There was no such plucky and untiring little woman as Selina in all our
village. I say _was_, for I am thinking of years ago, at the time when
her Starling came to her; but she is with us still, plucky and
indefatigable as ever, but now a bent and bowed figure of a tiny little
old woman, left alone in the world, but for her one faithful friend.
Untiring she has ever been, but never, so far as we can recollect, a
tidy woman in her own cottage; perhaps it was natural to her, or more
likely she fell in with the odd ways of her husband, a man whom no wife
could ever have made tidy himself. They never had any children, and they
did not see much of their neighbours; their society was that of pigs and
fowls and cats, and such society, inside a cottage, is not compatible
with neatness. These animals increased and multiplied, and man and wife
were their devoted slaves. Their earnings were eaten up by the
creatures, and nothing ever came of it so far as we could see; for it
was seldom any good to ask Selina to sell you a fowl or a duck—she never
had one ready to kill. We believed that they grew to a comfortable old
age, and then died a natural death; and however that may be, it is true
enough that neither Selina nor her husband could ever bear to part with
them.
But the member of the household dearest to Selina’s heart was an old
pony that lived in a little tumble-down hovel adjoining the cottage. Fan
was perfectly well known to all the village, for she was always being
taken out to graze on odd bits of grass which were the property of no
one in particular, where, if kindly accosted, and in a good humour, she
would give you her off fore foot to shake. Like Selina, she was of very
small make; she had once been a pretty roan, but now wore a coat of many
faded colours, not unlike an old carpet, well worn and ragged. Some
people in the village declared that she was getting on for forty years
old, and I am inclined to think they were not far wrong; but she was
still full of life, and as plucky and hard-working as Selina.
[Illustration: Selina’s Starling.]
Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, Fan went up to Northstow with
her master (I use the word by courtesy rather than as expressing their
real relation to each other); she waited patiently at shops and market,
had a dinner of hay at an inn, and returned with her little cart laden
with parcels, which she had to distribute about the village before she
turned in for the night. For many a year she performed these duties, and
she was as well known in Northstow as she was in our village. But one
day, some ten years ago, Selina’s husband fell down suddenly and died;
and then for a short time there was a break in Fan’s visits to the
market-town.
When the funeral was over, Selina returned to her solitary home, and
busied herself as best she could. The fowls and ducks came trooping
around her, anxious to be fed, and anxious for nothing else; they did
not seem in the least to miss any one from the house. Selina turned them
out of the kitchen, and quietly made up her mind that she could not now
afford to keep them; they must go, with all their mess and litter, and
she would begin to tidy up a bit at last. Then she went out to the
hovel, for she heard a subdued whinnying there. Fan was the one creature
in the place that had felt as she had; Fan had been wanting to know
where the old man was, and had lost her spirits and her appetite. So she
went and spent a full half hour with Fan, talked to her, made her
comfortable, and cried a little on her rough old neck. At last she went
once more into her kitchen, and thence into her tiny parlour, and after
a little tidying up, she took the big family Bible from under the
photograph book and the glass case with the stuffed kitten, and, laying
it on the table, sat down and put on her spectacles.
She opened the book at haphazard, and began to read in the Old
Testament, but she could not fix her attention. Her thoughts wandered
far away, until she was suddenly roused by something falling down the
chimney into the grate. It was a warm April day, and she was sitting
without a fire; only in the kitchen was there a little bit of coal
smouldering, to be woke up into life presently when it should be
tea-time. She went and examined the grate; a few fragments of half-burnt
stone had come down, and, as she looked, another bit and another fell
with a rattle into the fender. Then there was a scuffle and a beating of
wings; and a young starling suddenly shot down into the room, made
straight for the window, banged himself against it, and fell to the
ground.
Selina picked it up; it was only stunned, and soon revived in her hands.
She took it gently, and put it into an old cage which lay among the
lumber of the yard, brought the cage in again, set it on the table, and
resumed her reading. It was the book of Ruth; and the first name she
came to was Elimelech—and Elimelech, she thought, would make a good name
for her visitor. All the rest of the day she tended her starling, which
had come to her in this strange way just when she needed something
better in the house to keep her company than those unfeeling fowls and
ducks; and Elimelech, who was stupid from his fall, made no attempt to
escape, but took her advances in a grateful spirit.
This was how Selina came by her Starling, and with the natural instinct
she possessed of attracting all living creatures to her, she very soon
made a friend of it. It was young enough to feel no shyness for the
quiet little old woman: it was hardly out of its nursery, and had only
just begun to learn to scramble up to the top of the chimney from the
ledge on which the nest was placed, when it took a sudden panic, failed
to reach the top, and came scrambling down into a new world.
For some time she kept Elimelech in his cage, but gradually she
accustomed him to shift for himself. He would sit on her shoulder as she
went about her household work, and when she went into the hovel he would
perch on Fan’s back. Fan did not seem to mind, and very soon Elimelech
took to roosting there, and a strangely devoted friendship was
established between them.
While Elimelech was thus growing up as a member of the household, Selina
was beginning to wonder how she was to keep that household together. How
was she to keep herself and pay her rent without the little incomings
that had found their way into her husband’s pocket when he took a fancy
now and then to ask his customers to pay their debts? She parted with
her fowls and ducks, but most of these were ancient skinny creatures,
whose lives had been prolonged beyond the usual limit by careless
kindness, and they brought her but little profit. It was some time
before it dawned on her that she must part with Fan too, but when at
last it did, she felt a terrible pang. It would be like parting with a
sister. And who indeed would buy poor old Fan, and if a purchaser were
found, what would he give for such an ancient little animal?
She banished the notion from her mind: she and Fan must stick together
for what years of lonely life still remained to them.
One Tuesday morning, she was grazing the pony on the strip of turf that
ran through the middle of the village allotments; Elimelech was perched
on Fan’s back as usual, for he now insisted upon occupying his favourite
station during all these little excursions, amusing himself by
occasional flights into the air, or sometimes walking at the pony’s
heels and picking up the insects that were disturbed as she grazed.
There in the dewy summer morning the three had a consultation together,
and it was decided that the next day, Wednesday, being market day at
Northstow, Selina and Fan should journey thither, show themselves once
more, and try and start the carrying business afresh before it was too
late. There was no time to be lost; already one villager more
enterprising than his fellows had purchased a donkey, and threatened to
step into the place left vacant by Selina’s husband. The day was spent
in going round to the old customers, and by nightfall Selina had a fair
number of commissions. A heavy cloud had suddenly lifted from the little
old woman’s heart; she saw her way before her and went to bed happy.
Next morning early she went into her hovel, where Elimelech had passed
the night on his usual perch. She fed the pony, and then, gently
removing the bird, began to put on the harness. Elimelech flew up to a
rafter, and began to utter dolorous crooning whistles; and no sooner was
the harnessing finished, than down he flew again with a persistence that
somewhat perplexed his mistress.
“No, my dear,” she said to him, “you just stay at home and keep house
till we come back.” And laying hold of him tenderly, she began to carry
him across the garden to the cottage, meaning to shut him up safe in his
cage till evening. But Elimelech seemed to divine what was coming, and
objected strongly; he struggled in her hand, and making his escape, flew
up and perched on the cottage chimney. She shook her finger at him.
“Don’t you get into mischief,” she said, “or you’ll make us both
unhappy.” Elimelech looked very wise up there, bowing and whistling.
“I’ll take care of myself,” he seemed to say, and she thought he might
be trusted to do so. Anyhow, go she must, and without him.
She mounted into the seat of the little pony-cart, and turned out into
the village street; but she had hardly done so, when a whirring of wings
was heard, and down came Elimelech to his perch again. There was no time
to stop now; and Selina was obliged to let him have his own way, though
she was not without misgivings for what might happen at Northstow, if
they ever reached it all three still together. In the village there was
no fear; Fan and Elimelech were now as well known as Selina herself, but
at Northstow what might happen if the children were coming out of school
just as she got there?
She tried to time herself so as to escape such a catastrophe, but as
usually happens in such cases, she did after all run right into the
middle of the school as it broke up at twelve o’clock. Elimelech, who
had been perfectly well behaved all the way, only taking a little flight
now and then as a relief, now thought he saw an opportunity to display
himself; and no sooner did the children begin to gather round than he
fluttered his wings and saluted them with a cheery whistle. Instantly
the pony and cart were surrounded with a crowd of imps shouting and
dancing; Fan was hustled and began to kick, and one or two boys made a
dash for the starling. But Elimelech was a match for them; he quietly
flew up to a neighbouring roof and waited there till the hubbub had
subsided. Before Selina had reached her inn, he was on the pony’s back
again.
Once in the stable, both Fan and Elimelech were safe; but Selina had to
do a good deal of extra carrying that day, for she could not venture to
drive the cart about the town, and had to drag every parcel separately
from shop or market to the inn. At last she got away, escaping by a back
lane which joined the main road outside the town, and reached home
without further adventures.
On the Saturday following she started again, and again Elimelech
insisted on being of the party. She had no great fear for his safety
this time, for unless it came to throwing stones, which was unlikely on
a market-day with policemen about, she knew that he could save himself
by flight. And so it happened; whenever anything occurred to disturb
him, Elimelech would fly up to some lofty point of vantage, and as
regularly rejoin his company at the inn. But as time went on, he had
less and less need for these sallies; Northstow grew accustomed to the
strange trio, and though a boy would sometimes howl, or a passer-by stop
and stare, no one seriously troubled them.
So the autumn and winter passed, and Selina began to thrive. Cheerfully
and untiringly she went about her business; she was always to be relied
on, and apart from her own virtues her pony and her starling attracted
attention to her, and got her many new customers. Indeed Selina began to
think Elimelech so important a partner in the concern, that when
February came and the wild starlings in the village began to mate, she
took the precaution of cutting one of his wings, lest his natural
instincts should get the better of him. To lose him would be a terrible
thing both for herself and Fan, who showed much discontent if the bird
were not on her back, gently probing her old coat with his bill.
“Oh, he loves Fan better than me,” Selina would say to her visitors, of
whom she now had plenty; “he loves me, but he loves Fan better.” If we
could have penetrated into Elimelech’s mind, I do not think we should
have found that this was exactly so. I believe that he loved Selina as
well as we all did—I believe that he looked upon her, as Mr. Dick looked
upon Aunt Betsey, as the most wonderful woman in the world. But I think
that Fan’s back was a more comfortable perch than Selina’s shoulder, and
the hovel more suited to his turn of mind than her kitchen—and that was
all.
So the years went on, Selina throve, Elimelech’s partnership was
unbroken, but Fan began to grow really old at last. She struggled up the
hill with all her old pluck, but her breath came short and quick. Many a
time in those days have I watched the three making their way up the long
hill beyond the village, Fan panting and struggling, Elimelech whistling
encouragingly on her back, and Selina, who had dismounted to ease her
friend, following the cart slowly, her old black bonnet nodding with
each step, and the head inside it bending over till it was almost on a
level with her waist.
One day in the winter I had given Selina a commission—it was a mere
trifle, but one of those trifles, a packet of tobacco or what not, which
one wishes there should be no delay about. At tea-time it had not
arrived, and it was past the time when Selina might be expected. I put
on my hat and went out to look for her, but no pony and cart was to be
seen. Then I set off strolling along the road to Northstow, asking a
labourer or two whether they had seen Selina, but nothing was to be
heard of her. With half a misgiving in my mind, I determined to go right
on till I met her, and I was soon at the top of the hill, and pacing
along the stretch of high road that lay along the uplands in the
direction of the little town. It grew quite dark, and still no Selina.
I was within a mile and a half of Northstow, where the road is bordered
by a broad rim of grass, when I thought I saw a dark object a little in
front of me by the roadside. I went up to it, and found it was Selina’s
cart, without Selina or the pony. Then I struck a match, shading it with
my hand from the breeze. I just made out the pony was lying on the grass
under the hedge, and that the little woman was lying there too, with her
head resting against his side. She seemed to be fast asleep. As I
approached Elimelech rose from the pony’s neck, and fluttered around me.
Hardly knowing what to do, and feeling as if I were breaking in
ruthlessly on a scene so full of tender sadness, I stood there for a
moment silent. Then I put my hand on Selina’s shoulder, saying, “How are
you, Selina? What’s the matter? Has Fan come to grief?”
Selina opened her eyes and looked at me; at first she did not know where
she was. Then it all came back to her.
“She’s dead,” she said at last. “She fell down suddenly in the cart and
died. I took her out and dragged her so that no one should run over her,
but it made me so tired that I must have fallen asleep.”
The poor little woman put her arm round the dead pony’s neck, and began
to caress it. I saw that it was hopeless to get her home without help,
and went on up the road towards the nearest farmhouse, telling her to
stay where she was till I came back. There was no need to tell her: she
neither could nor would have moved.
I had not gone far when by good luck I met a waggon returning empty to
our village. I stopped the driver, whom I knew, told him what had
happened, and got him to undertake to carry both Selina and her pony
home in his waggon. I felt sure she would not leave her Fan to the mercy
of any one who came by; and indeed I would not have left her there
myself. Fan had so long been one of us that I shuddered to think of what
nocturnal creatures might find her out in the night. There was a
horrible story of a tramp who had passed a night in a barn not half a
mile from this very spot, and had been attacked by rats in his sleep.
When we reached the cart, Selina was again fast asleep. Gently we raised
her from the pony’s side, and I had to almost use force to unfasten the
grip of her arm on its neck. I whispered to her that we were going to
take Fan and Elimelech too, and she made no more resistance, but lay
down quietly on some straw in a corner of the waggon. It was hard work
to get poor Fan in after her; but she was so small and thin that at last
we managed it. Elimelech perched himself upon his friend’s motionless
body, and so we set off, a strange funeral procession.
Arrived at the village, I roused the neighbours, and Selina, now almost
unconscious, was put to bed by kindly hands. Fan we deposited in her old
hovel, and Elimelech, subdued and puzzled, was left there too.
Next morning Selina was unable to get out of her bed, though she
struggled hard to do so; fatigue and exposure on the wet grass had
brought her very low, and the doctor thought she would hardly get over
it. We had to tell her that she would see Fan no more. She only sighed,
and asked for Elimelech.
I went down to the hovel; the men were come to take the poor old pony
away. Elimelech was there, not upon poor Fan’s body, but upon a rafter;
and when the pony was taken out, he followed, and evaded all my efforts
to catch him. I saw the cart with its burden turn the corner of the
street, with the bird perched on the edge of it, fluttering his wings,
as if he were expostulating with the ruthless driver.
I returned to Selina. “Elimelech is gone to see the last of poor Fan,” I
said; “but we shall see him back here before long.”
“He loves me,” answered she; “but he loves Fan better, and I don’t think
he’ll come back.” And Elimelech did not return that day.
But the next morning I found him sitting on her bed. She told me that he
must have come back to the hovel, and when he found that shut, have come
in by the front door and made his way upstairs. “And now poor Fan is
gone, he loves me better than any one,” she said.
Selina is still alive, as I said at the beginning of this tale; she
still finds work to do, and does it with all her might. All her animals
are gone now—cats, fowls, ducks, and pony; Elimelech alone remains; he
has never been unfaithful to her. But they are both growing old—too old
to last much longer; and all we can hope is that Elimelech will be the
survivor.