We followed him, and as we turned through the baize door so as to go
down the front staircase, Mercer and I managed to exchange a grip of the
hand.
Directly after, we caught sight of the great roan horse at the door
champing its bit, and sending flakes of foam flying over its glossy
coat, and I noticed even then that one white spot fell on the groom's
dark brown coat.
Then, once more drawing a deep breath, we walked in together through the
door Mr Rebble threw open, and closed behind us, when, as if through a
mist, I saw the Doctor sitting at a writing-table, looking very stern
and portly, the General, grey, fierce, and rather red-faced, seated a
little way to the Doctor's right, with his malacca cane between his
legs, and his hands, in their bright brown gloves, resting on the ivory
handle, so that his arms and elbows stood out squarely; while again on
his right, about a couple of yards away, stood big, dark, and
burly-looking Bob Hopley, in his best brown velveteen jacket.
"Er-rum!" coughed the Doctor as the door was closed, and we looked
sharply round at the stern faces before us, Bob Hopley favouring us with
a solemn wink, which I interpreted to mean, "I forgive you, my lads."
Then the Doctor spoke.
"Stand there, Thomas Mercer and Frank Burr. That will do. Now, Sir
Hawkhurst, will you have the goodness to repeat the charge in their
presence."
The old officer faced fiercely round on the Doctor.
"Hang it all, sir!" he cried; "am I the magistrate, or are you?"
"You are the magistrate, sir," said the Doctor gravely, "but I am the
master. The distinction is slight, but I allow no one to stand between
me and my boys. Unless you are going to proceed legally against them to
punish I must request you to let me be their judge."
"Beg pardon, beg pardon," said the General sharply, "Old soldier, sir--
been much in India, and the climate made me hot. Go on!"
I glanced at him quickly as I heard him mention India, and he caught my
eye, and shook his fist at me fiercely.
"You young dog!" he roared; "how dare you come after my rabbits!"
"Excuse me," said the Doctor.
"Yes, yes, of course. Well, Doctor Browne, my keeper and I were out
taking a look round at the young pheasants in their coops last evening,
when we took these confounded young dogs red-handed, ferreting rabbits
with that scoundrelly poaching vagabond you have taken into your
service, when nobody else would give him a job."
"Ah, yes," said the Doctor blandly, "you complained of my employing that
man, Sir Hawkhurst. The fact is, he came to me, saying that he had been
cruelly misjudged, that he was half starved, and begged me to give him a
job. I did so, to give him another chance. Of course, after this, and
the fact that my gardener gives him a very bad character and seems much
dissatisfied, I shall not employ him again."
"And very wisely," said the old officer. "Well, sir, that's all I've
got to say. That is my evidence."
"Thank you," said the Doctor magisterially. "And you, my good man, were
with your master, and saw the boys--my boys--engaged there?"
"Yes, sir," said Bob Hopley, touching the black curls over his forehead.
"Rabbit and ferret produced."
As he spoke, he pulled out of one big pocket the dead rabbit, and out of
the other the twining and writhing ferret, at which the Doctor gazed
with interest through his gold spectacles.
"Singular animal!" said the Doctor, "specially designed by nature for
threading its way through the narrow labyrinthine burrows of the rabbit
and the rat."
"Confound it all, sir!" said the General--"I beg pardon, I beg pardon."
During the last few minutes the wheels of a carriage had been heard on
the gravel drive, and the dog-cart had been driven aside. Then the big
bell had clanged, and all had been silent again. For the moment, I had
wondered whether it was a parish constable come for us, but the next I
had forgotten all about it, till one of the maids entered, with a couple
of cards on a tray, which she went round and handed to the Doctor.
"Bless me!" he exclaimed, flushing, as the General made an impatient
gesture, and relieved his feelings by shaking his fist at us both, while
Bob Hopley began to smooth the ferret with his great brown, hairy hand.
"Well, sir?" said the General.
"Excuse me," said the Doctor. "A most curious coincidence. Two
visitors."
"No, sir, no visitors now; business, if you please. Those two boys--"
"Excuse me," said the Doctor blandly. "The two visitors are the
relatives of one of these boys."
Mercer gave quite a start, and I pitied him.
Poor Tom's father and mother, I said mentally, and then I gave a start
too, for the General said fiercely,--
"By George! then they couldn't have come better. Show them in, and I'll
have a word or two with the boy's father."
The Doctor made a sign; the maid withdrew; and I pressed a little closer
to Mercer, and pinched his arm.
"I'll take my share," I whispered quietly, as the door was opened. The
Doctor and the General both rose, as there was the rustle of silk, and I
uttered quite a sob as I was clasped in my mother's arms.
"My dearest boy," she cried, as she kissed me fondly, while I shrank
away, for my stern-looking, military uncle came in with her.
"Why, Charley!" roared the General.
"What, Hawk!" cried my uncle boisterously, and the two old officers
grasped each other's hands, and stood shaking them heartily.
"Why, my dear old man," cried the General, "this is a surprise!"
"Surprise! I should think it is," cried my uncle. "I am delighted.
Like old times, eh?"
"Hah!" ejaculated the General, chuckling, and looking now transformed
into a very genial old gentleman, while the Doctor stood softly stroking
his shirt-frill and smiling benignantly.
"But one moment," cried my uncle. "My sister--poor old Frank Burr's
wife."
"Dear, dear, bless me!" cried the General, advancing with courtly,
chivalric respect to shake hands with my mother. "My dear madam," he
said softly, "it is an honour. I knew your poor husband well."
As he dropped my mother's hand, she bent her head, and her veil sank
down, while the General's eyes fell upon me, and the transformation was
comic.
"Here," he whispered to my uncle, as I looked from one to the other, and
saw the Doctor smiling blandly. "This--this boy--not--Frank Burr's--"
"Yes," said my uncle, nodding to me. "Pupil here. Send him into the
service by and by."
"Bless my soul!--Oh dear me!--Here--I--that is--" stammered the General,
looking from one to the other, till his eyes lit on Bob Hopley, when he
flushed up angrily.
"How dare you, sir! How dare you stand there, with that rabbit and that
wretched ferret! Don't you see that there are ladies present, sir.
'Tention! Put them away. Dress!"
"Here, stop," said my uncle sharply, as he looked round, "We have
interrupted some business."
"No, no, no, no, my dear boy!--nothing, nothing!" cried the General.
"Mere trifle."
"Trifle, eh?" said my uncle, drawing himself up, and looking the fierce
colonel of dragoons. "Frank!"
"Yes, uncle," I said shrinkingly.
"You are in some scrape."
"Yes, uncle."
"What have you been doing?"
"Oh, Charles, pray--pray--" cried my mother.
"Hush," he said, holding up his hand. "Now, sir, speak out."
"Really, my dear Charley--" cried the General.
"Allow me, please, sir," said my uncle; and I caught sight of the Doctor
raising his hand and making a sign to my mother, as he placed a chair
for her, an act of politeness needed, for she was turning faint. "Now,
sir, speak out--the simple facts, please. What have you been doing?"
"Rabbiting with a ferret, uncle, us two, and this gentleman and Bob
Hopley came and caught us."
"Rabbiting--poaching?"
"Yes, yes, yes," cried the General. "A mere nothing, my dear madam.
The boys were certainly on my grounds watching a poaching scoundrel, and
I--yes, I thought I'd say a word to the Doctor. Bad company for him, a
poacher--eh, my dear Charley?"
"Yes, rather," said my uncle dryly.
"And now," said the General, "Doctor Browne here--my neighbour--will
tell them not to do so any more--eh, Doctor, eh?"
"Certainly," said the Doctor. "I'm sure it will not occur again."
"No, no, of course not," said the General. "Hopley, you can go. Stop!
that ferret belongs to the boys, I think."
"To you, Frank?" said my uncle.
"No, uncle, it's his," I said. "But I was helping to use it."
"Hah! that's better," said my uncle sharply.
"I bought the ferret," said Mercer, speaking for the first time, "but I
don't want it. I'll give it to you, Bob."
"Yes, yes, very wise of you, my lad. There, go now, Hopley," said the
General.
The keeper touched his forehead, and gave a look all round, then winked
solemnly at Mercer and me, and left the room.
"Hah!" said the General; "then that little bit of business is settled,
Doctor, eh? Just a word or two."
"A few admonitions, my dear sir," said the Doctor blandly. "And now, if
you will excuse me for a while, I will retire with Mercer here."
Tom gave me a look so full of appeal, that I ran across to the Doctor.
"Don't punish him, sir!" I said imploringly. "We were both alike."
"What's that, Frank?" said my uncle.
"I asked the Doctor not to punish Tom Mercer, uncle."
"No, no, no: of course not!" cried the General; "I endorse that appeal.
Here, you sir, come to me. Gentlemen don't do such things as that; and
now we all know better, I've got some capital fishing in my ponds and
lakes, and I shall be happy to see you two at any time. There, shake
hands."
Tom jumped at him, and it was pleasant to see how delighted he looked as
he turned and shot a grateful glance at the General before the door
closed on him and the Doctor.
Then the two old officers began chatting eagerly together about past
times, while I sat by my mother as she held my hand, and I told her the
history of my escapade, which was hardly finished when my uncle said,--
"I'm sorry to come down and find you in disgrace, Frank. Not the
conduct of one who means to be an officer and a gentleman by and by."
"No, no: don't say any more," said the General. "The boy behaved very
well. Liked a bit of sport; all boys do. He shall have a bit of
rabbiting now and then."
"Then I shall say no more," said my uncle. "Try and be like your name,
my boy, and you will find me ready to forgive your scrapes; but you must
always be a gentleman."
"Amen to that," said the General, rising. "And now, my dear Mrs Burr,
I will not say good-bye, but _au revoir_. Seaborough here tells me you
are both going to stay in Hastings for a few days. I shall drive over
and see you. Good-bye."
He showed the same courtly respect to her again, and was rising to go
when the Doctor re-entered, and they parted the best of friends.
"No, no, no," cried the General, as the Doctor was coming out with him,
"stay with your visitors. Odd meeting, wasn't it? Here, you, Frank
Burr, come and see me off. Good-day, Doctor, good-day. You and I must
be better neighbours."
"I shall be proud," said the Doctor, and then I went to the cart with
the General, who stood holding my hand at the step, and I could feel a
coin therein.
"For you two boys," he said. "There, good-bye, Frank Burr. You must
grow up into a brave gentleman like your father. A thorough soldier,
sir. God bless you, my boy! Good-bye."
He took the reins and got in, the groom left the horse's head and
mounted beside him, and as the cart was driven off, and I stood there
with a sovereign in my hand, Bob Hopley, who was in his place behind,
gave me another solemn wink, while, after noticing the hired carriage in
which my mother and my uncle had driven over from Hastings, I went back
into the room and stayed with them, and afterwards went to show them the
building and grounds.
An hour after, they were gone, while I hurried off to find Mercer and
show him the sovereign.
"Well," he said, "that's all right. But, I say, don't some things turn
out rum! What are you going to do with all that money?"
"Half's yours," I said.
"Oh, is it? Well, let's make a bank. It'll do to pay old Lomax and
lots of things."