, pensó Bobbie.

The children asked Perks a lot of things and Perks tried to answer all their questions. They were now good friends. Ahora eran buenos amigos. Every day the children went to the station. They stayed with Perks and they waited for the 9.15 train.

One day, they couldn't wave at the train.

Mother wasn't well. Mamá no estaba bien. She stayed in bed, but in the evening, she didn't feel better. Se quedó en la cama, pero por la noche no se sintió mejor.

‘Let's get the doctor,' said Bobbie. "Vamos a buscar al médico", dijo Bobbie. ‘He can help Mother.' Soon the doctor arrived. Él puede ayudar a mamá. Pronto llegó el médico.

‘What is it? What's wrong?' asked Bobbie.

‘She needs some medicine,' said the doctor. ‘The house must be warm. 'La casa debe estar caliente. And she needs some good hot food and a lot of tea.' Y necesita una buena comida caliente y mucho té'.

Mmm, all things that are very expensive thought Bobbie. Mmm, todas las cosas que son muy caras pensó Bobbie. We don't have the money. What can we do? Think Bobbie. Piensa en Bobbie. Think! ¡Piensa!

That evening, the children took a sheet from their bed. Esa noche, los niños cogieron una sábana de su cama.

What did they do with the sheet? ¿Qué hicieron con la sábana? Wait and see.