disposed
of bit number two. Number three followed, and he had made some approach
to engulfing number four when a shrill whistle struck his ear. Up he
sprang, glanced at the time-piece, wiped his mouth, and went to the
levers. He touched his bell--a single note of warning to his
signal-friend on the left and received a reply, one beat, meaning
"Ready." The train appeared, came up like a rocket and went past like a
thunderbolt. When Sam saw its red tail-light, and thus knew that all
the train was there,--that none of the tail carriages or trucks had
broken loose and been left behind,--he gave a mighty pull to one of the
levers, which turned up the arms of his distant signal, and thus blocked
the line to all other trains. The needle was now "pegged down" or fixed
at "Train on line," so that there could be no mistake about it, and no
trusting to memory. Having accomplished this, he went to a large book
which lay open on a desk in a corner, glanced at the time-piece,
recorded the passage of the train--a passenger one, and once more sat
down to dinner.

The distance between his station and the next to the left was somewhat
greater than that on the right, so that at least three mouthfuls in
succession, of the Irish stew, were disposed of before the wicked little
bell summoned him again. He rose as before with alacrity, rung his bell
in reply, and unstopped his needle. The friend on his left at once
pointed it to "Line clear," whereupon Sam again went to his levers, and
lowered the obstructing arms on his right. Having thus a clear line on
right and left, he sat down for the third time to dinner, with a clear
head and a clear conscience.

But he was interrupted sooner than before, indeed he had barely got one
mouthful deposited when he was rung up by the friend on his right, with
_two_ beats of the bell, to pass a heavy goods train, which, with
something like the impatience of stout people in crossing dangerous
roads, was anxious to get on and out of the way as fast as possible, for
it knew that a `limited mail' was tearing after it, at a fearfully
unlimited pace. Sam knew this too--indeed he knew, and was bound to
know, every train that had to pass that station, up and down, during his
period of duty. He therefore replied, sat down, had a bite or two, and
sprang up when the whistle of the train was audible. There was longer
delay this time, for the goods train had to stop, and be shunted, at
this station. More