"There are a lot of people," said Bones, affectionately patting a steam
pipe, "a lot of people," he said, after sucking his fingers, for the
steam was extraordinarily hot, "who think poor old 'Mary Louisa' is
done for. Believe me, dear old miss, this locomotive wants a jolly lot
of beating, she does really. I haven't tried her full out--have I,
jolly old stoker?"
The jolly old stoker, aged seventeen, shook a grimy face.
"And don't you try, neither," he said ominously. "Old George, he never
takes her more than quarter speed, he don't."
"Do you hear, dear old miss?" said Bones triumphantly. "Not more than
quarter speed. I tell you I could make enough money out of this engine
alone to pay the whole cost of the railway.
"What about giving engine-driving lessons? That's an idea! And what
about doing wonderful cinema pictures? That's another idea! Thrilling
rescues from the train; jolly old hero struggling like mad on the roof
of the carriage; railway collisions, and so forth, and so on."
"You can't have a collision unless you've two engines," said the girl.
"Oh, well," said the optimistic Bones, "we could perhaps borrow an
engine from the Great Northern."
He looked down at the girl, then looked at his watch.
"Time to be up and doing, dear old thing," he said, and looked back
along the little train. The aged guard was sitting on a barrow, his
nodding head testifying to the sleep-giving qualities of Lynhaven air.
Bones jerked the whistle, there was an unearthly shriek, and the guard
woke up. He looked at his watch, yawned, searched the train for
passengers, waved his flag, and climbed into his little compartment.
The engine shrieked again. Bones pulled over the lever gently, and
there was a gratifying chuck-chuck-chuck. Bones smiled down at the
girl.
"Easy as shelling peas, dear old thing," he said, "and this time I'm
going to show you just how she can go."
"Old Joe don't let her go more than quarter speed," said the diminutive
stoker warningly.
"Blow old Joe!" said Bones severely. "He's a jolly unenterprising old
engine-driver. That's why the naughty old line doesn't pay. The idea
of running 'Mary Louisa' at quarter speed!"
He turned to the girl for approval, but she felt that, in the
circumstances and with only the haziest knowledge of engineering, it
would be wiser to offer no opinion.
Bones pushed the lever a little farther over, and the "Mary Louisa"
reeled under the shock.
"In re knighthood, dear old miss," said Bones confidentially. His
words came jerkily, because the footplate of an outraged locomotive
pounding forward at an unaccustomed speed was not a good foundation for
continued eloquence. "Rendering the jolly old country a
service--helping the Cabinet--dear old Chenney awfully fond of me----"
"Aren't we going rather fast?" said the girl, gripping the side of the
cab for support.