CHAPTER XLVIII 



THE BOILING POT 



AS their uncle finished speaking, the postman 

 came with a letter. A friend advised Uncle 

 Paul to go to town on pressing business, and he 

 wished to take advantage of the occasion to give his 

 nephews the diversion of a little journey. He had 

 Jules and Emile dressed in their Sunday clothes, 

 and they set out to wait for the train at the neigh- 

 boring station. At the station Uncle Paul went up 

 to a grating behind which was a very busy man, and 

 through a wicket he handed him some money. In 

 exchange the busy man gave him three pieces of 

 cardboard. Uncle Paul presented these pieces of 

 cardboard to a man who guarded the entrance to a 

 room. The man looked and let them enter. 



Here they are in what is called the waiting-room. 

 Emile and Jules open their eyes wide and say noth- 

 ing. Soon they hear steam hissing. The train ar- 

 rives. At its head is the locomotive, which slack- 

 ens its speed so as to stop a moment. Through the 

 window of the waiting-room Jules sees the people 

 passing. Something preoccupies him: he is trying 

 to understand how the heavy machine moves, what 

 turns its wheels, which seem to be pushed by an 

 iron bar. 



They enter the railway car, the steam hisses, the 



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