"Brian Lumley - The Whisperer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lumley Brian)

тАЬAye, aye!тАЭBenton said to himself. тАЬThe little blighterтАЩs got no ticket! HeтАЩs for it now.тАЭ

But no, the ticket collector said nothing to the obnoxious midget, but straightened and turned toBenton .
тАЬSorry, sir,тАЭ he said, тАЬbut this compartmentтАЩs private. IтАЩll тАЩave ter arsk yer ter leave.тАЭ

тАЬBut,тАЭBenton gasped incredulously, тАЬIтАЩve been travelling in this compartment for years. ItтАЩs never been
a, well, a тАШprivateтАЩ compartment before!тАЭ

тАЬNo, sir, pтАЩraps not,тАЭ said the ticket collector undismayed. тАЬBut it is now. ThereтАЩs a compartment next
door; jusтАЩ a couple of gents in there; IтАЩm sure itтАЩll do jusтАЩ as well.тАЭ He held the door open forBenton ,
daring him to argue the point further. тАЬSir?тАЭ

тАЬAh, well,тАЭBenton thought, resignedly, тАЬI was wanting to move.тАЭ Nevertheless, he looked down
aggressively as he passed the hunchback, staring hard at the top of the floppy hat. The little man seemed
to know. He looked up and grinned, cocking his head on one side and grinning.

Bentonstepped quickly out into the corridor and took a deep breath. тАЬDamn!тАЭ he swore out loud.

тАЬYer pardon, sir?тАЭ inquired the ticket collector, already swaying off down the corridor.

тАЬNothing!тАЭBenton snapped in reply, letting himself into the smoky, crowded compartment to which he
had been directed.



The very next morningBenton plucked up his courage (he had never been avery brave man), stopped
the ticket collector, and asked him what it had all been about. Who had the little chap been? What
privileges did he have that an entire compartment had been reserved especially for him, the grim little
gargoyle?

To which the ticket collector replied, тАЬEh? An тАЩunchback? Are yer sure it wasthis train, sir? Why, we
haint тАЩad no private or reserved compartments on this тАЩere train since it became a commuter special! And
as fer a тАЩunchback тАУ well!тАЭ

тАЬBut surely you remember asking me to leave my compartment тАУthis compartment?тАЭBenton insisted.

тАЬтАЩEre, yer pullinтАЩ me leg, haint yer, sir?тАЭ laughed the ticket collector good-naturedly. He slammed shut
the compartment door behind him and smilingly strode away without waiting for an answer,
leavingBenton alone with his jumbled and whirling thoughts.

тАЬWell, I never!тАЭ the commuter muttered worriedly to himself. He scratched his head and then,
philosophically, began to quote a mental line or two from a ditty his mother had used to say to him when
he was a child:
 The other day upon the stair
I saw a man who wasnтАЩt thereтАж



Bentonhad almost forgotten about the little man with the hump and sewer-like smell by the time their