II. HAMMERSMITH
She arrived at Hammersmith station totally exhausted. She left her heavy suitcase down on the platform floor and looked almost with fear at the steps she had to climb. There were no escalators at the station and the lift was out of order. She tried to encourage herself; after all, the sooner it was done, the better, she thought. She picked up the suitcase by its handle and slowly started climbing the stairs. She got up the stairs, passed the long, bright corridor and arrived at the round room where the ticket machines were. She showed her weekly travel card to a ticket inspector. As she was carrying a suitcase it was impossible to pass through the ticket machines, since they were too narrow. The inspector opened the metal door and politely urged her to pass. Their usual, b
