ABSTRACT
The allocation of berths in the Grand European Expresses was one of the more closely guarded secrets of the Company. In the through cars various cabins are held by different agencies along the line for intermediate passengers. Suddenly the train rushed out of the station; the short cut-off and the five pairs of driving wheels gave it quick and quiet getaway. The conductor had ignominiously to run after his car and jump on to the running board; with a wry smile, he fastened the latch which effectively bolts the door from the inside. The train ran ever more slowly as it climbed into the Alps. It is a difficult pull up to Domodossola, but nothing to the climb from there up to Iselle, at the mouth of the Simplon Tunnel. The train stopped with a jerk at Brig, where there was more tramping up and down the corridor—no doubt the frustrated Italian was telling his Swiss colleague about the incident.
