One day Mother rode the train to the next town to go shopping.
The children went to the station to meet her when she returned.
Because they loved the station so much, they arrived an hour early.
They sat in the waiting room.
When a train arrived, Peter, Phyllis, and Bobbie rushed out to see it.
They expected to see just one or two people, but instead the platform was crowded.
They could not see anything but people's backs and elbows.
Everybody was talking at once.
It was clear that something had happened.
"If you ask me," one man said, "he looks odd.
We should call the police."
"No, call the hospital!" a lady said.
Then the stationmaster said loudly, "Everybody, move along!"
But the crowd did not move.
Suddenly the children heard an unusual voice.
A man was speaking a foreign language—a language the children had never heard before.
"What's he saying?" someone asked.
"Sounds like French to me," said the stationmaster.
"It isn't French," said Peter.
"I know what French sounds like."
The crowd parted to see who had spoken, and now Peter could see the man.
He wore strange clothes, and had long hair and wild eyes.
"Well, try speaking to the man if you know so much," said one lady to Peter.
Just then the man ran forward, grabbed Peter's hands, and began speaking to him in French.
"What's he saying?" the stationmaster asked.
"I don't know," answered Peter.
The stationmaster took the man into the waiting room.
"Mother can speak French," Bobbie said to the stationmaster.
"She'll arrive on the next train."
As they waited with the man, Peter got an idea.
He pulled an envelope out of his pocket.
It was full of foreign stamps.
Peter showed the man an Italian stamp, pointing from the stamp to him.
But the man shook his head.
Next the children showed him a Norwegian stamp and a Spanish stamp.
Again the man shook his head.
At last he took the envelope and searched among the stamps himself.
"He's Russian!" Phyllis exclaimed as the man held up a Russian stamp.
By now Mother's train had arrived, and the stationmaster brought her into the waiting room.
The Russian stood up and bowed.
Mother spoke in French and he replied, a little at first, but then in longer sentences.
The children watched Mother's face.
They could see that he was telling her things that made her angry and sad.
"Well, it's all right," Mother finally reported.
"He lost his ticket.
And I'm afraid he's very sick.
If you don't mind, I'll take him home with me now."
"You should be careful, ma'am!" said the stationmaster.
"Oh no," said Mother brightly.
"He's a great man in Russia.
He writes books, beautiful books."
They all went home, and the Russian man went to sleep in Mother's room.
It was the only room with a fireplace.
Later Bobbie showed the doctor into the room.
Inside she spotted Mother's big black suitcase.
It was usually locked, but now it was open.
There were men's clothes in it—her father's clothes.
Why hadn't Father taken his clothes?
Bobbie's heart was beating horribly.