Translated by Wade Manning, from the German version, for Short Stories 1899 A bright red velvet carpet was unrolled and spread upon the platform at the railway station, and so arranged as to fetter the attention of the moving crowd. The boots of the inspectors were polished to almost an unnatural degree of brightness, while the faces of the little lamplighters were (taking them altogether) what one might call clean. In other words, Charing Cross outdid itself to-day. "What's up?" asked one railway employee of another. "So they say," muttered Jim Norris doubtfully. "That's right, old man." "Yes."