On the day that Mr. Daleham removed from his town residence to his new
house in the country there was much bustle and business in the family.
The servants were all employed in unpacking and arranging chairs, tables,
sofas, and sideboards in their proper places. Some men were putting up
beds, while others were hanging window-curtains and nailing down carpets.
The only idle persons in the house were Arnold and Isabel, and they could
find nothing to do but to skip from room to room, ask questions, admire
their new dwelling-house, and talk of the pleasure they should receive
in a visit their father was engaged to make that day to Mr. Morton, his
intimate friend, who lived about one mile and a half distant.
So desirous were Arnold and Isabel of seeing Morton Park, or rather
perhaps of eating some of the fine grapes and melons which they had
heard grew in Mr. Morton's hot-house, that the morning seemed to be the
length of the whole day. When people are without employment, time hangs
heavily on their hands, and minutes will appear to be as long as hours.
Half a dozen times in the course of the morning these children ran to
the door of the library, to ask their father when he would be ready to
go, and though he was engaged sorting papers and arranging his books,
they did not forbear their troublesome inquiries till he was quite
angry with them.
At length, however, the joyful tidings came to Arnold and Isabel that
they were to dress directly, as their father would be ready to set out
in half an hour. As the day was very fine, and the coachman's assistance
was useful to the other servants busied in disposing the furniture in
the various apartments, Mr. Daleham chose to walk to Morton Park; but
after he had dressed, and the half-hour had elapsed, he still had orders
to give that detained him.
Arnold and Isabel meanwhile were standing at the hall door, almost wild
with their impatience to be gone; and at last Arnold proposed to his
sister that they should go on first, as their papa could soon overtake
them; and Isabel eagerly ran to ask the housekeeper whether they must
take the right or the left-hand road. The housekeeper was busy with a
basket of china, some of which had been broken in the carriage; and as
her thoughts were fixed on the fragments of the china, she scarcely
attended to the nature of Isabel's question, and said hastily that the
right-hand road led to Morton Park; and so it did, but that was the
coach road, and Mr. Daleham meant to go a much nearer and cleaner way,
upon a raised path across some pleasant meadows.
No sooner had Isabel received the housekeeper's reply than away they
went, and in their eagerness to reach Morton Park, they did not at
first observe that the lane was very dirty; but at last some large
splashes of mud on Isabel's clean frock attracted Arnold's notice, and
he then perceived that his own white stockings and nankeen trousers were
in the same dirty state. What was now to be done? They both felt that it
was highly improper to go to a gentleman's house in such a condition;
but then Arnold said that his father must know that the road was dirty
after so much rain as they had had lately, and as he meant to walk, he
supposed their getting a few splashes was of no consequence. Isabel
agreed with this mode of reasoning, and on they went, expecting every
moment to hear their father's steps behind them.
The lane now became wider and more open to the beams of the sun, which
had dried the pathway; but though they were somewhat out of the mud, the
heat of the sun was so intense they knew not how to bear it, and they
walked as fast as they could in order to get to some shady place. While
they were panting with heat, they suddenly came to a stream that ran
directly across the road, and it had no bridge over it, because foot
passengers rarely came that way.
They were now in the greatest distress. To stand still in the full
burning sun was dreadful, and to go back was equally fatiguing. There
was no place to sit down in that part of the road, but on the opposite
side of the stream three large oak trees were growing, and formed a
pleasant shade over a green bank. Isabel, greatly tired, and almost
fainting with heat, wished she could get to the shady bank; so did
Arnold, and he said he could take off his shoes and stockings, and carry
his sister through the water on his back. This plan was settled; and
they agreed that, when they were over the stream, they would wait on the
bank for their papa, and endeavour to rub off upon the grass the clots
of mud that stuck to their shoes. But either Arnold was not so strong as
he had supposed he was, or Isabel, having her brother's shoes and
stockings to carry in her hand, did not hold fast round his neck, for
just as they were in the middle of the stream, his foot slipped, he
staggered, fell, and down went brother and sister at once into the pool.
Both scrambled up in a moment, and neither had suffered more injury
than being completely bathed in the water. With streaming hair and
dripping garments they reached the bank; but when Isabel saw that the
ribbons of her new straw bonnet were spoiled, she began to cry and
accuse her brother of having thrown her down on purpose, which so
provoked the young gentleman, that he said it was all owing to her
clumsiness, and at the same time he shook the sleeves of his jacket,
from which he was wringing the wet, in her face. Isabel's anger
increasing at this, she rudely gave her brother a severe box on the ear.
A scuffle now ensued, which caused a second tumble, and this fall being
on the rough gravel, Isabel's face was scratched by the sharp pebbles,
and Arnold's elbow sadly cut by a large flint stone.
The smart of these wounds cooled their passions; they thought no more
of fighting, and were wiping away the blood, and looking with grief and
dismay at their wet, dirty clothes, when a servant came up who had been
sent in pursuit of them.
Mr. Daleham was not far behind. He had been told that Arnold and Isabel
were gone before him, and was much alarmed at not finding them in the
field-path. He had therefore returned the same way to search for them;
he ordered the servant to conduct them home, and told them that their
silly impatience had spoiled their pleasure, as it was not possible for
them now to appear at Morton Park.
Mr. Daleham then hastened on, for fear Mr. Morton's dinner should wait
for him; and Arnold and Isabel, forlorn, wet, draggled, and dirty, were
led back to their own house. They passed a dismal afternoon, lamenting
their folly and imprudence; and next morning they heard that there were
not only plenty of grapes, melons, peaches, and filberts on Mr. Morton's
table, but that also a very merry party of children were assembled
there, who danced on the lawn till the dusk of evening approached, and
then played at blindman's buff in the great hall.