{"product_id":"2940015541489","title":"The Passenger From Calais","description":"FOREWORD\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e_I desire to state that the initial\u003cbr\u003efact upon which I have founded\u003cbr\u003ethis story is within my own experience.\u003cbr\u003eI travelled from Calais to\u003cbr\u003eBasle by the Engadine Express in\u003cbr\u003ethe latter end of July, 1902, when\u003cbr\u003emy wife and myself were the only\u003cbr\u003epassengers. The rest is pure fiction._\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA.G.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER I.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[_Colonel Annesley's Story_]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe crossing from Dover to Calais had been rough; a drizzling rain\u003cbr\u003efell all the time, and most of the passengers had remained below.\u003cbr\u003eStrange to say, they were few enough, as I saw on landing. It was a\u003cbr\u003eSunday in late July, and there ought to have been a strong stream\u003cbr\u003esetting towards Central Europe. I hardly expected to find much room in\u003cbr\u003ethe train; not that it mattered, for my place was booked through in\u003cbr\u003ethe Lucerne sleeping-car of the Engadine express.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoom! When I reached the siding where this train de luxe was drawn up,\u003cbr\u003eI saw that I was not merely the first but the only passenger. Five\u003cbr\u003esleeping-cars and a dining-car attached, with the full staff,\u003cbr\u003eattendants, chef, waiters--all lay there waiting for me, and me\u003cbr\u003ealone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Not very busy?\" I said, with a laugh to the conductor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"_Parbleu_,\" replied the man, polyglot and cosmopolitan, like most of\u003cbr\u003ehis class, but a Frenchman, or, more likely from his accent, a Swiss.\u003cbr\u003e\"I never saw the like before.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I shall have a compartment to myself, then?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Monsieur may have the whole carriage if he wishes--the whole five\u003cbr\u003ecarriages. It is but to arrange.\" His eyes glistened at the prospect\u003cbr\u003eof something special in this obvious scarcity of coming tips.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The train will run, I hope? I am anxious to get on.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"But assuredly it will run. Even without monsieur it would run. The\u003cbr\u003ecarriages are wanted at the other end for the return journey. Stay,\u003cbr\u003ewhat have we here?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe stood talking together on the platform, and at some little distance\u003cbr\u003efrom the railway station, the road to which was clear and open all the\u003cbr\u003eway, so that I could see a little party of four approaching us, and\u003cbr\u003edistinguish them. Two ladies, an official, probably one of the guards,\u003cbr\u003eand a porter laden with light luggage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs they came up I discreetly withdrew to my own compartment, the\u003cbr\u003ewindow of which was open, so that I could hear and see all that\u003cbr\u003epassed.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47169681654000,"sku":"2940015541489","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940015541489","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}