When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit Read Online Free PDF Page B

train was almost empty and they had a whole compartment to themselves until a lady with a basket got in at the next station. Anna could hear a sort of shuffling inside the basket—there must be something alive in it. She tried to catch Max’s eye to see if he had heard it too, but he was still feeling cross and was frowning out of the window. Anna began to feel bad-tempered too and to remember that her head ached and that her boots were still wet from last night’s rain.
    “When do we get to the frontier?” she asked.
    “I don’t know,” said Mama. “Not for a while yet.” Anna noticed that her fingers were squashing the camel’s face again.
    “In about an hour, d’you think?” asked Anna.
    “You never stop asking questions,” said Max although it was none of his business. “Why can’t you shut up?”
    “Why can’t you?” said Anna. She was bitterly hurt and cast around for something wounding to say. At last she came out with, “I wish I had a sister!”
    “I wish I didn’t!” said Max.
    “Mama ...!” wailed Anna.
    “Oh, for goodness sake, stop it!” cried Mama. “Haven’t we got enough to worry about?” She was clutching the camel bag and peering into it every so often to see if the passports were still there.
    Anna wriggled crossly in her seat. Everybody was horrible. The lady with the basket had produced a large chunk of bread with some ham and was eating it. No one said anything for a long time. Then the train began to slow down.
    “Excuse me,” said Mama, “but are we coming to the Swiss frontier?”
    The lady with the basket munched and shook her head.
    “There, you see!” said Anna to Max. “Mama is asking questions too!”
    Max did not even bother to answer but rolled his eyes up to heaven. Anna wanted to kick him, but Mama would have noticed.
    The train stopped and started again, stopped and started again. Each time Mama asked if it was the frontier, and each time the lady with the basket shook her head. At last when the train slowed down yet again at the sight of a cluster of buildings, the lady with the basket said, “I daresay we’re coming to it now.”
    They waited in silence while the train stood in the station. Anna could hear voices and the doors of other compartments opening and shutting. Then footsteps in the corridor. Then the door of their own compartment slid open and the passport inspector came in. He had a uniform rather like a ticket inspector and a large brown moustache.
    He looked at the passport of the lady with the basket, nodded, stamped it with a little rubber stamp, and gave it back to her. Then he turned to Mama. Mama handed him the passports and smiled. But the hand with which she was holding her handbag was squeezing the camel into terrible contortions. The man examined the passports. Then he looked at Mama to see if it was the same face as on the passport photograph, then at Max and then at Anna. Then he got out his rubber stamp. Then he remembered something and looked at the passports again. Then at last he stamped them and gave them back to Mama.
    “Pleasant journey,” he said as he opened the door of the compartment.
    Nothing had happened. Max had frightened her all for nothing.
    “There, you see...!” cried Anna, but Mama gave her such a look that she stopped.
    The passport inspector closed the door behind him.
    “We are still in Germany,” said Mama.
    Anna could feel herself blushing scarlet. Mama put the passports back in the bag. There was a silence. Anna could hear whatever it was scuffling in the basket, the lady munching another piece of bread and ham, doors opening and shutting further and further along the train. It seemed to last for ever.
    Then the train started, rolled a few hundred yards and stopped again. More opening and shutting of doors, this time more quickly. Voices saying, “Customs ... anything to declare...?” A different man came into the compartment. Mama and the lady both said they had nothing to declare and he made