JACK AND JILL.
When Lewis Brand had disappeared from sight, the three children left in
the Eagle's Nest could scarcely believe that since dinner-time so many
curious things had happened. A strange boy, of whose existence they
were not aware two hours before, had been playing with them just as if
they had known each other all their lives. He had, moreover, told them
his history, which was quite as wonderful as many fairy stories. And
they had seen the mysterious Mrs. Howard.
These extraordinary new experiences had the effect of quite throwing
the rope-ladder into the background, and they actually forgot all about
its existence, and descended by the wall in the old way at the warning
sound of the tea-bell. John was the first to notice this omission.
"Oughtn't we to climb up again and come down by the ladder?" he said.
"Oh no, bother the ladder!" replied Madge, so curtly that the others
stared at her in surprise.
"But the ladder was your idea, your very own idea. And I thought you
were so proud of it!" observed Betty in a bewildered voice.
"Oh yes, so I was!" cried Madge impatiently. "But don't you see, so
many new things have happened that they have nearly put the old things
out of my head. The ladder is quite safe up there twisted round the
bough. Barton will never think of looking in the tree even if he does
miss it, but it's my belief he doesn't count the ropes all through the
summer. Now let us hurry back or there will be a fuss about our
keeping tea waiting, and we sha'n't be allowed to go so far away in the
fields. You know Miss Thompson once threatened not to let us out of
sight of the schoolroom window if we so often came in late."
On the way home Madge impressed upon the other two the necessity of not
boasting of their adventure.
"Mayn't we even say that we have seen Mrs. Howard? Not even tell
Jane?" they asked.
"Certainly not," said Madge sternly. "It is not our own secret,
remember. It is Lewis's. And we have promised him to say nothing
about it, so of course we mustn't."
When the case was put that way it certainly sounded right to hold one's
tongue. And yet a little time before it had seemed equally right to go
home and confess that they had taken the unusual step of talking to a
stranger. The younger ones couldn't help feeling that this was very
confusing. Besides, it was disappointing to be forbidden to tell Jane
that they now knew more about Mrs. Howard even than she did.
They would have discussed the subject all the way home if the sight of
Captain West coming to meet them across the fields had not given an
entirely new turn to their thoughts. As soon as they came near enough
to hear what he said he shouted out:
"Come along quickly! I have been looking for you ever since I came
back from Churchbury. There is a surprise for you!"
There was nothing the children liked better than being with their
father. He was away a great part of every day attending Magistrates'
meetings, Boards of Guardians, and other useful county work. When he
came home late in the afternoon, Madge, Betty, and John made such a
rush for him that Mrs. West often complained that she could not get any
attention until the children had gone to bed. It was no use her trying
to talk, she said, every word was drowned by the three loud voices that
insisted upon being heard and answered.
At the bare mention of a surprise the children set off running. They
knew of old that their father's surprises usually meant a new toy or
something good to eat. As they rushed up to him he quietly stepped on
one side, and they all three rolled over in a heap.
"That was a fine escape for me," laughed Captain West. "If I hadn't
been on the look-out you would have knocked me over too, I suppose.
No, I will not be pawed by six dirty hands! There's nothing in my
pocket, I tell you!"
"But you said there was a surprise!" panted John, who had not been able
to run quite as fast as his sisters, and consequently had fallen on the
top of the heap and was the first to rise.
"Quite true! But all surprises aren't made of chocolate, and don't
live in my pocket as you seem to think," replied Captain West. "This
one came from America. Now guess what it is?"
"But we can't!" shouted three despairing voices. "Oh, please tell us!
Do tell us!"
"Nonsense! A little thinking strengthens the mind," said Captain West
calmly. "You all learn geography. Now what comes from America?"
"Christopher Columbus!" screamed Betty, who was in such a hurry to
answer first that she had not listened very attentively to the question.
"Very well. I promise that if he comes you shall have him all to
yourself," observed her father.
"Oh, I didn't mean that! Let me try again!" cried the little girl, who
had just discovered from the laughter of the others that she had said
something rather foolish.
"No, no! You have had your turn, and if you didn't listen I can't help
it. What do you say, Madge?"
"Corn, cotton, india-rubber--"
"Oh, stop! That will do. I don't want the whole geography-book from
end to end. What do you say, John?"
"I say the same as the others," replied John, who did not take the
trouble to think on his own account, and fancied this statement must be
safe.
"What!" cried Captain West, pretending to be much alarmed at the news;
"you really think Christopher Columbus and all the products of North
and South America have come as a little surprise to us? This is very
overpowering. Before proceeding any further in my investigations I
shall certainly require some tea to strengthen me;" and he started off
walking rapidly towards the house.
"Papa! That's too bad! We can't eat any tea until we know what it
is!" they all shouted.
"I am sorry for that," said Captain West coolly; "because I happen to
be very hungry, as I only had a biscuit for lunch at Churchbury. It
will be rather dull work watching me, I am afraid."
At this moment Mrs. West appeared at the drawing-room window, holding
up a cup as a signal to her husband that his tea was ready. He hurried
towards her immediately, telling the children that he should be ready
in a quarter of an hour. So there was nothing for it but to wash their
hands and run to the schoolroom, where they arrived just in time to
save the jam, which was in the very act of being carried out of the
room. And after all, in spite of their excitement, they contrived to
make a very good tea, for it was a long time since dinner, and they had
hardly been still for a moment.
Mrs. West was not very strong, so that she had to spend a great deal of
the day on the sofa, and could seldom join in the children's out-door
amusements. But this surprise from America was so exceptionally
interesting that she declared she must come out and see it; so, with a
shawl carefully tied round her, she accompanied her husband and
children to the stables after tea.
"Take care!" cried Captain West, with his hand on the latch of one of
the stable doors; "take care it doesn't jump out!"
"Is it alive? Can it run? Will it bite?" asked the children in
astonishment.
But before they had time to say more the door was opened, and they
caught sight of two most graceful little goats shrinking timidly into a
corner.
"Are they for us?" inquired Madge, in a wondering tone of voice; for,
so far, they had never owned anything larger than a pet rabbit, and the
idea of having these beautiful goats for their own seemed almost too
good to be true.
"They are absolutely your property," said Captain West. "I have
nothing to do with them at all, except that I suppose I shall have the
honour of paying for what they eat and break."
"Oh, Papa! They look much too dainty to break anything with their tiny
little hoofs," said Madge reproachfully. "And I can see they will eat
very little. But how do you think we had better divide two between
three of us?"
"There are several ways," replied her father. "You might have the
heads, Betty the bodies, and John the tails."
But this suggestion did not give entire satisfaction.
"If Madge wanted to feed her heads in the stable just when I had my
bodies out walking on the road, how should we manage?" asked Betty.
"That is indeed a difficult question to decide," said Captain West
thoughtfully. "I see that it is a much more difficult matter to keep
goats than I had ever imagined. Perhaps after all it would be safer to
send them back to America?"
"Oh, no! But I see you don't mean it!" cried Madge. "You are only
joking."
"I don't know about that," said her father. "It isn't a very joking
matter. One of my old friends who has been lately travelling about
America just writes to say that he has brought back a charming pair of
little goats, and as he can't keep them in his London house he is
sending them as a present to my children. He might have consulted me
first, I think, especially as the goats arrived a few hours after the
letter."
"Oh, but you wouldn't have stopped them? They are such darlings!"
cried Madge. "They won't give any trouble, and they will draw a little
cart."
"Well, they look rather wild for that kind of work at present,"
observed Captain West; "but I dare say they will grow tamer. And as
they are here I suppose I must make the best of them, as I do of wasps
and rats."
"How can you compare them to such nasty things?" demanded Madge
indignantly. "Although I know you only do it to tease us! And now we
must think of names. That is always so hard, because we can never
quite agree about names. The white mice all died before we could make
up our minds what to call them."
"Then I am thankful to say the poor goats will be saved from that
fate," said her father. "My friend expressly says that they have
names. They are called Jack and Jill!"