"You're at the last stop, lady. Come on, get off the bus. I have a schedule to keep to."
Mrs. Conroy was having trouble waking up. She staggered to her feet. The bus driver took her arm and helped her down the aisle. As she stepped off the bus, she felt a sense of panic. "Wait a minute," she said in a shrill voice. "This isn't Essex Avenue. Where am I? How can I get home?"
"Cool off, lady. I told you, you're at the end of the line. We all make it here sooner or later."
"But why can't I ride back with you?" she pleaded. "I have the fare!"
"Sorry, lady," he said as he closed the door. "It's against the rules."
Mrs. Conroy watched the bus disappear down the road. She looked around and tried to figure out what part of the city she was in. Suddenly the sun seemed awfully bright.
Mrs. Conroy squinted. She didn't recognize this place. There were no trees around, no street signs, and no people. The city seemed to have ended miles back. She couldn't get her bearings. There was nothing to see in any direction. Nothing at all. Mrs. Conroy wondered if she were still dreaming.
"Are you ready, Madam?"
The voice came from behind her. Mrs. Conroy whirled around, her heart beating rapidly.
"Who? What? Are you speaking to me?"
A tall, handsome man in a blue pin-striped suit stepped forward. His suit reminded her of the one that her boss, Mr. Burton, always wore. What was a businessman doing so far out here in the country?
The man smiled. "Yes, Mrs. Conroy. I've come to meet you. It's time to go now."
"Go where? What are you talking about? And how do you know my name?" The man in the blue suit smiled.
"I know it must be very confusing, Mrs. Conroy. Most people seem to feel that way at first. But as we go along, everything will become quite clear." He took her by the arm. "It's all right," he said kindly. "Just come with me."
"No! I'm not going anywhere with you. Why should I? I don't even know who you are," Mrs. Conroy said. She pulled away from the man and stepped back.
The man smiled gently. "I'm only an assistant, Mrs. Conroy," he said.
"Well, Mr. Assistant, there must be some mistake. I just fell asleep and stayed on the bus too long. Then the driver made me get off. He wouldn't take me back with him! He talked some nonsense about rules. I'm going to call the company and report him!"
"He was just doing his job, Mrs. Conroy," the man said patiently.
"But he left me out here alone," Mrs. Conroy said. "Now it's getting late. I have to get home and fix dinner. What kind of bus driver refuses to take passengers?"
The man in the blue suit stepped toward Mrs. Conroy and took her arm again. This time she didn't resist. He patted her hand and smiled down at her. "You'll have to forgive the driver for being rude, Mrs. Conroy. He's new at the job. But he was only following orders. You see, Mrs. Conroy, this is the end of the line. You don't have to worry about getting home and fixing dinner.Our passengers only go one way."
下午是康罗伊太太的天最喜欢的时间。经过努力工作一天，她的眼睛累了，她的脚受伤。她喜欢这样的好长，她在公共汽车上打盹了。康罗伊太太曾与巴士司机先生，埃朋友。她醒来了，他总是在她面前停下来。她经常感到新鲜的是菊花当她下车。
但是今天却不同。埃先生不开车。如果一个满脸皱纹均匀的小男子坐在驾驶员的座位。
“哪里的埃先生？”康罗伊太太问道，投进她的钱盒。
“我不知道。生病了，我猜。我只是在这里工作，夫人。步到后方。”
夫人康罗伊希望埃先生是所有权利。她不喜欢这个新的驱动程序。她决定不回家的路上睡今天。她不想问这个司机叫醒她。他不喜欢的类型看谁愿意要帮的忙。
夫人康罗伊望着窗外。这是一个温暖的下午。虽然她试图使她的眼睛打开，柔和的巴士摇晃了安抚作用。在几分钟之内她的眼睛关闭。她的头下降到她的肩膀。尽管在自己夫人康罗伊很快就睡着了。
接下来的事情康罗伊太太知道，一只手在她的肩膀上。有人在摇她入睡。
“醒醒，小姐。我们已经到了该行的末尾。叫醒了。”
夫人康罗伊眨了眨眼，睁开了眼睛。巴士司机低头看着她。 “我说，这是该行的末尾，夫人。时间下车。”
夫人康罗伊凝视着窗外。 “我在哪里？”她问道。 “我应该接受在埃塞克斯大街了。”
“你在最后一站，夫人。来吧，下车。我有一个时间表，坚持。”
夫人康罗伊有麻烦醒来。她错开，她的脚。巴士司机抓住她的胳膊，并帮助她沿着过道。当她走下巴士，她感到一种恐慌感。 “等一下，”她说，在刺耳的声音。 “这不是埃塞克斯大街。我在哪里？我怎样才能回家？”
“冷静下来的女人。我告诉你，你在该行已经接近尾声。我们都会在这里迟早的事。”
“但是，为什么我不能坐回去吗？”她恳求道。 “我的车费！”
“对不起，夫人，”他说，他关上了门。 “它的。违反规定”
夫人康罗伊看着巴士消失在道路上。她环顾四周，试图找出是什么，她突然进来的阳光城市的一部分似乎非常光明的。
夫人康罗伊眯着眼睛。她不认识这个地方。周围有没有树木，没有路牌，也没有人。这个城市似乎已经结束英里回来。她不能让她轴承。有没有看到任何方向。什么也没有。康罗伊太太不知道她是否还在做梦。
“你准备好了，女士吗？”
这声音来自她身后。康罗伊太太猛地转过身，她的心跳很快。
“是谁？什么？你跟我说话？”
一个身材高大，在一个蓝色细条纹西装英俊的男子走上前来。他想起了一个适合她的老板，伯顿先生，总是戴着她。什么是商人做迄今在该国吗？
该名男子笑了。 “是的，康罗伊太太。我来接你。现在是时候走了。”
“去哪里？你在说什么？你怎么知道我的名字？”在蓝色西装的人笑了。
“我知道它一定很混乱，康罗伊太太。大多数人似乎觉得首先这种方式。但我们的前进，一切都会变得非常清楚。”他拉着她的胳膊。 “没事，”他和气地说。 “你跟我来。”
“不！我不会跟你任何地方。为什么要我呢？我什至不知道你是谁，”康罗伊太太说。她拉离人与后退。
该名男子轻轻地笑了。 “我只是一个助手，康罗伊太太，”他说。
“嗯，先生助手，必须有一些错误。我刚刚睡着了，在公共汽车上停留太久。然后司机让我下车。他不会采取与他我回来了！他谈到一些有关规则的无稽之谈。我现在就打电话给该公司，并报告了他！“
“他只是在做自己的工作，康罗伊太太，”那人说耐心。
“但他留给我独自在这里，”康罗伊太太说。 “现在，已经很晚了。我要回家和修复晚餐是什么样的巴士司机。拒绝接载乘客？”
在加强对康罗伊太太的蓝色西装的人把她的手臂了。这一次她没有抗拒。他拍拍她的手，微笑着她。 “你得原谅粗鲁的司机，康罗伊太太。他是在新的工作。但他只是奉命行事。你看，康罗伊太太，这是该行的末尾。您没有担心回家和固定dinner.Our乘客只沿着一条路走。”
