TELLING THE BAD NEWS.
All the way back to the forest not one word passed the lips of Joe. But
when the two children, panting from their rapid run, reached the hut,
he threw himself on the ground, covered his face for a brief instant,
then asked Cecile to come to his side.
"For I've a story to tell yer, little Missie," said Joe.
Cecile obeyed him at once. A great terror was over her, but this terror
was partly assuaged by his first words.
"I ha' got some'ut to tell yer, Missie Cecile," said Joe Barnes,
"some'ut 'bout my old life, the kind o' way I used to live in Paris and
Lunnon."
At the words Cecile raised her little flower face with a sigh of
relief; she was not going to hear of any fresh trouble; it was only an
old, old woe, and Joe needed comfort.
"Dear Joe," said the little girl, "yes, tell me about Paris and London."
Joe felt himself shrinking away from the little caressing movement
Cecile made. He looked at her for an instant out of two great hollow
eyes, then began in a dull kind of voice.
"It don't make much real differ," he said, "only I thought as I'd like
fur yer to know as it wor a _werry_ bitter temptation.
"I remember the last night as I slept along o' my mother, Missie
Cecile, how she petted me, and fondled of me.
"Then I wor stolen away, and my master brought me to Paris. We lived in
a werry low part o' Paris, high up in a garret. I wor taught to play
the fiddle--I wor taught by blows; and when they did not do, I wor made
real, desperate hungry. I used to be given jest one meal a day, and
when the others as did better nor me wor eating, I had to stand by and
wait on 'em. Then, when I knew enough, I wor sent into the streets to
play, and when I did not bring in enough money, I wor beat worse nor
ever. One day my master sold me to an Englishman. Talk o' slaves! well,
this man give my master a lot o' money fur me. I seed the money, and
they told me as I wor apprenticed to him, and that I could not run
away, for ef I did, the law 'ud bring me back. My new master tuk me to
England. He tuk me to Lunnon. It wor bad in Paris, but in Lunnon it wor
worse. I wor farther from my mother. I wor out o' my own country, and I
did not know a word of English.
"Oh! I did find out wot hunger and cold and misery wor in London.
Nobody--nobody give me even a kind word, except one poor lad worse off
nor myself. He belonged to hour company, and he broke his leg. My
master would not send him to 'orspitle, and he died. But afore he died
he taught me a bit of English, and I picked up more by and by. I grew
bigger, and the years went on. Oh! it wor a dreadful life. I did
nothink but long for my mother and pine for the old home, and once I
tried to run away. I wor found the first time, and kep' in a dark
cellar on bread and water for a week arter.
"Then I seed you and Maurice at the night-school. I heerd you say you
wor goin' to France, and when I heerd sech plucky words from sech a
little mite as you, Missie, why I thought as I'd try to run away again;
and the second time, no matter how, I succeeded. I had wot I called
real luck, and I got to France, and there, jest outside Calais, I met
you two, and I thought as I wor made. Oh, Missie Cecile, but for the
purse o' gold--but for the purse o' gold, I might ha' been made."
Here Joe paused, again covered his face, and groaned most bitterly.
"The purse of gold is quite safe with Miss Smith in Paris," said
Cecile, in a tone of surprise. "Dear Joe, I don't quite understand you.
Those were dreadful days, but they are over. You will soon see your old
mother again. All the dreadful days are over, Joe dear."
"Ah! Missie, but that's jest wot they ain't. But I likes to hear you
say 'dear Joe' once again, for soon, when you know all, you'll hate me."
"Then may I kiss you before I know all? and I don't think I _could_
hate you, Jography."
"Ah! yes," said Joe, receiving the little kiss with almost apathy, "you
has a werry tender heart, Missie Cecile, you always seems to me like an
angel, but even you'll hate Joe Barnes arter you know all. Well,
yesterday, you remember how we lost little Maurice. We missed him when
we woke in the morning. We thought as he had strayed in the forest, and
would soon be back, and you went one way to look for him, and I went
another. I had not gone a hundred yards when jest behind our hut I saw
Anton! Yes, Missie, our old enemy Anton had come back again.
"'Anton' I said; and then, Missie, oh! my dear, dear little Missie
Cecile, I must jest tell it in few words. He said as he had stole
little Maurice, that he had him safe, and that we should never, never
get him back unless I give him--Anton--the purse of gold. I said as I
had not it--that neither of us had it. But he drew out o' me about the
little bit o' paper and he said as the paper 'ud do as well as the
purse. He said that ef he did not get the bit o' paper, Maurice should
go back and be sold to my dreadful old master. Either that, or, ef I
liked it better, Maurice might come back to you, and I should be sold.
He gave me till four o'clock this morning to think on it. Maurice was
to go away to the dreadful life, or I was to go back to the dreadful
life, or he was to get the paper that 'ud make Miss Smith give up the
Russia-leather purse. Missie, I said once that I'd rayther be cut in
little bits nor touch that purse of gold. I meant wot I said. But,
Missie Cecile, last night the temptation wor too strong fur me, much
too strong. Maurice must not go to sech a life, nor could I; never to
see my mother no more; always, always to be a slave, and worse nor a
slave; all hope gone. Oh, Missie Cecile! I did love my old mother more
nor Christ. I ain't worthy of your Christ Jesus. In the morning I tuk
the piece of paper out o' yer frock, darlin'. As the clock in the
village struck four I did it. I ran away then, and I found Anton
waiting for me where he said as he 'ud wait."
"And Maurice?" asked Cecile. She was sitting strangely, unnaturally
quiet, and when she was told that the paper was stolen she did not even
start.
"Ah, Missie! that's the worst, the worst of all; fur I did it--the
cruel, the bad thing--for nothink. For when Anton and I went back to a
caravan by the roadside to get Maurice (for Anton had hid him there),
he wor gone. A man wot had charge of the caravan and horses said he
must have run away in the night. I ha' stole yer money, and I ain't
brought back Maurice. That's my news, Missie."
"Yes," said Cecile vaguely, "that's the news." She was still quiet--so
quiet that one would suppose she scarcely felt. This was true; the blow
was so sudden and sharp that it produced no pain as yet, but her
usually sweet and tranquil blue eyes had a dazed and startled look, and
her hands were locked tightly together.
Joe, frightened more by a calm so unnatural than he would be by any
exclamation, threw himself on the ground at her feet.
"Oh, Miss Cecile--my little lady, my little princess, who I love--I
know I ha' broke yer heart; I know it bitter well. But don't, don't
look like that. I know I ha' broke yer heart, and you can never, never
forgive me--but oh! don't, don't look like that."
"Yes, Jography, I do forgive you," answered Cecile. "It was a dreadful
temptation; it was too strong for you, poor Jography. Yes, perhaps my
heart is broken; but I quite forgive you. I have not much pain. All the
bad news does not hurt as it ought. I have a weight here," pointing to
her breast, "and my head is very light, and something is singing in my
ears; but I know quite well what has happened: little Maurice is gone!
Little, little darling Maurice is quite and really lost! and Lovedy's
purse is stolen away! And--I think perhaps the dream is right--and
there is--no--_Jesus Christ_. Oh, Joe, Joe--the--singing--in my head!"
Here the tightly folded hands relaxed their strained tension, the blue
eyes closed, and Cecile lay unconscious at Joe's feet.