4. The Winter's Snow
For several days snow fell heavily in the south of England. It lay many inches thick on the ground. The roofs of houses were white; walking through the streets was difficult; running was dangerous. But the streets of London were warmer than those in the country, and there was no snow in London.
Thomas Carrington worked in a London office, but his home was forty miles away to the south, at Hill Park in Sussex. Every morning Carrington walked to Hill Park Station and caught the eight o'clock train. He reached London at about nine, and was in his office half an hour later. Every evening he returned to Hill Park by train and walked home from the station.
Carrington was always careful of his appearance. He dressed well. His dark London suit and grey hat were always spotless; his thin black shoes were always bright and clean. The railway men at Hill Park Station were always glad to see Carrington, and he had a smile for each. One of them, Fred, sometimes said about Carrington, "He's a proper gentleman: one of the best."
The first fall of snow came suddenly, and was very heavy. On that day Carrington had to walk to the station through deep snow, and his shoes got dirty and wet. When he reached London, there was no snow in the streets, and the shoes of the people who lived there were as clean as usual. Some of them noticed Carrington's dirty shoes, and he felt slightly ashamed of them.
No snow fell during the day in London; but more was falling in Hill Park when he reached home that night. The streets near his house were deep in snow on the following morning, and Carrington decided that he must do something to improve his appearance.
He always carried a bag to and from the office. It contained business papers and books which he sometimes had to read at home. The bag was not often full, and it was quite possible to put something else in it; so on that morning Carrington placed his beautiful clean black shoes in it. Then he put on some heavy old shoes that he sometimes wore in the garden; and in those heavy shoes he walked through the snow to Hill Park Station.
At the station he went straight to the waiting-room with his bag and sat down. He took his clean shoes out of the bag and took off the dirty garden shoes. Then he put his clean shoes on and called Fred.
He left the old shoes with Fred, and explained what he had done. "I'll want those heavy shoes when I come back this evening, please, Fred," he said. "I'll change again, and walk home in those through the snow."
Fred thought the idea an excellent one, and admired Carrington more than ever. "That'll be all right, sir," he said. "They'll be ready for you." He looked down with a smile at Carrington's shining black shoes.
In the train that morning many surprised eyes were turned towards Carrington's beautiful shoes; other shoes in the carriage were wet and dirty. Carrington's day in London passed pleasantly, and his heart was light.
When he got back to Hill Park again that evening, he collected the dirty old shoes from Fred and put them on in the waiting-room. He then walked home through the snow carrying the clean London shoes in his bag.
That evening, as he sat by the fire smoking a pipe, he considered his new plan with satisfaction. It was snowing again outside, but he did not care now. He slept better than usual that night.
On the next day he followed the same plan. Fred kept the old shoes until Carrington returned, and the London shoes were bright and clean all day.
Carrington had an invitation to dinner that evening, and he spent several pleasant hours with his old friends. He went to bed late.
In the morning he awoke late, and had to dress in a hurry; but he put on his heavy old shoes again, and ate a quick breakfast. As he rushed off to the station with his bag, he noticed that the snow was even deeper than before. It was difficult to hurry, but he had to catch the train. He heard it coming just as he reached the top of the station steps.
He ran quickly down the steps. When he reached the bottom, the train was already in the station, and he opened a carriage door and jumped in. There was no time to go to the waiting-room; but he could not possibly walk about London, or sit at his office desk, in his heavy old garden shoes. He looked out of the window and was delighted to see the faithful Fred standing by the door of the carriage.
"The shoes, Mr. Carrington!" Fred called. "The shoes, sir! Be quick!"
Carrington acted at once. He sat down and pulled off one shoe as the train started. He threw it out to Fred, who caught it cleverly. Then Carrington got the other off, and dropped it out of the window. The train was moving quite quickly now, but Carrington saw Fred running towards the shoe.
Then Fred picked it up, and took it away with him, waving one hand at the moving train.
"Thank heaven!" Carrington said aloud. "Good old Fred!"
Carrington sat down on the seat and opened his bag.
His London shoes were not in it. In his hurry he had forgotten to put them in.
