The eldest of the Captain's children was a boy. He was named Robert,
after his grandfather, and seemed to have inherited a good deal of the
old gentleman's character, mixed with gentler traits. He was a fair,
fine boy, tall and stout for his age, with the Captain's regular
features, and (he flattered himself) the Captain's firm step and martial
bearing. He was apt--like his grandfather--to hold his own will to be
other people's law, and (happily for the peace of the nursery) this
opinion was devoutly shared by his brother Nicholas. Though the Captain
had left the army, Robin continued to command an irregular force of
volunteers in the nursery, and never was colonel more despotic. His
brothers and sisters were by turn infantry, cavalry, engineers, and
artillery, according to his whim.
The Captain alone was a match for his strong-willed son.
"If you please, sir," said Sarah, one morning, flouncing in upon the
Captain, just as he was about to start for the neighboring town,--"If
you please, sir, I wish you'd speak to Master Robert. He's past my
powers."
"I've no doubt of it," thought the Captain, but he only said, "Well,
what's the matter?"
"Night after night do I put him to bed," said Sarah, "and night after
night does he get up as soon as I'm out of the room, and says he's
orderly officer for the evening, and goes about in his night-shirt and
his feet as bare as boards."
The Captain fingered his heavy moustache to hide a smile, but he
listened patiently to Sarah's complaints.
"It ain't so much _him_ I should mind, sir," she continued, "but he goes
round the beds and wakes up the other young gentlemen and Miss Dora, one
after another, and when I speak to him, he gives me all the sauce he can
lay his tongue to, and says he's going round the guards. The other night
I tried to put him back in his bed, but he got away and ran all over the
house, me hunting him everywhere, and not a sign of him, till he jumps
out on me from the garret stairs and nearly knocks me down. 'I've
visited the outposts, Sarah,' says he; 'all's well.' And off he goes to
bed as bold as brass."
"Have you spoken to your mistress?" asked the Captain.
"Yes, sir," said Sarah. "And missis spoke to him, and he promised not to
go round the guards again."
"Has he broken his promise?" asked the Captain, with a look of anger,
and also of surprise.
"When I opened the door last night, sir," continued Sarah, in her shrill
treble, "what should I see in the dark but Master Robert a-walking up
and down with the carpet-brush stuck in his arm. 'Who goes there?' says
he. 'You awdacious boy!' says I, 'Didn't you promise your ma you'd leave
off them tricks?' 'I'm not going round the guards,' says he; 'I promised
not. But I'm for sentry-duty to-night.' And say what I would to him, all
he had for me was, 'You mustn't speak to a sentry on duty.' So I says,
'As sure as I live till morning, I'll go to your pa,' for he pays no
more attention to his ma than to me, nor to any one else."
"Please to see that the bed is taken out of my dressing-room," said the
Captain. "I will attend to Master Robert."
With this Sarah had to content herself, and she went back to the
nursery. Robert was nowhere to be seen, and made no reply to her
summons. On this the unwary nursemaid flounced into the bed-room to look
for him, when Robert, who was hidden beneath a table, darted forth, and
promptly locked her in.
"You're under arrest," he shouted, through the keyhole.
"Let me out!" shrieked Sarah.
"I'll send a file of the guard to fetch you to the orderly-room,
by-and-by," said Robert, "for 'preferring frivolous complaints.'" And he
departed to the farmyard to look at the ducks.
That night, when Robert went up to bed, the Captain quietly locked him
into his dressing-room, from which the bed had been removed.
"You're for sentry duty, to-night," said the Captain. "The carpet-brush
is in the corner. Good-evening."
As his father anticipated, Robert was soon tired of the sentry game in
these new circumstances, and long before the night had half worn away he
wished himself safely undressed and in his own comfortable bed. At
half-past twelve o'clock he felt as if he could bear it no longer, and
knocked at the Captain's door.
"Who goes there?" said the Captain.
"Mayn't I go to bed, please?" whined poor Robert.
"Certainly not," said the Captain. "You're on duty."
And on duty poor Robert had to remain, for the Captain had a will as
well as his son. So he rolled himself up in his father's railway rug,
and slept on the floor.
The next night he was very glad to go quietly to bed, and remain there.