"Oh, bother! Can't he sleep with me, then?" I inquired.
"No," replied she, "he can't. It's not allowed."
"When will there be room?" Jack asked.
"Next week, may be."
"Oh, how jolly!" I exclaimed. "Then you will come, Jack, won't you?"
"How much is it?" inquired Jack of Mrs Nash.
"Three-and-six a week--in advance," said Mrs Nash; "no tick."
Jack pulled rather a long face.
"It'll be a tight fit," said he to me, "out of eight shillings a week."
"Oh, I can pay part," said I, too delighted at the prospect of Jack's
company to admit of any obstacle. "My uncle pays my lodging, you know,
so I have the eight shillings all to myself."
Jack, however, scouted the idea. After a little more parleying, to my
unspeakable joy he told Mrs Nash he would come next week. I begged
hard for him to be allowed to share my quarters in the meanwhile. The
landlady was inexorable, so we had to submit.
Jack took me a long stroll through the London streets that evening,
entertaining me with a description of his life as a grocer's shop-boy,
now happily at an end. I forbore to ask him any questions on the
mysterious subject of his home, and he of course never referred to it.
Our walk ended again at Beadle Square, where we parted for the night; he
to return to some poor lodging in a distant part of the town, I to take
part in the nine o'clock supper at Mrs Nash's.
I was rather nervous as I approached the parlour where were congregated
my fellow-lodgers, and heard the sound of their noisy voices and
laughter. I half repented that I had committed myself to sup on the
premises; it would have been so much less embarrassing to slip in just
at ten o'clock and go straight to bed. However, I was in for it now.
I opened the door and entered the room. The parlour was full of boys--
two dozen or more--of all ages, and engaged in all sorts of occupations.
Some lounged lazily in front of the fireplace, some were indulging in
rough horse-play in the corners, some were reading novels, some were
writing, some were talking, some were laughing.
As I entered, however, everybody suddenly ceased his occupation and
stared at me--everybody, that is, except the small group who were
skirmishing in the corner nearest the door. These, with the most
laudable presence of mind, took in my situation at once, and next moment
I was one of the skirmishing party and having rather a lively time of
it.
By this time the rest of the company had taken in the state of affairs.
"Pass him on there," some one called, and I was accordingly passed on in
rather a lively way to another party of skirmishers, who in turn, after
buffeting me up and down a bit among themselves, passed me on to another
group, and so on, till, with back and limbs and head all rather the
worse for wear, I had performed the tour of the room and found myself
finally pitched head-first into the embrace of the lordly youth who that
morning had condescended to point out to me the way to Hawk Street.
"Look here," cried he, kicking out somewhat savagely at my shins; "don't
you be so jolly familiar, do you hear? Look what you have done to my
shirt-front!"
"I beg your pardon," said I, rubbing my poor shin. "I couldn't help--"
"Yes, you could, you young cad!" cried he, kicking again.
"No, I couldn't, and--oh! I say, stop kicking, please!"
By this time most of the company had gathered round, some calling on the
youth to "let me have it" others encouraging me "to go in and win." I
felt very greatly tempted, especially after the receipt of the third
kick, to act on the suggestion given, and might have done so, had not
Mrs Nash at that moment entered the room with the supper.
This interruption created a new diversion.
"I say, Mrs Nash," cried my adversary, "who's this kid? We don't want
him here."
"You'll have to have him whether you want him or not," replied Mrs
Nash, in her usual gracious way. "He's a lodger here."
"What do you want to shove another lodger in for when you know we're
chock-full?" demanded the youth.
"You hold your tongue, Mr Jackanapes," replied Mrs Nash.
"I say, don't you be so familiar," cried the young gentleman, greatly
offended. "My name's Horncastle, not Jackanapes."
"Very well, then, Mr Horncastle, you'd better hold your tongue."
"I sha'n't hold my tongue. You've got a spite against us, that's what
it is, or you wouldn't go crowding us out with kids like this."
"Crowding you out!" retorted Mrs Nash, scornfully. "You've got another
kid coming next week, my beauty, so you'd better not talk of crowding
out till then."
"What! another besides this young cad? Oh, that's too much! We won't
stand it. That's all about that," cried Mr Horncastle, in tones of
utter disgust.
"Won't you? Then you can cook your own sausages for supper, my man, and
shell out what you owe on the nail. We'll see who won't stand it or
not!"
This threat had the desired effect: Horncastle knuckled down as if by
magic.
"Oh, don't be a brute, Mrs Nash," he said, in tones of agitation. "Do
us those sausages, there's a good body, and you can cram in half a dozen
kids if you like."
And so the question of my admission was settled satisfactorily, if not
flatteringly, for me, and the fellows, the novelty of my appearance
being once over, took no more notice of me than of any of the rest of
their fellow-lodgers.
Mrs Nash's establishment appeared to be one to which fond parents in
the country, whose darlings were about to launch out on the sea of life
in London, were invited to confide their sons, under the promise of a
comfortable, respectable, and economical home.
As to the comfortable, we who were best able to judge did not admit the
description a true one. As to the respectable, that was a matter of
opinion. If each of us had been the only lodger there, the place would
have been undoubtedly respectable, but with all the rest there, we each
of us considered the society rather "mixed." As to the economical, we
were all agreed on that point. The place was fearfully and wonderfully
economical!
By the time my first week in London was ended I had shaken down fairly
well, both to my work at Merrett, Barnacle, and Company's and my
quarters at Mrs Nash's. I still found the fellowship of Messrs.
Doubleday and Wallop and Crow rather distracting, and more than once
envied Jack his berth among the Imports where, as a rule, silence
reigned supreme. And yet I could hardly bring myself to dislike my
fellow-clerks, who, all of them, as far as I had found out, were good-
natured, and certainly very entertaining, and who, when they perceived
that I was amused by their proceedings, relaxed a good deal in their
attitude to me.
I gradually came to be on talking, if not on chaffing terms with several
of the fellows, and found myself, I never exactly knew how, installed in
the position, lately vacated by Mr Crow, of messenger and confidential
commission agent to the company. Most of my twenty minutes in the
middle of the day was thus taken up in buying articles of comfort or
decoration for one and another of my seniors, or else changing books at
the library, taking messages to other clerks in other offices, and
otherwise laying myself out for the general good--a self-denial which
brought me more kicks than halfpence, but which, all the same, served to
establish my footing as a regular member of the Export fraternity at
Merrett, Barnacle, and Company's.
Smith, I discovered, was let in for something of the same work with the
Imports, but to a much smaller extent. Indeed, he had so much less of
it than me that I one day questioned him on the subject.
"I say, Jack, it seems to me the Exports want a jolly lot more things
done for them than the Imports. To-day I've got to go to Mudie's to
change a book, then I've to get a scarf-pin mended for Crow, and buy a
pair of flannel drawers for Wallop, and go and offer two shillings for a
five-shilling mariner's compass at the stores for Doubleday. I shall
have to get my grub when I can to-day, I expect."
"Oh!" said Jack, "the Imports wanted to let me in for that sort of
thing, but I didn't see the use of it, and told them so."
"What did they say?" asked I, astonished at his boldness.
"They didn't like it, of course," said Jack; "but I don't see why they
shouldn't do their own jobs."
"Well," said I, "I wouldn't mind if I could stick out too, but somehow
I'm in for it now."
And off I started on my round of errands.
I was, however, greatly impressed with Jack's cool treatment of the
whole affair. I would as soon have dreamed of refusing to go an errand
for Doubleday or Wallop as of flying. The office, I knew full well,
would soon be made pretty hot for me if I did, and it was a marvel how
Jack apparently got over the difficulty so easily. He was one of those
fellows, you know, who seem to care absolutely nothing about what others
think of them. It's all one if fellows hate them or love them, and as
for being influenced by any desire to cultivate the good graces of one's
neighbours, you might as well expect a bear to cultivate the good graces
of a porpoise.
I soon began to suspect that Jack was not altogether comfortable in his
new quarters, although he never hinted to the contrary. There were
vague rumours which came across the partition of uncomfortableness which
silently went on, and in which Jack took a prominent part; and an event
which happened just a week after our arrival made the thing certain.
One morning, Mr Barnacle, apparently in a great hurry, looked in at the
Import door and called out, "Smith, make me three copies of Elmore's
last consignment, at once, on foreign paper."
"Yes, sir," said Jack.
After a pause, I heard him say, "Will you lend me that entry-book,
please, Harris, to make the copies from?"
"No," curtly replied Harris; "I'm using it."
"But Mr Barnacle says he must have it at once."
"I can't help that," said Harris.
"That's right, Harris!" said another voice; "pay him out for his
beastly, selfish ill-nature!"
"Will you lend me the book, Harris?" again demanded Jack, in tones which
I could tell were fast losing their calmness.
"No, I won't! and what's more, shut up your row!" replied Harris.
There was a pause, then I heard Jack get off his stool and march boldly
to the door. He came out and passed solemnly through our office to the
door of Mr Barnacle's room, which he entered.
Next moment Mr Barnacle came out, very red in the face, and demanded,
in a loud voice, "Who is it using the entry-book? Didn't you hear me
say the copies were to be made at once, sir? Let Smith have the book."
"It's on his desk," replied Harris, meekly. "I was only ruling off the
last line, to show where the account ended."
"Copy it at once," said Mr Barnacle, sharply; "the papers have to be
down before twelve, and here's five minutes wasted already."
Smith silently went to work, and Mr Barnacle withdrew.
"Vile young sneak!" I heard Harris say; "I'll pay you out for that!"
"I didn't want to sneak. You should have given me the book," replied
Jack solemnly.
"I'll give you _something_, see if I don't!" was the reply.
I believe Jack did receive this promised something. He did not come out
at mid-day till late, and then he was pale and flurried.
"Has Harris been bullying you?" I said.
"Been doing his best," replied Jack, gloomily. "I don't much care for
him."
This was quite enough. I could guess what it meant.
"I suppose you think I was a fearful sneak?" said Jack.
"No I don't, old man!" said I.
I had, I must confess, felt a little doubtful on the subject; but, then,
what else could he have done?
"I'm sorry I did it now," said Jack solemnly; "I sha'n't do it again."
"What else could you do?" I asked.
"I shall have to knock Harris down, I suppose," said Jack, so seriously
that I stared at him in bewilderment.
Without doubt my poor chum was preparing a warm time for himself with
the Imports at Merrett, Barnacle, and Company's!
That same evening he entered on his new quarters at Mrs Nash's, greatly
to my joy, and greatly to the disgust of everybody else.
Horncastle, who had recovered from his temporary fright for the cooling
of his sausages, was specially loud in his remonstrances.
"It's no use your coming here," he said, advancing in a menacing way
towards Jack on his arrival. "We aren't going to have you--there!"
And with that, as in my case, he emphasised his remark with a smart kick
on Jack's shins.
Jack was not a short-tempered fellow, but this unprovoked assault
startled him out of his usual composure.
"You'd better not do that again," said he, glaring at his adversary.
Horncastle did _not_ do it again. I don't know what it was, but at
those words, and the glare that accompanied them, his foot, already
raised for further action, dropped quietly beside the other.
"I shall do it again if I choose," he said surlily.
"Then you'd better not choose," quietly said Jack.
"You've got no business here, that's what I say," exclaimed Horncastle,
falling back upon a safer line of attack.
"Why haven't I?" said Jack. "I'm a clerk like you."
"And you call yourself a gentleman too, I suppose?" sneered the other.
Jack always fired up when any reference of this kind was made.
"I don't want _you_ to tell me whether I am," he retorted.
"Why, he's a regular cad," cried some one. "I know him well; I saw him
selling penn'orths of nuts a week or two ago in the Borough."
"You hear that," said Horncastle, turning to Jack. "Was it so?"
"I don't see what it's got to do with you," replied Jack; "but if you
want to know, I was."
"I thought so! I thought so!" exclaimed Horncastle; "a wretched shop-
boy! Ugh! get away from me."
And by one consent the company followed the example of their leader and
left poor Jack isolated in a corner of the room, with only me to stand
by him.
But he was not greatly afflicted by the incident, and made no attempt to
assert his rights further. And after all we got on very well and had a
very jolly evening without the help of Mr Horncastle and his friends,
and slept quite as soundly after our day's excitement as if we had been
in the wholesale line all our lives.