Harry Leslie lay long awake that night, thinking over the words his
father had carelessly enough dropped. "Dog in the manger"--what did that
mean exactly? He had heard the phrase more than once, but had never
stopped to consider it in any way. Yet it was a plain sort of
illustration, carrying its own meaning along with it. Harry had once
been staying in the country with some cousins at a farm-house called
Clover Hollow, and he remembered them all laughing one day at "Grip," a
little Skye terrier, that had got into one of the mangers in the stable,
and kept at a respectable distance the good old pony to which it
belonged, barking at him and refusing to allow him the enjoyment of his
own breakfast. And Grip could not, of course, enjoy it himself--chopped
hay and oats not being at all in _his_ line. Seemingly, the only
pleasure Grip derived from this performance lay in keeping "Donald," the
old pony, from having any breakfast! And it was very laughable at the
time. Yes; Harry understood the words perfectly. And though it had been
laughable enough in the case of Grip, which was only a terrier, still,
however clever he might have been thought, Harry felt that it was not
quite the same when practised by rational beings. True, he was only
keeping that which most clearly belonged only to himself, whereas Master
Grip had feloniously seized on the possession of another. There was that
difference, certainly. Still, there was something in the thing Harry did
not quite like. He was usually a kind, unselfish sort of boy, and he did
not enjoy feeling that he was doing something rather miserly now. And
then, just that evening, his mother had been reading some verses from the
Bible to him, as she usually did, and one of them had been: "Whatsoever
ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." He had not
thought much about the words at the time, but they came back to his
memory now.
Early next morning Harry sent for Walter to come and speak to him.
"Wat," he said very cheerily, "the _Rover_ is going to make its first
voyage to-day. Hurrah! Aren't you glad?"
Walter stared at his friend and wondered if he had grown suddenly worse,
and was talking nonsense through feverishness.
"I doubt they won't let you out to the beach just yet, Hal!" he said
soothingly.
"No, indeed!" said Harry, smiling brightly. "But _you_ are going to take
the ship down for me, and launch her, and all that. Bobby and Frank will
go too, of course, and the girls, if nurse can take them; and then you'll
come back and tell me all about it--won't you, Wat?"
{Harry's proposal: p39.jpg}
"Nonsense, Harry, nonsense!" cried his friend. "Why, we _couldn't_ do it
without you; it would be no fun at all. Your own ship too. No, you
needn't say another word about it."
But Harry kept to his purpose; and in time Walter felt that he was really
quite in earnest, and that to refuse would only vex him.
"Well, if you really want me to, Harry," he said reluctantly. "But won't
you be awfully dull when I take the good ship away from your room? You've
often said it was quite a companion to you when we're all out."
"Not a bit!" cried Harry bravely. "I'm quite tired of seeing the old
thing on dry land. I'm wearying awfully to know how it floats, and
you'll come home and tell me all about it. Tell me if there were people
looking on, and if the pennons looked well when they were waving out at
sea, and all that. I want to hear what everybody says about it, and if
they think the _Rover_ as fine a boat as they have ever seen at the Shelf
Rock before. So you see, Wat, you must make haste and be off with it, or
I'll be quite put out, and that will be sure to make me worse again. Ask
mamma if that isn't true! I wonder I never thought of this before. It
was awfully stupid of me, to be sure!"
His eyes sparkled brightly now, all the brighter, perhaps, because he had
just dashed away some childish tears; for he was very young, you must
remember, and also weak from illness. He wanted to make his tiny bit of
self-sacrifice right bravely and cheerfully, feeling that a grudging
manner of giving sadly mars a gift.
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie were greatly pleased at hearing what Harry had
planned for the others, especially as it had come entirely from himself.
He had certainly not been urged to do it in any way; it had not even been
suggested to him.
{The "Rover" on a trial trip: p41.jpg}
Well, a large and enthusiastic crowd of juveniles gathered round the
Shelf Rock that afternoon to watch the good ship _Rover_ make her first
voyage on the deep. And beautifully indeed did she spread her white
sails to the breeze, while, guided by a string secured in Walter's hand,
her graceful form cut the waves or danced lightly over them, her bright
red pennons floating gracefully from stern and mast. It was quite a long
time before the excitement of this first voyage wore away. Each of the
children had in turn to get a "hold" of the guiding-string; and great
amusement was caused by one of the wooden-doll sailors which Mrs. Leslie
had dressed for Harry's ship tumbling overboard and bobbing about for a
long time among the creeks and crannies of Shelf Rock.
At last "Jack-a-tar" was rescued by means of a hand-net which Walter had
for his natural history researches; and the little man was found to be
not a whit the worse, except for a drenching of his blue serge suit--for
even his well-glued-on hat had survived the fury of the waves.
You can imagine what a grand story all this made to tell poor Harry,
lying in his little bed under the skylight, with his back to the sea and
all the wonders thereof. And no one was more delighted with the whole
affair than Harry himself, feeling quite a weight off his mind, now that
he had got quit for ever of that nasty "dog-in-the-manger" sort of
feeling. How he laughed about poor Jack-a-tar, and took him into his own
hands to be thoroughly restored, while his mother took off the blue suit
to dry at the kitchen fire!
Altogether this was one of the happiest days Harry had spent at
Kingshaven. Every day now the children took out the _Rover_, and many
happy hours they all spent with it.
Next week a visitor was announced. It was Uncle Jack himself! And along
with him came the biggest, bulkiest parcel you could imagine. When it
was opened it proved to be a first-rate sort of invalid carriage, capable
of being folded up or out in any and every direction--quite an invention
of Uncle Jack's own brilliant genius. Dr. Bell said it was the very
thing for his little patient, who would be able for it in a very few days
now. Dr. Hammond also was greatly pleased with this new conveyance when
he came down.
Various little trial trips were made in this couch, at first only into
the front garden, and then into the long strip of bowling-green at the
back. And how the little invalid _did_ enjoy the fresh, sweet summer
air, fragrant with honeysuckle and sweet-brier, and all the more
delightful to him from the whiff of strong salt and even _tar_ corning up
from the shore. Harry felt as if he should soon be well and strong again
if he were only to have such nice rides as this every day.
At first his knee did pain him considerably even at the least motion; but
gradually, as he gained in health and strength, this wore away, and he
could be drawn quite a long distance and then left out in some nice
sheltered spot, with his book beside him, just to drink in the health-
giving breezes.
Uncle Jack's own strong steady hand was usually the one which drew him
about for many days. It seemed to please the kindly sailor to do as much
for his little nephew. And no one could pull the chair so well, Harry
thought, for he never felt much pain when Uncle Jack was in charge. But
by-and-by Walter was allowed to try his skill at it, and very proud and
happy he was to try. The best days were those when Harry could be taken
right down to the shore and set upon one of the more sheltered rocks; but
that was only when the weather was very dry and sunny and there was not
too much wind for the patient.
One very fine afternoon, however, quite a large party assembled at the
Shelf Rock. There was Harry in his couch, laid snugly in the centre of
the group, Bobby and Freddy, Janey and Lucy dancing round him, mamma with
a large basket of good things encamped close by, and papa, Uncle Jack,
Walter, and good Dr. Hammond, all there to enjoy the family "_picnic_!"
But before the feast was spread the good ship _Rover_ was to be launched
once more, and that was done by Uncle Jack's well-skilled hands, after
which he put the guiding-string in Harry's white little hand and bade him
hold it firm. Harry's eyes sparkled and his colour mounted; for he felt
the full pleasure of this moment, free from any mean or selfish thought.
After all this Mr. Leslie began to think it would be best just to let
Harry remain all the summer at Kingshaven, so he secured another cottage
nearer the sea than their present quarters; and here Harry remained, and
the children by turns, with nurse to keep order, and the parents looking
down now and again to see that all was right. Walter had, of course, to
go back to school, and he was dux every day now since Harry was off the
field. However, next year Harry managed quite to make up to him again,
being ever so much stronger then; and in due time the two boys went to
Rugby together, remaining fast friends as before.
But we are going on too fast.
Let us look back first to the little seaside cottage where Harry is so
happy--never wearying of Kingshaven, as indeed he had declared he never
would, even when he knew not how long his stay was to be. He is taken
out to the beach every day by careful hands, and is gathering strength
bit by bit. Often he is carried over to the Shelf Rock, from there to
guide with his own hand the beautiful gliding movements of his pretty
ship. Harry feels that this past time of trial has been a blessing to
him, since it has saved him from growing into a grasping or selfish boy;
and he looks back with pleasure on a sight he did not see--the first
voyage of