Whereas during those months of separation time had never gone quickly enough for their liking and they were wanting to speed its flight, now that they were in sight of the town they would have liked to slow it down and hold each moment in suspense, once the breaks went on and the train was entering the station. For the sensation, confused perhaps, but none the less poingant for that, of all those days and weeks and months of life lost to their love made them vaguely feel they were entitled to some compensation; this present hour of joy should run at half the speed of those long hours of waiting.
As the characters approach the town after a long separation, they experience a shift in their perception of time. Previously, they wished for time to pass quickly, eager to be reunited. However, with the end in sight, they find themselves wanting to slow down the moment, cherishing the anticipation as the train nears the station. Their feelings are complex, as the joy of reunion contrasts sharply with the long period of waiting they endured.
This longing for time to stretch reflects their desire for compensation for the lost moments spent apart. The joy of their reunion, they feel, deserves to last longer than the painful hours of separation. Their experience highlights the profound emotional weight of love and the fleeting nature of happiness, suggesting that the intensity of their feelings warrants a slower passage of time in this pivotal moment.
