A Daring Feat
It was a hot afternoon in July. The children had tired themselves out
with play, and were resting under some shady trees near the farm. By
and bye Betty wandered off into a neighbouring cornfield, and resting
her head against an old log of wood in the corner of it, went fast
asleep, whilst Prince sat at her feet, keeping a faithful watch over
his little mistress. Mr. Russell, sauntering through a footpath in the
field, came up and looked at them; and his artist's eye was at once
charmed with the picture they made. He stood, and taking out his
sketch-book, drew a rapid outline of Betty's little figure as she lay
there, one hand grasping some red poppies, and the other arm thrown
behind her curly head. Prince was also sketched; and then Betty awoke.
She looked confused at first, then jumped to her feet.
'Don't be frightened,' said Mr. Russell gravely. 'Do you live near
here?'
Betty pointed out the farm.
'And do you think you would be allowed to come to my house one day, for
me to make a picture of you?'
Betty coloured with pleasure.
'I'll ask nurse. All by myself?'
'All by yourself--at least with your dog. Where is your nurse? Would
she come out here to speak to me?'
Nurse was only in the next field, so was easily fetched, and though
demurring somewhat at first, was soon reassured by Mr. Russell, who
promised to keep her only about an hour.
'I will see she returns to you safely, my good woman; and when you find
that she has come to no harm, perhaps you will allow her to come again.
I want to make a little sketch of her, for a subject I have in view.'
And it was settled that Betty should go to him the next day at two
o'clock.
'I don't quite like it,' said nurse afterwards, when talking it over
with Mrs. Giles; 'but he seemed rather a high-handed gentleman, as if
he wouldn't take no. I don't know whether the mistress would like it,
most children would be shy of it, but none of these seem to know what
shyness is; and Miss Betty seems to make friends wherever she goes. I
can't understand it; Miss Molly, to my eyes, is much the most taking!'
'Mr. Russell is our landlord,' responded Mrs. Giles; 'he's a proper
sort o' gentleman, and he won't hurt the child by a-paintin' of her.
He lives all alone since his little girl died, and maybe she'll cheer
him up; he's very downhearted, folks say.'
'Why should you go and not us?' said Molly, when Betty ran off to tell
them all about it; 'it's too bad; you're getting all the nice things,
and I'm the eldest.'
'I don't expect you'll like it,' said Douglas, rolling over on the
grass and tickling Bobby's bare legs with a bunch of grass; 'I know the
man, and he has an awful temper! Sam told me he thrashed a boy who was
taking a bird's nest out of his orchard; and he has a large glass room
with skeletons and bits of people's bodies lying all about. I think he
likes to get children in there, and then he keeps them prisoners, and
never lets them out again.'
Betty stood still, eyeing her brother doubtfully.
'I don't believe it.'
'You wait till he gets you there! He has dead men's legs and hands.
Sam says he's seen them through the window! He's a Bluebeard; he
always keeps the room locked, and doesn't let any one in. And if he
takes you in there to-morrow afternoon, you'll never come out again!'
'And then I shall have Prince, and take him back to London for my dog,'
put in Molly.
'Prince is coming with me,' Betty retorted; 'so if I never come back
again, Prince won't! And I don't care if we don't come back. I'd
rather live with Mr. Russell than with you when you are cross.'
'He'll fatten you up with porridge for a week; and then he'll cut you
up into little bits, and Prince too.'
Betty laughed and danced away, Prince at her heels.
'You're jealous because I'm going to be put into a picture,' she called
out. 'I'll tell you all about the dead men's legs when I come back.'
The next afternoon she was taken up to the Hall by nurse, who arrayed
herself in her best clothes, and was delighted when she was taken to
the housekeeper's room to be entertained. She would have liked to wait
there the full hour, but Mr. Russell had promised to bring back Betty
himself; so she had not that excuse.
And Douglas and Molly were consoling themselves at home, by building a
hay castle in the meadow, and capturing Bobby and Billy at intervals,
under the plea of painting their pictures; and then going through a
process which was more entertaining to them than to their little
victims--that of cutting off their arms and legs to hang on their walls.
It was nearly five o'clock when Betty returned, and her little tongue
was busy all tea-time.
'Such a funny room! and Mr. Russell had changed his mind, and he isn't
going to paint my picture; but he's going to make a dead figure of me
and Prince instead; he's got some white wet stuff like putty, and he
rolls up his shirt-sleeves like a workman! I had to lie down and
pretend to be asleep, but I could keep my eyes open, and I did see some
legs, but they're images--and there was a image without a head, a dead
figure, you know. And there were beautiful curtains, and flowers, and
rugs, and pictures half finished. It was rather an untidy room. I
told Mr. Russell what you said, Douglas; and he laughed. He gave me
some peaches, and then we had a nice grave talk coming home.'
This and more Betty revealed; and her visits to the Hall became very
frequent as time wore on. If she enjoyed them, Mr. Russell did too,
and yet she brought to him mingled feelings of pleasure and pain. He
talked lightly to her, and put aside his stern moods whilst with her;
but every now and then some childish gesture or tone would stab him
with the memory of his little daughter, and his brows would contract
and his voice falter at the remembrance.
One day he was called away from the studio, and for some time Betty was
left alone.
When he returned, he found her lying flat on her chest, turning over
the leaves of a book.
'What book have you got hold of?' he asked; 'something that seems to
interest you.'
'It's Revelation,' said Betty, with a beaming face.
'The Bible? I did not remember I had one in the room; ah yes, I
remember, it's here for its antique cover! Well, what do you make of
Revelation?'
'Oh, I love it, don't you? I'm reading about the singing in heaven;
and it says "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands." What crowds there will be! Mr. Russell, supposing heaven
gets too small for all the people, what will happen?'
'I don't think there's a chance of that,' Mr. Russell said, smiling;
'it doesn't look as if many are bound there in the present age, at all
events.'
'It says,' went on Betty, with her finger on the page, 'for Thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred
and tongue and people and nation; that takes in everybody, doesn't it,
Mr. Russell?'
'Yes,' said Mr. Russell, looking down at the little figure on the
floor, half humorously, half sadly; 'every one that wants to be taken
in.'
'Why should any one want to be outside?' questioned the child.
Mr. Russell did not answer; he went to his outline and uncovered it.
It was rapidly progressing. Betty's little figure was nearly finished.
There was the gnarled log of wood against which she lay; and Prince's
outline had already been commenced.
She jumped up and came over to look at it.
'It would make a beautiful grave, wouldn't it?' she said thoughtfully;
'I should like to have it put on the top of mine when I die.'
'Don't talk about dying, child!' was the hasty reply.
'I'm afraid I'm not ready,' said Betty, with a shake of her curly head;
'but I will be when I've been through tribulation! Mr. Russell, do you
think a dog can go through tribulation?'
'No, I do not,' said Mr. Russell, laughing. Betty's views on her
favourite text were by this time well known to him; and he generally
treated her childish difficulties with respect; but this unexpected
question was too much for him, and Betty's little face clouded over at
his laugh. She was very silent after that, and went home with rather a
wistful little face.
But all serious thoughts were dissolved at the news that awaited her.
Molly rushed out, her long hair flying in the wind: 'I've got a letter
from Uncle Harry, and he is coming to see us next week!'
'And he's going to spend a week with us; he's going to fish, and I
shall fish too!' shouted Douglas.
'And Uncle Harry will have cwicket with us!' cried the twins.
'Of course he wrote to me, as I'm the eldest,' said Molly proudly; 'if
you'll be very good I'll read you his letter.' And producing a very
crumpled envelope from her pocket, she read:--
'DEAR MADAM MOLLY,--
'I have had orders from your respected parents to come down for an
inspection of you all; so expect me Tuesday, the 27th inst. Tell nurse
all complaints will be attended to, and punishment duly administered.
She must get me a room somewhere for a week, as I have heard there is
good fishing in your neighbourhood. My love to doughty Douglas and the
three B's.
'Your affectionate uncle,
'HARRY.
'P.S.--Tell nurse I shall bring a rod with me.'
'Isn't he a funny dear?' went on Molly. 'He pretends he's coming to
punish us! Won't we have fun when he comes!'
'He doesn't know there are six of us now,' observed Betty, with
sparkling eyes; 'I wonder what he will say to Prince.'
The children could do little else but talk about their uncle's coming
visit for the next week; and when at last Tuesday arrived, they were in
a great state of excitement. Nurse could hardly curb their turbulent
spirits. Captain Stuart was adored by his little nephews and nieces,
and his visits were always a golden time. At last, after rescuing
Douglas from a farm wagon that he was driving off during the carter's
absence, Molly and Betty from an infuriated sow that they were trying
to wash under the pump, and Bobby and Billy from a hay-cutter they were
meditating using, nurse locked up all the five in the garret, hoping
they would be safe there until their uncle arrived. Prince was left
outside; and all Betty's beseeching petitions that he might share their
punishment were unheeded by nurse. So Prince crouched down outside the
door, patiently keeping watch, and now and then responding to his
little mistress's voice through the keyhole by sundry whines and barks.
'Nurse won't dare to put us in cells after to-day,' said Douglas
wrathfully; 'she is just doing it to pretend to Uncle Harry that we're
always in disgrace; and I hate her!'
'And I was going down to the brook to get some forget-me-nots, to put
in Uncle Harry's room,' said Molly plaintively.
'It's wather nice being punished all together,' said Bobby, who always
dreaded being left alone.
Betty said nothing; her curly head was out of one of the windows, and
she was deep in thought. At last she drew it in.
'S'posing the house was to take fire, and we were all to be locked in
here?' she suggested.
Molly looked quite frightened at the thought; but Douglas rose to the
occasion, and he said triumphantly,--
'Yes, nurse would be in a pretty state then! Farmer Giles would rush
off for a fire-engine; we would throw up the windows, and then I'd get
out on the roof and make a speech. I'd remind nurse of all the nasty
things she has said and done to us since we were babies; how she has
said over and over again there never were such children in the world,
and that we nearly drove her mad; and then I'd say she'd be sorry now
when she was going to see us burnt before her eyes; and she would be
sobbing and crying, and so would Mrs. Giles and Sam and all the others!'
'But they might get ladders to take us down,' suggested Molly.
'There's only one ladder long enough. Sam would put that up, but the
flames underneath the floor would come out and burn the ladder in two;
and there's no fire-escape! They don't seem to have them in the
country. I should go on speaking as long as I could, and then I should
say we didn't wish to go down to our graves angry, so we would forgive
her, only we hoped the next children she had she would be kinder to.
And then I would say good-bye; and the roof would be cracking
underneath me; and nurse would scream and cry; and then I would take a
leap right into the middle of the fire; and there would be a kind of
explosion, and the house would fall in; and the next day there would be
five heaps of bones and black ashes! all that was left of us! and nurse
would sit down with a broken heart in the middle of us!'
Bobby and Billy had been listening to this awful story with their eyes
nearly starting out of their heads; and now both burst into sobs of
terror. 'We're going to be burnt! Nurse, nurse, let us out; we will
be good!'
They were hushed up in scorn by Douglas; but Molly soothed and
comforted them, assuring them it was only a make-up, and that the house
never would catch fire.
'And if it did catch fire I would get out safe,' said Betty solemnly;
'for I should climb out of the window and walk along the gutter,
holding on by the roof; and then I should climb down by the pear tree
over Uncle Harry's bedroom.'
'You couldn't do it,' said Douglas scoffingly; 'girls can't climb!'
'I could do it; I could do it now!'
'Then do it, do it; I dare you to do it!'
Betty's eyes sparkled; and Molly at once left the twins, and ran to the
window and put her head out.
'I think she could do it if we lifted her out; but it looks awful
dangerous; I should be afraid.'
'I'm not a bit afraid,' said Betty sturdily.
'You wait till you're once out. I dare you to do it!' And Douglas
danced up and down in delight at the coming excitement.
Not a doubt entered Betty's head as to the right or wrong of such an
escapade; her impulsive little soul was longing to prove to her brother
her ability in climbing, and audacious as she was in daring feats, this
seemed to be a test of her powers. The garret window was opened; it
was in the roof, so Betty had no difficulty in climbing out and
standing in the gutter, which ran right round the house. Then slowly
and carefully, in sight of the four admiring faces at the window, she
commenced her perilous walk. Steadying herself by leaning with one
hand on the sloping roof at her right, Betty walked triumphantly on
till she reached the corner of the house; here she hesitated.
'Come back,' called out Molly; 'you can't turn the corner!'
'I dare you to go on!' naughty Douglas cried excitedly.
There was breathless silence; but others besides the little inmates of
the garret were watching this feat in horror. Two gentlemen were
walking leisurely through the meadow in front of the house.
'What on earth is that on the roof, Stuart? Not a child, surely!'
'A child it is; good heavens! It's one of my hopeful nieces; she'll be
dashed to pieces to a certainty! Come on, St. Clair; only don't make a
row!'
They reached the house as Betty was in the act of turning the corner.
For a moment the little figure swayed outwardly, and Captain Stuart
quite expected that moment to be Betty's last; but she recovered her
balance most miraculously, accomplished the turn successfully, and went
steadily on till she reached the pear tree.
Both gentlemen remained perfectly silent, knowing that a start might
produce a false step, and they watched her descent to the ground now
with less anxiety. Half-way down had Betty got, when there was a
rushing sound of feet, and nurse, with a scream of horror appeared on
the scene.
Betty's nerves gave way; she placed her foot on a rotten branch, which
broke under her; her hands relaxed their hold. Another scream from
nurse, echoed by Mrs. Giles behind her, and the child fell heavily, but
safely, into her uncle's arms below.