OUR DREADFUL DAY
AND now I've got to write about a dreadful day. And I'll begin at the
very beginning of it. It was rather near the end of our holidays. We
had got our saddle by this time, and we all used to ride Andy anywhere;
he was a very good donkey on the whole, and he galloped awfully well.
We were just talking over our plans for the day at breakfast when
Emma came in with a telegram for father. He often got telegrams about
meetings, so we didn't take any notice, until we heard him give a kind
of groan, and hand it to Aunt C. And then she began to cry, and we knew
it must be something bad. It was to say that granny had been taken
dangerously ill, and father must go at once.
Aunt C. gasped out:
"She's dying, John; I must come with you."
"There's no train till ten-thirty. We must catch that."
Aunt C. rushed out of the room; then father turned to us:
"Children, can I trust you alone? It would be a sad thing for your
aunt if she did not come with me. Will you try to prove yourselves
trustworthy? Denys, you are getting a big boy, and know the difference
between right and wrong. I look to you in my absence to take care of
your brothers and sisters. Grisel, keep Lynette with you, and do not
get into mischief. I will go and have a talk with cook. There is no
time to be lost."
We promised faithfully to be as good as gold. We were very sorry
about granny, but we couldn't help feeling a little tiny bit glad
that we were to be left to take care of ourselves. We never have been
before, and it's a delicious feeling to be quite, quite alone in the
holidays, and to manage ourselves. I don't think there could be a
nicer thing happen. Then I ran upstairs and helped Aunt C. to pack
up her portmanteau. She was very upset, and Emma and cook were so
excited, they kept running up and down stairs the whole time asking her
questions.
At last they were off; and Denys drove their small luggage in the
donkey-cart to the station. Father said he would be sure to come home
in time for Sunday, as this was only Tuesday. Aunt C. kissed me very
hard, and said she knew I would do my best to be good and to keep the
others good, as I had been a great comfort to her lately. I was so
pleased when she said this that I nearly cried, but I put both my arms
round her neck instead, and gave her a good hug.
When Denys came back, we all went out into the garden to the
summer-house to talk about it.
"Granny was quite well two days ago," I said. "She wrote to Aunt C.
and said she had just been for a drive. I didn't know people could die
without being ill."
"But she is ill," said Aylwin.
"Yes, but she couldn't get very ill all at once, could she?"
"Lots of people do," said Denys.
"Could we?" asked Lynette, with a frightened look. "I shouldn't like
to. Aunt C. said she was sure granny was dead, and that was how Aunt
Mildred broke the news."
"Anyhow, granny won't mind dying," I said. "She is like the knight,
'semper paratus.' And you ought to be too, Lynette."
"I'm not," she said; "are you?"
"Oh, do stop talking rot!" said Aylwin. "Now, what shall we do with
ourselves?"
"A picnic would be nice," I suggested, "down by the river."
"And we might take Andy with us, and give him a good tubbing in the
water. He must be dreadfully dirty; he never has a bath."
Lynette said this. If there's one thing she is fonder of than another,
it is water, and washing something.
"And we'll boil a kettle, and pretend we're gipsies," said Aylwin.
"All right; let's go to cook and see if she's got any raw meat we can
cook ourselves—that's half the fun."
So Denys and I went off to the kitchen, and cook seemed only too
delighted to have us out for the day. She gave us some sausages, and a
frying-pan with some fat in to fry them, and a bit of rabbit-pie, and
some cold potatoes, and some apples, and half a loaf of bread, and a
bottle of milk, and a small tin of sugar, and an envelope filled with
salt, and another with tea in it. And then we all bustled about and got
some cups and plates and the kettle, and then we packed ourselves in
the donkey-cart, and away we drove, and we were all feeling so jolly
that we had to keep reminding ourselves that granny was dying. And for
a few minutes we tried to keep sad and have dismal faces. At last Denys
said:
"Look here, we can't go on like this. We'll hope she has turned the
corner and is getting well fast. Lots of people do, you know. And
doctors always say, 'While there is life there is hope.' So we'll be as
jolly as we like, because she's getting better."
We were all quite relieved. It was so much nicer having cheerful
thoughts about granny than sad ones. And I'm afraid we didn't think
much about her again, for we got very busy when we got down to the
river. And then Denys said to Lynette:
"I say, if you want to wash anything, you can wash yourself—your hands
would be all the better for it—and you can wash our dinner-plates, but
don't you try it on Andy, or I'll duck you in the river head first.
Donkeys aren't made to be washed."
Lynette was awfully disappointed, but she was rather afraid of Denys.
We had the most lovely time cooking our dinner. We first made the fire,
and then we boiled the kettle, for we were all going to have cups of
tea, and then we got the frying-pan and put the sausages in and the bit
of rabbit-pie and the cold potatoes, and they smelt delicious. Denys
and I were cook by turns, because Aylwin would taste so often that we
were afraid there would not be enough to go round, and Lynette said the
fire scorched her face. I don't expect grown-ups would have liked our
fry, because it was rather smoky, and once the frying-pan tipped right
over, and we lost some of the potatoes in the fire. But we all liked
it immensely, and then we made tea, and we felt as if we were having a
thorough good kitchen dinner—Emma and cook always have tea with their
dinner. Then we tried to roast our apples, but it was too much bother,
and we were tired of cooking by that time, so we just ate them raw.
Lynette and Puff and I washed up our plates and cups, and then we
packed them away, and then we began having a game of hide-and-seek.
There was a small wood close to us, so we had great fun. And now the
first thing began to go wrong with us. We had unharnessed Andy and
let him munch about on the grass, but when we were playing we forgot
all about him, and suddenly we found out that he had gone off. We all
hunted for him, and called and shouted, but there was no sign of him.
And then we felt angry with him. Lynette said he must have remembered
running off with Puff the other day, and the river must have reminded
him of it.
"It will be no joke if we spend the rest of the day in hunting for the
old beast!" said Aylwin sulkily. "I vote we go home, and let him find
his way back!"
"But we can't leave the cart here," said Denys.
"Harness Aylwin to it, and let me drive him," said Lynette, dancing up
and down in delight at the thought.
The boys wouldn't listen to her. We spent nearly an hour looking for
Andy.
We were quite three miles from home, and we didn't know what to do.
Then the boys said we must all help to drag the cart home. We cheered
up then, because we thought it would be great fun. There was a great
deal of talking, of course, before we settled it. I said we ought
to draw it tandem, and Lynette could be leader, because she was the
youngest, and I believed it was the easiest place, but Denys said we
must be a four-in-hand, and Puff could-drive, because he was tired out
already, and would have to be in the cart. So then we settled that
Lynette and I should be front horses, and Denys and Aylwin back ones.
We had some rope which we had brought to tie our hamper with, and after
some time we got ourselves arranged, and started.
"Let us think Puff is member for the county," Denys said, "and he's
just elected, and we've taken out his horses and are pulling him round
the town."
So we all yelled out, "Three cheers for Puff, M.P., the labourer's
friend!"
For we had seen plenty of elections before we came into Lincolnshire.
But, oh dear! It was hard work pulling that cart. It was easier pulling
it on the high road, but we all got very tired, and had to rest pretty
often. Puff was the only one who enjoyed it, only we had to take the
whip away from him, because he got so excited that he forgot we hadn't
donkeys' skins, and really hurt us with it. And then, as we were all
pulling our very hardest, who should come by but Lady Laura in her
grand carriage and pair, and Beatrice and Clarice were with her.
"We've lost our donkey!" we shouted out to them. "And we're a
four-in-hand."
We were trying to gallop past, for it was a little down-hill when we
met them, only Lady Laura made us stop.
"Oh, you madcaps!" she said. "I am so glad you don't belong to me."
We thought that was rather nasty of her, because we really didn't want
to draw our cart home; we were only doing it because it was our duty.
So Denys took off his cap to her and tried to explain, and asked her if
she saw Andy anywhere to let us know, and she laughed and promised she
would, and Beatrice and Clarice called out that they would love to get
out and be a six-in-hand, only they had their best clothes on.
We got on pretty well after that, until we came to a steep hill before
we came to our village. We thought we would have a regular gallop down
it, and come through the village in style. I suppose we went a little
too fast, because just before we came to the bottom the cart seemed
to come on the top of us, and Denys and Aylwin couldn't hold it back.
Lynette tumbled, and then I hardly know what happened, but the next
thing we were all in a confused heap in the ditch, and Puff was yelling
as if he was being murdered. The hamper tumbled out, and nearly all the
plates and cups were broken. I suppose we hadn't packed them very well.
Denys picked himself up first. He was all right—only a few bruises, he
said. Lynette had a great bump on her forehead almost as big as a small
egg, and Aylwin had hurt one of his legs most dreadfully; he said he
was sure it was broken, but Denys felt it all over and said there were
no bones sticking out anywhere. Puff had only grazed his knees; one was
bleeding rather—I tied my handkerchief over it. I had cut one of my
elbows with a stone and felt rather bruised, but that was all.
[Illustration: THE NEXT THING WE WERE ALL IN A CONFUSED HEAP IN THE
DITCH.]
We all sat down in the hedge to rest, after we had examined ourselves.
And then, as no one came by who could help us, we left our cart in the
hedge, and Denys carried Aylwin on his back all the way home, which was
very good of him. Lynette's frock was all torn, and my hat was covered
with ditch mud. When we came in, Emma shrieked at the sight of us. She
told Baldwin to go and get the cart, and Aylwin got on the sofa, and
cook came in to look at his leg. She said she thought it would be all
right if she put a cold-water bandage on. It was rather swollen and
bruised, but she said she was sure nothing was broken.
We were all rather disgusted with ourselves for coming home in such a
state, but of course it was all Andy's fault, not ours.
Just after we had had our tea, a boy came to the Rectory. He had found
Andy tearing about in a farmer's field, with some young colts, ever so
far away. How he got there we don't know. He must have broken through
the hedge somewhere. We were very glad to see him, but Denys nearly
gave him a good beating. Emma said it was a regular hospital with all
of us so scratched and bruised, and she said we might have all killed
ourselves.
I wish I could say our day ended there, but the worst is still to come.
I was sitting in the garden reading a story-book. Puff had already gone
to bed, and Lynette was playing a game of Halma with Aylwin indoors,
when Denys came to me in great excitement.
"I say! There's a fire at a farm half a mile out of the village. It is
Mr. Gaythorpe's. I'm off to it!"
"Oh, I must come too!" I said.
I suppose it is a dreadful thing to like, but we all love seeing a
fire. We saw one or two in the place we were in before we came here,
and we always went to them if we could. If it was at night, the boys
would steal out of their beds and go off just the same. And, of course,
a fire is much more exciting in the country.
I put on my hat and ran off with Denys. We saw volumes of smoke going
up into the sky. Denys said some hayricks must have caught fire. We
ran as hard as we could, and at last we came to it. It was a rick, we
found, but it had caught on to the stables, and the stables were close
to the house. There were a lot of men and boys throwing buckets of
water over it. There was no fire-engine nearer them than Lemworth, so
of course that was no good at all.
Denys at once began helping the farmer's wife to bring her furniture
out of the house; it had a thatched roof, so there didn't seem the
slightest chance of saving it. I stood a little distance off and
watched the flames curl and lick up to the sky. It sent a little thrill
through me as I saw them. Only I was glad that all the horses had been
brought out and all the farmer's children. There was no one in the
house at all. The farmer did his very best to save his house. One of
the men got a ladder and began cutting away the thatch on the roof,
and they soaked it with water, but the ladder actually caught on fire,
and the man had to get down as quick as he could. His hands were quite
burnt, and he was taken away by his wife at once.
All the time the farmer's wife, and her two servants, and Denys, were
bringing out everything into the field which was close to the house. I
wanted to help too, but Denys wouldn't let me; he said it wasn't girls'
work. I felt quite sorry that Aylwin and Lynette knew nothing about it;
they would so have enjoyed seeing it.
Then I heard something about oil in the back kitchen; the farmer was
afraid the fire would get to it. And just then we heard the most awful
howl, and we looked up, and there at one of the top windows which was
open stood a dear little terrier.
"It's Foxy!" screamed Mrs. Gaythorpe. "I must have shut him in when I
got the children out!"
"I'll get him!" shouted Denys, and he dashed into the house and up the
stairs. I never thought he would be in danger, until, a minute after,
there was an awful flare coming out of the kitchen windows, and Mr.
Gaythorpe said it was the cask of oil. Then we saw Denys at the top
window holding out the dog.
"Shall I throw him out?"
"Come down yourself!" shouted out the farmer. "The oil has caught
downstairs!"
Denys disappeared. I still didn't think he was in danger until I saw
him back at the window, and heard him shout out:
"The staircase is on fire. I can't come down!"
Then I felt quite sick. It was an awful moment.
"Hold out a blanket," said Denys, "if you've got one, and I'll throw
you Foxy."
Two men held out a blanket, and Foxy was thrown out and caught.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gaythorpe had gone for the ladder. It was broken and was
too short to reach Denys. They tried another, but it was too short;
then they began to splice them together, and I was in perfect agony.
Denys was awfully calm.
"Hurry up!" he said. "The fire is coming into the room."
Then we saw an awful volume of smoke behind him. The old house was
burning like tinder.
"Oh, Denys! Denys!" I screamed, hardly knowing what I said. "Won't
somebody save him?"
I heard afterwards that the ladders had been so badly burnt that they
were quite rotten. And still Denys never lost his courage.
"Throw me up a coil of rope," he shouted. "I must get out of this; the
floor is burning under me!"
He was standing on the sill as he spoke. I felt awful, as if I longed
to be there instead of him. And then they got hold of a mattress, and
four men held it at each corner.
"Jump!" they cried. "We'll catch you. 'Tis your only chance!"
For one moment Denys hesitated; he looked down. He was up such a long
way, for it was a high house. Then he looked behind him, and then he
sprang forward. I hid my eyes in terror. I suppose he must have jumped
too strongly—he was always a splendid jumper—for I heard a sickening
crashing thud, and they hadn't caught him! They said after, he jumped
beyond them. I don't think I shall ever forget that moment all my
life long. There was a loud groan from the whole crowd, and then dead
silence. I dashed forward, but Mrs. Gaythorpe caught me by the arm.
"Stay with me, my pretty; 'tis no sight for you! Ah, the poor, poor
boy!"
I have never done such a thing before, and I hope I never shall again,
but I fainted. I seemed to know that they were taking up Denys's dead
body, all crushed and still.
When I came round, I was in a cottage near, and a woman was tickling my
nose with burnt feathers. I sat up, and remembered it all.
"Where's Denys?" I cried.
"The doctor's with him, missy. Such a chance; he were riding home from
Farmer Turts, who have been to bed with the gout, and he saw the fire
and comed straight up. They've taken him in next door."
"Oh, is he dead?" I cried. "He can't be dead, he can't be dead!"
"There now, my dear, we'll hope for the best!"
I dashed her arm away from me, and rushed out of her cottage. I hardly
knew what I was doing, but I found myself saying, "I don't want to
hope, I want to be sure!"
And then outside Mrs. Blatch's cottage next door I met cook and
Baldwin. Some one had run off and told them.
Cook was wringing her hands and crying:
"The master is away, and who will tell him? Oh, never will I be left
again in charge of these children!"
And her screaming and crying made me feel quiet. I walked into the
cottage through a crowd of people.
"Is he dead?" I kept saying, and no one answered me.
And then the woman the cottage belonged to came out of a back room, and
I shall love her till the day of my death.
"There, dearie," she said; "take heart: he's only a few broken bones,
and young bones mend fast, the doctors say. Alive! Bless your little
heart, he'll be laughing in a day or two! And I'll keep him here and
look after him. He mustn't be moved, the doctor says. I was nurse
once in the Lemworth Infirmary, and I'll look after him right well, I
promise you!"
Then she told everybody to go away except cook and Baldwin and me, and
we sat down in her front parlour and waited till the doctor came out.