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AmusantTranscription
00:00« Miles from anywhere, » sait Mr. Brown gloomily, « and not a station in sight. I wonder what's up now. I'm hungry. Me too, starving. »
00:17The Browns' trip to the seaside hadn't got off to a very good start. Having risen early, they found themselves in a train which seemed more intent on stopping than actually going anywhere.
00:26Paddington, in particular, was feeling most upset. In fact, all in all, what with the delays and the restaurant car being full up with impatient travellers, he was glad he kept a marmalade sandwich under his hat in case of an emergency. It was definitely one of the worst emergencies he could remember.
00:43« Would you like a nibble, Mr. Brown? » he asked. « I made it in bed last night. » « Er, no, thank you, Paddington. I'll wait till we get there. » « Perhaps I'll go and watch the people in the restaurant car, » said Paddington. « It'll help to pass the time. »
00:58« Be careful. Don't get in the way. You don't want soup all down your duffel coat. » But her words were lost as the train got underway at last.
01:10In any case, Paddington had his mind on other things. Mr. Brown had promised them lunch on the train, and he'd been looking forward to it as much as the train ride. He'd never eaten on a train before, and the thought of having the two together had been beyond his wildest dreams.
01:25As he drew level with the kitchen, Paddington suddenly paused. It was like peering into a different world. A world of clanking pots and sizzling pans, and people hard at work as the train rocked on its way.
01:38Even as he watched, a waiter came dashing in from the restaurant and deposited a pile of dirty plates right in front of him. It was as he was removing some gravy from his eye that Paddington suddenly overheard a snatch of conversation from the kitchen.
01:52« Don't take any more orders for the fish. It's off. » « I'm not surprised. It's one of them days. Everybody's been asking for it. Some days it's all meat. Other days it's fish. » « Good job I stepped on it. Otherwise some of them would have been unlucky. »
02:04Paddington felt pleased he hadn't been eating in the dining car after all. He was a bear with a strong sense of right and wrong, and after directing a very hard stare indeed towards the kitchen, he decided to do something about the matter without further ado.
02:18« Excuse me, » he announced, « I shouldn't eat that fish if I were you. It's off. » « Off? Doesn't smell too bad to me. At least... What do you think Muriel? »
02:30« I heard the chef tell one of the waiters. They've run out of fish, so he had to step on it. » « The chef's stepped on it? » « I expect he wanted to make it go further, » said Paddington.
02:40« Disgusting! » called a man at another table. « Couldn't help overhearing what you said, bear, and I must congratulate you. Smart bit of work. » « That's all right, » said Paddington doubtfully.
02:51« It's more than all right. We might have been poisoned. Chef actually jumped up and down on it, so I hear. » added a third man. « Ground it in with his heels! »
03:01« I'm going, » said his companion, « and I shan't leave a tip. I shall give it to that bear. I think he deserves it. It's a pity there aren't more about like him. »
03:11The rest of what the lady had been going to say was lost in a roar of general agreement. A tinkle of coins as everyone rose to their feet. Paddington gazed in astonishment. He'd never seen a restaurant empty so quickly.
03:25He hesitated for a moment as he peered at all the money on the table, then decided to be on the safe side and leave it for the waiter. One way and another, there wasn't a moment to be lost. Paddington wasn't quite sure what had happened.
03:38As he went past the kitchen, he noticed a very interesting smell of roast beef, and he was anxious to tell the browns the good news.
03:46« Luncheon, » he announced in his best waiter's manner, « is about to be served. But if I were you, I'd step on it, otherwise the chef might get there first. »