And now Emil and the man in the black hat were left alone. Emil was not very pleased about this. A strange man who gives away sweets and tells foolish stories is not very good company. Emil wanted to feel his money again, but he didn’t dare.
Instead, as soon as the train had started again, he went into the wash-room at the end of the carriage. He took the little bag out of his pocket and counted the money. It was still all there, but he did not know how to make it safer. At last he put a pin through the notes and the bag, and fixed it inside his coat.
‘ Now nothing can happen to it,’ Emil though, and he went back into the railway carriage.
Mr Green was asleep in a corner of the carriage.Emil was glad he didn’t have to talk to him,for he liked looking out of the window. Trees, fields, houses, went quickly past. Mr Green went on sleeping, making a little noise as he did so. Emil watched him. Why did he always keep his hat on? He had rather a long face, and his ears were very thin and stood out away from his head.
Suddenly Emil jumped with surprise. He had almost fallen asleep. He must not do this. He wished that someone else was in the carriage, but although the train stopped several times, no one came in. Emil kivked his foot to keep himself awake, as he did at school in the history lesson.
For a time this helped him. Emil wondered what his cousin polly looked like. He had not seen her since she came to Newton two years before, and he could not remember her face. He nearly fell off his seat! Had he been asleep? He kicked his foot again. He tried counting the flies on the window. He counted? He kicked his foot again. He tried counting the flies on the window. He counted them up and he counted them down, and then he counted them again, wondering why this was so. As he wondered, he fell asleep.
When Emil awoke the train was just begining to move. He had fallen from the seat in his sleep, and he found himself lying on the floor of the carriage. He had had a bad dream, in which he thought that the policeman from Newton was running after him.He was caught and taken before the stone judge, who had come to life and said: ‘ You must go to prison for painting my nose.’ He felt afraid.
Slowly he began to remember. Ofcourse, he was going to the city. He must have fallen asleep. like the gentleman in the black hat… Emil sat up quicly, rubbed his eyes, and said:’ Why, he has gone!’ His knees were shaking. He got up from the floor, brushing his dusty coat with his hand. He put his right hand into his pocket. The money had gone!