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0原著作者｜E. Nesbit
The story of the Railway Children, begins in a cozy home in London
Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis, were the three children in the family
Their father was gentle, their mother wrote stories, and their home had a warm fire, dinner on the table, and everything the children knew and loved
But one day, two strange men came to the house, and talked with their father in the study for a long time
After that day, Father left home, and never returned as he always had before
Mother did not tell the children the truth, She only said that Father had gone away on a long journey
Soon, life at home changed
Mother took the three children away from London, and moved to a small house in the countryside called "Three Chimneys"
Life was not as convenient as before, and there was not enough money, Mother had to earn a living by writing
The children did not fully understand what had happened to their family, They only knew that Mother was busier, and life had become harder
Next to their new home, there was a railway
Gradually, the children became fascinated by the railway
Every day, they went to watch the trains pass by, looking at the carriages, the smoke, and the people coming and going on the platform
They met Perks, the railway porter, and the station master
There was also an old gentleman who often took the same train, The children would wave to him
The railway became the most important place in their lives
One day, Mother fell ill
There was not enough money in the house, The children did not know what to do, so they thought of the old gentleman on the train
They wrote him a letter asking for help
The old gentleman did not blame them, nor did he make the help embarrassing, Instead, he sent a doctor, and brought the things Mother needed
When Mother later learned about this, she was a little sad, because she did not want the children to ask others for help so easily
But this also made the children understand, that the family's difficulties were real, Mother had just been trying her best to hide them
Later, something even more dangerous happened by the railway
After the rain, the hillside collapsed, and mud and rocks fell onto the tracks
When the children discovered this, the next train was already approaching
If the train continued as usual, there would be a terrible accident
They did not have proper signal flags, so they tore off their red clothes, and stood by the railway, waving them desperately
Finally, the train stopped before the danger, and the people on board were saved
After this, the children became little heroes by the railway
But the story does not only write about their bravery, It also continues to write about the people they met in life
They helped a Russian exile
This man had left his homeland for political reasons, and came to Britain searching for his family
Mother took him in, and the children learned that they were not the only family in the world suffering separation and injustice
They also rescued a boy who was injured in a tunnel
This boy was later sent to their home to recover, Only then did the children learn that he was related to the old gentleman on the train
The old gentleman thus became more deeply involved in their lives
There was also Perks's birthday
The children wanted to prepare gifts for Perks, so they collected things from the villagers
At first, Perks was very angry, thinking that others were treating him like a poor person and giving him charity
After the children explained, he understood that these things were not pity, but genuine gratitude from everyone for his usual help
All these things happened by the railway, They looked like small adventures, but they were slowly changing the three children
They began to understand that in the adult world, there is poverty, misunderstanding, pride, and difficulties that cannot be easily spoken
In the second half of the story, Roberta accidentally saw her father's name in an old newspaper
Only then did she learn that Father had not gone away on a journey, He had been wrongly accused of leaking state secrets, and was imprisoned
Mother had never told them, because she did not want the children to bear this burden
Roberta did not immediately tell her younger siblings
She kept this secret in her heart, and then wrote to the old gentleman, asking him to help investigate Father's case
The old gentleman truly helped them
After investigation, Father was finally cleared of the charges
At the end of the story, the children came to the station
The train stopped, the door opened, and Father stepped off
The one who had been absent for so long, finally returned
The Railway Children is not about a distant adventure, but about three children living through a difficult time by the railway
The train brought strangers, brought news, and brought hope
It passed by their new home again and again, and finally brought Father home too
