Night Train to Eastbourne
Leslie arrived at Victoria Station with minutes to spare. He tapped his foot nervously as he waited in the ticket line behind a middle-aged couple, obviously annoyed by the service. A large sign above the ticket window proclaimed that patience was still a virtue and arrival times were estimates: There’s a War On!
The young clerk appeared to be doing his best to be rid of the couple. “Plan to arrive at daybreak and you won’t be disappointed, eh?”
The woman huffed and puffed a bit then told the clerk that traveling these days was such an inconvenience. “Simply outrageous,” she said. “Nonetheless, I guess I’ll just have to live with it.”
The clerk stared back. “We’re all living with it, madam.”
“Come along, Ellie,” her male companion said. He took her arm and pr
