THE OLD GENTLEMAN'S QUESTION.
The next Monday morning Timpey and I went down together to the pier, to
await the arrival of the steamer. She had brought a doll with her, which
Mrs. Millar had given her, and of which she was very proud.
Captain Sayers sent for me, as soon as the steamer came up to the pier,
to tell me that two gentlemen had come to see my grandfather. I held
the child's hand very tightly in mine, for I had felt sure they had come
for her.
The gentlemen came up the steps a minute or two afterwards. One of them
was a middle-aged man, with a very clever face, I thought. He told me he
had come to see Mr. Alexander Fergusson, and asked me if I could direct
him which way to go to the house.
'Yes, sir,' I said; 'Mr. Fergusson is my grandfather.' So we went up
towards the lighthouse, Timpey and I walking first to lead the way, and
the gentlemen following. The other gentleman was quite old, and had
white hair and gold spectacles, and a pleasant, kindly face.
Timpey could not walk very fast, and she kept running first to one side
and then to another, to gather flowers or pick up stones, to I took her
in my arms and carried her.
'Is that your little sister?' asked the old gentleman.
'No, sir,' I said; 'this is the little girl who was on board the
_Victory_!
'Dear me! dear me!' said both gentlemen at once. 'Let me look at her,'
said the old man, arranging his spectacles.
But Timpey was frightened, and clung to me, and began to cry. 'Never
mind, never mind,' said the old gentleman kindly; 'we'll make friends
with one another by-and-by.'
By this time we had reached the house, and the middle-aged gentleman
introduced himself as Mr. Septimus Forster, one of the owners of the
lost vessel, and said that he and his father-in-law, Mr. Davis, had come
to hear all particulars that my grandfather could give them with regard
to the shipwreck.
My grandfather begged them to sit down, and told me to prepare
breakfast for them at once. They were very pleasant gentlemen, both of
them, and were very kind to my grandfather. Mr. Forster wanted to make
him a handsome present for what he had done; but my grandfather would
not take it. They talked much of little Timpey, and I kept stopping to
listen as I was setting out the cups and saucers. They had heard nothing
more of her relations; and they said it was a very strange thing that no
such name as Villiers was to be found on the list of passengers on
board. They offered to take her away with them till some relation was
found; but my grandfather begged to keep her. The gentlemen, seeing how
happy and well cared for the child was, gladly consented.
After breakfast Mr. Forster said he should like to see the lighthouse,
so my grandfather went up to the top of the tower with him, and showed
him with great pride all that was to be seen there. Old Mr. Davis was
tired, and stayed behind with little Timpey and me.
'This is a strong house, my lad,' he said, when the others had gone.
'Yes, sir,' I said, 'it ought to be strong; the wind is fearful here
sometimes.'
'What sort of a foundation has it?' said the old man, tapping the floor
with his stick.
'Oh, it's all rock, sir,' I answered, 'solid rock; our house and the
lighthouse tower are all built into the rock; they would never stand if
they weren't'
'And are _you_ on the Rock, my lad?' said Mr. Davis, looking at me
through his spectacles.
'I beg your pardon, sir,' I said, for I thought I had not heard him
rightly.
'Are _you_ on the Rock?' he repeated.
'On the rock, sir? oh, yes,' I said, thinking he could not have
understood what I said before. 'All these buildings are built into the
rock, or the wind and sea would carry them away.'
'But _you_,' said the old gentleman again, 'are _you_ on the Rock?'
'I don't quite understand you, sir,' I said.
'Never mind,' he said; 'I'll ask your grandfather when he comes down.'
So I sat still, wondering what he could mean, and almost thinking he
must have gone out of his mind.
As soon as my grandfather returned, he put the same question to him; and
my grandfather answered it as I had done, by assuring him how firmly and
strongly the lighthouse and its surroundings were built into the solid
rock.
'And you yourself,' said Mr. Davis 'how long have you been on the Rock?'
'I, sir?' said my grandfather. 'I suppose you mean how long have I lived
here; forty years, sir--forty years come the twelfth of next month I've
lived on this rock.'
'And how much longer do you expect to live here?' said the old
gentleman.
'Oh, I don't know, sir,' said my grandfather. 'As long as I live, I
suppose. Alick, here, will take my place by-and-by; he's a fine, strong
boy is Alick, sir.'
'And where will you live when you leave the island?' asked Mr. Davis.
'Oh, I never mean to leave it,' said my grandfather; 'not till I die,
sir.'
'And _then_; where will you live _then_?'
'Oh, I don't know, sir,' said my grandfather. 'In heaven, I suppose.
But, dear me, I'm not going there just yet,' he said, as if he did not
like the turn the conversation was taking.
'Would you mind answering me one more question?' said old Mr. Davis.
'Would you kindly tell me _why_ you think you'll go to heaven? You won't
mind my asking you, will you?'
'Oh dear, no,' said my grandfather, 'not at all, sir. Well, sir, you see
I've never done anybody any harm, and God is very merciful, and so I've
no doubt it will be all right at last.
'Why, my dear friend,' said the old gentleman, 'I thought you said you
were on the Rock. You're not on the Rock at all, you're on the sand!' He
was going to add more, when one of Captain Sayer's men ran up to say
the steamer was ready to start, and would they kindly come at once, as
it was late already. So the two gentlemen jumped up, and prepared
hastily to go down to the beach.
But as old Mr. Davis took leave of my grandfather, he said earnestly,--
'My friend, you are building on the sand; you are indeed, and it won't
stand the storm; no, it won't stand the storm!' He had no time to say
more, the sailor hastened him away.
I followed them down to the pier, and stood there watching the steamer
preparing to start.
There was a little delay after the gentlemen went on board, and I saw
Mr. Davis sit down on a seat on deck, take out his pocket-book, and
write something on one of the leaves. Then he tore the leaf out, and
gave it to one of the sailors to hand to me as I stood on the pier, and
in another moment the steamer had started.