ALFRED AT THE DEANERY.
When Alfred was on his way to school in the afternoon, he saw King and
Cox a little way ahead, so he ran after them.
“King,” he said, “I am so sorry that you got into a row yesterday. I
did not know what pigeon’s milk was, or I should have told you.”
As he said this he held out his hand, as he wanted to be friends with
all the boys if possible.
“We don’t want you, you young sneak, so clear off, or I shall give you
some strap-oil of the right sort,” exclaimed King, who was very angry.
Alfred moved away, and was soon afterwards joined by his friends
Steve and Walter. Steve had just been telling Walter all about Mr.
Cottenham’s clever parrot, and how it had saved his life.
“Alfred, what were you talking to King about?” inquired Walter.
“I only told him how sorry I was that he had been punished through me,
and that I wanted to shake hands and be friends,” replied Alfred.
“Through you! It served him right,” said Walter; “he is far too fond of
bullying boys who are smaller than he is. I am very glad that he will
be leaving at midsummer.”
“So am I,” said Steve; “I never did like him, and he has never liked
me. He always was fond of playing jokes on new boys. Last year, in
May, he persuaded a boy to climb over an orchard-wall to get him some
apples. The silly boy came from a big town, and he did not know that
there is no fruit on the trees until the autumn, so over the wall he
went. A man caught him and beat him, and when the boy told King of it
he only laughed at him.”
“The boy is Francis Day; you know him, Alfred, he sits opposite you,”
said Walter.
“Yes; he is a very quiet boy, isn’t he? He always does his work well.”
While they were in school, Alfred forgot all about King and Cox, and
worked well at his tasks. Cox sat close to him, and was doing some
sums. He did the same as Alfred, and seemed to be quite as hard at work.
Dr. Phillips entered.
“Mr. Harmer,” he said, “can you spare, for a few minutes, two of the
boys?”
“Certainly, Dr. Phillips,” replied the master; “which of them do you
want?”
“I want two boys to sing some solos at an ‘At Home’ which the dean is
going to give shortly, and he said he would like to hear their songs
now, as he will be going to London to-night for several days. I think
I should prefer Parker and Davidson. King, I am afraid your voice
is breaking, and you would not be able to sing the high notes with
certainty.”
King turned red and looked very much disappointed. Dr. Phillips was a
very clever musician, and trained the boys not only with great skill,
but also with great patience. They all liked him, and Alfred’s ambition
was to be an organist such as he was. Alfred could play the piano very
well for a boy, and the reason why he had made such satisfactory
progress was because he practised regularly. When his mother used to
tell him to practise an hour twice a day, instead of grumbling and
doing it very badly he did his best, and he was glad now that he had
done so, as Mr. Harmer said he might play on the school harmonium if he
liked, and he would help him. Mr. Harmer also was a very good organist;
he had sometimes played the organ when Dr. Phillips was away, or
conducting an orchestra.
Alfred was very pleased and very proud when he heard his name
mentioned, but Cox looked as much disappointed as King.
“Parker and Davidson, you can go with Dr. Phillips,” said Mr. Harmer.
“I am afraid I shall not be able to send them back, Mr. Harmer, until
after service,” said Dr. Phillips.
“Very good, there is only the writing lesson and dictation after they
have done their sums, and they both spell very well,” replied the
master.
Alfred and Walter went with Dr. Phillips, and were led into the dean’s
drawing-room, where there were several ladies.
“These are the boys, Mr. Dean,” said Dr. Phillips.
Both boys stood shyly near the door, but the dean’s daughter came and
shook hands with them, and told them to take a seat near the piano,
while she played over the accompaniment. She was so pretty and so kind
that Alfred soon got over his shyness, and sang the pieces which she
wished him to try, very well.
“He has a very powerful voice for so small a boy,” remarked the dean.
“He is training for a solo-boy, is he not?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Dr. Phillips, “and I think he will be one of the
best I have ever had in the choir.”
The ladies were all very much pleased with his clear voice, and asked
him many questions about his parents and his home.
“I shall want you both to sing at my ‘At Home’, and also at a concert
we are arranging in connection with the missionary society,” said the
dean’s daughter. “I hope you are both good boys at school.”
“We try to be so--at least, sometimes we do, ma’am,” said Walter.
“I think, Miss Rivers,” said Dr. Phillips, “they are very good boys,
that is, _for boys_.”
“What did you say your father was?” an elderly lady asked Alfred.
“An engineer, ma’am,” replied Alfred.
[Illustration]
“My husband is one of the directors of that line,” she remarked, after
asking him on what ship his father was serving, “and I remember his
mentioning a very clever piece of work your father did when some of the
machinery went wrong. My husband was on board at the time, and during a
terrible storm some part of the engine broke down. I do not know what
part it was, as I do not understand engines, although I ought to, as
my husband is so often talking about them. Your father, at the risk of
his life, repaired the engine, and saved not only the ship, but the
passengers also. Where is your father now?”
“He went a few weeks ago, ma’am, on another voyage,” replied Alfred.
“This is his first voyage for more than six months, as he has been very
ill. He got hurt, ma’am, in that storm, but he’s better now.”
“My husband also has been ill since; so much so, that he is only just
able now to resume his duties. He is going to ask the other directors
to reward your father for his bravery and skill. What does your mother
do?”
“She has been teaching at a school while father was ill, as we had no
money left, ma’am.”
“Can it be possible? How neglectful we have been! My husband always
intended that your father should be rewarded, but while you have been
so badly off, we have been thinking of ourselves only. I must write
down your address, and my husband and I will call and see your mother
this week. I hope your father is quite well now.”
“He isn’t quite well, ma’am, but he is better, and said he thought the
voyage would do him good.”
“I hope it will, I am sure,” replied the lady. “Here, take this, little
boy, and give that to the other boy.”
“This” was half-a-crown. Alfred looked at it with surprise. He had
never had more than a shilling at a time to spend, and thought himself
quite rich with that amount. How happy he felt when he pictured what he
could buy with it for his mother and for Maggie, who was three years
older than he!
“Now, boys,” said Dr. Phillips, “we must be moving, or we shall be late
for service. You are taking the solo, aren’t you, Parker?”
“Yes, sir.”
The boys went away with Dr. Phillips, and Alfred thought he had never
enjoyed a service so much before; he certainly had never sung better.
When the service was over, the boys went home, as there were no more
lessons that day.
“Steve,” said Walter, as they were walking from the cathedral, “we’ve
been in luck.”
“What’s that?” asked Steve.
“We’ve had half-a-crown each given to us by a lady at the deanery.”
“Why don’t you buy an induction-coil now at Mr. Cottenham’s?--you’ve
got batteries--and then we can do some experiments.”
“All right!” said Walter, “I am game. You had better buy one as well,
Alfred, and then we can make a very strong current.”
Alfred did not reply, and away they ran as quickly as they could to
spend the money.
Mr. Cottenham was not in the shop, so the parrot whistled and called
out “Shop!”
Mr. Cottenham came in.
“Well, boys, what do you want?”
“One of those half-crown induction-coils, please, sir.”
He got one out for them, and soon showed Walter how to use it. Walter
was very fond of science, and all his spare pocket-money was spent with
Mr. Cottenham, who not only encouraged the boy, but helped him, and
gave him quite as much as he bought.
“Well, Alfred, do you want one too?” he inquired, seeing the half-crown
in the boy’s hand.
“No, thank you, sir.”
“What are you going to do with your money? Put it in the savings-bank,
eh?”
“No, sir; I am going to send it home to mother.”
“That’s right, Alfred.”
“Do you want a pill?” said Poll, who had been watching the boys very
intently without speaking.
The coil having been bought, the boys were just going away, when Mr.
Cottenham invited them all to come the following evening to tea,
promising to show them some experiments in chemistry and electricity.
“Thank you, sir,” replied Walter, his eyes beaming with pleasure. “We
will all come as early as we can. Good-evening, sir!”
“Stop!” cried out Poll.
“No, thank you, Polly,” said Walter, laughing.
“We haven’t much home-work, Walter,” said Steve, “can we come in and
see your electrical apparatus to-night?”
“Yes, do; you come also, Alfred.”
“Thank you, Walter; I should very much like to come.”
Later in the evening the two boys were watching Walter, who had made
some mechanical toys, which he worked with his batteries. There were
two windmills, a pump, and a small engine. Walter wanted to be an
electrical engineer or a chemist. He gave them some shocks with his
coil.
“I say, Walter,” exclaimed Steve, “what a lark it would be to put your
batteries on to the door-handle, so when the boys tried to open the
door they would get a tremendous shock!”
“Yes,” replied Walter; “I have never thought of that. We will take them
to-morrow. You can carry one, while I take the other with the coils.”
Then they separated for the night.