'Because', Julie thought, ' he tells them every day.'
'I don't understand,' the little girl said suddenly. She looked at Bill ' Why did the cat die?'
'Shhh. Be quiet,' her mother said. 'Come and eat your sandwiches now.'
'That's all right,' Bill said. 'I like children.'
The man in the brown hat looked at the children's sandwiches. 'Mmm, I'm hungry, too,' he said. 'You can get sandwiches in the restaurant on this train. 'He looked at Bill.
'Let's go down to the restaurant, eh? I need a drink too.'
Bill laughed. 'You're right. It's thirsty work telling stories.'
The two men stood up and left the carriage.
The little girl ate her sandwich and looked at Julie. 'But why did the cat die?' she asked.
'I don't know,' Julie said. 'Perhaps it wanted to die.'
The little girl came and sat next to Julie. 'I like your hair,' she said. 'It's beautiful.' Julie looked down at her and smiled.
For some minutes it was quiet in the carriage. Then the tall dark man opened his bag and took out a book. He put it on the seat next to him, and looked at Julie with a smile. Julie looked back at him, and then down at the book. Famous towns of Italy, she read. Venice, Florence, Rome,Neples. She looked away again, out of the window at the rain. 'Two weeks in St Austell,' she thought. 'With Bill. In the rain.'