In spite of the resolution to sit up as it had grown so late, the boys
did not seem at all the thing: there was a great disposition to yawn,
and a general feeling of being uncomfortable. Things appeared strange
and irregular, and the events of the past night to have taken place a
long time back; and at last, by the advice of Mrs Inglis, they all
three went off to bed--the dinner being put off till a later hour.
As for Mr Inglis, he was busy enough in the farm-yard till dinner-time,
for, in the present state of confusion, it was impossible to tell what
amount of damage was done, and what had been saved from the flames.
Implements and tools were spread about in all directions, and the extent
of the ruin almost put him in a state of despair; but he reflected that
the misfortune might have been of a far more serious nature, and then
set to work busier than ever.
By twelve o'clock the engine had gone back to the town, the fire being
completely extinct; and then there were arrangements to make for the
horses, pigs, cows, and poultry, all of which required immediate
attention; for, although Mr Inglis kept a manager or bailiff to attend
to his farm, yet, in such a case of emergency as the present, he found
plenty to call for his own aid.
About three o'clock the boys made their appearance again, well refreshed
with the five or six hours' sleep they had taken; but the whole place
looked so desolate and miserable, that they very soon scampered off into
the garden, to amuse themselves with a few strawberries and
gooseberries. When they had had enough fruit, they took some into the
green-house for the parrot, who made a noise like the smacking of lips
upon being shown the strawberries, which she seemed to enjoy
wonderfully; while as for the gooseberries, they were capital amusement,
for she picked the seeds out of the pulp one at a time, and then danced
up and down as though in ecstasy.
But they were soon tired of playing with Poll, and betook themselves to
the yard to tease the old raven; but he was not in a mood to be teased,
so showed fight, and pecked viciously at every one who came near him,
till at last, feeling that might would eventually overcome right, and
the boys prove too much for him, he took to his old place of refuge, the
horse-chestnut tree, where he sat and barked and laughed at his late
aggressors.
They next turned their attention to Dick, who had not had a run since
the day when he had his eye cut by the stone thrown by Bill Jenkins's
party. The cut was healed up; and very soon Dick was capering round the
yard in fine style, but somehow or other his capers did not give
satisfaction to his masters; they wanted something new, and they could
find nothing fresh to amuse them, till all at once the yard gate opened,
and a lad appeared with a letter in his hand.
"Wow--wow--wuff," said Dick, making at the intruder open-mouthed, but
the new-comer was too quick for the dog, for he darted back, and shut
the gate in his face.
Back darted Dick, and out at the door at the other end, and then round
by the shrubbery.
Harry and Philip both tried to open the gate, but the new-comer--whom
they had recognised as Fred's late adversary, Bill Jenkins, was holding
on tightly, so that they could not move it in the least. But in the
course of a few seconds there was the sound of rushing feet through the
shrubbery; a loud yell; and then the gate was released, and upon being
opened there stood, or rather reeled about, Bill Jenkins, and Dick, who
owed him a grudge for the stone-throwing, tight hold of him by the
trousers and shaking away at them as hard as he possibly could; and all
the while snarling and growling as viciously as a dog could snarl and
growl.
"Help! help!" roared Bill Jenkins.
"Worry--worry--worry," went Dick.
"Help! help! murder!" roared Bill Jenkins again; and then, tripping over
a stone, he fell sprawling on the gravel-walk, when Dick, with all the
importance of a conqueror, left his hold of the trousers and leaped upon
the fallen enemy's breast, where he stood with his red tongue lolling
out, and wagging his tail.
"Oh, please call him off; oh, do please," said Bill Jenkins; "I'll ne'er
throw stones at him again. Oh, please call him off."
Harry laid hold of Dick's tail, and Philip took him by the ears, and
they carried him off to the yard and chained him up again, when he set
to barking as loudly as he could, until his enemy had left the premises,
which he did directly, leaving the letter, which he had brought for Mr
Inglis, in the charge of Fred, and then slipping off, after faring no
worse than being in a most horrible fright, for Dick's teeth went no
farther than through his trousers. As to Harry and Philip, they enjoyed
the fun, as they called it, immensely, which can hardly be wondered at
when the provocation they had received is taken into consideration; but
I must do them the credit of saying that they would not have set the dog
at poor Bill, and that they could not have stopped him if they had tried
ever so hard, which, in the hurry-skurry of the affair, they had no
chance of attempting. Dick had a good memory for those who were kind,
and those who behaved ill to him, as Bill Jenkins found to his cost; and
never afterwards could he be persuaded to take a message to Mr Inglis's
house, so wholesome was the dread with which the dog had inspired him.
This episode supplied the boys with what they had wanted--something to
take up their attention till dinner-time, which Harry, by making a
charge into the kitchen, found to be in the process of what Mrs Cook
termed "dishing up;" so they entered the house, where they found Papa
just going to relieve himself of a little of the black which clung to
him; and soon afterwards, at dinner, they heard all that had been done
to make the best of the existing state of affairs.
During tea the family party were again alarmed by the cry of "Fire!" of
which they could see the glare through the window; but, on hastening to
the farm-yard, it proved to be only one of the smouldering heaps which
had burst out again, and a few pails of water soon extinguished the
flames.
Watchmen were left in charge of the place, and soon after returning to
the house, the whole of the inmates, thoroughly tired out with the
excitement of the past twenty-four hours, retired to rest.