"Supposing a young gentleman not eight years old was to run away with a
fine young woman of seven, would you consider that a queer start? That
there is a start as I--the boots at the Holly-Tree Inn--have seen with
my own eyes; and I cleaned the shoes they ran away in, and they was so
little that I couldn't get my hand into 'em.
[Illustration: THE RUNAWAY COUPLE.]
"Master Harry Walmers's father, he lived at the Elms, away by Shooter's
Hill, six or seven miles from London. He was uncommon proud of Master
Harry, as was his only child; but he didn't spoil him neither. He was a
gentleman that had a will of his own, and an eye of his own, and that
would be minded. Consequently, though he made quite a companion of
the fine bright boy, still he kept the command over him, and the child
_was_ a child. I was under gardener there at that time I and one morning
Master Harry, he comes to me and says--
"'Cobbs, how should you spell Norah, if you were asked?' and he took out
his little knife and began cutting that name in print all over the
fence. The next day as it might be, he stops, along with Miss Norah,
where I was hoeing weeds in the gravel, and says, speaking up--
"'Cobbs, I like you! Why do I like you do you think, Cobbs? Because Norah
likes you.'
"'Indeed, sir,' says I. 'That's very gratifying.'
"'Gratifying, Cobbs?' says Master Harry. 'It's better than a million of
the brightest diamonds, to be liked by Norah. You're going away ain't
you, Cobbs? Then you shall be our head gardener when we're married.' And
he tucks her, in her little sky-blue mantle, under his arm, and walks
away.
"I was the boots at this identical Holly-Tree Inn when one summer
afternoon the coach drives up, and out of the coach gets these two
children. The young gentleman gets out; hands his lady out; gives the
guard something for himself; says to my governor, the landlord: 'We're
to stop here to-night, please. Sitting room and two bed-rooms will be
required. Mutton chops and cherry pudding for two!' and tucks her under
his arm, and walks into the house, much bolder than brass.
"I had seen 'em without their seeing me, and I gave the governor my
views of the expedition they was upon. 'Cobbs,' says the governor, 'if
this is so, I must set off myself and quiet their friends' minds. In
which case you must keep your eye upon 'em, and humor 'em, until I come
back. But before I take these measures, Cobbs, I should wish you to find
out from themselves whether your opinion is correct.'
"So I goes upstairs, and there I finds Master Harry on an e-nor-mous
sofa a-drying the eyes of Miss Norah with his pocket handkercher. Their
little legs was entirely off the ground, of course, and it really is not
possible to express how small them children looked. 'It's Cobbs! it's
Cobbs!' cries Master Harry, and he comes a-runing to me, and catching
hold of my hand. Miss Norah, she comes running to me on t'other side,
and catching hold of my t'other hand, and they both jump for joy. And
what I had took to be the case was the case.
"'We're going to be married, Cobbs, at Gretna Green,' says the boy.
'We've run away on purpose. Norah has been in rather low spirits, Cobbs;
but she'll be happy now we have found you to be our friend.'
"'I give you my word and honor upon it that, by way of luggage the lady
had got a parasol, a smelling-bottle, a round and a half of cold
buttered toast, eight peppermint drops, and a doll's hair-brush. The
gentleman had got about a dozen yards of string, a knife, three or four
sheets of writing-paper folded up surprisingly small, a orange, and a
chaney mug with his name on it.
"'What may be the exact nature of your plans, sir?' says I.
"'To go on,' replies the boy, 'in the morning, and be married
to-morrow.'
"'Just so, sir. Well, sir, if you will excuse my having the freedom to
give an opinion, what I should recommend would be this. I'm acquainted
with a pony, sir, which would take you and Mrs. Harry Walmers junior to
the end of your journey in a very short space of time. I am not
altogether sure, sir, that the pony will be at liberty to-morrow, but
even if you had to wait for him it might be worth your while.'
"They clapped their hands and jumped for joy, and called me 'Good
Cobbs!' and 'Dear Cobbs!' and says I, 'Is there anything you want at
present, sir?'
"'We should like some cakes after dinner,' answers Mr. Harry, 'and two
apples--and jam. With dinner we should like to have toast and water. But
Norah has always been accustomed to half a glass of currant wine at
dessert, and so have I.'
"'They shall be ordered, sir,' I answered, and away I went; and the way
in which all the women in the house went on about that boy and his bold
spirit was a thing to see. They climbed up all sorts of places to get a
look at him, and they peeped, seven deep, through the keyhole.
"In the evening, after the governor had set off for the Elms, I went into
the room to see how the run-away couple was getting on. The gentleman
was on the window seat, supporting the lady in his arms. She had tears
upon her face, and was lying very tired and half asleep, with her head
upon his shoulder.
"'Mrs. Harry Walmers junior fatigued, sir?'
"'Yes, she's tired, Cobbs; she's been in low spirits again; she isn't
used to being in a strange place, you see. Could you bring a Norfolk
biffin, Cobbs? I think that would do her good.'
"Well, I fetched the biffin, and Master Harry fed her with a spoon; but
the lady being heavy with sleep and rather cross, I suggested bed, and
called a chambermaid, but Master Harry must needs escort her himself,
and carry the candle for her. After embracing her at her own door he
retired to his room, where I softly locked him in.
"They consulted me at breakfast (they had ordered sweet milk and water,
and toast and currant jelly, over night) about the pony, and I told 'em
that it did unfortunately happen that the pony was half clipped, but
that he'd be finished clipping in the course of the day, and that
to-morrow morning at eight o'clock he would be ready. My own opinion is
that Mrs. Harry Walmers junior was beginning to give in. She hadn't had
her hair curled when she went to bed, and she didn't seem quite up to
brushing it herself, and it getting into her eyes put her out. But
nothing put out Mr. Harry. He sat behind his breakfast cup tearing away
at the jelly, as if he'd been his own father.
"In the course of the morning, Master Harry rung the bell,--it was
surprising how that there boy did carry on,--and said in a sprightly
way, 'Cobbs, is there any good walks in the neighborhood?'
"'Yes, sir, there's Love Lane.'
"'Get out with you, Cobbs!'--that was that there mite's
expression--'you're joking.'
"'Begging your pardon, sir, there really is a Love Lane, and a pleasant
walk it is; and proud shall I be to show it to yourself and Mrs. Harry
Walmers junior.'
"Well, I took him down Love Lane to the water meadows, and there Master
Harry would have drowned himself in another minute a getting out a
water-lily for her. But they was tired out. All being so new and strange
to them, they were as tired as tired could be. And they laid down on a
bank of daisies and fell asleep.
"They woke up at last, and then one thing was getting pretty clear to
me, namely, that Mrs. Harry Walmers junior's temper was on the move.
When Master Harry took her round the waist, she said he 'teased her so';
and when he says, 'Norah, my young May moon, your Harry tease you?' she
tells him, 'Yes, and I want to go home.'
"A boiled fowl, and baked bread and butter pudding, brought Mrs. Walmers
up a little; but I could have wished, I must privately own, to have seen
her more sensible to the voice of love and less abandoning herself to
the currants in the pudding. However, Master Harry, he kep' up, and his
noble heart was as fond as ever. Mrs. Walmers turned very sleepy about
dusk, and began to cry. Therefore, Mrs. Walmers went off to bed as per
yesterday; and Master Harry ditto repeated.
"About eleven at night comes back the governor in a chaise, along of
Master Harry's father and a elderly lady. And Master Harry's door being
unlocked by me, Master Harry's father goes in, goes up to the bedside,
bends gently down, and kisses the little sleeping face. Then he stands
looking at it for a moment, looking wonderfully like it; and then he
gently shakes the little shoulder. 'Harry, my dear boy! Harry!'
"Master Harry starts up and looks at his pa. Such is the honor of that
mite, that he looks at me, too, to see whether he has brought me into
trouble.
"'I am not angry, my child. I only want you to dress yourself and come
home.'
"'Yes, Pa.' Master Harry dresses himself quick.
"'Please may I--please, dear pa--may I--kiss Norah before I go?'
"Master Harry's father he takes Master Harry in his hand, and I leads
the way with the candle to that other bedroom where the elderly lady is
seated by the bed, and poor little Mrs. Harry Walmers junior is fast
asleep. There the father lifts the boy up to the pillow, and he lays his
little face down for an instant by the little warm face of poor little
Mrs. Harry Walmers junior, and gently draws it to him.
"And that's all about it. Master Harry's father drove away in the chaise
having hold of Master Harry's hand. The elderly lady Mrs. Harry Walmers
junior that was never to be (she married a captain long after and went
to India) went off next day."