NALLA RECOVERED.
They made their way around the rear of the barn, and then one glance
was sufficient to explain the excitement. Before them stretched an
extensive market-garden, displaying a splendid variety of vegetables in
full growth; cabbages, cauliflowers, beets, carrots, radishes, celery,
and so forth, covered the well-weeded soil with their succulent verdure.
The sagacious elephant had not taken long to appreciate the opportunity
upon which he had come by the mere chance of his frantic flight. The
tempting green things had appealed at once to him, and he was busy
sampling the different delicacies, pulling them from the ground with
that wonderful trunk of his quite as deftly as the proprietor or his
servants could have done it with their hands.
Meanwhile the latter, armed with pitchforks, rakes, brooms, and other
rural implements, were keeping a respectful distance as they shouted
and waved their weapons at the voracious intruder, who proceeded with
his feast as steadily and calmly as if he neither saw nor heard them.
The officer broke into laughter in which Nadine, relieved beyond
expression at the sight of her precious elephant, not only unharmed,
but enjoying himself so hugely, could not resist joining.
"Just look at the clever old fellow!" chuckled the officer. "Isn't he
having a fine time of it? It seems a pity to disturb him."
"Oh! but he will do so much damage, and we will have to pay for it!"
cried Nadine, who had always, poor girl, to consider the financial side
of things, for was she not the little mother of a family that had many
needs?
"That's so!" responded the officer, making a grimace. "There'll be a
bill for damages, I suppose. Let us go to him and get him to stop his
blow-out at once."
Nadine's appearance was not noticed by the rustics until she went right
up to the elephant, and seized his trunk, saying:
"You naughty Nalla! you mustn't do that! You're stealing these
vegetables, and I'll have to pay the farmer for them."
To the amazement of all save the officer, the elephant at once stopped
his eager feeding, gave forth a joyful trumpeting, passed his trunk
affectionately over Nadine's face, and then, wrapping it about her
body, lifted her slight form to his neck, where he deposited her as
gently as a mother would her baby.
From her commanding position Nadine made haste to address the
open-mouthed rustics.
"I am so sorry, my Nalla," she said, patting the huge head with a
certain air of reproof that the intelligent creature really seemed
to understand, "has given you such a scare, and eaten so many of
your vegetables. But something frightened him last night on the
market-place, and he ran away, and we have been hunting for him ever
since dawn. I will pay the owner of the garden for the damage he has
done."
The murmur of astonishment changed into one of applause. There are
no people with a livelier appreciation of dash and daring than the
French, and Nadine's dramatic appearance on the scene, and remarkable
self-possession for so young a girl, made a profound impression.
One of the men cried out, "Bravo! Bravo!" and the others joined in,
their hitherto frightened faces beaming with relief and interest.
The quick-witted officer saw the chance of getting Nadine out of the
difficulty without any cost; stepping forward and making a gesture to
command attention, he said:
"It is true that the elephant has done a certain amount of damage here,
for which his young mistress is quite willing to pay if the proprietor
of the garden insists; but it has occurred to me that you might like to
have the big fellow pay the bill himself, by showing you how clever he
is, and how he understands every word that his mistress says to him."
This proposition was received with an instant chorus of approval,
and the proprietor, a good-natured prosperous man, who had by this
time completely got over both his fright and his indignation, having
graciously signified his assent, the officer turned to Nadine and said:
"Now, Mademoiselle, will you be kind enough to show these good people
what a very wise and intelligent animal your elephant is?"
Nadine, smiling radiantly, for her young heart had been sorely troubled
at the prospect of having to pay, she had no idea how much, for what
Nalla had destroyed or eaten, at once proceeded to put the great
creature through his repertoire of tricks.
He bowed, he danced, he sang, he picked up the tiniest objects with
his trunk, he responded "yes" or "no," most appropriately to her
questions, and altogether so delighted the country-folk that they were
loath to let him leave them.
But of course Nadine, so soon as her mind was relieved, bethought
herself of Cæsar, and Abel, and Lydia, and was impatient for them to be
spared further anxiety. So as soon as it could be managed she took her
departure, having thanked the proprietor very prettily for his leniency.
She rode on Nalla's neck back to the market-place, and her return was
somewhat in the nature of a triumph, for the others had all got back
with nothing to report, and were consequently in very low spirits, and
when she appeared mounted upon the missing animal they shouted and
screamed for joy, while the crowd that had gathered out of curiosity
vigorously applauded.
They had just got over their demonstrations, and were setting
about preparations to make a move from the town towards the next
halting-place, when the gendarme bustled up to say that the secret of
the elephant's stampede had been discovered, and that Nadine's presence
was required at the Sous-Préfet's office.
"You will please come with me, Mademoiselle," puffed the fat old
fellow. "I will be your escort, and you shall have the satisfaction
of seeing the rascals who played such a mean trick upon you properly
punished."
Nadine, dear little soul, was so happy at the affair having terminated
without any ill consequences, that she had not the slightest desire for
vengeance upon the perpetrators of the mischief, and would fain have
let the matter rest. But of course a summons from the Préfet could not
be disregarded, so, leaving to Cæsar the packing-up, she accompanied
the gendarme.
In the Mayor's office she found a number of people, and among them
three very miserable looking schoolboys, who were presently subjected
to a sharp examination.
It seemed that the absence of the boys from the school had been
detected by one of the teachers, who set himself to discover what
it meant, and by clever investigation had got to the bottom of the
affair, whereupon, not knowing how serious the outcome might be, he had
reported it to the authorities.
Raoul and two others were accordingly haled to the Préfet's office for
a sort of preliminary examination, and Nadine was called upon to be
prosecutor.
Instead, however, of presenting her complaint, she put in an earnest
plea for the culprits, who were much about her own age.
"Please, your Honor, I don't want them to be punished. Nalla is not a
bit the worse for his fright. Indeed," she added naïvely, "he is the
better for it by such a fine breakfast of vegetables as he has not had
for a long time."
A ripple of laughter ran around the crowd at this charming little
speech, and the Préfet with a gallant bow to Nadine, said, graciously:
"You make a very good advocate, Mademoiselle, and as you do not want
to appear as prosecutor in the matter I will dismiss the accused, and
let the authorities of the school deal with them as they see fit for
the infraction of discipline. Permit me to congratulate you upon the
fortunate termination of the accident."
Raoul and his companions regarded Nadine with looks in which gratitude
and admiration were manifestly mingled. They had come to the Préfet's
office in fear and trembling, and they would, of course, be well
punished by the head of the school as it was, but the dismissal by the
Préfet without any penalty was an altogether unlooked for peace of
luck, which they owed in large measure to the very person who had most
reason to find satisfaction in their being condignly punished.
Nor did Nadine's magnanimity go without reward. The whole affair served
as the best kind of advertisement, and the demand on the part of those
who had not been present at the first performance, to be given the
opportunity to attend another, was so urgent that she wisely changed
her plan of leaving the town that day.
"We shall not, of course, get anything like so splendid a collection as
we did last night, because good Madame Pradère and the kind officers
will not be there again; but we shall most probably get a good deal
more than we usually do, and so it will be worth our while to stay over
one more night."
Cæsar quite concurred in the wisdom of this proposal, and accordingly
the preparations for a move were stopped, and in their place they began
arrangements for the evening.
The sequel fully sustained the shrewdness of the young girl's forecast.
The Tamby family, their youth, their brave independence, their
wonderfully trained animals, the interest taken in them by the Mayor
and his good wife, and the shabby trick which had been played upon them
by some of the pupils at the academy, were the talk of the town, and
long before the hour announced for the beginning of the performance the
plank seats were bending beneath their load of humanity, while behind
and around them the crowd was packed as close as possible.
The whole program of the preceding evening, with some additions, was
given without a hitch. Nalla, Steady, and Vigilant played their several
parts to perfection, and the spectators applauded contentedly.
When it came to the collection the response was not quite so generous
as at the first performance. There was no Madame Pradère to lead off
with a gold piece, and no officers to emulate her with silver coins.
But there were some "white pieces" nevertheless, and a great number
of "brown pieces," so that altogether the Tambys felt well repaid for
their evening's work.
The following morning Nadine, taking Lydia with her, went to pay her
respects to Madame Pradère, and to thank her for her great kindness. On
the way she met the good-natured gendarme, who let her into the secret
of Madame Pradère's interest in them.
"You must know," said the genial old fellow, "that Madame Pradère has
suffered a terrible affliction. She once had four children, two boys
and two girls, just as there are in your family, and the youngest of
them was, strange to say, named Lydia, and, sad to tell, she lost all
four of them within two years!"
Nadine's eyes filled with tears, and her heart thrilled with sympathy
for her benefactress when she heard this.
"The poor lady!" she murmured. "I am so sorry for her, and she is so
kind."
Madame Pradère received the two girls cordially, and asked them how
they were getting on, and what were their plans for the future.
As they were taking their leave, she handed Nadine a sealed envelope,
saying:
"Keep this in a safe place, and do not open it unless you are in great
need. Remember me, my dear child; I will always be your friend."