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FORGOTTEN TALES OF LONG AGO.
SELECTED BY E. V. LUCAS
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY F. D. BEDFORD
3 PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS. LONDON 44 VICTORIA STREET
E. C. WELLS, GARDNER, DARTON & CO. LTD. S.W.
C & D Co.
_Fourth Impression, July, 1931._
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
WELLS GARDNER, DARTON AND CO., LTD.
[Illustration:
For me the backward glance; for me
The tales of old simplicity.
And this would be my dearest choice:
To hear them in the mother's voice.]
INTRODUCTION
In the present volume will be found twenty stories from early writers
for children, the period being roughly 1790 to 1830, with three later
and more sophisticated efforts added. Having so recently made remarks on
the character of these old books--in the preface last year to
_Old-Fashioned Tales_, a companion volume to this--I have very little to
say now, except that I hope the selection will be found to be
interesting. If it is not, it is less my fault than that of the authors,
who preferred teaching to entertaining, moral improvement to drama. The
pendulum has now perhaps swung almost too far the other way; but such
things come right.
My first story, 'Dicky Random,' is from a little book published in 1805,
entitled _The Satchel; or, Amusing Tales for Correcting Rising Errors in
Early Youth, addressed to all who wish to grow in Grace and Favour_. On
the title-page is this motto:
'Put on the cap, if it will fit,
And wiser grow by wearing it.'
There is no author's name. I do not consider the story of Dicky a very
brilliant piece of work, but it has some pleasing incidents, not the
least of which is the irreproachable behaviour of the gentlemen at
dinner. Dicky's father comes out as hardly less foolish than his son,
which is not common in these books. To call a doctor Hardheart seems to
me to have been a courageous thing. The sentence, 'The boy's father,
though a labouring man, had a generous mind,' would help us to date the
story, even without the evidence of the title-page. It is astonishing
for how long the poor had to play a degraded part in minor English
literature.
In another story in the book, called 'Good Manners their own Reward,' I
find this sentence, which contains an idea for a children's manual that
certainly ought to be written, under the same title too: 'Master Goodly
not long after this had the pleasure of seeing a small book printed and
circulated among his juvenile acquaintance, called "The Way to be
Invited a Second Time."'
We pass next to a little work of pretty fancy, 'The Months,' which by
its ingenuity I hope makes up for want of drama. I have included it on
that ground, and also because if the descriptions were read aloud in
irregular order to small children, it might be an agreeable means of
encouraging thought and observation if the listeners were asked to put a
name to each month. 'The Months' comes from a book published in 1814
entitled _Tales from the Mountains_, the mountains being those dividing
England from Wales. A story in the same volume which I nearly included
has the promising style 'The Spotted Cow and the Pianoforte,' but its
matter is not equal to its title. It is, indeed, a variation upon a very
old theme, being the narrative of two girls of equal age who, coming
into a little prosperity, at once gratify old desires: one, the
exemplary one, wishing a useful cow, and the other, the frivolous one, a
piano. The author, in the old remorseless way, contrasts their
subsequent careers, nothing but happiness and worth falling to the
sensible girl who chose the cow, and nothing but disaster dogging the
steps of the foolish desirer of the musical instrument. I do not think
this to be good working morality, since proficiency on the piano can
also be a step towards a livelihood and independence, and even Madame
Schumann, one supposes, had to make a start somehow. The name of the
author is not known.
Probably no story in this collection had more popularity in its day than
'Jemima Placid,' of which I use only a portion. And I think it deserved
it, for it is very pleasantly and sympathetically written, and a better
understanding of home prevails than in so many of these old books.
Jemima's brothers seem to me very well drawn, and certain minor touches
lend an agreeable air of reality to the book. The author's name is, I
believe, not known. His preface, which I quote here, is very sensible.
Considering the date, say about 1785, it is curiously sensible and
discerning:--
'It has been often said that infancy is the happiest state of
human life, as being exempted from those serious cares and that
anxiety which must ever in some degree be an attendant on a
more advanced age; but the author of the following little
performance is of a different opinion, and has ever considered
the troubles of children as a severe exercise to their patience
when it is recollected that the vexations which they meet with
are suited to the weakness of their understanding, and though
trifling, perhaps, in themselves, acquire importance from their
connection with the puerile inclinations and bounded views of
an infant mind, where present gratification is the whole they
can comprehend, and therefore suffer in proportion when their
wishes are obstructed.
'The main design of this publication is to prove from example
that the pain of disappointment will be much increased by
ill-temper, and that to yield to the force of necessity will be
found wiser than vainly to oppose it. The contrast between the
principal character with the peevishness of her cousins' temper
is intended as an incitement to that placid disposition which
will form the happiness of social life in every stage, and
which, therefore, should not be thought beneath anyone's
attention or undeserving of their cultivation.'
'Jemima Placid' is one of the many stories in which the names are
symbolical. We have another example in 'Dicky Random,' and, I suppose,
in 'Captain Murderer' too, while in 'Prince Life,' to which we soon
come, which is frankly an allegory, the habit is carried beyond Bunyan,
who made his attributes very like men and called them Mr. or Lord to
increase the illusion or diminish the cheat. The drawback to this kind
of nomenclature is that it weakens the realism of the story. It also
perplexes one a little when one thinks of later generations. Jemima's
two brothers, for example, would marry one day, and their children would
necessarily be called Placid too. But would they be placid? And was Mr.
Piner's father a piner? It is even more perplexing when the name carries
a calling as well, as in Farmer Wheatear, and Giles Joltem, the carter,
and Mr. Coverup, the sexton, in the old story of _Dame Partlet's Farm_.
Suppose Mr. Joltem's son had become a chauffeur, with rubber tyres? Or
could he? If not, these names must have immensely have simplified the
question 'What to do with our boys?'
It is hardly necessary to say that the books which Jemima took back with
her from London (on page 46), and which gave such pleasure, were all
published by the same firm that issued her own history. This was a
system of advertisement brought to perfection by Newbery of St. Paul's
Churchyard. It is so very artless and amusing that one is sorry it has
died out.
For the 'Two Trials' I have gone to a little work entitled _Juvenile
Trials for telling Fibs, robbing Orchards, and Other Offences_, 1816,
from which, viâ _Evenings at Home_, I borrowed a story for _Old
Fashioned Tales_. The book is anonymous. Surely such schoolboys and
schoolgirls never were on sea or shore; but that does not matter. In the
old books one did not look for reality.
I have included 'Prince Life' for two reasons. Partly because it seems
to me not bad of its kind, although far from being as good as 'Uncle
David's Nonsensical Story' in the _Old-Fashioned Tales_, and partly
because I thought it interesting to show what kind of stories historical
novelists write for their own families--for 'Prince Life' was written in
1855 for his little boy by G. P. R. James, the author of _The Smuggler_,
_Richelieu_, _Darnley_, and scores of other romances. Allegories, I
must confess, are not much to my taste; but I have so frequently found
that what I like others dislike, and what I dislike others like, that I
include 'Prince Life' here quite confidently. It has given Mr. Bedford
material for a good picture, anyway.
'The Farmyard Journal,' which follows, is not dramatic, but it has
plenty of incident, and is included here to foster the gift of
observation. I found it in a favourite and very excellent and wise old
book, _Evenings at Home_, by the strong-minded Aikins--a kind of work
which it grieves one to think is outgrown not only by the readers of
children's books, but by their writers too.
'The Fruits of Disobedience,' which comes next, follows ordinary lines,
and is chiefly remarkable for its busy clergy. I included it because the
topic of kidnapping is one of which I think every collection of old
stories for children should take notice. In every book of this nature at
least one child's face must be stained with walnut juice. The story is
from the anonymous _Tales of the Hermitage, written for the Instruction
and Amusement of the Rising Generation_, 1778.
'The Rose's Breakfast,' also anonymous, is one of the many imitations of
Roscoe's _Butterfly's Ball_, about which the English reading public so
strangely lost its head in 1808. I never considered this a good story,
but now that I see it in its new type on the fair page of the present
volume, I am amazed to think I ever marked it for inclusion at all. It
seems to me poverty-stricken in fancy and very paltry in tone, the idea
of making beautiful flowers as mean-spirited as trumpery men and women
can be being wholly undesirable. It is too late to take it out,
especially as Mr. Bedford has drawn a very charming picture for it, but
I hope it will remain only as an object-lesson. Possibly its badness may
incite someone to write a better, and that would be my justification.
One interesting thing about it is the light it throws on the change of
fashion in garden flowers.
'The Three Cakes' is from an English translation of the great Monsieur
Berquin's _L'Ami des Enfants_--the most famous children's book in
France. Armand Berquin, who, in addition to his own stories, translated
_Sandford and Merton_ into French, was born in 1750 and died in 1791.
His _L'Ami des Enfants_, 1784, was in twelve small volumes, and it
covered most of the ground that a moralist for the young could cover in
those days. It is more like Priscilla Wakefield's _Juvenile Anecdotes_,
to which we are coming, on a larger scale, than anything I can name; but
no imitation, for M. Berquin came first. The idea of 'The Three Cakes'
was borrowed from M. Berquin by the Taylors for their _Original Poems_,
and Mary Howitt borrowed it too, also for rhyming purposes. French
writers when they have tried seriously to interest children, have been
very successful. I know of few better stories than that which in its
English translation is called _Little Robinson of Paris_; but it is a
long book in itself, and could not be condensed for our purposes. While
on the subject of French stories I may refer to 'The Bunch of Cherries,'
on page 242 of this volume, which is also French, and comes from a work
called in the English translation _Tales to My Daughter_. I include it
for its quaint _naïveté_, and also for its lesson of gratitude and
minute thoughtfulness. But it was a sad oversight (not too explicable in
a French romance) not to make Augustus marry the Green Hat.
I included 'Amendment,' from _The Little Prisoners; or, Passion and
Patience_, 1828, because its idea is an attractive one. There is always
something engaging, not by any means only to the youthful mind, in the
idea of a complete change in the conditions and surroundings of one's
life. That is why so many of us want to be gipsies. The book is
anonymous.
'Scourhill's Adventure' is from an amusing book called _The Academy_,
which, for all I know, is the first real boy's school-book ever written.
Its companion is _The Rector_, and together they describe, with no
little spirit and reasonableness, a school a hundred years ago, with all
the escapades and errors of the boys and all the homilies of the
schoolmaster. I like the episode of Scourhill as well as any because of
the pleasant interior which it contains--Scourhill's home, with the
noisy old gentlemen, a little like a scene in Marryat. The books are not
worth reprinting, in the way that _Lady Anne_ (to which we draw near) is
worth reprinting; but they are worth looking at if they ever chance to
fall one's way.
We come next to 'The Journal' from _Juvenile Anecdotes founded on Facts;
Collected for the Amusement of Children_, 1803, by Priscilla Wakefield.
A hundred years ago Mrs. Wakefield's books for the nursery (which, if
its literature is a guide, was in those days less of a nursery than a
conventicle) were in every shop. She poured them forth--little rushing
streams of didacticism. The present work, from which, for its
quaintness, I have chosen 'The Journal,' is a kind of Ann and Jane
Taylor in very obvious prose. Little girls having spent their
half-crowns on themselves, at once meet members of the destitute class,
and, having nothing to give them, are plunged into remorse; little boys
creeping into the larder to steal jam, eat soft soap by mistake and
never are greedy again; and so forth. All the conventional images and
morals are employed. The whole book is one long and emphatic division of
sheep from goats. 'The Journal' is not perhaps exciting, but it reflects
the quieter family life of a century ago, and incidentally portrays the
thorough governess of that day.
Priscilla Wakefield was a Quaker, the great-granddaughter on her
mother's side of Barclay of Ury, who wrote the _Apology_. She had a
famous niece, Elizabeth Fry, and a famous grandson, Edward Gibbon
Wakefield, the colonist. She was born in 1751 and died in 1832; wrote,
as I have said, many instructive books for the young; and was one of the
original promoters of savings banks for the people.
'Ellen and George; or, The Game at Cricket' is from an old friend,
_Tales for Ellen_, by Alicia Catherine Mant, from which I took, for _Old
Fashioned Tales_, the very pretty history of 'The Little Blue Bag.' I
do not consider 'Ellen and George' as good as the 'Little Blue Bag,' and
I should not be surprised if I discovered on a severe analysis of motive
that it was included here more for its cricket than its human interest.
But it has a certain sweetness and naturalness too. Ellen's very
sensible question (as it really was) on page 184, 'Then why don't you
send the cat away?' is one of the first examples of independent--almost
revolutionary--thought in a child recorded by a writer for children in
the early days. To say such a thing to a mother eighty years ago was
indeed a feat. For the most part children then were to accept all that
was said to them by their elders as fact, and neither meditate nor utter
criticism. The principal difference between the children of those days
and the children of these is their present liberty of criticism. To-day
every child has his own opinion; a hundred years ago none had.
Some of the remarks on page 186 will divert the young readers of to-day,
when girls know as much about cricket (and sometimes play as well) as
boys do. I must confess to much perplexity as to what part could be
played in the manufacture of wickets by George's hammer and nails. Runs
were called notches at that time because the scorer cut notches on a
stick. Wilson's good nature has, I fear, found its way more than once
into the first-class game--at least, I remember that a full toss on the
leg side went to Mr. W. G. Grace when he had made ninety-six towards his
hundredth hundred; and quite right too. When it comes, however, to
throwing down one's bat and flinging the ball at a batsman (as George
did), there is no excuse to be offered. I have omitted the end of the
story, in which Mr. Danvers condescends to take a hand at the game, in a
match against George and Tom Fletcher (who made it up), and beats them
by a narrow margin of notches. According to the author he had been in
his youth a fine bat, but this statement has been cruelly discredited by
the artist who illustrated the book, and who placed the gentleman in an
attitude (or 'stance,' as they say now), and gave him a grip on the
handle, from which nothing but ridicule and disaster could result. Mr.
Bedford is not like this. Mr. Bedford is one of those rare artists who
read a story first.
Of 'Waste Not, Want Not' it is unnecessary to speak. It is one of the
best of the stories in Miss Edgeworth's _Parent's Assistant_, most
entertaining of books with dull names. I have my doubts as to whether
Benjamin was not too much encouraged above Hal, but that has nothing to
do with the story.
We come now to comedy and to farce. 'The Fugitive' I found in an odd
little book by a Miss Pearson called _A Few Weeks at Clairmont Castle_,
1828; while 'The Butcher's Tournament' is from Peter Parley. I read this
story when I was quite a child, and it always remained in my memory, and
for several years of late I have kept up a desultory search for it. I
could not, therefore, having chanced upon it in _Peter Parley's Annual_
for 1843, omit it from this volume. The author's name is not given, but
I suppose that William Martin wrote it--under the influence of Douglas
Jerrold, I should say.
For 'Malleville's Night of Adventure' I have gone again to Jacob Abbott,
from whom last year I took 'Embellishment.' The story is a chapter or
two of _Beechnut_, best of the Franconia books. Later the author changed
the name Malleville, which certainly is not beautiful, to Madeline; but
I have left it here as in the original edition. There seems to be no
middle way with Jacob Abbott: you must either think him the flattest of
writers for children, or the most interesting. So many of my earliest
recollections are bound up with Phonny and Beechnut that I shall always
think of Jacob Abbott with enthusiasm. But the heretics in this matter I
can understand, although pitying them too.
For looking through the scores and scores--I might, I believe, say
hundreds--of books from which to select the twenty stories within these
covers, I should consider myself amply rewarded by the discovery of
_Lady Anne_. This story--I might almost say this novel--which is at
once the longest and, to my mind, the best thing in the present volume,
is anonymous. All that I know of the author is that she--I take it to be
a woman's work--wrote also _The Blue Silk Hand-bag_, but of that book I
have been able to catch no glimpse. In order to bring _Lady Anne_ into
this collection I have had here and there to condense a few pages, but I
have touched nothing essential: the sweet little narrative is only
shortened, never altered. _Lady Anne_ was first published in 1823.
With 'Captain Murderer,' which ends the book, we come to another story
by a novelist, this time a man of genius, Charles Dickens. The agreeably
gruesome trifle occurs in the essay in _The Uncommercial Traveller_ on
'Nurses' Stories,' and it was told to the little Dickens by a dreadful
girl named Sarah, who chilled him also with the dark history of Chips,
the ship's carpenter, and the rat of the Devil. The story of Chips is
better than the story of Captain Murderer, but I do not care for the
responsibility of laying it before you. The Captain may be held to be
forbidding enough, but he is, all the same, well within the nursery's
traditions of acceptable villainy, being only a variant upon Bluebeard
and the giant who fed upon bread made with the bone-flour of Englishmen;
whereas the story of Chips introduces infernal elements and makes rats
too horrible to be thought about. So I feel; but if anyone complains of
the grimness of the Captain I shall have, I fear, only a very poor
defence.
E. V. L.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Dicky Random; or, Good-Nature is nothing without Good
Conduct; Anon. 1
The Months; Anon. 15
Jemima Placid; or, The Advantage of Good-Nature; Anon. 23
Two Trials: I. Sally Delia; Anon. 48
II. Harry Lenox; Anon. 58
Prince Life; by G. P. R. James 72
The Farm-Yard Journal; by the Aikins 90
The Fruits of Disobedience; or, The Kidnapped Child; Anon. 98
The Rose's Breakfast; Anon. 114
The Three Cakes; by Armand Berquin 128
Amendment; Anon. 136
Scourhill's Adventures; Anon. 162
The Journal; by Priscilla Wakefield 172
Ellen and George; or, The Game at Cricket; by A. C. Mant 181
Waste Not, Want Not; or, Two Strings to Your Bow; by Maria
Edgeworth 204
The Bunch of Cherries; Anon. 242
The Fugitive; by Miss Pearson 256
The Butcher's Tournament; by Peter Parley 275
Malleville's Night of Adventure; by Jacob Abbott 297
The Life and Adventures of Lady Anne; Anon. 320
Captain Murderer; by Charles Dickens 422
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Off it went, knocked him backwards, and shivered a beautiful
mirror 7
The lambs frisk about her 17
Ellen went a dozen times in the day to look at her new cap 37
'I was reading, and was interrupted by Henry Lenox and
three others talking over a secret' 65
The Prince slays the monster with a hundred horrible heads 87
She kicked up her hind legs and threw down the milk-pail 91
Cut her beautiful hair close to her head 103
The sweet Misses Lilies of the Valley could not be tempted
from their retreat 121
'I will play you all the pretty tunes that I know, if you
will give me leave' 133
Had not the gardener, who then came up, taken him in his
arms, and carried him into the house, in spite of his
kicking and screaming 143
Every boy ... joined in the pursuit, and every cottage
poured out its matrons and children and dogs 165
George was despatched to desire one of the servants to
bring a basket, in which we carried the poor sufferer 177
Hither Ellen accompanied him to see the wickets completed 187
'Oh, what an excellent motto!' exclaimed Ben 207
'The everlasting whipcord, I declare' 239
'The happiness of sharing with others that which we possess
enhances the value of its enjoyment' 245
'There he goes!' 263
Knights in armour tumbled over their own steeds, donkeys
ran snorting about, ladies shrieked 293
Wherever the feather passed it changed the surface of the
water into ice 303
The arrival at the inn 325
The Flight over London Bridge 351
Lady Anne finds her father 407
Forgotten Tales of Long Ago
Dicky Random
or
Good-nature is nothing without Good Conduct
'In festive play this maxim prize--
Be always merry--always WISE!'
'Do you know what hour it is when you see a clock?' said Mr. Random to
his little son Richard.
'Yes, father,' said Richard; 'for I can count it all round. When both
hands are at the top of the clock, then I know it is time to leave
school.'
'Then go and see what time it is,' said his father.
Away ran Richard, and brought back word in a moment that it was exactly
six o'clock.
In a few minutes after came in a friend with a young lady, the former of
whom asked Mr. Random why he was not ready to go with them to the
concert that evening, as he had promised. Mr. Random replied that it
was but six o'clock, which, however, he was soon convinced was a mistake
of Richard's, who, on being asked what he saw when he looked on the
clock, replied, 'I saw the two hands together close to the six, and that
made me say it was six, for I always call it twelve when they are right
opposite.'
'Remember, my dear,' said his father, 'that the long hand never tells
the hour, except on the stroke of twelve. You ought to know that the
minute hand overtakes its fellow somewhat later every hour, till at noon
and midnight they again start exactly even; and when a bigger boy I
shall expect you to tell me how much difference is increased every time
they come into conjunction. You now see, Dicky, that through such a
mistake I must make my friends wait; pray, therefore, mind better
another time.'
In a few minutes after his father bid him go into the dining-room, and
bring down a bottle of wine, which stood in the _hither_ corner of the
cellaret, that he might help the gentleman and lady to a glass.
'Yes, father,' said little Dick, and up he went. On the stairs he met
puss, and stopped to play with her, during which he forgot what had been
told him. Having gotten a bottle, downstairs he came, and, pouring out a
couple of glasses, he returned with it. But, when on the landing-place,
he naughtily drew out the cork to have a taste himself. It was not only
very vulgar to drink out of the neck of a bottle, but wrong to make free
slily with that which he was merely entrusted to serve out. However, it
rushed so fast into his mouth, and was so hot, that he was afraid of
being strangled. It happened that he had bitten his cheek that morning,
and the liquor bathing the sore place made it smart so that he put down
the bottle on the floor, when, in stamping about, it rolled downstairs
and made a fine clatter. His father ran out on hearing the noise, but
was stopped in the way by seeing the young lady almost gasping for
breath, and it was some minutes before she could say that he had given
her brandy instead of wine.
Mr. Random next proceeded upstairs, where little Dick was picking up the
pieces of broken glass, in doing which he cut a deep gash in his hand.
'Where did you take the bottle from?'
'Out of the _farther_ side of the cellaret,' said Dicky.
'I told you to take it from the _hither_ side,' replied Mr. Random.
'But, however, you shall smart for your neglect: what remains of the
brandy will serve to bathe your hand, and I hope the pain will make you
reflect that the loss is the same to me, whether you spilt it from
design or inattention.'
He one day made his mother look very simple at table, for which he
deserved to have suffered much more than her good nature required. Young
Random was to have a grand rout in the evening with some of his little
favourites. A few nice tarts, custards, etc., had been made in the
morning for the occasion, and had been most temptingly baked in the
forenoon.
It happened that two gentlemen called on Mr. Random about two o'clock,
and he insisted upon their staying to dinner; in consequence of which
his lady had the pastry removed from the sideboard to the china-closet.
All children must frequently have heard their mothers say, when they
wish to have anything saved for another occasion, 'My friends, you see
your dinner before you; I hope you will consider yourselves at home and
not spare.' This is always thought to be a sufficient excuse for not
bringing anything of another sort to table.
When the meat was nearly done with, Mrs. Random made the above remark
to her visitors, who declared that nothing more was requisite. She then
bid the servant put the cheese on the table.
'What, mother,' said Richard, 'is there nothing else?'
'No, my love,' said his mother; 'I am sure you want nothing more.'
'Why, yes, mother. Where are the tarts and custards you put into the
closet?'
'Surely you dream?' said his mother.
'No, I don't, indeed,' replied Dicky. 'You put them away directly the
gentlemen said they would stay to dine, and observed what a deal of
trouble visitors do give.'
Anyone will easily believe that this made Mrs. Random look very
confused. She hardly knew what to reply, but she turned it off in the
best manner she could, and said:
'It is you, Richard, who trouble me more than the visits of my friends.
I am happy to see them always, but on some days more than others.
To-day, you know, we have been preparing for _your_ company, and
therefore the reserve I have kept would not have been made but on your
account. The pastry was intended for _your_ visitors, and not your
father's. However, if you are such a child that you cannot wait till
night, they shall be brought to table now; but, remember, I will not
order any more to be made, and you shall provide for your playmates out
of the money put by to purchase the magic-lantern and the books.'
Richard looked quite down when he heard this sentence, and more so when
he saw the pastry placed on the table.
Dear me, how soon had the tarts and custards disappeared, if one of each
had been served round to the company! But the gentlemen were too polite
even to taste them, and father and mother declined eating any.
Richard's sister said she could very well wait till supper; hence they
were all saved. But Dicky was afterwards very severely taken to task for
speaking out of time, when he was not spoken to.
When evening came, and the little visitors were assembled, Richard, who
had seen some of the sports at a country fair, would show his dexterity
to amuse his young party. He took up the poker, and, supposing it to be
a pole, performed some imitations. But, unable long to preserve it
upright from its weight, the sooty end fell on Master Snapper's book,
who was reading a little work upon 'Affability.' The blow fairly knocked
it out of his hand, and made a great smear on his frilled shirt, at
which a loud laugh ensued. Now Master Snapper could not bear to be
laughed at, and was so much out of humour all the evening that he would
not play.
Little Dick never once, all this time, thought that if it had fallen on
his playfellow's toe, it might have lamed him, and he would at least
have had to carry him a pick-a-back home; nor did he think who was to
have paid the doctor; but, pleased with the mirth he had made, he went
upstairs and fetched down one of the pistols which his father kept in a
private drawer. Then, pulling in his rocking-horse, he fancied he was
one of the Light Horse, and mounted it to show the sword exercise, and
how he could shoot a Frenchman or a Turk at full gallop. He had no
business with a rocking-horse or a pistol among young ladies, but he
never thought if it were proper or not, and much less if the pistol were
loaded.
While he was going on a full canter, he gave the words, 'Present! fire!'
and off it went, knocked him backwards, and shivered a beautiful mirror
into a thousand pieces. Oh, what a sad scene of confusion ensued! Some
of the young ladies screamed out with fright. Miss Timid, knocked down
by Dicky in falling backwards, lay on the ground bleeding at the nose.
Some were employed in picking up the pieces of glass, or pinning their
handkerchiefs over the fracture, to prevent its being seen while they
stayed; but such a hope was vain.
The noise brought Mr. and Mrs. Random and all the servants upstairs, who
too soon found out the havoc that had been made, and demanded how it
happened. All the children would willingly have screened Dicky, because
they knew he had not done it to frighten, but to amuse them. Master
Snapper, however, now thinking it was his turn, in a very ill-natured
speech made the worst of the story. But the spiteful way in which he
spoke did little Dick no harm, as he seemed more rejoiced at his
misfortune than sorry for Mr. Random's loss; hence it had the effect not
to increase the latter's anger.
'Playing with balancing poles and pistols,' said Mr. Random in a stern
accent to his son, 'is very well in a proper place, but quite
inadmissible in a room full of company. Now, sir, what business had you
to take this pistol out of my room?'
'Indeed, father,' said Dicky, crying, 'I did not know it was loaded.'
'It is but last week,' continued his father, 'that you were told never
to take such a thing without asking, and not even then till someone had
tried if it were loaded. So many accidents have happened with firearms
which have been supposed not to be loaded, that he who unguardedly
shoots another ought to take a similar chance for his own life; for you
know the Scripture says: "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
Think, Richard, that if I had been standing before the mirror, what
would have been the consequence. You would have shot your father! Your
mother would have died of grief, and you and Letitia have been
orphans!'
[Illustration: _Off it went, knocked him backwards, and shivered a
beautiful mirror.--Page 5._]
'Ah, then I should have died too!' said Dicky, wiping the tears from his
eyes with the back of his hand. 'But how came you to load the pistol
last night, father?'
'Because,' replied his father, 'I thought I heard something fall in the
parlour, and the passage-door being directly after shut to in a still
manner. I loaded the pistols, thinking that thieves had broken into the
house, and pushed up the sash to shoot the first that came out.'
'Then it was lucky,' said Richard, 'I did not come out again, or you
might have killed me; for I got up in the night to let Juno out of the
shed, where I had tied her up, and she was making a sad howling. Indeed,
before I was aware, she ran into the parlour, and, as it was quite dark,
I tumbled over her.'
'And broke the geranium-tree,' added his father.
'Yes, I did indeed,' said Dicky, 'but I did not go to do it. After that
I turned Juno into the yard, and this I dare say is all the noise you
heard.'
'There is an old saying, my dear little friends,' said Mr. Random,
'which I wish you to attend to, because it has a great deal of truth in
it: "_The pitcher that goes often safe to the well may come home broken
at last._" And so, though the thoughtless and giddy may go on for a long
while without danger, it will overtake them sooner or later. Here is a
strong instance of escape from the consequences which might have
attended Richard's thoughtlessness; besides which, his mother could get
no more sleep all night, and I, after running the risk of catching cold
in searching over the house, have this morning been at the expense of
new fastenings to the doors and windows. The next time, however, you
rise, Richard, to alarm the family, you shall in future roost with the
hens or bed in the stable.'
Dicky now thought that his parent's resentment had subsided, and, upon
the latter's calling to him to come, he sprang across the room with the
greatest alertness; but how suddenly was his smile cast down when Mr.
Random, taking his hand, ordered him to wish his young friends much
mirth and a good appetite, while he was going to be punished for his
misconduct. At once were all their little hands put out to prevent Mr.
Random's resolution of taking him away, but all their petitions were in
vain. Richard was forced into an empty cellar, and left with no other
companion than a glimmering rush-light. Here he was told he might do as
much mischief as he pleased. The iron bars kept him from getting out on
one side, and the door was padlocked on the other. In this dilemma he
marched round and round, crying, with his little candle, and saw stuck
on the walls the following lines:
'_Empty caves and commons wild
Best befit a thoughtless child,
A solid wall, an earthen floor,
Prison lights, a padlock'd door,
Where's no plaything which he may
Turn to harm by random play,
For in such sport too oft is found
A penny-toy will cost a pound.
Be wise and merry;--play, but think;
For danger stands on folly's brink._'
After having been kept in confinement nearly half an hour, Mr. Random
could no longer resist the pressing solicitations of his son's guests,
who declined partaking of the supper till Richard was returned to them.
Having learned the above lines by heart, he repeated them to his young
company, and, on his promising to remember their contents, he was
permitted to sit down to table.
The rest of the evening was spent in innocent cheerfulness, and for some
time after little Random played with more caution.
We must omit many of the less important neglects of young Random, such
as letting the toast fall in handling it, shooting his arrow through the
window, riding a long stick where it might throw persons down, leaving
things in the way at dark, etc., and proceed to relate a good-natured
fancy of his which tended, more than any of the preceding events, to
show him the folly of taking any step without first looking to what it
might lead.
In Mr. Random's garden was a fine tall pear tree, and that year a very
fine pear grew on the topmost twig. His mother and sister had several
times wished for the luscious fruit, but it seemed to bid defiance to
every attack that was not aided by a tall ladder. 'Oh!' thought Dicky,
'if I can get it down and present it to my mother, how pleased she will
be!' So, when he was alone, he picked out some large stones and threw at
it, but without any success. The next day he renewed his attack in the
evening, and to insure a better chance employed several large pieces of
brick and tile.
Now all these dangerous weapons went over into a poor man's garden,
where his son and some other boys were weeding it. One of them fell upon
the little fellow's leg, and cut it in so desperate a manner that he
cried out, quite terrified at the blow and sight of the blood. The other
boys directly took the alarm, and picking up some stones as large as
that which had done the mischief, they mounted on a high bench, and
discharged such a well-directed volley at the person of Master Random
that he was most violently struck upon the nose, and knocked backwards
into a glass cucumber-frame.
Here he lay in a most pitiable condition, calling upon his mother, while
the wounded boy on the other side joined in the concert of woe.
'Oh, it served you rightly!' exclaimed the young assailants, who were
looking over the wall, and ran away as soon as they saw Mr. Random come
into the garden to inquire the cause of the uproar.
His first concern was to carry Dicky indoors, and then, having wiped
away the blood and tears, he asked him how it happened.
'I was only trying to get a pear for my mother,' said Richard, 'when
these boys threw stones at me, and hit me!'
'That was very cruel,' said his father, 'to meddle with you when you
were doing nothing to them, and if I can find them out they shall be
punished for it.'
Mr. Random immediately set off to the next house, but was met at his own
door by the father of the wounded boy, who was coming with him in his
arms to demand satisfaction. This brought the whole truth out, and the
artful little fellow was found to have concealed a part of the real
case. Instead of saying 'he was only getting a pear,' he should have
said that he was throwing large stones at the topmost pear on the tree,
and that every stone went over the wall, he could not tell where.
'Ah, Richard,' said his father, 'it is little better than story-telling
to conceal a part of the truth. The affair now wears quite a new face.
It was you that gave the first assault, and will have to answer for all
the bad consequences. It is my duty to see that this unoffending boy is
taken care of; but if his leg be so cut or bruised that he cannot get so
good a living when he comes to be a man as he might otherwise have
done, how would you like to make up the deficiency? You cannot doubt
that he has a demand upon you equal to the damage you may have done to
him. He is poor, and his father must send him to the hospital, but it
would be unjust of me to suffer it. No, on the contrary, I shall prevent
this by taking him home and sending you there, where Dr. Hardheart makes
his patients smart before he cures them. Come, get ready to go, for
delays in wounds of the head are not to be trifled with.'
Mr. Random then ordered the servant to go for a coach, in which Dicky
most certainly would have been sent off had not word been brought back
that there was not a coach on the stand. During this time Dicky had
fallen on his knees, entreating that he might remain at home, and
offering promises to be less heedless in future; nay, he was willing to
yield up all his toys to the maimed little gardener.
The boy's father, though but a labouring man, had a generous mind; he
wanted nothing of this kind, but only wished him to be more cautious in
future, as the same stones, thrown at random, might have either blinded
his son or fractured his skull, instead of merely hurting his leg. Mr.
Random then insisted on Richard's giving him half-a-crown, and asking
pardon for the misfortune occasioned by his carelessness.
This heavy sum was directly taken out of the hoard which had been laid
by for the purchase of a set of drawing instruments, but he had a yet
heavier account to settle with his father for damaging the
cucumber-frame. He had broken as much of it as would come to fifteen
shillings to mend, and as payment was insisted on, or close confinement
until the whole was settled, he was compelled to transfer to his father
all his receipts for the ensuing five months before he could again
resume his scheme of laying by an adequate sum to purchase the drawing
utensils. Independently of which he always carried a strong memorial of
his folly on his nose, which was so scarred that he endured many a joke,
as it were, to keep alive in his memory the effect of his folly. Indeed,
he never looked in the glass without seeing his reproach in his face,
and thus at length learned never to play without first thinking if it
were at a proper time and in a proper place.
The Months
Who is this, clad in russet-brown? His distant step sounds hollow on the
frozen ground; no beam of beauty is on his face, but his look is
healthy, and his step is firm. As he approaches the peasant bars his
door and renews his fire. The sparkling home-brewed goes round and
mantles in the foaming jug, the oft-repeated tale is told, the rain
patters against the casement, but the night passes away, and the storm
is no longer heard.
Bright in his career the sun arises. Millions of gems seem suspended
from the leafless branches. The familiar robin and the bolder sparrow
seek the abode of man. Swift fly the balls of snow; the ruddy youth
binds on his skates and gracefully flies over the frozen pool.
Who is this stranger? He is the first-born of his family, and his name
is JANUARY.
* * * * *
A grave and placid maiden now advances. The crocus and the snow-drop
adorn her brown garments, a wreath of primroses binds her brows, the
robin, perched on the leafless branch, welcomes her approach, and the
lovely green of the young wheat is spread over the lately barren
fields. The lambs frisk about her, they nibble the grass of the valley,
then suddenly start and bound up the shelving mountain. But their infant
coats are now wet with rain, and their sports are over. Shivering, they
follow the shepherd with their bleating dams. And now, adorned with
rustic lays and bleeding hearts, the swain sends to his favourite maid
the mysterious valentine. The birds choose their mates; it is the season
of connubial joys. Mild then be thy reign, gentle FEBRUARY.
* * * * *
Who is this froward youth, with his loud and boisterous voice? He comes
from the east; limping rheumatism and shivering ague are in his train;
but his face is now dressed in smiles. The birds begin their lays, the
lambs again frolic around. The daisy and the violet grow beneath his
feet; he dresses himself with the buds of the spring. Vegetation
displays her lovely green, and holds out the promise of future riches.
Again the tempest of his passions arise; he tears the chaplet from his
brows, and scatters it in the wind. Oh! hasten far away from us,
variable and boisterous MARCH.
* * * * *
Clad in a robe of light green, and decorated with lilies of the valley,
a lovely maid advances. She breathes on the opening flowers, and their
beauty is expanded. The leaves of the grove burst forth, and the hedges
exhibit their partial verdure. Nature, invigorated, smiles around her;
but she weeps, and her flowerets bend, drooping, to the earth. Mild is
her mien, and the tint of modesty is on her cheek. She smiles, whilst
the tear still trembles in her eye, like placid resignation bending over
the tomb of a departed friend. She is a pensive maiden, and her name is
APRIL.
[Illustration: '_The lambs frisk about her.'--Page 16._]
* * * * *
Hark to the sound of rustic mirth, which precede a cheerful youth! His
step is light and airy, his robe is of many colours, roses adorn his
flowing ringlets, health and pleasure float on the freshening gale,
exercise and mirth gambol before him, age forgets his troubles, quits
his arm-chair, and welcomes his approach. The maids of the hamlet
assemble and dance round the pole, decked with many a flower and many a
streaming pendant. The village lovers loiter at the stile, or wander
down the retired lane, where the hedges are covered with their white
blossoms, and the modest wild rose, emblem of the blushing maid, peeps
from the sheltering thorn. Season of love and delight! long may thy
reign be protracted, young and beauteous MAY!
* * * * *
Who is the maid now approaching? She arises when the lark first pours
his melody in air. Her dress is of a darker green, her head is adorned
with full-blown flowers, her face is tanned by labour. The bleating and
affrighted sheep are plunged, unwillingly, into the pool, and now by the
sturdy hand stripped of their fleecy coats. The bottle quickly passes,
the simple tale goes round, the ballad purchased at the fair is sung;
the mower whets his scythe, and the grass and the wild-flowers fall
before it; the waggon, heavily laden, removes the odoriferous hay; and
the neat-mown fields display a brighter green. The cuckoo, with his
never-varying note is heard; but let us, when the day is over, placed in
some secluded nook, listen to the sweeter nightingale, who, as poets
feign, was once a hapless female. Industry now toils through the
lengthened day, and the name of this sun-burnt maiden is JUNE.
* * * * *
Who is the youth that now advances in his robe of gauze? He comes when
the rosy morn first trembles in the east. Slow and languid is his step;
he seeks the damp cavern and the impervious shade. It is the heat of
noon, and the kine no longer low. Not a breeze stirs: the foliage of the
groves, all--is still, except the insect world, who dimple the stream,
or, buzzing round the head of the sleeping youth, rouses the panting dog
that lies at his side.
Now the terrified birds dart swiftly through the air; a solemn and
portentous stillness reigns; the thunder mutters, the lightnings flash,
and the pouring storm approaches; the traveller seeks the sheltering
cottage. But when the sun again returns in his glory, the birds plume
their dripping feathers; the gardener ties up his fallen roses, and
trails anew the gadding woodbine. How sweetly refreshing is the air; we
will wander over the breezy hill; we will pluck the summer fruits; and
still welcome shalt thou be to us, sultry JULY.
* * * * *
Who is she, who, with the first blush of Aurora, brushes the pearly dew
from the grass? Her robe is thin and airy, and on her head is a garland
of wheat-ears and poppies. How busy is the scene around her! The shining
scythe cuts down the bearded barley and the quivering oat; the reaper
bends over the golden wheat, and fills the plenteous sheaf.
All are employed: even old age and childhood bend, with prying eyes, to
glean the scattered ears. The master looks on his riches, and swells
with satisfaction; the busy housewife loads the hospitable board, and
hands the mantling ale around; age tells the tale of past times; and the
loud laugh and rustic song burst from the lips of jocund youth. Oh! ever
thus return to us, with plenty in thy train, mirth-inspiring AUGUST.
* * * * *
Who is the youth that, at early dawn, brushes the stubble with his feet?
His gun is on his arm. His well-taught dogs are with him. The harmony of
the groves is destroyed, and the feathered race fall before his cruel
hand. The timid hare, starting at the sound of early feet, flies from
the furzy brake, and she returns to her shelter no more. Content
thyself, youth, with the various fruits which Nature now bestows. The
golden apricot, the downy peach, and the blooming plum, peep from
beneath their green foliage. Feast on these gifts, but spare the
feathered race, sanguinary SEPTEMBER.
* * * * *
Who now comes, with the steady air of a matron? Her robe is of yellow,
tinged with brown; and a wreath of berries encircles her head. She fills
her barns; and the flail, with monotonous sound, is heard. Labour
blesses her as he turns the earth with his plough, and scatters, with a
seemingly careless hand, the seeds of future harvests. She shakes the
clustering nuts from the trees, and gathers the rosy produce of the
orchard, where the apple and the mellow pear yield their refreshing
juice.
The poet wanders through the silent grove; the mournful breeze wafts the
withered leaves around him; the huntsman winds his horn; exercise bounds
over the plain; the sportsman rejoices in the barren fields. Season that
I love, ever welcome shalt thou be to me, mild and pensive OCTOBER.
* * * * *
What terrific form is this? Sullen and haggard is his face; his ragged
garments float in the blast; a wreath of yew binds his head; thick fogs
arise around him; he tears from the groves the last leaves of autumn;
disease attends his baneful steps; he drinks at the stagnant pool; he
throws himself on the beetling rock; he courts the foaming billows; he
listens to the last groans of the shipwrecked mariner; he wanders
through the churchyard; he seeks the abode of the raven, and horror is
in all his thoughts. Oh, hasten far away from us, gloomy NOVEMBER.
* * * * *
Who is this clad in flannel and warm furs? He wraps his garments close
about him; a wreath of holly binds his bald head; he seeks the warm
hearth and the blazing fire; he expands his hands: they are thin and
shrivelled with age. The snow fast descends; the sweeping blast howls
over the dreary heath, and shakes the cottage of the aged man--he is the
father of the year, and his name is DECEMBER.
Jemima Placid
or
The Advantage of Good Nature
Mr. Placid was a clergyman of distinguished merit, and had been for many
years the vicar of Smiledale. The situation of the parsonage was truly
beautiful, but the income of the living was not very considerable; so,
as the old gentleman had two sons with the young Jemima to provide for,
it was necessary to be rather frugal in his expenses. Mrs. Placid was
remarkably handsome in her youth, but the beauty of her person was much
impaired by a continued state of ill-health, which she supported with
such a degree of cheerful fortitude as did honour to human nature. As
she had had the advantage of a liberal education, and had been always
accustomed to genteel company, her conversation was uncommonly
agreeable; and her daughter derived from her instructions those engaging
qualities which are the most valuable endowments a parent can bestow.
The eldest son, whose name was Charles, was about three years, and
William, the youngest, near a year and a half older than his sister.
Their dispositions were not in all respects so gentle as hers; yet, on
the whole, they formed the most agreeable family.
When Jemima was about six years old, her mother's health rendered it
necessary that she should take a journey to Bristol; and it being out of
her power to have Jemima with her, she left her with an aunt, whose name
was Finer, and who had two daughters a few years older than their
cousin. Miss Placid, who had never before been separated from her
mother, was severely hurt at the thought of leaving home; but as she was
told it was absolutely necessary, she restrained her tears, from fear of
increasing the uneasiness which her mother experienced.
At last the day arrived when her uncle (whom I before forgot to mention)
and his wife came to dinner at Smiledale, with an intention of
conducting Jemima back with them. She was in her father's study at the
time they alighted, and could not help weeping at the idea of quitting
her friends; and throwing her arms around her brother William's neck,
silently sobbed forth that grief she wanted power to restrain. The poor
boy, who loved his sister with great tenderness, was nearly as much
agitated as herself, and could only, with affectionate kisses, every now
and then exclaim:
'Do not cry so, Jemima. Pray, do not! We shall soon meet again, my love.
Pray, do not cry!'
When she had relieved her little heart with this indulgence of her
sorrow, she wiped her eyes, and walked slowly upstairs to have her frock
put on.
'So your aunt is come, miss?' said Peggy, as she put down the basin on
the table to wash her hands.
Poor Jemima was silent.
'I am sorry we are going to lose you, my dear,' added she, as she wiped
the towel over her forehead.
Peggy's hand held back her head, and at the same time supported her
chin, so that her face was confined and exposed to observation. She
wanted to hide her tears, but she could not; so at last, hastily
covering herself with the maid's apron, and putting her two hands round
her waist, she renewed the sorrow which she had so lately suppressed.
Peggy was very fond of her young lady, as indeed was every servant in
the house; but there was a good woman, who went in the family by the
name of Nurse, for whom Jemima had a still greater attachment. She had
attended Mrs. Placid before her marriage, had nursed all her children
from their births, and Jemima was the darling of her heart. As she
entered the room at this time, she took the weeping girl into her lap,
and wept herself at the reflection that it was the first time in her
life she had slept without her.
'And so pray, my dear,' said she, 'take care of yourself; and when you
go to bed, mind that they pin your night-cap close at the top, otherwise
you will get cold; and do not forget to have your linen well aired; for
otherwise it is very dangerous, love; and many a person, by such
neglect, has caught a cold which has terminated in a fever. Sweet child!
I do not like to trust it from me,' added she, hugging her still closer,
and smothering her face in a check cotton handkerchief which she wore on
her neck.
Jemima promised an observance of her injunctions, and being now dressed,
attended a summons from her mother, who was alone in her chamber, the
company having left her to walk in the garden, whither she was unable to
accompany them.
'I see, my dear girl,' said she, holding out her hand as she sat in an
easy-chair by the window--'I see that you are sorry to leave me; and,
indeed, Jemima, I am much grieved that such a separation is necessary;
but I hope I shall be better when I return, and I am sure you would wish
me to be quite well. I hope, therefore, that you will be a good child
while you stay with your uncle and aunt, and not give more trouble than
you cannot avoid.'
Miss Placid assured her mother of her obedience, and her firm resolution
to mind all her admonitions. Mr. Finer returning at this period,
interrupted any further discourse, only Mrs. Placid affectionately
pressed her hand, and, after giving her a kiss, Jemima sat down on a
little stool by her side.
When the hour of her departure was nearly arrived, she retired into the
garden to take leave of her brothers, and went round with them to all
the different places she had been accustomed to play in. They visited
together the poultry-yard, and Jemima fed her bantams before she left
them, bidding them all adieu, and looking behind her for the last time
as she shut the gate. They then walked round by some walnut-trees, where
a seat had been put up for them to sit in the shade.
'I wish you were not going,' said Charles; 'for I put this box and drove
in these nails on purpose for you to hang up your doll's clothes, and
now they will be of no farther use to us.'
'I wish so too,' replied his sister; 'but I cannot help it.'
'Well, do not cry,' added William; 'but come this way by the brewhouse,
and bid my rabbits good-bye, and take this piece of lettuce in your hand
to feed the old doe, and here is some parsley for the young ones. We
shall have some more before you come back, and I will send you word if I
can how many there be.'
'And, Jemima,' said Charles, 'I wish I were going with you to London,
for I should like to see it; it is such a large place, a great deal
bigger than any villages which we have seen, and they say, the houses
stand close together for a great way, and there are no fields or trees,
and the houses have no gardens to them. But then there is a great number
of shops, and you might perhaps get a collar for Hector. Do pray try,
Jemima, and buy him one, and have his name put upon it, and that he
belongs to the Rev. Mr. Placid of Smiledale, for then, in case we should
lose him, folk would know where to return him.'
'And would it not be better to have a bell,' said William, 'as the sheep
have? I like a bell very much; it would make such a nice noise about the
house; and then we should always know where he was when we were reading,
as my father will not let us look after him. What else do we want her to
buy, Charles? Cannot you write a list?'
'That will be the best way,' replied he, taking out his pencil, and,
very ungracefully, to be sure, he put the point of it to his mouth two
or three times before it would write. And then, having but a small scrap
of paper, he despatched his brother, as the shortest way, to fetch a
slate, and he would transcribe it afterwards with a pen and ink, for he
had, in endeavouring to cut a new point to his pencil, broken it off so
frequently that the lead was all wasted, and nothing remained except the
wood. William soon returned with the slate under his arm. Charles took
it from him, and then went to work to prepare a bill of necessary
things, which his sister was to purchase in London. He leaned so hard,
and scratched in such a manner as, had any grown people been of the
party, would have set their teeth on edge (a sensation, I believe, with
which children are unacquainted, for they never seem to notice it at
all).
'First then,' said he, 'I am to mention a collar for Hector, with his
name and place of abode; and I should like very much to have some Indian
glue to mend our playthings, such as father uses, and which we cannot
get here, you know.'
William assented, and Jemima was as attentive as if she had to remember
all the things he was writing without the assistance of his list. They
sat some time in silence to recollect the other necessary commissions
when she reminded them that a new pencil would be a useful article, but
Charles said his father would supply that want, and there was no need to
spend his own money for things he could have without any expense, but if
anyhow he could get a gun with a touch-hole he should be quite happy.
'No, you would not,' returned William, 'for then, Charles, you would
want gunpowder, which you never could have, and if you had, might never
use it.'
'To be sure, that is true. I have long wished for it; but, as you say, I
will be contented without it, so do not concern yourself about that, and
I need not set it down.'
I shall not trouble you with the rest of the consultation on this
important subject, but transcribe the list itself, which, with the
account of the preceding conversation, I received from a young lady who
frequently spent some months with Mrs. Placid, and to whose kindness I
am indebted for many of the various incidents which compose this
history.
A LIST OF THINGS JEMIMA IS TO BRING FROM LONDON.
_A collar for Hector; Indian glue; some little pictures to make
a show; a pair of skates, as we shall like skating better than
sliding; a large coach-whip for Charles, because John will not
lend us his; and some little books which we can understand,
and which mother told Mrs. West may be bought somewhere in
London, but Jemima must inquire about it._
Such were the orders which Miss Placid received from her brothers on her
first journey to the Metropolis. They then attended her to bid adieu to
her canary-bird, which she very tenderly committed to their care, and
desired they would feed it every day, and give it water in her absence,
and mind to turn the glass the right way, otherwise the poor thing might
be starved. While she was taking her leave of little Dick, who hung in
the hall by the window, her cat came purring to her and rubbed its head
against her frock and pushed against her feet, then lay down on one
side, and while Jemima stroked it with her hand, she licked her fingers,
and at last jumped up into the window-seat to be still nearer to its
mistress, who, taking it into her arms, particularly desired her
brothers to give puss some of their milk every morning, and to save some
bits of meat at dinner to carry to it. 'For, my pussy,' added she, 'I am
quite sorry to leave you.'
Another affair remained, which was to put away all her playthings; but
this she had deferred so long that the carriage was ready before she had
concluded, so with that, likewise, she was obliged to entrust her
brothers. And, looking round her with a heavy heart upon every object
she had been accustomed to, she quitted the room with regret, and after
receiving the affectionate kisses of the whole family her father lifted
her into the carriage, and, the tears running down her cheeks, she
looked out of the window as long as the house was in sight and her
brothers continued to stand at the gate, till the road to London turning
into a contrary direction they could no longer see each other. She
then, with a melancholy countenance, watched the fields and lanes she
passed by, till at last, quite fatigued, she sat down, and soon after
fell asleep.
When they stopped at the inn where they intended to rest that night, she
was so much fatigued, having been up very early, that she did not wake
till she was nearly undressed, when, finding herself in a house where
she had never before been, she looked about, but was too good to fret at
such a circumstance, though she wished to be at home again. The next
morning they renewed their journey, and in two days arrived at Mr.
Piner's house about eight o'clock in the evening.
Jemima, who had not seen her cousins since she was two years old, had
entirely forgotten them, and, as they expected to find her as much a
baby as at their last interview, they appeared like entire strangers to
each other. They welcomed their father and mother, and looked at Miss
Placid with silent amazement; both parties, indeed, said the civil
things they were desired, such as 'How do you do, cousin?' rather in a
low and drawling tone of voice; and Miss Sally, who was eight years old,
turned her head on one side and hung on her father's arm, though he
tried to shake her off, and desired her to welcome Miss Placid to
London, and to say she was glad to see her, to inquire after her father,
mother, and brothers, and, in short, to behave politely, and receive her
in a becoming manner. To do this, however, Mr. Piner found was
impossible, as his daughters were not at any time distinguished by the
graces, and were always particularly awkward from their shyness at a
first introduction.
Our young traveller became by the next morning very sociable with her
cousins, and complied with their customs with that cheerful obligingness
which has always so much distinguished her character. She was much
surprised at the bustle which she saw in the street, and the number of
carriages so agreeably engaged her attention that it was with reluctance
she quitted her seat on a red trunk by the window to enjoy the plays in
which her cousins were solicitous to engage her. Mrs. Finer had been for
some time engaged to dine with a lady of her acquaintance, where she
could not conveniently take either of her children, and they both
fretted and pined at the disappointment so as to render themselves
uncomfortable and lose the pleasure of a holiday, which their mother had
allowed them in consequence of their cousin's arrival. Miss Ellen, the
eldest, was continually teasing to know the reason why she might not go,
though she had repeatedly been told it was inconvenient; and Jemima
beheld with astonishment two girls, so much older than herself, presume
to argue with their mother about the propriety of her commands, when
their duty should have been quiet submission. When her aunt was gone she
took all the pains in her power to engage them to be good-humoured,
presented them with their toys, and carried to them their dolls; but
they sullenly replied to all her endeavours they did not want them, and
told her not to plague them so, for they had seen them all a hundred
times. At last Sally, taking up a little tin fireplace which belonged to
her sister, Miss Ellen snatched it from her, and said she should not
have it. Sally caught it back again, and they struggled for it with such
passion as to be entirely careless of the mischief they might do each
other.
Poor Jemima, who had never disagreed with her brothers nor been witness
to such a scene in her life, was terrified to see them engage with a
degree of violence which threatened them with essential hurt. She
endeavoured to appease their fury, and ventured, after she had stood
still for some time between two chairs, to try if, by catching hold of
one of their hands, she could be able to part them, but they only gave
her some blows, and said she had no business in their quarrel. She then
retired to the farther part of the room, and ardently wished herself at
home. When spying another fireplace under the table, she took it up with
good-natured transport, and running to Miss Finer, told her there was
one for her, which she hoped would put an end to the dispute. This,
however, proved to be the property of Miss Sally, who declared, in her
turn, that her sister should not touch any of her playthings; and
finding she was not strong enough to retain it, she threw it with all
her force to the other end of the room, and unfortunately hit Miss
Placid a blow with one of the sharp corners, just above her temple. This
at once put an end to the battle, for the blood immediately trickled
down her cheek, and alarmed the two sisters, who, forgetting the subject
of the debate, began to be uneasy at the effects of it; only Ellen, who
considered herself as more innocent (merely because she had not been the
immediate cause of the accident), with a recriminating air, said:
'There, miss, you have done it now! You have killed your cousin, I
believe!'
Jemima, though in a great deal of pain, and much frightened, did not
cry; as she seldom shed tears, unless from sensibility, or at parting
with her friends. She held her handkerchief to the place, and became
more alarmed in proportion as she saw it covered with blood, till at
last, finding it was beyond their art to stop the effusion, Ellen, with
trembling steps, went upstairs to tell the servant of their misfortune.
Dinah, which was the maid's name, had been so often accustomed to find
her young ladies in mischief, that she did not descend in very good
humour, and upon her entrance exclaimed that they were all the
naughtiest girls in the world, without inquiring how the accident
happened, or making any exception to the innocence of Jemima, who could
only again most sincerely wish to be once more at Smiledale with her
mother. Dinah, after washing her temple with vinegar, which made it
smart very much (though she did not complain), told them they had been
so naughty that they should not go to play any more, nor would she hear
Miss Placid's justification, but crossly interrupted her by saying:
'Hold your tongue, child! and do not want to get into mischief again;
for my mistress will make a fine piece of work, I suppose, about what
you have done already.'
Jemima was too much awed by the ill-nature of her looks and the anger of
her expressions to vindicate her conduct any further, but quietly
sitting down, she comforted herself with the reflection that her
displeasure was undeserved, and that to fret at what she could not avoid
would not make her more happy, and therefore, with great good humour,
took up a bit of paper which contained the rough drawing of a little
horse which Charles had given her on the day of her departure, and which
she had since carefully preserved.
In justice to Mrs. Dinah I must here observe that she was not naturally
ill-natured, but the Misses Piner were so frequently naughty as to give
her a great deal of trouble, and tire out her patience; and their
mother, by not taking the proper methods to subdue the errors of their
dispositions, had made them so refractory that it soured her own temper,
and occasioned her to blame her servants for the consequence of those
faults which it was her duty to have prevented. So you see, my dear
Eliza, from such instances, how mistaken is that indulgence which, by
gratifying the humours of children, will make them impatient and
vindictive, unhappy in themselves, and a trouble to everyone with whom
they are connected. The amiable Jemima was always contented and
good-humoured, even when she was not in a state agreeable to her wishes,
and, by learning to submit to what she did not like, when it could not
be altered, she obtained the love of everybody who knew her, and passed
through life with less trouble than people usually experience; for, by
making it a rule to comply with her situation, she always enjoyed the
comforts it afforded, and suffered as little as possible from its
inconvenience In the present case her cousins, by their ill-temper and
fretfulness, had quarrelled with each other; and when Dinah would not
let them play--as, indeed, they justly deserved to be punished--they did
nothing but grumble and cry the whole day, and were so conscious of
their bad behaviour as to be afraid of seeing their mother; while Miss
Placid, serene in her own innocence, entertained herself for some time
with looking at the horse above mentioned, and afterwards with pricking
it, till Dinah set her at liberty, which, seeing her good temper, she
soon did, and gave her besides some pretty pictures to look at and some
fruit to eat, of all which her cousins were deprived. By the next
morning Jemima's temple had turned black, and Mrs. Piner inquired how
she had hurt herself. She coloured at the question with some confusion,
not willing to inform her aunt of anything to Miss Sally's disadvantage,
but, as she was too honest to say anything but the truth, she begged
Mrs. Finer would not be angry if she informed her, which she, having
promised, Jemima told her, adding that her cousin had no intention to
hurt her.
Mrs. Piner kissed and commended Jemima very much, and Dinah having
likewise given a high account of her goodness, she told her daughters
she was much displeased with them, but in consequence of their cousin's
intercession would not punish them that time, and desired them for the
future to imitate her example.
As soon as breakfast was over they were dismissed to school, while
Jemima remained with her aunt, who, after having heard her read, gave
her a handkerchief to hem, which she sat down by her to do, and when she
had done work very prettily, entered into conversation.
'I should be much obliged to you, madam,' said she, 'as I do not know my
way about London, if you would go with me to buy some things for my
brothers, which I promised to carry back when I return. I have got some
money to pay for them, for Charles gave me a sixpence, and three
halfpence, and a farthing; and William gave me threepence; and I have
got a silver penny and a twopence of my own, all screwed safely in a
little red box.'
Mrs. Piner inquired what the articles were which she wished to purchase,
and smiled on perusing the list which Charles had written.
'And pray, my dear,' said she, 'how do you intend to carry the
coach-whip, for you will not be able conveniently to pack it up? And as
to the skates, I do not think your father would choose your brothers
should make use of them till they are much older, as they are very
dangerous, and particularly so to little boys. The other things I will
endeavour to procure, and you shall take a walk with me to buy the books
and choose them yourself, and I will pay for them; so you may save your
money in the little box, for you are a very good girl, and therefore
deserve to be encouraged.'
Jemima thanked her aunt for her kind intentions, and said if she could
get a coach-whip, she thought she could carry it to Smiledale in her
hand; and as her brothers were always kind to her, she wished to do
everything in her power to oblige them.
The next day was to be a holiday at her cousins' school, on account of
their dancing-master's ball, to which the Misses Piner were invited; and
Mrs. Piner had promised Jemima she should be of the party. They rose in
the morning with the pleasing hopes of enjoying a dance in the evening;
and Ellen went a dozen times in the day to look at her new cap, wishing
it was time to put it on (for she was a silly, vain girl), and was so
foolish as to imagine herself of more consequence, because she was
better dressed than other children.
'Oh, Miss Placid,' said she, 'you will look so dowdy to-night in your
plain muslin frock, while all the rest of the ladies will wear either
gauze frocks or silk coats full trimmed. Have you seen how handsome our
dresses will be? Do, pray, look at them,' added she, opening the drawer
and extending the silk, and then, glad of an excuse to survey it, she
went to a box, and, taking out her cap, held it on her hand, turning it
round and round with a degree of pride and pleasure which was very
silly.
Jemima good-naturedly admired her cousin's finery without wishing for
any addition to her own.
'I am sure,' replied she, 'my mother has provided what is proper for me,
and is so kind as to afford me everything necessary; and my frocks are
always clean, and will do extremely well for the present occasion, or
else my aunt would have bought me another.'
'But should not you like such a cap?' said Miss Ellen, putting it on
Jemima's head. 'You look very pretty in it indeed.'
[Illustration: _Ellen went a dozen times in the day to look at hey new
cap.--Page 36._]
'No; I think it is too large for me,' returned Miss Placid; 'and there
is a piece of wire in it which scratches when you press it down. You
should alter that, or it will be very uncomfortable.'
In short, the ball was the only subject of conversation during the whole
day; and although Miss Piner felt an uncommon headache and sickness, yet
she would not complain, for fear her mother should think proper to leave
her at home. The pain, however, increased greatly, and she frequently
left the parlour to give vent to her complaints and avoid her mother's
notice. The heaviness of her eyes and alternate change of countenance
from pale to red, at last took Mrs. Piner's attention, and she tenderly
inquired after her health; but Ellen affected to treat her indisposition
as a trifle, though, as she was by no means patient in general, she
would at any other time have made incessant complaints. She attempted to
laugh and play, but to no purpose, for her illness became too violent to
be suppressed. However, upon her father's hinting at dinner that she
seemed to have no appetite, and had better, if not well, go to bed, she
forced herself, against her inclination, to eat some meat and pudding,
and went up afterwards to conceal her uneasiness, and put on her
clothes, thinking that if she was in readiness it would be an additional
reason for her going. But, alas! so foolish is vanity, and so
insignificant are outward ornaments, that when Miss Ellen was decked out
in the gauze frock which had so long engaged her thoughts, she felt such
a degree of uneasiness from her sickness as to make her disregard what
she had before wished for with such ill-placed ardour.
Having eaten more than was proper for her stomach in such a disordered
state, it increased her illness very much; but being determined to go,
though her mother advised her to the contrary, and pretending she was
somewhat better, she stepped into the coach, the motion of which soon
produced a most terrible catastrophe; and before she could speak for
assistance, occasioned such a violent sickness as totally spoiled her
own and her cousin's clothes, who sat opposite to her; nor did Sally's
quite escape the disaster, for as she had spread them over Jemima, with
an intent to display their beauties, they shared in part that calamity
which had so unfortunately overtaken the others.
Mrs. Piner, though she was grieved at her daughter's indisposition, was
likewise extremely angry at the consequence of her obstinacy.
'If you had stayed at home, as I bade you,' said she, somewhat angrily,
'nothing of this would have happened,' and, pulling the check-string,
added, 'we must turn about, coachman, for we cannot proceed in this
condition.'
Sally, notwithstanding her sister's illness, continually teased her
mother to know whether they should go when Ellen was set down and her
own dress wiped, without attending to her sister's complaints. When the
carriage reached Mr. Piner's, he came himself hastily to the door to
know what accident had occasioned their unexpected return, and upon
being informed, lifted poor Ellen into the house, while her sister
declared she would not walk indoors, as she wanted to go to the ball.
Dinah was, however, called down, and with much resistance conveyed the
young lady crying and kicking upstairs.
Jemima stood by unnoticed in the general confusion, and Miss Piner was
undressed with the utmost expedition, and sincerely rejoiced to be rid
of the encumbrance of that finery which in another situation would have
excited her envy. Our little heroine, whose sense as well as serenity
was uncommon, reflected that gay clothes must, certainly in themselves
be of little value, since they could not prevent the approach of
disease, or suspend for a moment the attacks of pain; that the pleasure
they bestowed, as it was ill-founded, was likewise extremely transient,
as Sally's passion on her disappointment was sufficient to prove, since
she was now mortified in proportion as she had before been elated. And
though her sister's reflections were for the present suspended by the
violence of pain, yet her vexation, when she was restored to the ability
of contemplating the state of her clothes, would be equally poignant and
without remedy.
While Miss Placid, in obedience to her aunt, took off the frock which
had suffered so much in its short journey, Sally sat screaming and
crying in an easy-chair, into which she had thrown herself, declaring
she would go, and pushed Dinah away as often as she attempted to take
out a pin. Nor would she be pacified by any endeavours which were used
to please and amuse her, till her mother, quite tired with her noise and
ill-humour, declared she would send word to her governess the next
morning if she did not do what she was desired; upon which threat she
submitted to be undressed, but petulantly threw every article of her
attire upon the ground, and afterwards sat down in one of the windows in
sullen silence, without deigning an answer to any question that was
proposed to her. Jemima was as much disappointed as her cousin could be,
and had formed very high expectations of the pleasure she should receive
at the ball; but she had been always accustomed to submit to unavoidable
accidents without repining, and to make herself happy with those
amusements in her power when she was deprived of what she might wish for
but could not procure.
Some time after this Mr. Steward, a gentleman who lived at Smiledale,
came up to town about business, and called upon Mr. Piner with an
intention of seeing Miss Jemima, who was much distressed that she
happened to be absent, as she wished to hear some news of her father and
brothers. However, he returned again the next day, and Miss Placid very
gracefully paid her respects to him, and inquired after the friends she
had left. He satisfied her as to their health, and presented her with a
letter from her brother Charles, which, as soon as she could find an
opportunity, she retired to read. The contents were as follow:
_To Miss Placid._
'MY DEAR SISTER,
'As William writes so very slowly, and as father does not think he
should scribble at all, he has desired me to inform you of everything
that has passed since you left us. And first I must acquaint you with a
sad accident which will render one of your commissions useless. Poor
Hector, the day after you went away, was lost for several hours. We went
to every house in the village, and hunted behind every tomb in the
churchyard; called Hector! Hector! through all the fields, and then
returned and sought him in our own garden again; looked under the bench
in the poultry-yard, nay, even in the cellar and coal hole; but no
Hector returned. We sat down together on the bottom stair in the hall,
and William cried ready to break his heart. Father said he was sorry,
but told us our tears would not bring him back, and advised us to bear
the loss of him with more fortitude, took William on his lap, and read a
story to divert him. We got tolerably cheerful and went down to tea; but
as soon as my brother took up his bread and butter, the thoughts of
Hector always jumping up to him for a bit, and how he would bark and
snap in play at his fingers, quite overcame his firmness, and he could
not touch a morsel. Well, to make short of the story, the next morning
John came in and told father that Squire Sutton's gamekeeper, not
knowing to whom he belonged, had shot him for running after the deer.
"Why now," said I, "if he had but stayed away from the park till Jemima
had brought him a collar he would not have been killed. Poor Hector! I
shall hate Ben Hunt as long as I live for it." "Fie, Charles," said my
father. "Hector is dead, sir," said I; and I did not then stay to hear
any further. But since that we have talked a great deal about love and
forgiveness; and I find I must love Ben Hunt, even though I now see poor
Hector's tomb in the garden. For John went to fetch him, and we buried
him under the lilac-tree, on the right hand side, just by the large
sun-flower. And we cried a great deal, and made a card tomb-stone over
his grave; and father gave us an old hatband and we cut it into pieces
and we went as mourners. His coffin was carried by Tom Wood, the
carpenter's son, whose father was so kind as to make it for us, while
James Stavely (the clerk's nephew), my brother, and I, followed as chief
mourners, and old nurse and Peggy put on their black hoods which they
had when Jane Thompson died, and went with us, and we had the kitchen
table-cloth for a pall, with the old black wrapper put over it which
used to cover the parrot's cage; but we did not read anything, for that
would not have been right, as you know. After all, he was but a dog.
Father, however, to please us, wrote the following epitaph, which I very
carefully transcribed and affixed over his grave:
'"Here Hector lies, more bless'd by far
Than he who drove the victor's car;
Who once Patroclus did subdue,
And suffer'd for the conquest too.
Like him, o'ercome by cruel fate,
Stern fortune's unrelenting hate;
An equal doom severe he found,
And Hunt inflicts the deadly wound.
Less cruel than Pelides, he
His manes were pursuits to be;
And satisfied to see him fall,
Ne'er dragg'd him round the Trojan wall."
'I am very sorry for the poor fellow's untimely end, and so, I daresay,
you will be. Our rabbit has kindled, and we have one in particular the
skin of which is white with black spots, the prettiest I ever saw, and
which we have called Jemima, and will give to you when you return. Peggy
has sprained her ankle by a fall downstairs. I forgot my wooden horse
and left it in the way, and she came down in the dark and stumbled over
it. I was very sorry, and my father was much displeased, as it is what
he has so often cautioned us against. Jack Dough, the baker's boy,
brought me a linnet yesterday, which I have placed in a cage near your
canary-bird, who is very well. I do not think I have much more to say,
for writing is such tedious work that I am quite tired, though what I
have done has been a fortnight in hand. I have a great many things which
I want to tell you if we could meet, and I should wish to know how you
like London. Good-bye! William desires his love to you, and bids me say
that he, as well as myself, will ever be
'Your affectionate brother,
'CHARLES PLACID.'
You may be sure that the intelligence of Hector's death gave Jemima some
uneasiness; more especially as, at the first time Mr. Steward had
called, she was out with her aunt and actually purchased a collar for
him, which, before the receipt of her letter, she had contemplated with
great satisfaction, in the idea of having so well executed her brothers'
commission, and the pleasure it would afford them.
When Miss Placid had been in town about four months, and her mother was
returned from Bristol, Mr. Placid came up to fetch her home, and invited
her cousins to accompany her to Smiledale, promising to take great care
of them and to teach them to read and write, and that Mrs. Placid would
instruct them in every other part of their learning. To which Mr. and
Mrs. Piner consented. The pleasure which Jemima felt at seeing her
father after so long an absence can be better imagined than described.
She looked at him with such transport that the tears started to her
eyes, and, wanting words to declare the feelings of her heart, could
only express her joy by stroking and kissing his hand as she sat on a
stool by his side, and pressing it with fervour between both hers, she
exclaimed that she was glad to see him. Her uncle and aunt gave her the
highest praise for her good behaviour, and assured her father that they
had never during the whole time of her visit seen her once out of
humour, or at all fretful upon any occasion. Mr. Placid said he was
extremely happy to hear so good an account of his little girl, but that
he had expected everything amiable from the sweetness of her
disposition, adding, 'It would be very strange if she had behaved
otherwise with you as, I assure you, she is at all times equally
tractable and engaging.'
The evening before her departure her aunt was so obliging as to present
her with a new doll, which she had taken great pains to dress, and had
made for it two dimity petticoats, with a nice pair of stays, a pink
satin coat, and a muslin frock. She had likewise purchased some cotton
stockings and a pair of red shoes with white roses, white gloves tied
with pink strings, and a gauze cap with pink satin ribbons. Jemima,
with a graceful courtesy, paid her acknowledgments to Mrs. Piner for
that favour, and all the kind attentions she had received since she had
been in town, and saw it packed up with great care in a box by itself,
pleasing herself with the joy it would afford her to show it to her
mother. She then busied herself in putting up the Indian glue, and a
great quantity of pictures which had been given her, poor Hector's
collar, and several books which she had bought and had already perused
with much delight, particularly 'A Course of Lectures for Sunday
Evenings,' 'The Village School,' and 'Perambulation of a Mouse,' 2 vols.
each, together with the 'First Principles of Religion,' and the
'Adventures of a Pincushion.' All these mighty volumes she took with her
to Smiledale, and Mr. Placid was so much pleased with them as to send
for an additional supply to present to his friends. As to the skates, he
had desired her not to think about them, as he should by no means
approve of her brothers using them; nor would they have occasion for a
coach-whip, but as he knew Charles had broken his bat she might carry
him one instead. Jemima entreated permission to convey to them a drum,
as she thought it would be a plaything they would much enjoy. To this he
immediately consented, and went himself to procure one.
The Misses Piner, who were in as great a hurry with their preparations
as Jemima, behaved with less composure on the occasion. They tossed
everything out of their drawers in search of such toys as they could
possibly take with them, and wanted to pack up their whole stock of
playthings (which, indeed, was a very large one), and then, as fast as
Dinah put what they desired into their trunk, Ellen snatched it out if
it belonged to her sister, and Sally did the same unless it happened to
be her own. So that, quite tired with their teasing, naughty behaviour,
she turned it topsy-turvy, and declared she would not put up any one
thing except their clothes, and added she wished they were gone with all
her heart.
I shall not take up your time with any account of their journey, nor
endeavour to describe the places which they passed through on their way
to Smiledale, whither they arrived about five o'clock in the afternoon.
Jemima ran to her mother with a degree of rapture which evinced the
sincerity of her joy in returning to her embraces as soon as her
brothers would permit her to disengage herself from their caresses, for,
as they knew the day which was fixed for their return, and could nearly
guess at the time she would arrive, they had taken their stand at the
very place where they had parted with her, and, as soon as the carriage
came in sight, they ran with their utmost speed to meet it, and came
back again, jumping by the side, and when the coach stopped, were so
eager to welcome their sister that they would scarcely leave room for
her to get out, and they were in such a hurry to show her every new
acquisition they had made since her departure that they would not allow
her time to speak to anybody but themselves.
Two Trials
I
Sally Delia
Silence being demanded, the secretary opened the trial.
_Secretary._ Lucy Sterling against Sally Delia, for raising contention
among her schoolfellows, and disturbing the general peace.
_Judge._ If I was unhappy in being appointed to sit in judgment on Billy
Prattle, how much more so must I now be when I am bound to inquire with
impartiality into every particular which may tend to convict Sally Delia
of the charge laid against her. I would, however, recommend you to go
through this business with the utmost candour, to advance nothing
through prejudice, to conceal nothing through a mistaken tenderness; and
to you, ladies of the jury, to divest yourselves of everything but
truth, to weigh nicely the force of the evidence, that, in giving your
verdict, you may convince everyone present you have acted upon upright
principles.
_Secretary._ Lucy Sterling, please to support the charge.
_Judge._ I would beg leave, Lucy Sterling, before you proceed to give
your evidence, to ask you whether either of the ladies on the jury were
anyways concerned in this quarrel.
_Lucy Sterling._ Sally Delia left the choice of her jury to me. It
therefore became my business, though a principal evidence against her,
to choose such young ladies as were absent at the time of the fray.
_Judge._ Happy, indeed, is that young lady in whom friends and enemies
confide!
_Lucy Sterling._ A few evenings ago, when all the young ladies had
finished their labours for that day, they were allowed to amuse
themselves in what innocent manner they pleased in our garden. Our
governess, solicitous for our felicity, thought to add to our pleasures
by sending us a basket of sweetmeats, which she intended to be equally
divided; but an unlucky accident turned this kind intention into a scene
of sorrow, and raised in their hearts nothing but strife. There happened
to be a piece of candied angelica, which seemed very beautiful. On this
they all placed their attention, and all begged for that. Every one
endeavoured to show her superior right. Sally Delia urged her superior
strength. But as they were all speaking together it was almost
impossible to distinguish what one said from the other.
_Judge._ Was Sally Delia the first who talked of committing violence?
_Lucy Sterling._ I heard nobody else mention any such thing. I
endeavoured to quiet them, but they would not listen to me. Their minds
were so bent upon this piece of sweetmeat that all the rest were
disregarded. I offered to divide it amongst them to pacify them; but
they all talked together, and had no time to listen to what I said.
Then, as the only method to quiet the disturbance, I threw the bone of
contention into a ditch, from whence it was impossible for either of
them to get it. A profound silence ensued, and I took that opportunity
to reason with them on the folly of quarrelling about such trifles. My
admonitions were in vain, for the contention broke out more violently,
and the dispute now was, not who should have it, but who ought to have
had it. Sally Delia was the first who renewed the strife, and not being
able to give vent to her passion in words alone, gave Nancy Graceful a
slap on the face. The other returned the blow, and the scuffle became
general. Many blows, indeed, did not pass between them, for they aimed
only at tearing each others' clothes. One had her cap torn to pieces,
and her hair pulled all about her shoulders; a second had her frock torn
down the middle; and, in short, there was hardly one among them who had
not some mark to show of having been concerned in this unfortunate
affair.
_Judge._ What part did you act in this fray, and how did it end?
_Lucy Sterling._ I endeavoured to part them, and in endeavouring so to
do, received several scratches on the hands and arms. I know not where
all this would have ended had not our governess come to my assistance.
After hearing her voice, everything was quiet, excepting with Sally
Delia, who, in the presence of her governess, tore two handkerchiefs and
an apron. The fear of punishment now began to take place of anger, and
each, ashamed of the trophies of victory she held in her hands, let them
fall to the ground. Our governess for some time stood astonished, little
thinking that what she had given them to increase their felicity should
be the cause of so much animosity. Madame inquired of me the cause of
this disaster, which I explained as well as I was able. They were all
examined separately, their tears pleaded their pardon; but Sally Delia
remained obdurate and inflexible.
_Secretary._ Polly Artless, please to come and give evidence.
_Judge._ What do you know, Polly, of this quarrel?
_Polly Artless._ I was not present when it happened; but the next
morning I attended Sally Delia's examination before Lucy Sterling. Her
governess had ordered Lucy Sterling to examine her, and in case she
could not bring her to repentance, then to confine her, and order her to
be brought to trial.
_Judge._ Relate what passed at this examination.
_Polly Artless._ Lucy Sterling asked her in the most kind manner what
she could think to get by her contention about a piece of sweetmeat.
Sally Delia replied that she should not answer her question; that she
did not like to have more than one governess, and if she obeyed her she
thought she did enough.
_Judge._ What reply did Lucy Sterling make to this?
_Polly Artless._ Lucy Sterling reminded her of the authority with which
she herself had contributed to invest her; that she did not set up to
govern others, or to prove herself wiser than they; that she only wanted
to persuade her to learn to be peaceable and happy. She therefore begged
leave to repeat the question whether she got anything by this last
quarrel?
_Judge._ Did Sally Delia make any answer?
_Polly Artless._ She replied that she could not say she did get anything
by it but the displeasure of her governess and having her clothes torn;
that she did not value the sweetmeat, but that she had too much spirit
to be imposed on, and that she was sure she had as much right to it as
any of them.
_Judge._ Did Lucy Sterling endeavour any further to convince her of her
fault?
_Polly Artless._ Yes. Lucy Sterling told her that she would have shown a
greater spirit in giving up the matter of contention than in fighting
for it; that then she would have proved herself a young lady of
moderation and sense, nor would she have incurred the high displeasure
of her governess. Sally Delia was at a loss for an answer, but she was
so obstinate that she did not care to own herself in the wrong. At last
she replied: 'I think I am as capable of judging what is right as you
are of teaching me.' Then, finding herself overpowered by reason, she
burst into tears. Lucy Sterling did everything in her power to bring her
to confess her fault, but all was to no purpose. She therefore left her
in custody till her trial.
_Judge._ What is the character of Sally Delia among her schoolfellows?
_Polly Artless._ She is too apt to be quarrelsome, too full of her high
birth, and dissatisfied with everything.
_Secretary._ Betsy Friendly, please to come and give evidence.
_Judge._ What do you know, Betsy Friendly, concerning this quarrel?
_Betsy Friendly._ I accompanied Polly Artless on the examination of the
accused before Lucy Sterling, and, to the best of my remembrance, Polly
Artless has told the truth.
_Judge._ Do you know anything further?
_Betsy Friendly._ I called this morning on Sally Delia, before she came
on her trial. I found her divided between obstinacy and contrition, but
I thought more inclinable to the latter.
_Judge._ Relate what passed at this visit?
_Betsy Friendly._ As soon as I entered the chamber, I saw her sitting
on a sofa in a pensive posture, and tears in her eyes. I asked her what
she thought of Lucy Sterling's advice, and whether it would not have
been better to have followed it than suffer her conduct to be exposed in
a public manner?
_Judge._ What reply did she make?
_Betsy Friendly._ Sally Delia said that she began to see a good deal of
truth in Lucy Sterling's observations, and she seemed to fear that her
reason would at last oblige her to own it. This last thought seemed to
fill her with the most painful reflections.
_Judge._ Did you not endeavour to convince her of the folly of her
obstinacy?
_Betsy Friendly._ I said all I could think of to persuade her to conquer
her spirit. She would not, at last, give me a word of answer to anything
I said. I then turned from her and left her.
_Judge._ What have you observed with respect to her general behaviour?
_Betsy Friendly._ She is too often obstinate and quarrelsome, but at
other times free, easy, and good-natured.
_Secretary._ Susan Lenox, please to give evidence.
_Judge._ What do you know in respect to this fray?
_Susan Lenox._ I have too much reason to remember it, for my cambric
apron, which had cost me three months' working, was torn to rags.
_Judge._ What is your opinion of the general behaviour of Sally Delia?
_Susan Lenox._ She is sometimes well enough--at least, so long as you
will listen to her tales about her illustrious family.
_Secretary._ Anne Graceful, please to give evidence.
_Judge._ Please to inform the court, Anne Graceful, of what you know
concerning this affair.
_Anne Graceful._ I have reason to complain of my loss; my muslin frock
was entirely destroyed.
_Judge._ Please to inform the court who gave the first blow?
_Anne Graceful._ Though I did not see Delia give the first blow, I have
no reason to doubt she was the person from whom I received it. When we
were disputing who ought to have had the favourite sweetmeat, Sally
Delia urged her high birth and fortune, and concluded that if reason
could not strength should have obtained it. Hearing this, I turned my
back on her as a mark of contempt, when I instantly received a violent
slap on the head.
_Judge._ How did you act on that occasion.
_Anne Graceful._ I instantly turned about, and in my anger, mistaking
Susan Lenox for Sally Delia, I treated her very rudely.
_Judge._ This ought to teach us that passion is not only ill-becoming a
young lady, but that it may lead into such mistakes as may be attended
with serious consequences. But when you found your mistake, how did you
behave towards Susan Lenox?
_Anne Graceful._ As soon as peace was restored, I begged pardon, and
offered to repair all injuries. The former was granted, but the latter
she would not accept.
_Judge._ I have only one more question to ask, which you will please to
answer me on your word. Was there not some old grudge subsisting between
you and Sally Delia?
_Anne Graceful._ I must own that I never liked her; there was something
in her so proud and overbearing as gave me a disgust.
_Judge._ But were Delia to alter her conduct, should you forget what is
past?
_Anne Graceful._ When she begins to act like a reasonable girl, she
will become dear to me and the rest of her schoolfellows.
_Secretary._ Henry Lenox, come forward and give evidence.
_Judge._ What do you know, Henry Lenox, of this fray?
_Henry Lenox._ I saw all the finest part of it. I happened to be looking
after a bird's nest in a field next to the garden: I heard the young
ladies in high chat: but, as the sound did not seem to be very
harmonious, curiosity led me to see what they were at. I instantly
climbed up into a tree, and scarce had I taken my seat, when the
engagement began. I saw Sally Delia strike Anne Graceful in the face;
that young lady turned about and pulled off my sister's cap, and part of
her hair with it. The battle soon became general, and it was impossible
for me to distinguish friends from foes. Such a havoc ensued among caps,
gowns, and frocks, as I never before beheld. This is the truth of what I
know of this terrible disaster.
_Judge._ Do you, on your word, declare that Sally Delia gave the first
blow?
_Henry Lenox._ I am certain she did.
_Judge._ Sally Delia, what have you to say in your defence?
_Sally Delia._ I am now brought to a public trial, as though I were some
mean-born wretch; but out of conformity to your customs I submit to it.
I deny the whole of the charge, and will wait for the verdict.
_Judge._ Young ladies of the jury, Sally Delia now stands before you,
accused of raising strife and contention among her schoolfellows, and
disturbing the general peace. Lucy Sterling affirms that the governess
having presented the young ladies with a basket of sweetmeats to regale
them, a quarrel arose among them with respect to the preference of
choice of one part of it. Disputes ran high, and at last Sally Delia
was so imprudent as to lift up her hand against one of her
schoolfellows, which created a general confusion. The part Lucy Sterling
acted in endeavouring to pacify them is no small addition to that
character for which she is so justly admired. This young lady says
positively that she saw Sally Delia give the first blow; that the
contention was no sooner over than all of them were sorry for what they
had done, except Sally Delia, who persisted in her fault, and was to be
prevailed on by no entreaties or arguments. Polly Artless says that she
was not present at the fray, but attended Sally Delia on her examination
before Lucy Sterling, and corroborates everything which that young lady
had advanced, but more particularly points out the care Lucy Sterling
took to bring her to reason. I may add, the character this evidence
gives Sally Delia is not at all to her reputation. Betsy Friendly, who
visited the accused before her trial, seems to speak something in her
favour by saying she showed some marks of contrition, but at last left
her in an obstinate condition. Susan Lenox stood next to the accused at
the time she struck Anne Graceful, and became herself a sufferer
thereby. Anne Graceful cannot take upon herself positively that Sally
Delia was the person that struck her, though circumstances are strong
against her; but Henry Lenox declares he saw Sally Delia give the blow.
Sally Delia, in her defence, contents herself with denying the whole of
the charge, and rests on her innocence. I will only observe that I
cannot see how you can acquit her when there are so many convincing
proofs of her guilt. The principal point to be considered is what
punishment you will inflict: it ought not to be so slight a one that the
remembrance of it may leave no impression behind, nor so heavy that it
may anyways be deemed insupportable. After all, I only give my opinion
freely, which, above all, is to do justice and love mercy.
(The jury went out, and returned again in about half an hour.)
_Judge._ Are you all agreed in your verdict?
_Jury._ Yes.
_Judge._ Is Sally Delia guilty or not guilty?
_Jury._ Guilty.
_Judge._ What punishment do you inflict?
_Jury._ To be confined one month to her chamber; to be allowed neither
sweetmeats nor fruit, nor to receive any visits; but, that her health
may not be impaired, that she be allowed to walk twice a day in the
garden, at those times when none of the scholars are there; that, after
that time is expired, she be brought into the large hall, and there be
obliged to ask a general pardon of all her schoolfellows; and that, in
case she refuses to comply with these injunctions, that her parents be
then prayed to take her home.
Sally Delia, who had made no doubt that she should be acquitted, no
sooner heard this hard judgment given against her than she burst into
tears. The judge seeing it, thus spoke to her: 'I should be glad, Sally
Delia, if you would inform me and the whole court from what source those
tears flow: whether from a just sense of your crimes, or only from the
apprehensions of your punishment? Why should you delay to humble that
haughty spirit, to acknowledge your error, and beg for a mitigation of
your punishments? I will myself then plead for you. But remember, if you
continue obstinate till the court is broken up, your repentance
afterwards will come too late.'
Sally Delia then fell upon her knees, acknowledged her fault, and begged
a mitigation of her punishment. The judge recommended her to the jury,
who left the matter entirely to him. He ordered her to be confined only
three days, and even during that time to have the liberty of receiving
visits from the rest of the scholars.
The trial being now ended, Sally Delia's schoolfellows, who just before
had been evidences against her, ran to her and tenderly embraced her.
She promised to lay aside all her haughty actions, and, instead of being
hated by her companions, to obtain the love of them all. She kept her
word, and is now become one of the most amiable young ladies in the
school.
The whole court was extremely well satisfied with the candid manner in
which every part of the trial was supported.
II
Harry Lenox
Harry Lenox little thought, when he was giving evidence against Sally
Delia, that he should himself be soon brought to public trial. He was in
many respects of a good disposition; he loved his books, was affable and
obliging to his schoolfellows, and subservient to his tutor; but then he
was fond of getting into mischief, such as breaking church-windows,
laying traps to throw people down, and was very ingenious at inventions
of this kind. Whenever he was accused of anything of this sort, he would
not only deny it, but stoutly stand to it; and this, at last, brought
him to a trial.
The young gentlemen in general were very much vexed at Harry's disgrace,
and would have bought off the complaint but that this would have been
deemed bribery and corruption. The ladies were, most of them, well
pleased that he was himself now brought into the same dilemma. In the
meantime the judge took his seat, the jury assembled, and the prisoner
was brought to the bar.
_Secretary._ Sammy Halifax against Harry Lenox, for a robbery and
telling a fib.
_Judge._ Call up the evidence.
_Secretary._ Sammy Halifax, support the charge.
_Judge._ What have you to say, Sammy Halifax, against the prisoner?
_Sammy Halifax._ A few days ago, having given my tutor satisfaction in
the performance of my exercises, he ordered me a plum-tart as a reward.
It was baked in a tin pan, which I was ordered to bring back as soon as
I had eat the tart. Henry Lenox was remarkably taken with the look of
this tart, and offered to keep it for me till I wanted it, alleging that
his room, which was a north light, would keep it much better than mine,
on which the sun shone the hottest part of the day. I accepted the
offer, and saw him put it into his cupboard. I went immediately to
invite two or three of my intimates to partake of it in the evening in
my own room, and thought I could do no less than ask Harry Lenox to make
one of the party, in consideration of his kindness; but he excused
himself. In the evening we all met, and Harry Lenox brought the tart and
set it down, and begged leave to be excused, as he had promised to take
a walk with his sister. It was a long time, so charming did it look,
before we could persuade ourselves to spoil the sight of it. At last I
stuck my knife into it; but how shall I express our disappointment when,
instead of fine plums and rich juice, we found only pebbles and water!
We all vowed revenge for this piece of treachery, and would have beat
him soundly could we have then found him; but he had taken care to get
out of the way. When our first warmth was over, we concluded it would be
better to treat him in a judicial manner; and he is now before this
court for that purpose.
_Judge._ You have said that you saw him put the tart into the cupboard;
can you take upon you to say whether or not there was any lock to it?
_Sammy Halifax._ I am certain there was no lock on the cupboard; for he
said to me when he put the tart into it that he had no lock, and he
hoped nobody would get at it.
_Judge._ By what reason do you then conclude that he was the thief?
_Sammy Halifax._ Because he had the care of it, and refused to come and
partake of it.
_Secretary._ George Bobadil, come and give evidence.
_Judge._ What do you know of this matter, George Bobadil?
_George Bobadil._ I was one invited by Sammy Halifax to eat part of this
tart; but on cutting it up, instead of plums, we found only stones. It
was instantly concluded that Henry Lenox was the traitor.
_Judge._ Had you any other reason to suppose that Henry Lenox was such?
_George Bobadil._ There was reason to think so; besides, I met him as I
was going to the feast, stopped him, and told him where I was hastening;
when he replied, as I thought, with a sneer, 'You will have a delicate
repast!' I did not then know that he was entrusted with the care of it,
and concluded that this manner of answering me arose from my
supposition of his not being invited; but the tart was no sooner cut up
than his reason for answering me thus was evidently apparent.
_Judge._ You cannot take upon you to say that you positively know him to
be guilty of the charge?
_George Bobadil._ I cannot, but there is the strongest presumption of
it.
_Secretary._ Samuel Evelyn, come and give evidence.
_Judge._ What have you to say, Samuel Evelyn, to this matter?
_Samuel Evelyn._ I was one invited by Sammy Halifax to partake of this
tart, which, when cut up, produced nothing but stones. I had been
walking after dinner in the garden before I went into the school; and
when I got to the bottom of it I saw Henry Lenox and three or four more
sitting on the grass under a rose-bush. As soon as I came within sight
of them, I saw them all in a bustle; and when I came up to them, though
I did not see them eating anything, yet their mouths were so clammy that
it was with difficulty they could answer me. As I had then no reason to
suspect anything, and finding myself an unwelcome guest, I left them and
went into the school.
_Judge._ You do not, then, pretend to say what they had been eating.
_Samuel Evelyn._ I cannot take upon me positively to say what they had
been eating, but I afterwards made no doubt of its being Sammy Halifax's
tart.
_Secretary._ Come, Edward Harris, and give evidence.
_Judge._ What have you to say, Edward, with respect to this tart?
_Edward Harris._ I was invited to partake of it, and was, like the rest,
disappointed; for there was nothing left but the top crust, the side and
bottom crust, all the plums being taken away, and stones and water put
in their place.
_Judge._ Who do you suppose did it?
_Edward Harris._ I make no doubt that it was Henry Lenox. It being left
in his custody, and his refusing to come and partake of it, seem to
corroborate the guilt of Henry Lenox.
_Judge._ Have you any other circumstance to allege against him?
_Edward Harris._ Yes; after he came out of the garden, and had been some
time in the school, he was called out to construe. Before he left his
form, he pulled out his handkerchief to blow his nose, when three or
four plumstones fell on the ground. After he was gone I picked them up,
for I love the bitter of the kernel.
_Judge._ Did you observe these plumstones, whether they were of a pale
or a red colour?
_Edward Harris._ I had put them into my pocket, and forgotten them; but,
on meeting with my disappointment in the tart, and finding there was so
much room to suspect that Henry Lenox was the culprit, I pulled out the
stones, and found by their colour they had been baked, for they were of
a deep red. We concluded likewise that they must that day have been
taken out of some tart, as they were still clammy.
_Judge._ Did you ask Henry Lenox how he came by those stones?
_Edward Harris._ I did not, for I well knew, if I had, he would not have
answered me.
_Judge._ Did you take any method to discover who was the person that
robbed Sammy Halifax?
_Edward Harris._ Yes; we agreed among ourselves, with our tutor's leave,
to stick up a paper in the school, offering one shilling reward to any
of the party who would turn evidence, and give information of the person
who committed the fact. As we had great reason to suppose several were
concerned in the eating of it, we were in hopes by this means to make a
discovery; but we were disappointed, for not any spoke a word about it,
and all in general pleaded ignorance.
_Secretary._ Hannah Careful, please give evidence.
_Judge._ Pray, what have you to say to this matter?
_Hannah Careful._ I am a half-boarder, and was ordered by my governess
to attend here, in order to prove that the tart I delivered to Sammy
Halifax was filled with plums, and not stones.
_Judge._ That is a material point; pray proceed.
_Hannah Careful._ My governess instructs me in the art of pastry and
confectionery; I that day made all the tarts myself, and was ordered to
give Sammy Halifax one of the best. Before I gave it him, I raised one
side of the crust, to see if the syrup might not have boiled out, when I
found it had not; and I am certain it was filled with plums when I
delivered it to Sammy Halifax.
_Secretary._ Sally Delia, please to give evidence.
_Judge._ What do you know of this affair?
_Sally Delia._ Your lordship cannot have yet forgotten that I was myself
so unfortunate as to fall under the censure of this court. I am sorry
for the crime which then brought me before you, but I shall ever
consider that day as the happiest period of my life--a day in which I
was convinced of my folly, obstinacy, and self-conceit; a day to which I
owe all the happiness of a calm and peaceful life, free from the
passions of thoughtless girls who place enjoyments in the gratification
of unreasonable desires.
_Judge._ Pray, Sally, proceed, and do not imagine you will be
troublesome to the court; there is nothing we can listen to with so much
pleasure as the language of reformation.
_Sally Delia._ I do not mention this out of vanity; only to induce the
court to believe that I do not this day appear here against Henry Lenox
out of any grudge whatever to his having been a witness against me. So
far from it, I consider him as my benefactor; I consider him as one of
those to whom I am indebted for my reformation. Happy shall I think
myself if I shall in any way contribute to his.
_Judge._ Your evidence cannot be disputed, and I doubt not the jury will
lay much stress on what you shall advance.
_Sally Delia._ It has lately been my custom in the evening to retire to
a little arbour behind the summer-house in the bottom of the garden. I
had this evening been so intent on what I was reading that I had stayed
longer than usual. In the midst of my thoughts I was interrupted by the
noise of somebody breaking through the bushes. I soon heard Henry
Lenox's voice, and that of some others whom I well knew. I soon found
the cause of their thus breaking out of their own bounds. They had some
secret to talk of. I sat as still as possible, fearing I might be
discovered, and heard Henry Lenox say, 'If you blow me, I never will
forgive you; besides, you will come in for a flogging as well as me.'
They all promised they never would puff; one said he never ate anything
sweeter in his life; another said it was sweeter because it was stolen;
and a fourth laughed heartily on thinking, when it was opened, how
foolish they must all look; it was, says the fifth, one of the
best----Here he stopped, for the foot of a person was heard coming down
the garden, when they all flew away, and got off unperceived by anyone
but myself. It was one of the maids, who was coming to look after me;
and my governess chid me for staying beyond the time allowed me. My
acknowledging my fault and asking pardon was thought a sufficient
atonement.
[Illustration: _'I was reading, and was interrupted by Henry Lenox and
three others talking over a secret.'--Page 64._]
_Judge._ Can you, from what you heard in the garden, take upon you to
say that Henry Lenox is certainly guilty of what is laid to his charge?
_Sally Delia._ Had not the maid disturbed them by coming to call me, I
doubt not but I should have been able to answer in the affirmative; at
the present, I only say that I believe so, and that upon the strongest
presumption.
_Henry Lenox._ I am happy in being tried by a judge and jury who have
too much sense to convict me on mere conjecture, and there is far from
any positive proof. To give a verdict against me in this case would be
opening a way to the greatest errors. How many, through the hasty
determination of a jury, on mere conjecture, have suffered unjustly! But
should I meet with that fate, I will never find fault or repine, since I
am sensible I shall not be the first, and I trust that my innocence will
support me under the unmerited disgrace. Sammy Halifax came to me,
brought a tart in his hand, and for safety, to oblige him, I put it into
my cupboard. I brought it from thence, and gave it him. If anyone got to
it, and treated it in the manner he describes, I am sorry for it; but it
cannot be imputed to my fault. My reason for declining taking part of it
is well known to my sister, whom I had promised to take a walk with in
the evening. She is now in court, and I apprehend her word will not be
doubted. As for the sneering words I made use of to George Bobadil (for
that was the term he gave them), if they had any particular meaning at
all, it could only serve to show what little consideration I made of
mere matters for the tooth. As for the evidence which Samuel Evelyn has
given against me, it can be of no weight, since it is well known that
each has his confidant, and that each has some mighty secret to reveal
to another. As to what Edward Harris advances with respect to the
plumstones, they might as easily have fallen from the pocket of another
as from mine, and there is even a possibility that these very plumstones
may have come out of the tart after they themselves had eat it. Upon the
whole, I leave it to your lordship and this honourable court whether
there be any other view in this trial than that my accusers may obtain
another tart at the expense of my credit.
_Secretary._ Susan Lenox, please give evidence.
_Susan Lenox._ My brother came to me in the evening in which the tart
was eat, agreeable to my invitation; and I did not hear him mention the
least syllable that could indicate his guilt in this matter. He
mentioned the tart, indeed, by saying he was invited to eat part of it,
but added that his appetite was the least of his concern.
_Judge._ Did he appear more cheerful or dejected than usual?
_Susan Lenox._ I perceived no change in him; he had nothing more or less
of his natural gaiety and cheerfulness.
_Stephen Brooks._ I have known the prisoner a long time, and have always
found him more ready to give than receive, and far from taking anything
from anyone.
_Richard Richards._ The prisoner has been my intimate playmate for four
years, and I never once quarrelled with him in my life.
_Benjamin Blunt._ The whole is a contrivance to bring Henry Lenox into
disgrace, and to make you believe they have been ill used.
_Judge._ You have said, Sally Delia, that there were some voices you
heard in the summer-house besides that of Henry Lenox. Do you imagine
that either of these last young gentlemen were there?
_Sally Delia._ I am certain they were all three there.
_Judge._ Young gentlemen of the jury, I will not take up your time in
recapitulating the evidence given; every part of it seems to agree so
well that you cannot mistake it. The two principal points to be
considered are these: If you are determined to find him guilty only on
positive proofs, then you must acquit him, for there does not appear to
be any throughout the whole trial; but if you will be contented with
circumstances, supported by the strongest evidence that can be given,
then you must find him guilty. It is, indeed, a just observation of the
prisoner, in his defence, that many have suffered innocently, though on
the strongest presumptions, and I must add that the character of a young
gentleman is too tender a thing to be sported with. After all, I do not
presume to direct you. I would only advise you to think of the matter
impartially; a verdict given from such principles of action, though it
may tend to lead to a mistake, can never be attended with reproach.
(The jury then went out of court, and returned in about an hour and a
quarter.)
_Judge._ Gentlemen of the jury, are you agreed in your verdict?
_Jury._ We cannot determine, and therefore beg to leave it special.
The judge immediately quitted the chair, which was soon after filled by
the tutor, and the judge took the place of the secretary. Henry Lenox,
who had not doubted, as there was no positive proof against him, but
that he should be acquitted, as soon as he found the jury left it
special, and that his tutor had taken the chair against him, his heart
instantly failed him, and everyone took notice of the alteration of his
countenance. Judge Meanwell then went all through the evidence, which,
being finished, the tutor thus addressed Henry Lenox:
'Henry Lenox, I am unhappy for you in finding that to the crime of theft
you have added the grievous guilt of a lie. By your artful defence, you
have so far baffled the jury as to make them doubtful of the clearest
thing in the world. Do not foolishly imagine that you have any
compliment to pay yourself on this score; the most shining abilities,
when used to deceive and mislead, to trick and cozen mankind, and to
persuade them out of their lawful property, become the most dangerous
possessions, and are as mischievous as plagues, pestilence, and famine.
How can you dare to arrogate to yourself that part of philosophy which
teaches you to look upon the luxuries of life with indifference, while
your heart must tell you that you have not the least claim to it, and
that you sacrifice your character and reputation to obtain luxurious
trifles? They who are capable of deceiving in small concerns will not
scruple to be guilty of injustice in matters of the highest moment. No
one is wicked all at once; they harden their hearts by degrees against
the truth, and at last are totally blind to it. Such conduct as yours
promises nothing but the most fatal events; but it is my place to
destroy it in its bud; and be assured that, though the jury could not
see into your guilt, I can most clearly; and I do further tell you that
unless you confess your fault, ask pardon, promise to do so no more, and
make it your study to keep your word, I will treat you with the utmost
severity. I will abridge you of every kind of amusement, and will
confine you from the rest of your schoolfellows, that you may not
corrupt them. On the other hand, if you confess your crime, I will
lessen your punishment, and may, perhaps, restore you to my favour.'
Henry Lenox then fell on his knees, and, with tears in his eyes,
confessed he was guilty, but mentioned nothing of those that ate part of
it. His master then forgave him, on his most faithful promises of future
amendment; and those who had been evidences against him shook hands with
him, and they were all friends immediately.
Prince Life
Chapter I
Once upon a time there was a young Prince who met with a very curious
kind of misfortune. Most people want something which they cannot get;
and because they cannot get it, they generally desire it more than
anything else, which is very foolish, for it would be much better to be
contented with what they have.
He was a wise fox, my dear Charlie, who thought the grapes were sour
when he could not reach them. Now the Prince's misfortune consisted in
this, that he had everything on earth he could want or desire, and a
little more. He had a fine palace and a fine country, obedient subjects
and servants, and true friends. When he got up in the morning, there was
someone ready to put on his clothes for him; when he went to bed at
night, someone to take them off again. A fairy called Prosperity gave
him everything he desired as soon as he desired it. If he wanted peaches
at Christmas, or cool air at mid-summer, the first came instantly from
his hothouses, and the second was produced by an enormous fan, which
hung from the top of the room, and was moved by two servants.
But strange to say, the Prince got weary of all this; he was tired of
wanting nothing. When he sat down to dinner he had but little appetite,
because he had had such a good breakfast; he hardly knew which coat to
put on, they were all so beautiful; and when he went to bed at night,
though the bed was as soft as a white cloud, he could not sleep, for he
was not tired.
There was only one ugly thing in the whole palace, which was a little,
drowsy, grey dwarf, left there by the fairy Prosperity. He kept yawning
all day, and very often set the Prince yawning, too, only to look at
him. This dwarf they called Satiety, and he followed the Prince about
wherever he went.
One day the Prince asked him what he was yawning for, and Satiety
answered:
'Because I have nothing to do, and nothing to wish for, my Prince.'
'I suppose that is the reason why I yawn, too,' replied the Prince.
'Rather is it having me always with you,' answered Satiety.
'Then get away and leave me,' said the Prince.
'I cannot do that,' answered Satiety. 'You can go from me, but I cannot
go from you; I can never leave you as long as you remain in the palace
of Prosperity.'
'Then I will have you turned out,' said the Prince.
'No one can do that,' said Satiety, 'but Misfortune, and he is a very
capricious person. Though he is a very disagreeable monster, some people
seem to court him, but cannot get him to come near them; while to a
great many he comes unawares, and catches them, though they fly from
him eagerly. I tell you, Prince, you can go from me, but I cannot go
from you as long as you remain in the palace of Prosperity.'
That night, when he went to his soft bed, the Prince thought very much
as to the conversation he had held with Satiety, and he resolved to go
out of the palace for a time, just to get rid of the ugly little grey,
yawning dwarf.
The very resolution seemed to do him good, and he slept better that
night after he had made it than he had done for many a night before.
Chapter II
The next morning when he rose he felt quite refreshed, and he said to a
groom: 'Bring me my stout horse, Expedition; I am going out to take a
ride all alone.'
The groom answered not a word, for in that palace everyone obeyed the
Prince at once, and nobody troubled him but the ugly little dwarf,
Satiety. As he went away, however, the groom said to himself with a
sigh: 'It is a sad thing to be in the wide world all alone. My Prince
does not know what it is. But let him try; it may be better for him.'
He accordingly brought the horse to the palace-door. But when the Prince
came down he felt quite well, and, looking about amongst all his
attendants, he could only catch a distant glimpse of Satiety standing
yawning behind. For a minute he was half-inclined not to go, for he did
not mind seeing Satiety at a distance if he did not come near. But the
groom, whose name was Resolution, seeing him hesitate, said: 'You had
better go, my Prince, as you determined; it may do you good.' And a
chamberlain called Effort helped him on his horse.
At first, as the Prince rode along, everything was quite delightful to
him. He seemed to breathe more freely now that he was no more troubled
with Satiety. The flowers looked bright, and the sky beautiful, for a
cloud or two here and there only gave variety. The very air seemed
fresher than it had been in the sheltered gardens of the palace, and the
Prince said to himself: 'What a delightful country this is, just on the
verge of the land of Prosperity.'
Just then he saw a countryman gathering grapes in a vineyard, and every
now and then putting some into his mouth, and the Prince asked him whose
fine estate it was that he was passing through.
'It belongs to a gentleman and lady equally, sir,' replied the good man;
'they are called Activity and Ease. They are the happiest couple ever
seen. When Activity is tired, Ease takes his head upon her lap; and soon
as she is weary of her burden, Activity jumps up and relieves her from
it.'
'But to whom does that more barren country just beyond belong?' asked
the Prince. 'And what is that great thick wood I see farther on still?'
'That is the land of Labour and the Forest of Adversity,' said the man.
'I would advise you to get through them as soon as possible, for the
first you will find very wearisome, and the second exceedingly
unpleasant, although people do say that there is a great deal of very
good fruit in the forest; only one gets well-nigh torn to pieces with
the thorns before one can reach it.'
The Prince determined to follow his advice, and rode on. There was not
anything very tempting to him as he passed through the land of Labour,
and it seemed a long and weary way from the beginning to the end of it.
But the forest, even at its entrance, was very dark and gloomy indeed.
Thick trees crossed each other overhead, and shut out the bright,
cheerful daylight. He could hardly see his way along the narrow,
tortuous paths, and the thorns which the peasant had spoken of ran into
him continually, for they grew high as well as thick, and crossed the
path in every direction. He began heartily to repent that he had quitted
the palace of Prosperity, and wished himself back again with all his
heart, thinking that he should care little about yawning Satiety if he
could but get out of the thorns of Adversity. Indeed, he tried to turn
his horse back; but he found it more difficult than he imagined, for, as
I have told you, the road was very narrow and those thorns hedged it on
every side. There was nothing for it, in short, but to try and force his
way on through the wood, in the hope of finding something better beyond.
The Prince did not know which way to take, indeed, and he tried a great
number of paths, but in vain. Still there were the same thorns and the
same gloomy darkness. He was hungry and thirsty, and he looked round for
those fruits he had heard of; but he could see none of them at the time,
and the more he sought his way out, the deeper he seemed to get into the
forest. The air was very sultry and oppressive, too; he grew weary and
faint, quite sick at heart, and even the limbs of his good horse seemed
to be failing him, and hardly able to carry him on.
Dark as it all was, it at length begin to grow darker, and he perceived
that night was coming, so that the poor Prince began to give up all
hope, and to think that there would be nothing for him but to lie down
and die in despair, when suddenly he caught a sort of twinkling light
through the thick bushes, which seemed to lie in the way he was going,
and on he went, slowly enough, poor man! But still the light was before
him, till suddenly he came to a great rock, overgrown in many places
with briars and brambles. In the midst of it, however, was the mouth of
a large cave, with great masses of stone hanging over, as if ready to
fall on a traveller's head. It was a very stern and gloomy-looking place
indeed, with clefts and crevices and ragged crags all around. But a few
steps in the cave someone seemed to have built themselves a house; for
it was blocked up with large, unhewn boards of wood, and in this
partition there was a door and a window, through which came the light he
had seen. The Prince dismounted from his horse, and though he did not
know who might be within, he thought it best to knock at the door, and
ask for food and shelter.
The moment he knocked a loud, hoarse voice cried:
'Come in!' and tying his horse to a tree, he opened the door.
Chapter III
Now, whatever the poor Prince had expected to find, he was certainly
disappointed; for that thicket of Adversity is full of disappointments,
as everyone knows who has travelled through it. He had thought he should
see some poor woodman or honest peasant, who would welcome him to his
homely hut in the rock with kindness and benevolence; but instead of
that he beheld, seated at the table, carving away at a piece of stick by
the light of a very small twinkling candle, one of the most tremendous
monsters ever man's eyes lighted upon. In shape he was like a man, but
he was a great deal stronger than any man. His face looked as if it were
cast in iron, so hard and rigid were all the features; and there was an
everlasting frown planted on his brow. His hands were long and sinewy,
with terrible sharp claws upon them; and his feet were so large and
heavy that they seemed as if they would crush anything they would set
upon to pieces.
The poor Prince, though he was a very brave young man, stopped and
hesitated at the sight of this giant; but the monster, without ever
turning his head, cried out again: 'Come in! Why do you pause? All men
must obey me, and I am the only one that all men do obey.'
'You must be a mighty monarch, then,' said the young Prince, taking
courage. 'Pray, what is your name?'
'My name is Necessity,' answered the other in his thundering voice; 'and
some people give me bad names, and call me "Hard Necessity" and "Dire
Necessity"; but, nevertheless, I often lead men to great things and
teach them useful arts if they do but struggle with me valiantly.'
'Then I wish you would lead me to where I can get some rest,' said the
Prince, 'and teach me how I can procure food for myself and my poor
famishing horse.'
The monster rose up almost as tall as a steeple and suddenly laid his
great clutches upon the Prince's shoulders, saying: 'I will do both, if
you do but wrestle with me courageously. You must do it, for there is no
other way of escaping from my hands.'
The Prince had never been handled so roughly before, and as he was
brave, strong, and active, he made a great effort to free himself, and
tried a thousand ways, but to no purpose. The giant did not hurt him,
however, though he pressed him very hard, and at length he cried out:
'Ho, ho! you are a brave young man! Leave off struggling, and you shall
have some food and drink, such as you would never have tasted had you
not come to me.'
Thereupon he led him to his own coarse wooden table, and set before him
half of a hard brown loaf and a pitcher of water; but so hungry and
thirsty was the Prince that the bread seemed to him the best he had ever
eaten, and the water sweeter than any in the world.
'Unfasten your horse's bridle,' said Necessity, when the Prince had
done, 'and I will soon teach him where to find something to feed upon.'
The Prince did as the giant told him at once, and then his stern-looking
companion pointed to a wooden bedstead in a dark corner of the cave,
which looked as hard as his own face, saying: 'There, lie down and
sleep.'
'I can never sleep on that thing,' said the Prince.
'Ho, ho!' cried the other; 'Necessity can make any bed soft,' and taking
a bundle of straw, he threw it down on the bedstead.
Chapter IV
Sleep was sweeter to the Prince that night than it had ever been upon a
bed of down, and when he rose the next morning the monster's features
did not seem half so stern and forbidding as they had done at first. The
inside of the cave, too, looked much more light and blithesome, though
it was a dark and frowning place enough still, with hard rock all round,
and nothing but one window to let in a little sunshine.
Necessity, however, did not intend to keep the Prince there, and as
soon as he was up the giant said to him: 'Come, trudge; you must quit my
cave, and go on.'
'You must open the door for me, then,' said the Prince; 'for the bolt is
so high up I cannot reach it.'
'You cannot get out by the door through which you came in,' said the
giant, 'for it is the door of Idleness. There is but one way for you to
get out, and that I will show you.'
So, taking him by the hand, he led him on into a very dark part of the
cave, which went a long way under ground, and then said to him: 'You
must now go on until you come to a great house, where you will find an
old woman, who will give you your meals at least.'
'But I want to return to my own palace of Prosperity,' replied the
Prince.
'She will show you the way,' replied the monster, 'and without her you
will never find it. Go on at once, and don't stand talking.'
'But I cannot see the path,' said the Prince.
'You must find it,' said Necessity, and gave him a great push, which
sent him on at a very rapid rate.
For some time he continued to grope his way almost in darkness, but soon
a light began to shine before him, which grew bigger and bigger as he
advanced, and he perceived that he was coming to another mouth of the
cave, leading to an open, but very rough country. The Prince was very
glad indeed to issue forth and breathe the fresh air, and he looked at
the clear sky with great satisfaction. Just before him, however, there
was a large house, with a great number of doors and windows; and as he
felt very hungry, he determined to knock, and see if he could get any
breakfast.
Almost as soon as he had touched the knocker the door was opened by a
little old woman, plainly dressed, but neat and tidy; and when the
Prince told her who he was, and what he wanted, she answered him with a
good-humoured smile, very different from the frown of stern Necessity:
'Everyone can have food in my house who chooses to work for it; nobody
without. I can help you on your way, too; and as for your poor horse you
talk about, he shall be provided for. My name is Industry, and Industry
always takes care of her beasts. Come in, young man; come in.'
The Prince went in with a glad step, and found the house quite full of
people, all as busy as bees in a field of clover, and all looking as
bright and cheerful as if they had washed their faces in sunshine.
It would take me an hour to tell you all the different things they were
employed in, everyone working by himself on his separate task, although
two or three were often seen doing different pieces of the same work.
But there were two very nice, pretty girls there whom I must speak of,
who seemed to be handmaidens to the mistress of the house. One was a
thoughtful-looking, careful girl, who was busy in every part of the room
alternately, picking up all the little odds and ends which were left
after any piece of work was completed--little bits of string, ends of
tape or thread, stray nails, chips of wood, or pieces of paper. These,
as soon as she had gathered them up, she put safely by, where she could
find them again; and it is wonderful how often she was called upon by
the workmen for some little scrap or another, just sufficient to
complete what they were about. Her name was Economy.
The other was a brighter, quicker-looking person, with very clear eyes,
like two stars, who went continually through the room, putting
everything to rights. If a chair was out of its place, or a table turned
awry, or a tool put down where it should not be she could not bear to
see it for a minute, but put all things straight again, so that nobody
was at a loss where to find anything. She was called Order.
The hungry Prince was somewhat mortified to find a good, large piece of
work assigned him to do before he could get his breakfast, and at first
he was exceedingly awkward, and did not know how to set about it; but
Industry showed him the way, Order helped him a good deal, and Economy
supplied him with the materials.
Chapter V
At the end of an hour he had completed his task, and the old lady patted
him on the shoulder, saying, 'Well done; you are a very good young man.
Now Industry will give you your breakfast, and help you on the way to a
very nice place, where you will get all you desire.'
Thus saying, she led him into a great hall, where there was a vast
number of people, all eating rich fruits, with a somewhat hard-favoured
dame, whom they called Labour, scattering sugar on the different dishes.
When the Prince heard her name, he asked one of the people near if that
was really Labour, saying, 'I passed through her land not long ago, and
it seemed so poor and hard a country that I should have thought it
produced nothing good.'
'That is a mistake,' said the other. 'That is the land where grows the
sugar-cane, and Labour always sweetens the food of Industry.'
As soon as his breakfast was over, the Prince was taken to another door,
and shown a road which was very narrow at first, but seemed to grow
wider and wider as it went on.
'You have nothing to do but to walk straight forward,' said Industry,
'neither to turn to the right nor to the left. Keep yourself upright, so
that you may have that distant mountain peak before your eyes, and don't
suffer yourself to grow faint or get tired. If you should have any doubt
or difficulty, you will find someone on the road who will show you the
way. But only remember always to keep straight forward, and don't be
tempted to turn aside.'
'What is the name of this road?' asked the Prince.
'It is called the "Right Path,"' was the reply; and on he set upon his
way with a stout heart. Nevertheless, he began to get somewhat tired
before an hour was over, although the road was pleasant enough to walk
in. There were beautiful green meadows on every side, and
richly-coloured flowers, and what seemed very delicious fruit; and here
and there, at a little distance, were pleasant groves, with a number of
gay birds, singing very sweetly.
At the end of an hour and a half the Prince became hungry and thirsty
again, as well as tired, and he said to himself, 'There could be no
great harm surely in going across that meadow and gathering some of that
fruit, to eat under the shade of the trees, while the birds sing over my
head. I do not know how far I have to go. I see no end to this long,
straight road. I think I will try and rest for a little under those
trees. I can easily find my way back again.'
But just at that moment, luckily for himself, the Prince spied a man
trudging on before him, and he hurried after, saying to himself, 'I will
ask him how far I have to go, and whether I have time to stop.'
Chapter VI
The man did not walk very fast, but he kept steadily on, with a great
pike-staff in his hand; and though the Prince called after him as soon
as he was within hearing, he did not halt for a moment, or even turn his
head, but trudged onward, saying, 'Come along, come along; one never
gets to the end of one's journey if one stops to chatter by the way.'
At length the Prince came up with him, and said in a civil tone, 'Pray
can you tell me whither this road leads, and if it will be very long
before I get to some house where I can find rest and food.'
'It leads to a very fine and beautiful castle,' replied the other
somewhat doggedly, and still walking on. 'I think, if you come along
with me, you will get there in time. I am generally well received there,
and in some sort may call myself the master of the house, so that those
who go with me are generally made welcome by my lady, who, though she is
sometimes a little whimsical, is the most charming person in the world
when she smiles upon me. But you must keep on steadily with me; for if
you stop or turn aside, a thousand to one you will be lost.'
When the Prince found him so communicative, he asked him if they could
not cross one of the meadows to refresh themselves a little, and told
him how he had been tempted to do so just before he saw him.
'Lucky you did not,' answered the other; 'for those meadows are full of
swamps and quagmires, the groves filled with snakes, and many of the
fruits poisonous. You might have got yourself into such troubles that
not even I could have helped you out of them.'
'If it is not improper, may I ask your name?' said the Prince.
'Come along,' answered the other. 'Names matter little; but if you want
to know mine, it is Perseverance.'
Not long after the Prince began to think he saw several tall towers
glittering before him in the distance, with some misty clouds round
about them, which only seemed to make them look the more beautiful.
'What a fine castle!' he exclaimed.
'That is where I am leading you,' answered the other; and the first
prospect is always very charming. But we have some way to go yet, I can
tell you, and not a little to overcome. You would never get there
without me; so come on, and do not be daunted at anything you see.'
The Prince soon found that his companion's warning was just. The way did
seem very long; and sometimes, as they went over hill and dale, the
sight of the beautiful castle, which cheered him so much, was quite shut
out from his eyes, and at length, when they were coming very near it,
with nothing but one valley between them and the building, he perceived
that the road went over a narrow drawbridge, and saw two terrible
monsters lying close beside the way. Their bodies were like those of
lions, very large and very strong, but they had necks like that of a
snake, and from each neck issued a hundred horrible heads, all differing
in kind from one another.
The poor Prince was alarmed, and said to his companion: 'Do you see
those horrible brutes? Is there no other way into the castle but between
them?'
'There are a thousand ways into the castle,' replied his companion, 'but
every way is guarded by monsters just like those. But do not be alarmed.
Go on with me, and I will help you. Besides, someone will come out of
the castle, most likely, to give us assistance.'
Chapter VII
Upon these words, the Prince went on more cheerfully, especially when he
saw a man come running down from the gate of the castle as they
approached the drawbridge.
'Ay,' said his companion, stepping on without stopping a moment, 'there
comes my friend Courage to help us. He is a good, serviceable fellow.'
Just as he spoke, the two monsters sprang forward, and the one which was
nearest to Perseverance growled terribly at him; but he struck him a
blow with his pike-staff, which knocked him down and cowed him entirely;
and there he lay, with all his hundred heads prostrated in a manner
which the Prince could hardly have thought possible. The other brute
sprang right at the Prince himself, as if to destroy him, so that he was
inclined to draw back; but the man Courage, who had run down from the
castle, put his foot upon the creature's snaky neck, and crushed it into
the earth.
'Go on, go on, young man!' he cried. 'These are terrible monsters truly,
but you see our friend Perseverance has vanquished Difficulty, and I
have trampled upon Danger.'
As he spoke, the Prince passed on rapidly over the drawbridge; and when
he stood under the gate of the castle, Perseverance took him by the hand
with a smiling air, and led him in, saying: 'Now I will conduct you to
my lady, Success.'
[Illustration: _The Prince slays the monster with a hundred horrible
heads.--Page 86._]
At the very sound the poor Prince seemed quite refreshed, forgot all the
weary way he had travelled, the dark forest of Adversity, the grim frown
of Necessity, the faintness and the weariness, and hundred-headed
Difficulty and Danger. But he was more rejoiced still when, on entering
the building, he found himself suddenly, all at once, in the great hall
of his own palace of Prosperity, with a beautiful lady, all smiles,
standing ready to receive him with a crown in her hand.
'Come hither, Prince,' she said, 'and receive this crown, which I never
bestow on any but my greatest favourites. It is called the crown of
Contentment. I reserve it for those who, led on by Perseverance, come to
me by the Right Path, in spite of Difficulty and Danger. Those who
arrive at my presence by any of the many other roads that are open to
mankind I give over to the charge of some of my inferior attendants,
such as Pride, Vanity, or Ambition, who amuse themselves by making them
play all manner of strange tricks.'
Thus saying, she put the crown upon his head, and the Prince found the
most delightful tranquil feeling spread through his whole body.
Nevertheless, he could not help looking about almost instantly for the
figure of the ugly little grey dwarf; and, as he could not see him
anywhere, he said to the beautiful lady: 'Where is that hideous, yawning
Satiety? I hope he has left the palace.'
'He may be hanging about in some dark corners of the palace,' answered
the lady, 'or hiding amongst the roses in your garden of Pleasure; but
he will never appear in your presence again, so long as you wear that
crown upon your head; for there is a rich jewel called Moderation in the
crown of Contentment which is too bright and pure to be looked upon by
Satiety.'
The Farm-Yard Journal
Dear Tom,
'Since we parted at the breaking-up, I have been for most of the time at
a pleasant farm in Hertfordshire, where I have employed myself in
rambling about the country, and assisting, as well as I could, at the
work going on at home and in the fields. On wet days, and in the
evenings, I have amused myself with keeping a journal of all the great
events that have happened among us; and hoping that when you are tired
of the bustle of your busy town you may receive some entertainment from
comparing our transactions with yours, I have copied out for your
perusal one of the days in my memorandum-book.
'Pray let me know in return what you are doing, and believe me,
'Your very affectionate friend,
'RICHARD MARKWELL.'
[Illustration: _She kicked up her hind legs, and threw down the
milk-pail.--Page 93._]
'_June 10._--Last night we had a dreadful alarm. A violent scream was
heard from the hen-roost; the geese all set up a cackle, and the dogs
barked. Ned, the boy who lies over the stable, jumped up and ran into
the yard, when he observed a fox galloping away with a chicken in his
mouth, and the dogs on full chase after him. They could not overtake
him, and soon returned. Upon further examination, the large white cock
was found lying on the ground all bloody, with his comb torn almost off,
and his feathers all ruffled; and the speckled hen and three chickens
lay dead beside him. The cock recovered, but appeared terribly
frightened. It seems that the fox had jumped over the garden hedge, and
then, crossing part of the yard behind the straw, had crept into the
hen-roost through a broken pale. John, the carpenter, was sent for to
make all fast, and prevent the like mischief again.
'Early this morning the brindled cow was delivered of a fine bull-calf.
Both are likely to do well. The calf is to be fattened for the butcher.
'The duck-eggs that were sitten upon by the old black hen were hatched
this day, and the ducklings all directly ran into the pond, to the great
terror of the hen, who went round and round, clucking with all her
might, in order to call them out, but they did not regard her. An old
drake took the little ones under his care, and they swam about very
merrily.
'As Dolly this morning was milking the new cow that was bought at the
fair she kicked with her hind legs, and threw down the milk-pail, at the
same time knocking Dolly off her stool into the dirt. For this offence
the cow was sentenced to have her head fastened to the rack, and her
legs tied together.
'A kite was observed to hover a long while over the yard with an
intention of carrying off some of the young chickens; but the hens
called their broods together under their wings, and the cocks put
themselves in order of battle, so that the kite was disappointed. At
length one chicken, not minding its mother, but straggling heedlessly to
a distance, was descried by the kite, who made a sudden swoop, and
seized it in his talons. The chicken cried out, and the cocks and hens
all screamed, when Ralph, the farmer's son, who saw the attack, snatched
up a loaded gun, and just as the kite was flying off with his prey,
fired and brought him dead to the ground, along with the poor chicken,
who was killed in the fall. The dead body of the kite was nailed up
against the wall, by way of warning to his wicked comrades.
'In the forenoon we were alarmed with strange noises approaching us, and
looking out we saw a number of people with frying pans, warming pans,
tongs and pokers, beating, ringing, and making all possible din. We soon
discovered them to be our neighbours of the next farm in pursuit of a
swarm of bees which was hovering in the air over their heads. The bees
at length alighted on the tall pear tree in our orchard, and hung in a
bunch from one of the boughs. A ladder was got, and a man ascending with
gloves on his hands, and an apron tied over his head, swept them into a
hive, which was rubbed on the inside with honey and sweet herbs. But as
he was descending, some bees which had got under his gloves stung him in
such a manner that he hastily threw down the hive, upon which the
greater part of the bees fell out, and began in a rage to fly among the
crowd, and sting all whom they lit upon. Away scampered the people, the
women shrieking, the children roaring; and poor Adam, who had held the
hive, was assailed so furiously that he was obliged to throw himself on
the ground, and creep under the gooseberry bushes. At length the bees
began to return to the hive, in which the queen bee had remained; and
after a while, all being quietly settled, a cloth was thrown over it,
and the swarm was carried home.
'About noon three pigs broke into the garden, where they were rioting
upon the carrots and turnips, and doing a great deal of mischief by
trampling the beds and rooting up the plants with their snouts, when
they were spied by old Towzer, the mastiff, who ran among them, and
laying hold of their long ears with his teeth, made them squeal most
dismally, and get out of the garden as fast as they could.
'Roger, the ploughman, when he came for his dinner, brought word that he
had discovered a partridge's nest with sixteen eggs in the home field,
upon which the farmer went out and broke them all, saying that he did
not choose to rear birds upon his corn which he was not allowed to
scratch, but must leave to some qualified sportsman, who would besides
break down his fences in the pursuit.
'A sheep washing was held this day at the mill-pool, when seven score
were well washed, and then penned in the high meadow to dry. Many of
them made great resistance at being thrown into the water, and the old
ram, being dragged to the brink by a boy at each horn, and a third
pushing behind, by a sudden spring threw two of them into the water, to
the great diversion of the spectators.
'Towards the dusk of the evening the Squire's mongrel greyhound, which
had been long suspected of worrying sheep, was caught in the fact. He
had killed two lambs, and was making a hearty meal upon one of them,
when he was disturbed by the approach of the shepherd's boy, and
directly leaped the hedge and made off. The dead bodies were taken to
the Squire's, with an indictment of wilful murder against the dog. But
when they came to look for the culprit, he was not to be found in any
part of the premises, and is supposed to have fled his country through
consciousness of his heinous offence.
'Joseph, who sleeps in the garret at the old end of the house, after
having been some time in bed, came downstairs in his shirt, as pale as
ashes, and frightened the maids, who were going up. It was some time
before he could tell what was the matter. At length he said he had heard
some dreadful noises overhead, which he was sure must be made by some
ghost or evil spirit. Nay, he thought he had seen something moving,
though he owned he durst hardly lift up his eyes. He concluded with
declaring that he would rather sit up all night in the kitchen than go
to his room again. The maids were almost as much alarmed as he, and did
not know what to do; but the master, overhearing their talk, came out
and insisted upon their accompanying him to the spot, in order to search
into the affair. They all went into the garret, and for a while heard
nothing, when the master ordered the candle to be taken away, and
everyone to keep quite still. Joseph and the maids stuck close to each
other, and trembled in every limb. At length a kind of groaning or
snoring began to be heard, which grew louder and louder, with intervals
of a strange sort of hissing. "That's it!" whispered Joseph, drawing
back towards the door. The maids were ready to sink, and even the farmer
himself was a little disconcerted. The noise seemed to come from the
rafters near the thatch. In a while, a glimpse of moonlight shining
through a hole at the place plainly discovered the shadow of something
stirring, and on looking intently somewhat like feathers were perceived.
The farmer now began to suspect what the case was, and ordering up a
short ladder, bid Joseph climb to the spot, and thrust his hand into
the hole. This he did rather unwillingly, and soon drew it back, crying
loudly that he was bit. However, gathering courage, he put it in again,
and pulled out a large white owl, another at the same time being heard
to fly away. The cause of the alarm was now made clear enough, and poor
Joseph, after being heartily jeered by the maids, though they had been
as much frightened as he, sneaked into bed again, and the house soon
became quiet.'
The Fruits of Disobedience
or
The Kidnapped Child
In a beautiful villa, on the banks of the Medway resided a gentleman
whose name was Darnley, who had, during the early part of life, filled a
post of some importance about the Court, and even in its decline
preserved that elegance of manners which so peculiarly marks a finished
gentleman.
The loss of a beloved wife had given a pensive cast to his features, and
a seriousness to his deportment, which many people imagined proceeded
from haughtiness of disposition, yet nothing could be further from Mr.
Darnley's character, for he was affable, gentle, benevolent, and humane.
His family consisted of an only sister, who, like himself, had lost the
object of her tenderest affection, but who, in dividing her attention
between her brother and his amiable children, endeavoured to forget her
own misfortunes.
Mr. Darnley's fortune was sufficiently great to enable him to place his
daughters in the first school in London, but he preferred having them
under his immediate instruction, and as Mrs. Collier offered to assist
him in their education he resolved for some years not to engage a
governess, as Nurse Chapman was one of those worthy creatures to whose
care he could securely trust them.
An old friend of Mr. Darnley's had recently bought a house at Rochester,
and that gentleman and his sister were invited to pass a few days there,
and as Emily grew rather too big for the nurse's management Mrs. Collier
resolved to make her of the party, leaving Sophia, Amanda, and Eliza
under that good woman's protection.
It was Mr. Darnley's wish that the young folks should rise early and
take a long walk every morning before breakfast, but they were strictly
ordered never to go beyond their own grounds unless their aunt or father
accompanied them. This order they had frequently endeavoured to persuade
Nurse Chapman to disregard, but, faithful to the trust reposed in her,
she always resisted their urgent entreaties.
The morning after Mr. Darnley went to Rochester the poor woman found
herself thoroughly indisposed, and wholly incapable of rising at the
accustomed hour. The children, however, were dressed for walking, and
the nursemaid charged not to go beyond the shrubbery, and they all
sallied out in high good humour.
'Now, Susan,' said Sophia, as soon as they entered the garden, 'this is
the only opportunity you may ever have of obliging us. Do let us walk to
the village, and then you know you can see your father and mother.'
'La, missy!' replied the girl, 'why, you know 'tis as much as my place
is worth if Nurse Chapman should find out.'
'Find it out indeed,' said Amanda; 'how do you think she is to find it
out? Come, do let us go, there's a dear good creature.'
'Yes, dear, dear Susan, do let us go,' said Eliza, skipping on before
them, 'and I'll show you the way, for I walked there last summer with
father.'
Whether it was the wish of obliging the young ladies, or the desire of
seeing her parents, I cannot pretend to say, but in a luckless hour
Susan yielded, and the party soon reached the village.
Susan's mother was delighted at seeing her, and highly honoured by the
young ladies' presence.
'Oh, sweet, dear creatures!' said the old woman, 'I must get something
for them to eat after their long walk, and my oven's quite hot, and I
can bake them a little cake in a quarter of an hour, and I'll milk Jenny
in ten minutes.'
The temptation of her hot cake and new milk was not to be withstood, and
Susan began taking down some smart china cups, which were arranged in
form upon the mantelpiece, and carefully dusted them for the young
ladies' use.
Eliza followed the old woman into the cowhouse, and began asking a
thousand questions, when her attention was suddenly attracted by the
appearance of a tame lamb, who went up bleating to its mistress with a
view of asking its accustomed breakfast.
'You must wait a little, Billy,' said the woman, 'and let your betters
be served before you. Don't you see that we have got gentlefolks to
breakfast with us this morning?'
Eliza was so delighted with the beauty of the little animal that she
wanted to kiss it, and attempted to restrain it for that purpose, whilst
Billy, ungrateful for her intended kindness, gave a sudden spring and
frisked away.
Eliza followed in hopes of being able to catch him, but he ran baaing
along into the high road.
A woman whose appearance was descriptive of poverty but whose smiling
countenance indicated good nature, at that moment happened to pass, and,
accosting Eliza in a tone of familiarity, said: 'That's not half such a
pretty lamb, miss, as I have got at home, and not a quarter so tame, for
if you did but say, Bob, he'd follow you from one end of the town to the
other, and then he'll fetch and carry like a dog, stand up on his hind
legs, when my husband says "Up" for the thing, and play more tricks than
a young kitten.'
'Oh, the pretty creature,' replied Eliza, 'how I should like to see it!'
'Well, come along with me, miss,' said the woman, 'for I only lives just
across the next field, but you must run as hard as you can, because my
husband is going to work, and he generally takes Bob with him.'
'Well, make haste, then,' said Eliza.
'Give me your hand, miss,' replied the woman; 'for we can run faster
together. But there goes my husband, I declare; and there's Bob, as
usual, skipping on before.'
'Where? where?' exclaimed Eliza, stretching her little neck as far as
she possibly could, to see if she could discern the lamb.
'You are not tall enough,' said the artful creature; 'but let me lift
you up, miss, and then I dare say you will see them;' and, instantly
catching her up, she cried out: 'Look directly towards the steeple,
miss; but I'll run with you in my arms, and I warrant we'll soon
overtake them.'
Eliza looked, but looked in vain, and, perceiving the woman had soon
carried her out of sight of the cottage, begged she would set her down,
as she dare not go any farther.
The vile creature was absolutely incapable of replying, for her breath
was nearly exhausted by the rapidity of the motion, and Eliza continued
entreating her to stop, and struggled violently to elude her grasp.
At length, after a quarter of an hour's exertion, the woman found
herself incapable of proceeding, and stopped suddenly, sat down on a
bank, keeping tight hold of Eliza's arms, who cried dreadfully, and
besought her to let her go.
'Let you go!' she replied; 'what, after all the plague I've had to knap
you? No, no, you don't catch me at that, I promise you; but be a good
girl, and don't cry, and then you may see Bob by-and-by, perhaps.'
'Oh, my sisters! my sisters! Let me go to my sisters!' cried the child.
'I'll find plenty of sisters for you in a few days,' said the vile
creature; 'but they won't know you in them there fine clothes; so let's
pull them off in a minute, and then we'll have another run after Bob.'
So saying, she stripped off the white frock, hat, and tippet. The rest
of the things shared the same fate, and she was compelled to put on some
old rags which the inhuman creature took out of a bag she carried under
her petticoat; then, taking a bottle of liquid from the same place, she
instantly began washing Eliza's face with it, and, notwithstanding all
her remonstrances, cut her beautiful hair close to her head.
Thus metamorphosed, it would have been impossible even for Mr. Darnley
to have known his child, and they proceeded onward until her little legs
would carry her no farther. At this period they were overtaken by the
Canterbury waggon, and for a mere trifle the driver consented to let
them ride to London. Eliza's tears continued to flow, but she dared not
utter a complaint, as her inhuman companion protested she would break
every bone in her skin if she ventured to make the least noise.
[Illustration: _Cut her beautiful hair close to her head.--Page 102._]
When they arrived in town, she was dragged (for to walk she was unable)
to a miserable hole down several steps, where they gave her some bread
and butter to eat, and then desired her to go to bed.
The bed, if such it might be called, was little else than a bundle of
rags thrown into a corner of the room, with a dirty blanket spread
across it; and there she was left by her inhuman kidnapper to mourn her
misfortunes and lament having disregarded her father's injunctions.
The next morning she was forced to rise the moment it was light, and to
walk as far as her little legs would carry her before they stopped
anywhere to take refreshment. The second night was passed in a barn, and
about five o'clock the third afternoon they knocked at the door of a
neat-looking cottage, where nine or ten children were sitting in a
little room making lace.
'Why, Peggy,' said the woman, as she opened the door, 'I thought you
never would have come again! However, I see you have got me a hand at
last, and God knows I'm enough in want of her; for two of my brats have
thought proper to fall sick, and I have more to do than ever I had in my
life.'
On the following day Eliza's filthy rags were all taken off, and she was
dressed in a tidy, brown stuff gown, a nice clean round-eared cap, and a
little coloured bib and apron; and she was ordered, if any person asked
her name, to say it was Biddy Bullen, and that she was niece to the
woman who employed her.
The severity with which all this wretch's commands were enforced wholly
prevented any of the helpless victims who were under her protection
from daring to disobey them; and though most of them were placed under
her care by the same vile agent who had decoyed Eliza, yet they were all
tutored to relate similar untruths.
But I now think it is high time to carry my little readers back to the
cottage scene, where Susan was arranging things in order for breakfast,
and Sophia and her sister were anxiously watching the moment when the
cake was pronounced completely ready.
The old woman soon returned with the milk-pail on her arm, and Susan
eagerly demanded: 'Where's Miss Eliza?'
'Oh, the pretty creature!' replied her mother, 'she'll be here in a
minute, I warrant her; but she has gone skipping after our Billy, and
the two sweet innocents they are together.'
She then went to the oven, produced the cake, and began buttering it
with all expedition, whilst Sophia joyously ran to the door of the
cowhouse, and began loudly calling her sister Eliza.
No answer being returned, Susan began to feel alarmed, but the young
ladies told her not to be frightened, as they knew it was only one of
Eliza's pranks. But, alas! too soon were they convinced it was no joke,
but some dreadful misfortune must have happened.
'Miss Eliza! Miss Eliza!' was vociferated through the village, not only
by Susan and her mother, but by all the neighbours who had heard of the
calamity, whilst her sisters ran about frantic with grief, crying,
'Eliza, my love! my darling! Oh, if you are hid, for pity's sake speak!'
Nurse Chapman got up about half-past nine, and, hearing the children
were not returned from their walk, sent the housemaid directly after
them.
The garden, the shrubbery, and the lawn were all searched without
success; and just as Betty was returning to inform the nurse they were
not to be found, she perceived Susan and the two children enter a little
green gate at the bottom of the shrubbery.
'Where's Miss Eliza?' called Betty, in a voice as loud as she could
articulate.
'God knows! God knows!' replied the careless girl, sobbing so loud she
could scarcely speak.
'How! where! when!' said the others. 'Why, poor nurse will go stark,
staring mad!'
By that time the poor woman had quitted her room, and walked into the
garden to see what had become of her little charges; and, not directly
missing Eliza from the group, which was then fast approaching towards
the house, she called out:
'Come, my dear children--come along! I thought you would never have
returned again.' And, observing Eliza was not with them, she continued:
'But, Susan, what's become of my sweet bird? Where's my little darling,
Miss Eliza?'
'Oh, nurse! nurse!' said Sophia, 'my sister's lost! indeed she's lost!'
'Lost!' exclaimed the poor old woman--'lost! What do you tell me? What
do I hear? Oh, my master! my dear master! never shall I bear to see his
face again!'
Susan then repeated every circumstance just as has been related, and
with sighs and tears bewailed her own folly in suffering herself to be
over-persuaded. And the children declared they dare not encounter their
father's displeasure.
The menservants were instantly summoned, and sent on horseback different
ways. That she had been stolen admitted of no doubt, as there was no
water near the cottage; and had any accident happened, they must have
found her, as they had searched every part of the village before they
ventured to return home.
One servant was sent to Rochester, another towards London, and a third
and fourth across the country roads; but no intelligence could be
obtained, or the slightest information gathered, by which the
unfortunate child could be found, or her wicked decoyer's footsteps
traced.
When Mr. Darnley was apprised of the calamitous event, the agitation of
his mind may be easily conceived, but can never be described.
Handbills were instantly circulated all over the country, the child's
person described, and a reward of five hundred guineas offered for her
restoration.
Sophia and Amanda were inconsolable, and Susan was ordered to be
discharged before Mr. Darnley returned home, which he did not for more
than a month after the melancholy circumstance happened, as he was not
satisfied with sending messengers in pursuit of his lost treasure, but
went himself to all those wretched parts of London where poverty and
vice are known to dwell, in the hope of meeting the object of his
solicitude, and at length gave up the interesting pursuit, because he
found his health rendered him incapable of continuing it.
Nine tedious months passed away without any intelligence of the lost
Eliza; and time, which is a general remedy for all misfortunes, had not
softened the severity of their affliction. Mrs. Collier had engaged a
lady to be governess to her nieces, as her attention had been wholly
devoted to her unfortunate brother, whose agitated state of mind had
produced a bodily complaint which demanded her unremitting care and
tenderness.
Although Emily loved Eliza with the fondest affection, yet her grief was
much less poignant than either of her sisters', as she could not accuse
herself with being accessory to her loss.
'Never, never shall I forgive myself,' Sophia would often say, 'for
having deviated from my dear father's command! Oh, so good and indulgent
as he is to us, how wicked it was to transgress his will! I was the
eldest, and ought to have known better, and my poor Eliza is the
sufferer for my crime!'
Thus would she bewail her folly and imprudence, until, agonized by the
torture of her own reflections, she would sink down in a chair quite
exhausted, and burst into a flood of tears.
While the family at Darnley Hall were thus a prey to unavailing sorrow,
the lovely little girl who had occasioned it was beginning to grow more
reconciled to the cruelty of her destiny, and to support her different
mode of life with resignation and composure. She had acquired such a
degree of skill in the art of lacemaking (which was the business her
employer followed) as generally to be able to perform the tasks which
were allotted her; and if it so happened she was incapable of doing it,
Sally Butchell, a child almost two years older than herself, of whom she
was very fond, was always kind enough to complete it for her.
The cottage in which the vile Mrs. Bullen resided was situated about a
quarter of a mile from High Wycombe; and whenever she was obliged to go
to that place, either to purchase or to dispose of her goods, she always
went either before her family were up, or after they had retired to
rest, locking the door constantly after her, and putting the key in her
pocket, so that the poor little souls had no opportunity of telling
their misfortunes to any human creature.
One intense hot afternoon, in the month of August, as the children were
sitting hard at work with the door open for the sake of air, an elderly
lady and gentleman walked up to it, and begged to be accommodated with a
seat, informing Mrs. Bullen their carriage had broke down a mile
distant, and they had been obliged to walk in the heat of the sun.
The appearance of so many children, all industriously employed, was a
sight particularly pleasing to the liberal-minded Mrs. Montague, and she
immediately began asking the woman several questions about them; but
there was something of confusion in her manner of replying that called
forth Mrs. Montague's surprise and astonishment.
'They really are lovely children, my dear,' said she, turning to Mr.
Montague, who had stood at the door watching the approach of the
carriage, which he perceived coming forward; 'and as to that little
creature with the mole under her left eye, I declare I think it is a
perfect beauty.'
Mr. Montague turned his head, and regarded Eliza with a look that at
once proved that his sentiments corresponded with those of his lady.
'What is your name, my love?' said he, in a tone of kindness which poor
Eliza had long been a stranger to.
The child coloured like scarlet, and looked immediately at her inhuman
employer, who, catching the contagion, replied with evident marks of
confusion:
'Her name is Biddy Bullen, sir; she's my niece; but 'tis a poor timid
little fool, and is always in a fright when gentlefolks happen to speak
to her. Go, Biddy,' she continued--'go up into my bedroom, and mind that
thread which you'll find upon the reel.'
'You should try to conquer that timidity,' said Mr. Montague, 'by making
her answer every stranger who speaks to her; but by taking that office
upon yourself, you absolutely encourage the shyness you complain of.
Come hither, my little girl,' continued he, observing she was retiring
upstairs, 'and tell the lady what your name is.'
Encouraged by the kindness of Mr. Montague's address, the agitated child
obeyed the summons, although Mrs. Bullen attempted to force her into
resistance.
'Well,' continued the old gentleman, patting her on the cheek, 'and
where did you get that pretty mole?'
'My mother gave it me, sir,' replied the blushing child; 'but I did not
see her do it, because Nurse Chapman told me she went to heaven as soon
as I was born.'
'Your mother! And what was your mother's name?' said Mr. Montague.
'Darnley, sir,' said the child, and suddenly recollecting the lesson
that had been taught her; 'but my name is Biddy Bullen, and that is my
aunt.'
'Darnley!' exclaimed Mrs. Montague--'the very child that has been for
these twelve months past advertised in all the papers'--then turning to
convince herself of the fact--'and the very mole confirms it.'
Mr. Montague immediately attempted to secure the woman, but her activity
eluded his grasp, and darting out at the back door she was out of sight
in a few moments.
'Is she really gone? Is she gone?' all the little voices at once
demanded, and upon Mr. Montague's assuring them she was really gone for
ever, their joy broke out in a thousand different ways--some cried, some
laughed, and others jumped. In short, there never was a scene more
completely calculated to interest the feelings of a benevolent heart.
Mr. Montague's carriage at this period arrived, and the footman was
desired to fetch a magistrate from Wycombe, whilst the worthy clergyman
resolved to remain there until his arrival, and began questioning all
the children. Two had been there from so early a period that they could
give no account of their name or origin, but all the rest were so clear
in their description that the benevolent Mr. Montague had no doubt of
being able to restore them to their afflicted parents.
The magistrate soon arrived, attended by the worthy rector of the place,
who, hearing from Mr. Montague's servant that a child had been stolen
came with the intent of offering his services.
All but Eliza were immediately put under his protection, but Mrs.
Montague was so anxious she should be their earliest care that she
begged her husband to order a post-chaise directly, and set off
immediately for town. This request was willingly complied with, and by
three o'clock the next afternoon the party arrived at Darnley Hall.
Mrs. Collier was standing at the window when the carriage stopped, and
looking earnestly at her niece suddenly exclaimed in a tone of rapture:
'My child! My child! My lost Eliza!'
Mr. Darnley, who was reading, sprang from his seat, and flew to the door
in an ecstasy of joy. In less than a minute he returned folding his
Eliza to his throbbing heart. The joyful intelligence ran through the
house, and the other children impatiently flew to this scene of
transport.
To describe their feelings or express their felicity would require the
aid of the most descriptive pen, and even then would be but faintly
told, and therefore had much better be passed over.
From that moment the children all unanimously agreed strictly to attend
to their father's orders, and never in the slightest instance act in
opposition to his will.
Mr. and Mrs. Montague were laden with caresses, and earnestly entreated
to remain Mr. Darnley's guests. The hospitable invitation would have
been gladly accepted had not the thoughts of the poor children who were
still at Wycombe seemed to claim his immediate attention, and so great
was the philanthropy of Mr. Montague's character that he could never
rest satisfied if a single duty remained unfulfilled.
The Rose's Breakfast
The shrubs and flowers, having heard of the Peacock At Home, the
Butterfly's Ball, and Grasshopper's Feast, Elephant's Ball, and many
others of equal celebrity, and having been themselves of late much
introduced into the assemblies of _Ton_, grew so vain as to wish to have
a gala of their own. They were aware of their want of the organs of
speech, but knowing they had plenty of Ladies' Tongue among them, and
that crowded parties neither afforded gratification to the mind, or
allowed opportunity for conversation, and as they could shake their
leaves at each other, as well as fine ladies could their heads, they
were perfectly satisfied with their powers to entertain.
As all their refreshments were composed from air, earth, and water it
was determined that a fine summer's day after a reviving shower, would
afford ample regale for a breakfast, which was to begin, like all
fashionable ones, late in the afternoon, that the genteel flowers might
be awake. Mrs. Honeysuckle first proposed giving one, but her husband
was a Dutchman, and would not agree to the bustle and expense, and not
choosing the risk of separation she for once yielded, and Mrs. Rose,
being in high beauty, determined to send out her fragrance to invite the
company, provided she could procure the consent of Mr. Pluto Rose;
indeed, he never interfered with the pursuits of his wife; he only
declared he should not appear, and as he was a very dark-looking rose
without any sweet she was delighted at this declaration, but, though
much admired in her own little circle, she was unknown in the great
World, and she was sensible that unless some of the leaders of the _Ton_
were present her breakfast would be regarded with contempt; she
therefore consulted two of her friends, Lady Acacia and Mrs. Larch, and
got Mr. Plane from the east to secure the attendance of his party.
Lady Acacia had just got her niece Robina from America, whom she was
very solicitous to have properly introduced, having kept very
indifferent company in her own country, and being handsome, she aspired
to settling her well. She, of course, aided all in her power to promote
Mrs. Rose's scheme, and, by being in a higher circle, offered to get all
the Forest Trees to attend except Lord Oak; but she knew he never
condescended to go to such meetings. Mrs. Larch, from her connections,
promised her influence with all the Cedars and Firs, though she was sure
her cousin from Lebanon would not come, but all the rest yielded easily
to her entreaties. Mrs. Rose was delighted with the success of Lady
Acacia and Mrs. Larch in their solicitations with the Forest and Fir
Trees, whose majestic appearance and respectable characters she imagined
would dignify her fête, never considering her own littleness might
appear to them despicable; but from them she had nothing to fear, as
they were too well bred to attend any meeting to ridicule it. 'Tis true
when they did grace a public entertainment they kept chiefly together,
and never so far forgot their consequence as to oppress a humble flower,
or stoop to notice a forward insignificant one even in the gayest
attire.
There was an elegant lightness of drapery in Mrs. Birch's dress, but
poor Lady Aspen had certainly a very trifling way with her in shaking
continually her leaves, which sounded as if she was tittering at
everything around. Old Lord Elm was hurt at it, and often hinted to her
ladyship how improper such behaviour would have been deemed in former
times. It was, poor thing, in her a natural weakness which she could not
amend, and it had been copied by some inferior plants who had ignorantly
supposed it the height of good breeding.
Mrs. Rose, with all her charms, could not aspire to become one of the
Forest set, though she had hopes she might be reckoned a descendant from
the famous Roses so well known in the reigns of some of our Henrys,
Edwards, and Richard III., though she assuredly was of a very different
extraction; indeed, it was said that she was bred up in a cottage
garden, but had passed one winter in the hothouse, by which she was
greatly elated, and now thought from that circumstance she was secure in
having a large party from thence, not knowing the prejudice it was to
memory and sight to be constantly for any length of time in such
artificial air. Had it not been for this breakfast bringing Mrs. Rose
into notice she would have been totally forgotten by them, but her
invitation made them soon recollect the dear little creature, and as
every offer of accommodation was made to entice them to attend, even to
the promise of being placed near the Burning Bush: for that whatever is
difficult to obtain is always peculiarly desirable to possess was not
unknown in the hothouse. Notwithstanding that most of its inhabitants,
except Lady Sensitive and a few others (who were really too delicate to
venture out), all anxiously wished to be at Mrs. Rose's, yet they seemed
to make the waiting on her a very great favour, and their terms vexed
her greatly--namely, the excluding of many of the common plants or
natives as they termed them which prevented her from asking some of her
old acquaintance and near connections, with whom till now she had lived
in habits of intimacy; besides she had wished to have shown her taste
and consequence to them, having thorns enough on her stem to have
pleasure in exciting a little envy; but being afraid these connections
should be known she excluded every friend she was requested to do, and
thus the Sweet Briar and many of that rank were left out, yet several
weeds had the effrontery to get in.
As the hothouse plants always keep together when they do come out, they,
as usual, did so at Mrs. Rose's, following their constant plan of
apparent dissatisfaction at everything they met with, and quizzing most
shamefully all the company. The greenhouse plants in winter follow the
example of the hothouse in living in their own circle, but at this
season mix more generally, though, alas! they were nearly as much
inclined as the hothouse party to quizzing. Mrs. Myrtle and Lady
Orange-tree promised to chaperon the Misses Heath and the Misses
Geranium--that is, such as were properly accomplished by having had a
greenhouse education; but the poor relations of these two families,
which I am forced to confess were many, were not asked. Lord
Heliotropium and Mr. Monkeyplant were their welcome attendants.
The Evergreens of rank were invited, the females of whom are charged
with being fond of showing themselves, and are usually to be seen in the
front of plantations. Hitherto they had despised the fickleness of
fashion, and had never modernized their dress enough to seem thinly clad
even in the winter, and now they could not reconcile themselves to such
a change, which, in fact, did them honour, though a few of the weakest
and vainest among them rather lamented it, but the wiser valued their
foliage as a great addition to beauty and elegance, and justly
reprobated the prevailing _Ton_ of transparent clothing as very
pernicious to health. Mrs. Arbutus was particularly unlucky in having
sent all her jewels away for the summer, but Lady Portugal Laurel and a
few others ornamented their usual green dresses very prettily with
white, and her ladyship was allowed to make a sweet figure, whilst the
correctness of her appearance gained her respect and admiration.
Many Laurels were invited, but in this country they are so numerous, and
of such rapid growth, and such flourishing plants, that it was
absolutely impossible to collect as many of them as could be desired,
and some old veterans declined attending. The Cypresses in general sent
excuses, being confined by the loss of a friend, which was thought
rather an uncommon reason for confinement. Mr. Stock was also prevented
by a pre-engagement in the alley; he was a remarkably rich, showy
flower, or he would not have been invited, yet he was known to possess
more intrinsic merit before he had acquired so many petals. Dr. Yew
would not leave his church, nor Dr. Palma Christi his patients; indeed,
their absence was not at all regretted, it being owing to a mistake that
they were asked. The Ladies Weeping Willow stayed away with the Misses
Weeping Ash to mourn over the vanities of the world, which greatly
alarmed and distressed them.
Mrs. Passion-Flower sent her excuses, being enraged she was not
consulted on the occasion, as she would have deferred the meeting until
she had regained her bloom. Most of the Shrubs that were invited
attended, and the Duchess of Syringa and the Ladies Lilac looked
beautiful. It was a disputed point whether Lady White Lilac or her
sister was the handsomer, yet some of the party were so ill-humoured as
to hint they were fading. Lord Laburnum came with them. Some bulbous
roots were admitted, and Mrs. Lily made as engaging a figure as anyone;
her headdress was simply elegant, the petals white with yellow stamens
forming a very rich coral. The sweet Misses Lily of the Valley could not
be tempted from their retreat.
Lord Tulip was particularly noticed, his coral being diversified in a
most superb manner, and as dress among _Ton beaux_ now is neglected he
made a very surprising appearance, though by it he gained great respect;
perhaps he carried it too far, as marked singularity is never advisable,
yet a certain attention to dress, consistent with station, is requisite,
and had it not been for his coral Lord Tulip would have been passed by
in the crowd, or turned out as a weed. He came with the Duchess of
Hyacinth, which was rather particular, but it was little regarded, and
the Duke was blamed for not properly estimating her Grace's charms.
There were some perennials asked, but Mrs. Rose was obliged to forget
many of them, yet Miss Scabious was there, though not yet come out,
flirting shamefully with young Lychnis, who was waiting for his ensigncy
to get out his scarlet coat. Mrs. Rose made a point of inviting Mr.
Monkshood because she would not appear to have any prejudices, though it
is well known to be a poisonous plant, but its evil properties were to
her and her friends of no consequence as they had never reflected on
serious subjects. She also pressed the attendance of several annuals of
showy appearance. Intrinsic merit had no value with her, who had no
guide but fashion, and was ambitious only of becoming a leader in
dissipation or a patroness of talent, which would be the means of making
her ridiculous, and the dupe of presuming ignorance.
The annuals, though they flourished but for a short time, were often
during that period greatly caressed, yet never lamented when they
disappeared; in short, they were made subservient to the powers of
others, which Mr. Coxcomb, the painted Lady Pea, and some more were too
vain to discover, and whilst they were frequently amused in quizzing all
around never suspected they were deservedly greater objects of ridicule
themselves. Very few of the Creepers were invited except those that
belonged to the hothouse or greenhouse, and the sharpness of Lady Cereus
made Mrs. Rose wish even to have avoided her company, but she would not
be put off. Mrs. Bramble was very sharp at not being invited, thinking
she had as good a right as Mrs. Ivy, whom she accused as being one of
those sycophants that push themselves into high life by clinging to
greatness, and thus getting into the first circle without being
respected in or out of it; indeed, there was amongst many of the party a
good deal of satire. Mrs. Rose herself was a little formed of it, but
her sweetness was allowed to blunt the force of her thorn, and made it
even regarded as pleasing, whilst Mrs. Holly was disliked for her
general sharpness.
[Illustration: _The sweet Misses Lilies of the Valley could not be
tempted from their retreat.--Page 119._]
All the Auriculas that had been applauded on the stage were wonderfully
sought after by Mrs. Rose as being now generally in all _Ton_
assemblies, and they were always ready to accept these invitations, but
their season of exhibition was now over, and they were gone strolling
about for the remainder of the year. The Ladies Carnation were all
asked, and some of their cousins, the Misses Pink, were particularly
named (not having accommodations for all the family), and such of the
Misses Pink as came were chaperoned by their near relations, Mr. and
Mrs. Sweet-William; but the Ladies Carnation were obliged to
refuse--they were afraid they should not be come out in time, and if
they were must attend a county meeting with their guardian.
There were no invitations sent into the kitchen garden or orchard,
notwithstanding the elegant simplicity of many of the inhabitants, and
the general propriety of their conduct, but they were all voted quizzes
for their usefulness in society and their attention to domestic
concerns. They were vain of this neglect, regarding it as a proof of
their merit, and as they lived comfortably together were happy and
contented, and far more easy and cheerful than the more dissipated
societies. Mrs. Onion, it must be allowed, took it as a slight, but she
was the only one that did, and she, presuming upon the having been much
at great dinners, imagined she must be qualified for any breakfast, not
considering she generally was obliged to go to them disguised or hid by
a veil, but she was a proof of the errors of self knowledge, as she
thought her scent far preferable to Mrs. Rose's.
The rest of the kitchen garden really wished to avoid mixing with the
_Ton_, among whom they justly allowed were many very valuable plants;
every class and order in this country may boast of them. The natural
soil is good, and much pains is bestowed on proper culture, yet in the
circles of dissipation there was reason to fear their health and good
habits might be injured, particularly as attempts had been made to
disseminate baneful seeds, though hitherto they had been kept down by
care and attention. Mrs. Apple-Tree, Mr. Cherry, Miss Currant, Miss
Gooseberry, the Beans, Peas, Potatoes, and Cabbages well knew their own
value, and despised the weak ambition of those who force themselves into
company they were not designed for.
Mrs. Rose would have liked to have got at the Mint, but it was so well
guarded by the Sages that she dared not make the attempt, knowing it
would be useless, and she could not presume to ask the Sages, or would
have been delighted to have had them--that is, all the family but Common
Sage, well imagining how much consequence she might acquire by even the
appearance of such an acquaintance, yet it was an absurd idea, as she
had not the smallest relish for their taste or anything Sage-like about
her, and the wish to be thought to possess talents she did not would, as
it always does, have made her contemptible to those who really have
them. True knowledge is highly valuable and respectable, but the
ignorant pretenders to it only make themselves objects of ridicule. Mrs.
Rose was fortunate enough to get some of the Bays brought to her, and
she thus trusted to have her breakfast properly celebrated in a poem
dedicated to the Rose Unique.
The bog plants had all contrived to be in the _Ton_, and the Misses
Rhododendron and the Misses Kalmia were greatly admired.
The breakfast was given on a beautiful green lawn, tastefully decorated,
in the middle of which was a fine piece of water, with a fountain
continually playing. Around were heaps of various sorts of soils, many
procured at great distances at an enormous expense. The Buttercups and
Dandelions waited on the lawn in full yellow liveries, and the Daisies,
dressed neatly in a uniform of white with yellow ornaments, were as
female servants to give the refreshments to the waiters, and the
Foxgloves in red uniforms presided over the whole. The Trumpet Flowers
were numerous; indeed, there was no other music, and there was no
regular dancing, though many pretty groups dispersed about.
The crowd was very great, and the company did not leave the lawn till
late, many of them exceedingly fatigued, and drooping with their
exertions, and poor Mrs. Poppy was so much inclined to sleep as to
distress the Misses Larkspur and Lupin that came with her, and Sir
Laurus Tinus got much squeezed in getting the Marchioness Magnolia, a
most charming creature, and the Miss Phillyreas away, and Lady Cistus
left all her petals behind her.
Admiral Flag and Lady Peony were detained much longer than they wished
in settling a dispute that had nearly ended in a challenge between
Captain Waterdock and Colonel Jasmine about the antiquities of their
families, which had so seriously terrified Lady Azorian Jasmine that she
would have fainted but for the tender attention of Mrs. Lavender. The
Colonel was certainly wrong, as the Water-docks are well known to be a
very ancient family in Great Britain. It is much to be regretted that
there is so often such a mistaken idea of courage even amongst the most
respectable orders, abounding with the truest honour, and noblest
spirit, as to cause duels on the most trifling subjects, thus involving
their families in distress and themselves in the greatest misery.
There was waiting on the outside of the lawn at Mrs. Rose's many of the
Umbellate tribe, that in case sun or rain should be too powerful their
Umbels might be useful, and, indeed, many other plants were mixed among
them. Mrs. Mignonette, the milliner, a sweet little creature, was there
to learn fashions; she had brought with her one of her favourites,
Venus's Looking-glass, whom she found of great service in her shop. The
Nettles, Thistles, and Furze were very troublesome. The Thrifts were
also on the outside, as Mrs. Rose and they were totally unacquainted,
but she had given great offence to many whom she had neglected that she
very well knew, some even intimately, and the Misses Crocus, Violet,
Jonquil, and Mrs. Almond she did not ask, because their beauty was gone
by. She had also her disappointments in receiving excuses from many
whose presence she wished for. Amongst these was Mr. and Mrs.
Heartsease, most valuable plants; indeed, she had thought herself sure
of their company, and they had intended waiting on her. At all
entertainments of every kind they are expected, and they generally
accept the invitations they receive, but before the day of engagement
arrives they are obliged to send their excuses, owing to indisposition,
which keeps them confined to a small circle of friends.
Some of the party at Mrs. Rose's were delighted; others only aimed to be
thought pleased, but alas! too many were inclined to quiz the breakfast,
Mrs. Rose, and everything they saw or met with, yet even these to her
pretended the greatest felicity at what they partook of, and the
sincerest regard and esteem for her, and were absurdly lavish in the
admiration of her taste, and after all poor Mrs. Rose was so fatigued
that she was attended for a considerable time by Doctor Gardener, and
could associate with no other plant but her maid Valerian, having so
completely lost her bloom by her dissipation that she came out no more
this season, though she had sufficient foliage to ensure her life, and
much more than suited her ideas of Tonish appearance, for,
notwithstanding the slights she received in her confinement, when she
could be of no use to the gay world, and her own sufferings, she still
possessed so much vanity and lightness of manner that it was with the
greatest difficulty the doctor could keep her properly clothed, though
he explained to her its necessity, as did Mr. Pluto Rose its propriety,
but she was a slave to fashion, and nearly became one of its martyrs.
The Three Cakes
'There was a little boy named Henry,' said Mr. Glassington, 'about your
age. His parents had but lately fixed him at a boarding-school.'
He was a special boy, for ever at his book, and happened once to get the
highest place at exercises. His mother was told it. She could nohow keep
from dreaming of the pleasure; and when morning came, she got up early,
went to speak with the cook and said as follows:
'Cook, you are to make a cake for Henry, who yesterday was very good at
school.'
'With all my heart,' replied the cook, and set immediately about it. It
was as big as--let me see--as big as--as a hat when flapped. The cook
had stuffed it with nice almonds, large pistachio nuts, and candied
lemon-peel, and iced it over with a coat of sugar, so that it was very
smooth and a perfect white. The cake no sooner was come home from baking
than the cook put on her things, and carried it to school.
When Henry first saw it, he jumped up and down like any Merry Andrew. He
was not so patient as to wait till they could let him have a knife, but
fell upon it tooth and nail. He ate and ate till school began, and after
school was over he ate again; at night, too, it was the same thing till
bedtime--nay, a little fellow that Henry had for a playmate told me that
he put the cake upon his bolster when he went to bed, and waked and
waked a dozen times, that he might take a bit. I cannot so easily
believe this last particular; but, then, it is very true, at least, that
on the morrow, when the day was hardly broke, he set about his favourite
business once again, continuing at it all the morning, and by noon had
eaten it up. The dinner-bell now rung; but Henry, as one may fancy, had
no stomach, and was vexed to see how heartily the other children ate. It
was, however, worse than this at five o'clock, when school was over.
His companions asked him if he would not play at cricket, tan, or kits.
Alas! he could not; so they played without him. In the meantime Henry
could hardly stand upon his legs; he went and sat down in a corner very
gloomily, while the children said one to another: 'What is the matter
with poor Henry, who used to skip about and be so merry? See how pale
and sorrowful he is!'
The master came himself, and, seeing him, was quite alarmed. It was all
lost labour to interrogate him. Henry could not be brought to speak a
single word.
By great good luck, a boy at length came forward in the secret; and his
information was that Henry's mother had sent him a great cake the day
before, which he had swallowed in an instant, as it were, and that his
present sickness was occasioned only by his gluttony. On this, the
master sent for an apothecary, who ordered him a quantity of physic,
phial after phial. Henry, as one would fancy, found it very nauseous,
but was forced to take the whole for fear of dying, which, had he
omitted it, would certainly have been the case. When some few days of
physic and strict regimen had passed, his health was re-established as
before; but his mother protested that she would never let him have
another cake.
_Percival._ He did not merit so much as the smell of such a thing. But
this is but one cake, father; and you informed me that there were three,
if you remember, in your story.
_Mr. G._ Patience! patience! Here is another cake in what I am now going
to tell.
Henry's master had another scholar, whose name was Francis. He had
written his mother a very pretty letter, and it had not so much as a
blotted stroke; in recompense for which she sent him likewise a great
cake, and Francis thus addressed himself: 'I will not, like that glutton
Henry, eat up my cake at once, and so be sick as he was; no, I will make
my pleasure last a great deal longer.' So he took the cake, which he
could hardly lift by reason of its weight, and watched the opportunity
of slipping up into his chamber with it, where his box was, and in which
he put it under lock and key. At playtime every day he slipped away from
his companions, went upstairs a-tiptoe, cut a tolerable slice off,
swallowed it, put by the rest, and then came down and mixed again with
his companions. He continued this clandestine business all the week, and
even then the cake was hardly half consumed. But what ensued? At last
the cake grew dry, and quickly after mouldy; nay, the very maggots got
into it, and by that means had their share; on which account it was not
then worth eating, and our young curmudgeon was compelled to fling the
rest away with great reluctance. However, no one grieved for him.
_Percival._ No, indeed; nor I, father. What, keep a cake locked up
seven days together, and not give one's friends a bit! That is
monstrous! But let us have the other now.
_Mr. G._ There was another little gentleman who went to school with
Henry and Francis likewise, and his name was Gratian. His mother sent
him a cake one day, because she loved him, and, indeed, he loved her
also very much. It was no sooner come than Gratian thus addressed his
young companions: 'Come and look at what mother has sent me; you must
every one eat with me.' They scarcely needed such a welcome piece of
information twice, but all got round the cake, as you have doubtless
seen the bees resorting to a flower just blown. As Gratian was provided
with a knife, he cut a great piece off, and then divided it into as many
shares as he had brought boys together by such a courteous invitation.
Gratian then took up the rest, and told them that he would eat his piece
next day; on which he put it up, and went to play with his companions,
who were all solicitous to have him choose whatever game he thought
might entertain him most.
A quarter of an hour had scarcely passed as they were playing, when a
poor old man, who had a fiddle, came into the yard.
He had a very long white beard, and, being blind, was guided by a little
dog, who went before him with a collar round his neck. To this a cord
was fastened, which the poor blind man held in his hand.
It was noticed with how much dexterity the little dog conducted him, and
how he shook a bell, which, I forgot to say, hung underneath his collar,
when he came near anyone, as if he had designed to say by such an
action, 'Do not throw down or run against my master.' Being come into
the yard, he sat him down upon a stone, and, hearing several children
talking round him, 'My dear little gentlemen,' said he, 'I will play you
all the pretty tunes that I know, if you will give me leave.' The
children wished for nothing half so much. He put his violin in tune, and
then thrummed over several jigs and other scraps of music, which, it was
easy to conjecture, had been new in former times.
Little Gratian saw that while he played his merriest airs, a tear would
now and then roll down his cheeks, on which he stopped to ask him why he
wept?
'Because,' said the musician, 'I am very hungry. I have no one in the
world that will give my dog or me a bit of anything to eat. I wish I
could but work, and get for both of us a morsel of something; but I have
lost my strength and sight. Alas! I laboured hard till I was old, and
now I want bread.'
The generous Gratian, hearing this, wept too. He did not say a word, but
ran to fetch the cake which he had designed to eat himself. He brought
it out with joy, and, as he ran along, began: 'Here, good old man, here
is some cake for you.'
'Where?' replied the poor musician, feeling with his hands; 'where is
it? For I am blind, and cannot see you.'
Gratian put the cake into his hand, when, laying down his fiddle on the
ground, he wiped his eyes, and then began to eat. At every piece he put
into his mouth, he gave his faithful little dog a bit, who came and ate
out of his hand; and Gratian, standing by him, smiled with pleasure at
the thought of having fed the poor old man when he was hungry.
_Percival._ Oh, the good, good Gratian! Let me have your knife, father.
_Mr. G._ Here, Percival; but why my knife?
[Illustration: _'I will play you all the pretty tunes that I know, if
you will give me leave.'--Page 132._]
_Percival._ I will tell you. I have only nibbled here a little of my
cake, so pleased I was in listening to you! So I will cut it smooth.
There, see how well I have ordered it! These scraps, together with the
currants, will be more than I shall want for breakfast; and the first
poor man that I meet going home shall have the rest, even though he
should not play upon the violin.
Amendment
Charles Grant lived in a good house, and wore fine clothes, and had a
great many pretty toys to play with; yet Charles was seldom happy or
pleased; for he was never good. He did not mind what his mother said to
him, and would not learn to read, though he was now seven years old.
He called the servants names, pinched and beat his little sister Clara,
and took away her playthings, and was not kind and good to her, as a
brother should be. 'Oh, what a sad boy Charles is!' was his mother's
daily bitter exclamation.
His father was a proud, bad man, who let Charles have his own way,
because he was his only son, and he thought him handsome. But how could
anyone be handsome that was so naughty? I am sure that when he was
froward, and put out his lip, and frowned, he looked quite ugly. Mother
told him so, and said that no one was pretty that was not good; but
Charles did not mind his mother, and was so vain he would stand before
the looking-glass half the day, instead of learning his lessons; and was
so silly he would say, 'What a pretty little boy I am! I am glad I am
not a shabby boy, like Giles Bloomfield, our cowboy.' At such times his
mother would say to him: 'I wish, Charles, you were only half as good as
Giles; he is not much older than you, yet he can read in the Bible quite
well; he works hard for his poor mother, and never vexes her, as you do
me; and when he comes home of an evening, he nurses the baby, and is
kind to all his sisters. I dare say he never pinched nor beat any of
them in his life.'
'Oh!' said that wicked Charles, 'I hate him for all that, for he wears
ragged clothes, and has no toys to play with.'
'Oh fie, Charles!' said his mother; 'you are a wicked boy: have not I
often told you that God made the poor as well as the rich, and He will
hate those who despise them? Now, Charles, if God, to punish you for
your pride, were to take away your father and me, and you had no money
to buy food, and your clothes became old and ragged, you would then be a
poor, shabby boy, and worse off than Giles; for you could not earn your
own living, as he does; and you would consequently be starved to death
if God did not take care of you. And if, while you were rich, you hated
the poor, how could you expect God to care for you when you grew poor,
like those you had scorned?'
But Charles, however, was so naughty he would not stay to hear what his
mother said, but ran away into the fields.
Then Charles's mother was so vexed that she could not help crying at his
being such a wicked, proud boy; and she could not sleep all that night
for the grief his conduct had occasioned her. The next day she was
forced to take a long journey, to visit a friend who was very ill, and
who lived in London. She was very sorry to leave her children, for she
knew if Charles behaved naughty when she was with him, he would be a sad
boy indeed when he was left to himself, and had none to correct him and
tell him of his faults.
When the carriage that was to take Mrs. Grant to London drove to the
door, she kissed her children a great many times, and begged that they
would be very good while she was away from them.
'You, my dear Clara, I know, will mind what nurse says to you, and will
try to be good while I am gone; for you know that God will see
everything you do amiss, if I do not; and I hope you will never forget
to say your prayers to Him night and morning.'
Clara kissed her dear mother, and promised that she would attend to all
she said; and her mother was satisfied, for she knew that Clara never
told stories, though she was but a little girl.
Then Mrs. Grant turned to Charles, and said: 'As for you, Charles, I
cannot help feeling great pain at leaving you; for you are such a bad,
wilful boy that I shall not have a happy moment whilst I am away from
you, lest you should do anything amiss. But if you love me, you will try
to be good; and whenever you are about to do anything wrong, say to
yourself, "How much this would grieve my poor mother if she knew it! and
how much it will offend God, who does see, and knows, not only
everything I do, but even my most secret thoughts! And He will one day
bring me to an account for all I do or say against His holy will and my
kind parents' commands."'
Charles, who knew he was a bad boy, hung down his head, for he did not
like to be told of his faults.
Then his mother said: 'My dear Charles, do try and be good, and I will
love you dearly.'
'But what will you bring me from London,' said Charles, 'if I am a good
boy? for I never will behave well for nothing.'
'Do you call the love of God and of dear mother nothing?' said Clara; 'I
will behave well, even if mother forgets to bring me the great wax doll,
and the chest of drawers to keep her clothes in, which she told me about
yesterday.'
Mrs. Grant smiled fondly on her little girl, but made no reply to
Charles; and soon the coach drove away from the door.
Charles was very glad when his mother was gone, and he said: 'Now mother
is gone to London, I will do just as I please: I will learn no ugly
lessons, but play all day long. How happy I shall be! I hope mother may
not come for a whole month.'
But Charles soon found he was not so happy as he thought he should have
been; he did not know the reason, but I will tell you why he was not
happy. No one can be happy who is not good, and Charles was so naughty
as to resolve not to obey his kind mother, who loved him so much.
Charles brought out all his toys to play with, but he soon grew weary of
them, and he kicked them under the table, saying, 'Nasty dull toys, I
hate you, for you do not amuse me or make me happy. I will go to father,
and ask him to give me something to please me that I am not used to.'
But father was busy with some friends in the study, and could not attend
to his wants. Charles was a rude, tiresome boy; so he stood by his
father, and shook his chair, and pulled his sleeve, and teazed him so
much that his father at last grew angry, and turned him out of the room.
Then Charles stood and kicked at the door, and screamed with all his
might, when one of the gentlemen said to him: 'If you were my little
boy, I would give you something to cry for.' So Charles's father told
him if he did not go away, he would come out of the study and whip him.
When Charles heard this, he ran away, for he was afraid of being beaten;
but, instead of playing quietly with his toys, he went and laid under
the great table in the hall and sulked and fretted till dinner-time.
When nurse came to call him to dinner, he said: 'I won't come. Go away,
ugly nurse!'
Then said nurse: 'Master Charles, if you like to punish yourself by
going without your dinner, no one will prevent you, I am sure.'
Then Charles began to cry aloud, and tried to tear nurse's apron; but
nurse told him he was a bad boy, and left him.
Now, when Clara sat down to dinner, she said to nurse: 'Where is brother
Charles? Why is he not here?'
'Miss Clara, he is a naughty child,' said nurse, 'and chooses to go
without his dinner, thinking to vex us; but he hurts no one but himself
with his perverse temper.'
'Then,' said Clara, 'I do not like to dine while Charles goes without;
so I will try and persuade him to come and eat some pie.'
'Well, Miss Clara,' said nurse, 'you may go, if you please; but I would
leave the bad boy to himself.'
When Clara came to Charles, and asked him if he would come and eat his
dinner, he poked out his head, and made such an ugly face that she was
quite frightened at him, and ran away.
Nurse did not take the trouble of calling him to tea; and, though he was
very hungry, he was too sulky to come without being asked; so he lay
under the table, and cried aloud till bedtime. But when it grew dark, he
was afraid to stay by himself, for bad children are always fearful; so
he came upstairs and said in a cross, rude tone of voice: 'Nurse, give
me something to eat.'
Nurse said: 'Master Charles, if you had been good, you would have had
some chicken and some apple-pie for your dinner, and bread and butter
and cake for your tea; but as you were such a bad boy, and would not
come to your meals, I shall only give you a piece of dry bread and a cup
of milk, and you do not deserve even that.'
Then Charles made one of his very worst faces, and threw the bread on
the ground, and spilt the milk.
Nurse told him that there were many poor children in the world who would
be glad of the smallest morsel of what he so much despised, and that the
time would come when he might want the very worst bit of it; and she
bade him kneel down and say his prayers, and ask God to forgive him for
having been such a wicked boy all day.
But Charles did not mind what she said, and went crying to bed. Thus
ended the first day of Charles Grant's happiness.
He awoke very early the next morning, and told nurse to get him his
breakfast, for he was very hungry. But nurse said he must wait till
eight o'clock, which was the breakfast hour.
He now found it was of no use sulking, as no one seemed to care for his
tempers; so he looked about for something to eat, but found nothing but
the piece of bread he had thrown on the ground the night before; and he
was glad to eat that, and only wished there had been more of it.
As soon as breakfast was over, Clara brought her books, and began to
learn her lessons, and nurse asked Charles if he would do the same. But
Charles said, 'No, indeed! I do not mean to learn any lessons while
mother is away, for I mean to please myself and be happy.'
'You did as you pleased yesterday, Master Charles,' said nurse; 'yet I
do not think you were so very happy, unless happiness consists in lying
under a table and crying all day, and going without dinner and tea,
merely to indulge a sullen, froward temper.'
Now, Charles hated to be told of his faults, so he left nurse, and went
into the garden to try and amuse himself. When there, instead of keeping
in the walks, as he ought to have done, he ran on the beds, trampled
down the flowers, and pulled the blossoms from the fruit-trees.
The gardener's boy earnestly requested Charles not to do so much
mischief; but Charles told him he was a gentleman's son, and would do as
he pleased. So he again ran over the new-raked borders, and pulled up
the flowers; and the poor boy was sadly vexed to see his nice work all
spoiled.
Charles did not care for that, and would have behaved still worse, had
not the gardener, who then came up, taken him in his arms, and carried
him into the house, in spite of his kicking and screaming. He cried for
a long time, and made a sad noise; but, finding that no one paid any
regard to him, he became quiet, and went into the nursery, and asked
Clara to come and play with him.
'I cannot come just now, brother Charles,' said she; 'for I want to
finish this frock that I am making for Giles Bloomfield's little
sister.'
'I am sure,' said Charles, 'if I were you, I would much rather play than
sit still and sew.'
'Not if you knew what pleasure there is in doing good,' said Clara; 'but
if you will wait till I have finished it, you shall go with me and give
it to the poor woman, and then you will see how pleased she will be, and
how nicely the baby will look when she is dressed in this pretty frock,
instead of her old faded, ragged one.'
[Illustration: _Had not the gardener, who then came up, taken him in his
arms, and carried him into the house, in spite of his kicking and
screaming.--Page 142._]
Charles did not know how to amuse himself, so he sat down on his little
stool, and watched his sister while she worked.
When Clara had finished making the frock, she said: 'Thank you, dear
nurse, for cutting out and fixing the frock for me.' So she threw her
arms round nurse's neck, and kissed her cheek; and nurse put on Clara's
tippet and her new bonnet, and walked with Charles and her to Dame
Bloomfield's cottage.
The good woman took the baby out of the cradle, and laid it on Clara's
lap, and Clara had the pleasure of dressing it herself in the nice new
frock; and the baby looked so neat and pretty, and the poor mother was
so pleased, that Clara was much happier than if she had spent her time
in playing or working for her doll.
While Clara was nursing and caressing the baby, Charles went into the
little garden, where he found Giles Bloomfield, who had just returned
from working in the fields, with a beautiful milk-white rabbit in his
arms, which he had taken out of the hutch, and was nursing with much
affection.
'Oh, what a pretty rabbit!' said Charles. 'Giles, will you sell it to
me?'
'No, Master Charles,' said Giles, 'I cannot sell my pretty Snowball.'
'And why not?' asked Charles in a fretful tone.
'Because, Master Charles, the old doe, its mother, died when Snowball
was only a week old, and I reared it by feeding it with warm milk and
bran; and it is now so fond of me that I would not part with it for a
great deal.'
So saying, he stroked his pretty favourite, who licked his hand all
over, and rubbed her soft white head against his fingers.
Then Giles said: 'My dear Snowball, I would not sell you for the world.'
'But you shall sell Snowball to me,' said Charles, making one of his
ugly faces. 'I will give you a shilling for her; and if you do not let
me carry her home this very day, I will tell father of you, and he will
turn you out of the cottage.'
When Giles's mother heard Charles say so, she came out of the house, and
said: 'Pray, Giles, let Master Charles have the rabbit.'
'Dear mother,' said Giles, 'Master Charles has a pony and a dog, and a
great many fine toys to play with, and I have only my pretty Snowball;
and it will break my heart to part with her.'
'Then,' said his mother, 'would you rather see your mother and sisters
turned out of doors than part with your rabbit? You know, Giles, that I
had so many expenses with your poor father's illness and death that I
have not paid the rent due last quarter-day; and you know it is in our
landlord's power to turn us into the streets to-morrow.
'Well, mother,' cried Giles, bursting into tears, 'Master Charles must
have the rabbit. But oh!' continued he, 'he does not love you as I do,
my pretty Snowball; he will not feed and take care of you as I have
done, and you will soon die, and I shall never see you again.' And his
tears fell fast on the white head of his little pet as he spoke.
Clara was quite grieved, and begged her naughty brother not to deprive
poor Giles of his rabbit; but Charles was a wicked and covetous boy; he
therefore took Snowball from Giles, and carried her home in his arms,
and put her in a box. He went into the fields and gathered some green
herbs for her to eat, and said: 'I am glad I have got Snowball; now I
shall be quite happy.'
But how could Charles be happy when he had broken God's holy
commandment, which says, 'Thou shalt not covet'? Nurse and Clara told
him so, and begged him to give Snowball back again to Giles. But Charles
said he would not, for he meant to keep her all his life; but the next
morning, when he went into the stable to look at her, he found her
stretched at the bottom of the box. He called her, but Snowball did not
stir; he then took her out of the box to see what ailed her; but she was
quite cold and dead.
Oh dear! how Charles did cry! But it was of no use. He had better not
have taken her away from Giles, for he did not know what to feed her
with, and had given her among the greens he had gathered a herb called
hemlock, which is poisonous and will kill whatever eats of it; and it
had killed poor Snowball.
The coachman told Charles so when he saw how swollen she was, and
Charles cried the more. Giles cried too when he heard what a sad death
poor Snowball had died; but he had been a good dutiful boy in parting
with her when his mother wished it, though it had cost him much pain and
many tears.
Well, Charles's mother was gone a long time, more than a month, and it
would quite shock you to be told how naughty Charles was all that time;
at last a letter came to say she was very ill, and then another to tell
them she was dead.
What would Charles then have given if he had not grieved her so often
with his perverse temper and wicked conduct? He now said when he saw her
again, he would beg her to forgive him; but when Charles did see his
poor mother again she was in her coffin and could not hear him; and he
cried exceedingly, and wished he had been good. Clara, though she cried
as much as Charles for her dear mother, was glad she had obeyed her, and
been so good while she was away.
'And I will always be as good as if dear mother could see me, and love
me for it too,' said she to nurse the day after her mother was buried.
'My dear young lady,' said nurse, 'your mother _will_ see it, and love
you for doing your duty.'
'How can dear mother see me? Her eyes are closed, and she is in the dark
grave,' said Clara.
'But she will see you from heaven, Miss Clara, where she is gone to
receive the reward of her good conduct in this world; for though her
body is in the earth, her spirit is in heaven.'
'And shall I never see my own dear mother again?' said Clara.
'Yes, Miss Clara; if you are good, you will go to heaven when you die,
and become an angel like her.'
'Then,' said Clara, 'I will pray to God to make me good, and when I am
going to do anything wrong I will say to myself, "If I do this, I shall
never go to heaven, and see my dear mother when I die."'
'I wish,' said nurse, 'that Master Charles was like you, and would try
to be good.'
But though Charles was sometimes sorry for his bad behaviour, he did not
try to mend, because he thought it was too much trouble to be good, and
said he did not care, because he was the son of a gentleman.
Charles did not know that at this very time his father had spent all his
money, and owed a great many debts to different people; and at last he
ran away that he might not be put in prison; and the people to whom he
owed so much money came and seized his fine house and gardens, and the
coach, and all the furniture, and sold them by auction, to raise money
to pay the debts; so Charles found that, instead of being rich, he was
now very, very poor.
When the auction was over and all the things were sold, and it was
getting quite dark (for it was in the month of November), Clara and
Charles stood in one of the empty parlours, and wondered what they
should do for supper, and where they should sleep that night; for all
the beds were sold, and they saw the servants go away one after another.
At last nurse came in with her bonnet and cloak, and said: 'Miss Clara,
I am going away to my own cottage, and as you have always been a kind,
good child, you shall go with me, and I will take care of you.'
Then Clara said, 'Thank you; but will you not take Charles also?'
'No,' said nurse; 'he has always been such a proud, bad boy that I will
not take him. I have very little to spare, for I am a poor woman, and
what I have is not more than will keep my own children and you, Miss
Clara.'
Saying this, she got into the cart, and took Clara on her lap, and one
of the footmen got in after her, and drove away from the door.
Charles stood on the step of the door, and looked after them till they
were out of sight; and then he began to cry as if his heart would break.
The servant of the gentleman who had purchased the house came and locked
the door, so Charles could not get in any more, and he sat down on the
stone steps, and covered his face with his hands, and cried bitterly.
'Unhappy child that I am,' sobbed he; 'what will become of me? Oh, if I
had but been good like Clara, I should have found a friend, as she has;
but no one cares what becomes of me, because I have been so wicked. I
used to despise the poor, and God, to punish me, has made me poor
indeed.'
It was very cold, and the snow began to fall fast, and it grew quite
dark. Charles rested his head on his knees, and was afraid to look
round; his clothes were almost wet through, and his limbs were benumbed
with cold; he had no place where he could ask shelter, for no one loved
him; and he thought he should be obliged to stay there all night, and
perhaps be frozen to death.
Just then someone softly touched his hand, and said: 'Master Charles, I
have been looking for you for more than an hour.'
Charles looked up; but when he saw it was Giles Bloomfield who had come
to seek him in his distress, he remembered how ill he had behaved to
him, so he hid his face, and began to weep afresh.
Then Giles sat down by him on the steps, and said: 'Dear Master Charles,
you must not stay here. See how fast it snows. You will catch your death
of cold.'
'Yes, I am very cold and hungry,' sobbed Charles, 'but I have no home
now; I have nowhere else to go, and must stay here all night.'
'No, Master Charles,' said Giles, 'you shall come home with me, and
shall share my supper and my bed, though it is not such as you have been
used to; notwithstanding we are very poor, we will do our best to make
you comfortable.'
'Oh, Giles!' said Charles, throwing his arms round Giles's neck, 'I do
not deserve this kindness; I have been such a proud, wicked boy, and
have treated you so ill. I am sure you can never forgive me for having
taken your pretty Snowball; and if _you_ forgive me, I can never
forgive myself.'
'Dear Master Charles, do not think of that now,' said Giles, taking both
Charles's cold hands in his. 'Indeed, Master Charles, I should never
dare say my prayers if I was so wicked as to bear malice; and, now you
are in distress, I would do anything in my power to serve you. So pray
come home with me, and warm yourself, and get some supper.'
But Charles hid his face on Giles's bosom, and cried the more; at last
he said:
'Giles, I am so ashamed of having behaved so cruelly to you, that I can
never go to your home, and eat the food that you are obliged to labour
so hard for.'
'Master Charles,' said Giles, 'that is because you are so proud.'
'Oh no, no!' sobbed Charles, 'I am not proud now, and I think I shall
never be proud again.' So he kissed Giles, and they both went home to
Dame Bloomfield's cottage together.
When Giles's mother saw Charles, she said: 'Why did did you bring this
proud, cross young gentleman here, Giles?'
Charles, when he heard her say so, thought he should be turned out again
into the cold, and began to cry afresh; but Giles said:
'Dear mother, Master Charles has no home to go to now; he is cold and
hungry; I am sure you will let him stay here, and share my bed and my
supper.'
'He can stay here if he likes,' said Dame Bloomfield; 'but you know,
Giles, we are forced to work hard for what food we have, and I am sure
we cannot afford to maintain Master Charles.'
'Then,' said Giles, 'he shall have my supper to-night; he wants it more
than I do, for he has had no food all day.'
'You may please yourself about that, Giles; but remember, if you give
your food to Master Charles, you must go without yourself.'
'Well,' said Giles, 'I shall feel more pleasure in giving my supper to
Master Charles than in eating it myself.'
So he brought a stool, and, placing it in the warmest corner by the
fire, made Charles sit down, and chafed his cold frozen hands, and tried
to comfort him; for Charles was greatly afflicted when he saw that
everyone hated him; but he knew that it was his own fault, and a just
punishment for his pride and bad conduct.
When Giles brought his basin of hot milk and bread for his supper, he
could not thank him for crying; and he was ashamed to eat it while Giles
went without; but he was so hungry, and the milk looked so nice, that he
did not know how to refuse it; and Giles begged him so earnestly to eat
that at last he did so, and once more felt warm and comfortable.
Then Giles said to him: 'Now, Master Charles, will you go to bed? Mine
is but a coarse, hard bed, but it is very clean.' So he took the lamp to
show Charles the way to the chamber in which he was to sleep.
Charles was surprised at seeing no staircase, but only a ladder. Giles
laughed when he saw how Charles stared, and he said:
'You have been used to live in a grand house, Master Charles, and know
nothing of the shifts the poor are forced to make.'
Then Charles climbed up the ladder, and Giles showed him a little room,
not much larger than a closet, with no furniture in it, but a stump bed
without any hangings, and covered with a coarse, woollen rug. Charles
Grant had never even seen such a bed before, but he was thankful that
he could get any place to sleep in, out of the cold and snow.
Giles helped Charles to undress, for Charles was so helpless he did not
know how to undress himself. When he was going to step into bed, Giles
exclaimed:
'Will you not say your prayers before you go to bed, Master Charles?'
Charles blushed and hung down his head, for he had been so naughty that
he had not said his prayers for a long time past, and had almost
forgotten what his dear mother had taught him; and he told Giles so at
last.
'Dear, dear!' said Giles, 'I never dare go to bed without saying mine.'
Then Charles said: 'I am sorry I have been so naughty as to forget my
prayers; will you teach me yours, and I will never forget them again?'
Then they both knelt down by the side of the little bed, and Giles
taught Charles such prayers as he knew, and Charles went to bed much
happier than he had been for a long time.
Though the bed was hard, and the sheets brown and coarse, Charles was so
weary that he soon fell asleep, and slept so soundly that he did not
awake till it was broad day, and Giles was up and gone to work in the
fields.
When Charles looked round he thought he had never seen such a shabby
room in his life. There was not so much as a chair or table or carpet in
it; he could see all the thatch and the rafters in the roof, for the
chamber was not even ceiled, but showed the thatch and rafters, and, as
I said before, there was not a single article of furniture in the room,
except the bed. How different from the pretty little chamber in which
Charles used to sleep, with the nice white dimity window-curtains and
hangings and mahogany tent-bed, with such comfortable bedding and
handsome white counterpane! However, he now thought himself very
fortunate that he had any roof to shelter him, or any bed, however
homely it might be, on which he could sleep.
He thought he should like to get up and go downstairs, but he had always
been used to have a servant to dress him, and he did not know how to
dress himself, so while he was considering what he should do Giles came
into the chamber. He had returned to get his breakfast, and not seeing
Charles downstairs he concluded the cause of his absence, and came to
assist him to dress. Charles observed how this matter was arranged, and
resolved to do it for himself the next morning.
When he was dressed they both knelt down by the bedside and said their
prayers, for though Giles had said his at the dawn of day, yet he never
omitted an opportunity of repeating his thanksgivings and praises to his
heavenly Father for the mercies and blessings which he enjoyed through
His grace, for Giles possessed a grateful and contented heart, which
made him look upon that state of life unto which it had pleased God to
call him, as that which was meet and fit for him, so he worked hard, and
ate the bread of labour with cheerfulness and satisfaction.
When Charles and Giles joined the family below Dame Bloomfield set a
porringer of milk and a piece of brown bread for everyone but Charles,
who looked ready to cry, but Giles put his porringer before him, and
gave him another spoon, and said: 'Master Charles, we will eat together,
for there will be enough for both of us.' The tears came into Charles's
eyes, and he whispered: 'Dear Giles, you are very good.' So these boys
eat out of the same porringer, and broke of the same bread.
After breakfast Giles went out to work, and Charles thought it very dull
till he returned to dinner. When Dame Bloomfield gave her children their
dinners there was a dumpling for everyone but Charles; then Giles cut
his dumpling in half, and gave one part to Charles, and eat the other
half himself. Now this was very good of Giles, for he was very hungry
himself, but he could not bear to see Charles sad and hungry while he
was eating, and Giles liked to do good because he knew it was pleasing
to God.
As soon as dinner was over Giles went out to work again, and Charles was
as dull as he had been in the morning, for all the family were at work
in some way or other, and could not spare time to amuse or talk to him,
and he did nothing but sigh and fret to himself till evening, when Giles
came home from work.
Giles's eldest sister made a bright fire, and they all sat round it and
talked and told stories, and Giles nursed the baby, and played with the
other little ones, and seemed quite happy, and so he was, for he had
done his duty, and everyone loved him for being so good.
After supper Giles taught those of his sisters who were old enough to
read and write, and when they had finished learning their tasks Charles
took up the book, and said: 'Giles, will you teach me to read?' and
Giles said: 'Certainly, Master Charles, I will, but I am sure you must
know how to read a great deal better than such a poor boy as I am.'
'I might have done so,' said Charles, 'but, Giles, I was a sad, naughty,
perverse boy, and hated to learn any thing that was good; but I hope I
know better now, and if you will only take the trouble of teaching me I
will try and make up for my lost time.'
So Giles gave Charles a lesson that very night, and every evening after
supper he heard him read and spell what he had learned during the day,
and Charles took such pains that he soon began to read so well that he
used to amuse himself by reading pretty stories, and by teaching little
Betty, one of Giles's youngest sisters, to read.
Still Charles used to be exceedingly hungry, for he had not more than
half the quantity of food he was used to eat, and Giles was hungry too,
and grew pale and thin.
Then Charles said to himself: 'It is not right for me to eat the bread
which poor Giles works so hard to earn; I will try and get my own
living, for why should I not do so, as well as Giles?' So one morning,
when Giles rose, as usual, at five o'clock, Charles got up too. Then
Giles said:
'Why do you rise so early this cold morning, Master Charles?'
'Because I am going out to work with you, Giles, if you will permit me,'
answered Charles.
'Oh, Master Charles, such work as I do is not fit for a young gentleman
like you,' said Giles.
'You must not call me a young gentleman _now_, for I am only a poor boy,
and poorer than other poor boys, for they can earn their own living,
while I should have been starved to death had not you given me half of
the bread you work so hard for. But I will not be a burthen to you any
longer, but learn to work and get my own living as you do.'
Charles now meant to keep his word, and they both went out into the
fields, and worked together at picking stones off the young crops of
wheat and clover, and before breakfast Giles had picked up two bushels
of stones and Charles one, and the farmer gave them a penny per bushel
for gathering them up.
Then they made haste back to the cottage, and Giles gave his mother the
money he had earned, and Charles did the same, and when the dame poured
out the milk for the family Charles saw that she filled a porringer for
him also, and they had all a good breakfast that morning, and Charles
felt quite happy because he had not eaten the bread of idleness. So he
went out to work with Giles again, and earned twopence before dinner.
When Dame Bloomfield took up the dumplings Charles saw there was one for
him, and he felt happy that poor Giles had not to deprive himself of
half his food that he might eat.
Charles went out to work every day with Giles, and in the evening he
learned to read and write. He became quite good and gentle, and enjoyed
more happiness than he had experienced in his life before. And why was
Charles happy? I will tell you, my dear children. Because he was no
longer a proud, froward boy as he had been, but was kind and
sweet-tempered to everyone, and did his duty both to God and himself.
The winter passed swiftly away, and the spring came, and the birds began
to sing, and the trees looked green and gay, and the pretty flowers
bloomed in the gardens and covered the meadows all over, and scented the
air with their fragrance, and Charles thought it very pleasant to work
in the fields, and hear the birds sing as they tended their young, or
built their nests among the green boughs or in the hedges.
One day Giles said to Charles: 'Master Charles, we cannot work together
in the fields any more; I have got a new employment.'
'But why cannot I work with you?' asked Charles.
'Because, sir, you will not like to work where I am going,' answered
Giles. Charles asked where that was. 'In the garden of the great house,
Master Charles, where you used to live,' said Giles.
Charles looked very sorrowful, and remained silent for some minutes; at
last he said: 'Well, Giles, I will go with you; my clothes are grown
shabby now, and nobody will know me, and if they did I hope I am too
wise to be ashamed of doing my duty, so let us go directly.'
Then Giles took Charles into the garden, and the gardener gave them each
a hoe and a rake, and told them to hoe up the weeds on the flower
borders, and then rake them neatly over, and promised if they worked
well he would give them eightpence per day.
Now this was much pleasanter than picking stones in the field, but
Charles was very sad, and could not refrain from shedding tears when he
thought of the time when he used to play in that very garden, and he
thought, too, of his dear mamma who was dead, and of his sister Clara,
whom he had not seen for so many months, but he worked as hard as he
could, and the gardener praised them both, and he gave them a basket to
put the weeds in, and showed them how to rake the borders smooth.
Just as they had finished the job, and Charles was saying to Giles, 'How
neat our work looks!' a little boy, dressed very fine, came into the
garden, and, as he passed them, said: 'I am glad I am a gentleman's son,
and not obliged to work like these dirty boys.'
When Charles thought the little boy was out of hearing, he said to
Giles: 'That little boy is as wicked as I used to be, and I doubt not
but that God will punish him in the same way if he does not mend his
manners.'
The little boy, who had overheard what Charles said, was very angry, and
made ugly faces, and ran into the newly-raked beds, and covered them
with footmarks. Then Charles said: 'I am sorry for you, young gentleman,
for I see you are not good.'
'How dare you say I am not good?' said this naughty child. 'I am a
great deal better than you, for I am a gentleman, and you are only a
poor boy.'
'Yes,' said Charles, his eyes filling with tears as he spoke, 'I am,
indeed, only a poor boy _now_, but I was once rich like you, and lived
in this very house, and wore fine clothes, and had plenty of toys and
money, and was just as proud and naughty as you are, but God, to punish
me, took away my parents and all those things that I had been so proud
of, and that I had made such a bad use of, and reduced me to a poor boy,
as you see.'
When the little boy heard this he looked very serious, and said: 'I have
been very naughty, but I will do so no more,' and he went into the
house, and never teased Charles or Giles again.
A few months after this, when Charles and Giles were working as usual in
the garden, they saw a gentleman come down one of the walks, leading by
the hand a little girl dressed in a black silk frock and bonnet trimmed
with crape.
'Ah, Giles,' said Charles, 'how like that young lady is to my sister
Clara. I wonder whether I shall ever see my dear sister Clara again.'
'Brother Charles, dear brother Charles, you have not then quite
forgotten your sister Clara,' said the little girl, throwing her arms
round his neck as she spoke.
When Charles saw that it was, indeed, his own dear sister Clara, he
kissed her and cried with joy.
Then he told Clara all that had happened to him since the day they had
parted, and how sorry he had been for all his past conduct, and he asked
her who the gentleman was that had brought her into the garden.
'It is our uncle, dear Charles. You know our dear mother had a brother
who lived in India that she used frequently to talk about. Well, when he
came home, and heard that mother was dead, and we were in distress, he
came to nurse's cottage, and took me home to his house, and has now come
to find you, for he is very good and kind, and loves us both for our
dear mother's sake.'
'And will he take me home too?' said Charles.
'Yes, my boy,' said Charles's uncle, taking him by the hand, 'because
you are good and kind, and are no longer cross and proud, as I heard you
used to be. You shall come home with me this very day, if you please,
and I will teach you everything that a young gentleman should know, and
you and Clara shall be my children so long as you continue to be
deserving of my love, and are not unkind, nor despise those who are
beneath you in situation.'
'Indeed, uncle,' said Charles, 'I can now feel for the poor, and I would
rather remain as I am than be rich if I thought I should ever behave as
I used to do.'
'My dear child,' said his uncle, kissing him with great affection,
'continue to think so, and you will never act amiss. The first and
greatest step toward amendment is acknowledging our faults. What is
passed shall be remembered no more, and I doubt not but that we shall
all be happy for the time to come.'
'But, uncle,' said Charles, laying his hand on his uncle's arm, 'I have
something to ask of you.'
'Well, Charles, and what would you have of me?' said his uncle.
Then Charles led Giles to his uncle, and related all he had done for
him; how he had taken him to his own home, and given him half of his
food and his bed, and taught him to read and to work; he, likewise, told
his uncle how ill he had behaved to Giles in depriving him of his pretty
Snowball, and he said: 'Dear uncle, will you allow Giles to share my
good fortune, for I cannot be happy while he is in want, and he is
better than me, for he returned good for evil.'
Then his uncle said: 'Charles, I should not have loved you had you
forgotten your kind friend.' And he asked Giles if he would like to go
to his house and live with him, and spend his time in learning to read
and write, and in improving his mind, instead of hard labour.
'I should like it very much indeed, sir,' said Giles, 'but I cannot
accept your kind offer.'
'And why not, my good little friend?'
'Because, sir,' said Giles, bursting into tears, 'my poor mother and
sisters must go to the workhouse or starve if I did not stay and work
for them, and I could not be happy if I lived in a fine house, and knew
they were in want of a bit of bread to eat.'
'Then,' said the gentleman smiling, 'for your sake they shall never want
anything, for I will put them into a cottage of my own, and will take
care of them, and you shall live with me, and I will love you as if you
were my own child, and remember, Giles, I do this as a reward for your
kindness to Charles when he was unhappy and in great distress.'
Charles's uncle was as good as his word, and Giles received the
blessings of a good education, while his mother and sisters were
maintained by the benevolence of his benefactor.
Charles was so careful not to relapse into his former errors that he
became as remarkable for his gentleness and the goodness of his heart as
he had formerly been for his pride and unkindness, and in the diligent
performance of his duty, both to God and man, he proved to his uncle the
sincerity of his amendment.
Scourhill's Adventures
There was a review of a regiment of horse at a small distance from the
Academy, and several of the boys were allowed to be present. On the road
they fell in with a man who was walking, and leading a horse with two
empty panniers suspended on each side of it. Scourhill requested a ride;
the man consented, and the youth mounted upon the horse.
The animal had long been a dragoon horse, and when it became old it was
sold to a farmer. But it had not forgot its early habits, for on
arriving within sight of the cavalry the old charger pricked up its
ears, and seemed to resume the fire of youth. The young men laughed, and
complimented Scourhill on the appearance he made upon his war-horse; but
while they were yet speaking the trumpet sounded, and the animal, roused
into spirit, set off at a full trot, and fell into the front rank.
Immediately the signal was given for a charge, and Scourhill and his
horse, with the baskets dangling by its sides, flew off at full speed,
amid the shouts and huzzas of the whole crowd. The instant that the
regiment halted the youth slid off the horse, which he delivered to its
owner, and, completely mortified with his military exhibition, he sunk
into the crowd, and regained his companions.
The young men, on their return home, as they were about to enter the
village, saw an ass feeding by the roadside. 'What a fine appearance,'
said Falsesight to Scourhill, 'you would make upon this noble animal, at
the head of the regiment!' Saying this, he attempted to leap upon its
back, but was not able. Scourhill, in order to show his agility, made a
spring, and easily accomplished what his companion had tried in vain.
Instantly Falsesight took off his hat, and gave the animal a few slaps,
and away it cantered into the village, pursued by the young men, urging
it to full speed, while every boy whom they met joined in the pursuit,
and every cottage poured out its matrons and children and dogs.
In the midst of this uproar, the Rector entered the village, and was
coming full upon Scourhill and his retinue when the ass made a sudden
halt before the door of a tinker, its master, and threw its rider upon a
large heap of mire. The youth instantly started up, and, without ever
looking behind him to thank his attendants for the procession, he ran
home to the Academy.
He retired, and some time after his arrival he wrote a small note to the
Rector, expressive of sorrow for his conduct, and requesting permission
to keep his room for the evening. Mr. Macadam granted the request, and
at the same time desired the servant to say that he was assured that
Master Scourhill would find himself much fatigued after his brilliant
display of assmanship, which so much astonished the village.
The errors of a boy must be corrected by corporal punishment, or by the
deprivation of something which he values, or by his own self-reproach.
The whole aim of Mr. Macadam, in the education of his pupils, was to
raise them to that dignity of character which renders the last mode of
punishment efficient for right conduct. To raise youth, however, to such
a character requires knowledge, vigilance, affectionate severity, and
prudent indulgence; and if few boys possess it, let us not complain of
human nature. Will the husbandman who in spring has neglected his fields
meet with commiseration when he complains that his harvest has failed?
Scourhill received no punishment, excepting what arose from his own
sense of shame; but next day the Rector spoke to his pupils, and he
particularly cautioned them against those pursuits which tend to debase
the character. 'The rich,' said he, 'owe their virtues and talents to
society as much as the poor man does his industry; and if the former
fall into low amusements, they do not become useless only; they
frequently become vicious, and sometimes they make as honourable an
exhibition as did Master Scourhill on the ass pursued by the boys and
dogs of the village.'
The youth was advised to make some reparation or apology to the tinker,
the particular nature of which was left to his own discretion; and for
this purpose he was permitted to leave the Academy for the evening.
The tinker had a child, and Scourhill thought that an apology to the
father and a present to the son would amply atone for his imprudence.
[Illustration: _Every boy ... joined in the pursuit, and every cottage
poured out its matrons and children and dogs.--Page 163._]
Before entering the village, Scourhill had to pass a mill. A child
playing on the margin of the stream that supplied it with water fell in,
and was floating toward the mill-wheel, when the youth, seeing its
danger, rushed forward, and caught it by the clothes just as it was on
the point of destruction. Several people witnessed the event, and the
report that a child was carried into the mill-wheel flew through the
village, and every mother came running to the place. The woman to whom
the child belonged soon heard its name, and, pushing in a frantic manner
through the crowd, she flew to it, and, taking it in her arms, cried,
clasping it to her bosom, 'My child, my child!' She then silently gazed
upon its face, apparently to see whether it was really alive, and,
shedding tears, she exclaimed, 'Heaven be praised!'
After her mind became somewhat more composed, Scourhill was pointed out
to her; she in a moment put the child out of her arms, and, hastily
making up to the youth, she embraced him, and gratefully thanked him for
rescuing her child.
Scourhill, as soon as the general attention was withdrawn from him,
retired from the crowd, and went to the cottage of the tinker. He
entered, and, finding the man at work, he took off his hat, and in an
obliging manner apologized for his conduct. The tinker said, smiling:
'To be sure, you had a grand procession, but my ass is nothing the worse
for it, and I freely forgive you.' The youth politely thanked him, and
just as he was about to retire, he slipped a little money into the hand
of the tinker's son.
The child, proud of its present, showed it to its father, who instantly
threw down his tools and ran out of the house after the youth. The crowd
were returning from the mill; Scourhill had to pass through it, and the
matrons were not a little surprised to see the deliverer of the child
pursued by the mender of kettles. The tinker soon overtook him, and,
having thanked him for his polite and generous conduct, he turned about
and satisfied the curiosity of those who surrounded him. Scourhill
received much applause, and while he continued his course every eye
pursued him in admiration.
Mr. Macadam wrote an account of the preceding adventures to Scourhill's
father, and the old gentleman returned an answer, in which he says:
'Your letter rejoices my heart. Make my son Joseph a scholar, but, above
all, make him an honest man. I know little about your Latin and Greek,
as being things very much out of my way; but this I know--that a man, if
his heart is right, can look a fellow-creature in the face; but without
being an honest man, why, he had better not live.
'When your letter came to hand, I was sitting at dinner, after a most
noble chase, in the midst of my friends, all men of the right sort,
downright hearty good fellows. The cloth was removed, and we had just
sung, _Bright Phoebus had mounted his chariot of day_, when my servant
Jonathan came in with your letter.
'But you must know my servant. Jonathan is none of your flighty, bowing
footmen that whip in upon you with the spring of a fox. No, Jonathan is
better trained. He opens the door leisurely, and marches slowly to
within four yards of my chair, and there he halts, his eye resting upon
me. If the conversation is general, he comes forward, and delivers his
message; but if I am telling one of my hunting stories, he must neither
speak nor move till he receives my orders. Well, as I said, Jonathan
came in with your letter. I was in the middle of one of my best stories,
and, according to custom, he took his station. I came to a pause and
looked at him. He made his bow, but I continued my story. I made a
second pause, and again turned my eye toward him. He bowed. "I see you,
Jonathan," said I, and went on with my story. At the third pause I took
a few seconds to breathe. The honest fellow made one of his lowest bows.
I said to him, "Come hither. A letter you have for me? Let me see it."
(I know your handwriting.) "Carry it, honest Jonathan, to your
mistress," said I; "for my story is not yet finished. It is from the
worthy man, the Rector; it is about Joseph; return, and let me know
whether the youngster continues to behave well."
'One of the company remarked the peculiar manner of Jonathan, and this
brought on a conversation concerning servants. "I have an Irish one,"
said Squire Danby, "a fellow with a sly, blunt countenance; but his
heart is honest and affectionate. Yesterday I sent him with a message;
he stayed too long, and on his return I was much displeased. 'Where do
you come from?' I cried in an angry tone. 'From Belfast,' he calmly
replied. 'What!' exclaimed I, raising my voice, 'you are still the old
man in your answers!' 'Old man,' replied he, with a blunt but respectful
air; 'that is just what my father used to say. "Pat," says he, "were you
to live to the age of Methuselah, you would still be Patrick O'Donnar."'
I lost all patience. 'Sirrah!' cried I, 'to whom do you speak?' 'Sir,
did you not know,' answered he, 'I would tell you.' I was extremely
provoked; I gave him a push from me, and he fell upon a favourite dog,
which set up a loud howl. Pat leisurely arose, muttering, 'Ay, Towler, I
see you are ashamed,' and he walked slowly away. He soon returned, and,
coming up to me, said with a grave countenance that he was determined to
quit my service. My anger had subsided, and I, smiling, said, 'Why, Pat,
leave my service?' 'Because, sir,' replied he, 'there is no bearing with
your anger.' 'Tut, my anger,' I cried, 'it is a mere blast, which is
quickly over.' 'Yes,' said he, with one of his vacant stares, 'it is a
blast; but it is the blast of a hurricane which knocks me down.' I
easily reconciled him to his situation."
'In a short while Jonathan came back, and in a fluttered manner said
that his mistress wanted to speak with me. Immediately I left the table,
and went to my wife. As I entered the door of the apartment, I saw that
she was in tears; my heart sunk; my limbs trembled, and, walking up to
her, I took her hand, and kissed her cheek; for we have ever lived in a
loving manner, and I cried, "My dear, be comforted. Is our son Joseph
dead?" She in a hurried tone talked of a dragoon horse, an ass, a child,
and a tinker. "What!" cried I, "my dear, has our son Joseph to do with
dragoon asses and horses?" I unwittingly put the asses first. She
laughed. I stared at her, and, shaking my head, I said to myself, "Ah!
my poor wife!" For I really thought that she was touched in the brain.
'She then thrust the letter into my hand; I read it, and when I came to
the last part I felt that I was a father. When I saw my boy catching the
child, when I saw the mother embracing him, when I saw them all blessing
him, my heart overflowed with tenderness, and I exclaimed, "He is indeed
my son Joseph." My wife, who saw that I was affected, wept, and, while I
was drying my own eyes, I always cried to her, "My dear, do not weep."
'I then descended to the company, with the letter in my hand, and told
them that I should let them hear a story about my son. I then gave the
letter to my friend, Squire Sleekface, and requested him to read it. My
friend, who is almost as broad as long, has a jolly round countenance,
and when he is merry he shakes the whole house with his laughter. The
Squire read with decent composure till he came to the old horse at full
charge, with the paniers dancing by its sides. Here he made a full stop;
the letter fell upon his knee, and his sides were convulsed with
laughter. He began again, and got tolerably well through with the ass
race, till he arrived at the turning-post, where Joseph was laid in the
mire. At this place my friend, with his immoderate laughter, slid off
his chair, and fell with his back flat upon the floor, and there he lay
rolling from one side to another, while we all stood round him shaking
our sides with laughter. At this moment honest Jonathan stalked in with
his solemn pace, and took his station waiting my orders. His appearance
added still more to our mirth.
'At length said I, "Honest Jonathan, lend us a hand." We got the Squire
placed upon his chair; we all dried our eyes, and again took our seats.
When the last part of your letter was read, all was silence and
attention, and at the end of it my friend Sleekface called, "A bumper!"
He then gave the toast, "May Joseph honour his father by being an honest
man!" The second toast was, "May we, without being philosophers, embrace
every man as a brother; and, without being courtiers, may we ever smile
upon a friend!" We then drank the land o' cakes, and we concluded the
whole with singing "Rule Britannia."'
The Journal
It was the custom in Mr. Pemberton's family for the children and their
governess, Miss Lambert, to assemble in the parlour every Saturday
evening that she might read a journal of their behaviour during the past
week in the presence of their father and mother. Those who were
conscious of having acted rightly longed for the time of examination, as
they were sure not only of receiving applause, but also of being
admitted as guests to supper, when an agreeable entertainment was
provided for them.
The countenances of the guilty were easily distinguished. Gladly would
they have avoided the eye of their parents on these occasions, but that
was not allowed; they were obliged to appear. Indeed, their attendance
constituted part of their punishment.
Mr. and Mrs. Pemberton always invited company to be present when they
had received an intimation from Miss Lambert that no faults were
registered in the journal, which frequently happened, as they were
children of docile dispositions, though sometimes they acted without
consideration. Several ladies in the neighbourhood took particular
pleasure in bringing their sons and daughters to be spectators of those
joyful evenings.
After the journal was read, rewards were bestowed on those who had
deserved them. Supper was then served up, which generally consisted of
dried fruits, milk, with blanc-mange, jellies, etc., placed with great
taste by Miss Pemberton, who was always required to set out the table on
those nights.
The repast being over, the time was spent pleasantly, either in cheerful
conversation, or some amusement suitable to the festivity of the
occasion.
Charlotte Somenors, one of their intimate companions, was frequently
invited to partake of their pleasure on a happy Saturday, for so they
termed those days when none of them had reason to be oppressed by the
fear of punishment.
The last time she attended one of those meetings I requested her to give
me an account of the transactions of the evening, with which I was so
much pleased that I committed it to writing, lest the circumstances
should escape my memory; and as I suppose it is likely to amuse my young
readers, and at the same time to furnish them with instructive examples,
I transcribe it for their use. The company being met, Miss Lambert
introduced her pupils--Caroline, Emma, Lucy, and George--after which she
sat down and began to read as follows:
'It is with great pleasure I recall the events of the last few days.
Although they will not present a perfect model of virtue and obedience,
they at least prove that the dear children entrusted to my care are
willing to repair the faults which they have inadvertently committed. I
trust that the errors which this journal records will be considered as
wholly effaced by the repentance and confessions they have occasioned.
'_Monday._--Morning lessons particularly well attended. George learned a
hymn of Mrs. Barbauld's at his own request. A dispute arose between the
two young ladies in the afternoon on the subject of choosing a walk.
'Miss Pemberton was desirous of winding along the banks of the river, as
far as the church, that she might see the fine new monument raised to
the memory of Lady Modish. Her sisters insisted on going to the next
village, as they wanted to buy muslin for a doll's frock. After some
little altercation on each side Caroline, with affectionate
condescension, gave way to her sisters' inclination, though, as eldest,
she had the right of choice, saying she could see the monument another
time. I thought her conduct deserved a reward; therefore, after
purchasing the articles her sisters wanted, I indulged her by extending
our walk to the church.
'_Tuesday._--George came running in out of breath to show me a
birds'-nest he had just taken. It belonged to the blackbirds that used
to amuse us with their song in the grove. "Alas! George, you have robbed
my favourite birds of their eggs. We shall no longer be charmed with
their warbling; they will droop, and perhaps die of grief."
'"The gardener told me where to find the nest. He lifted me up to take
it, and I thought there was no harm in it, as the young ones were not
hatched, and intended to make my sisters a present of the eggs."
'The young ladies cried out with one voice that they never could accept
a gift procured by such cruelty, and desired him to make haste and
replace it where he found it.
'At first he was reluctant to comply with this proposal, but after I had
convinced him of the affection of the old ones, even towards their eggs,
and the pains it had cost them to build the nest, he repented that he
had taken it, and was as desirous as any of us that it should be
returned to its former situation. He has now the satisfaction of daily
watching the solicitude and tenderness of the hen, which sits close, and
we hope will hatch in a few days.
'_Wednesday._--I was surprised on entering Lucy's apartment to hear her
command Betty in a very imperious tone to wash out all her doll's linen
immediately.
'The poor girl remonstrated that she had a great deal of business to do,
and should have no time; but that she would wash it the first
opportunity with pleasure. Lucy repeated her commands, and would receive
no excuse. When she saw me she blushed, conscious that her behaviour
would not meet my approbation. I sent Betty downstairs, and explained to
Lucy the impropriety of such conduct. "Gentleness to inferiors," said I,
"is the mark of a good understanding, as well as of a sweet disposition.
Servants are our fellow-creatures. Though situated less fortunately than
ourselves, are we to increase the unhappiness of their lot by the
tyranny of our treatment towards them? Circumstances may change. Your
father may become poor, and you may be reduced to the conditions of a
servant. Consider how unkind harsh words would appear to you, and never
say that to a domestic which would wound you in their situation. Merit
is confined to no rank. Betty is a worthy young woman, and entitled to
your respect as well as tenderness, for the many kind offices she
performs for you. What a helpless being would you be without her
assistance! She makes your clothes, and aids you to put them on; she
nurses you when you are sick, and attends you on all occasions. Can you
forget the obligations you owe her, and command her with haughtiness?
There is but one way to repair your fault. You have insulted her; ask
her forgiveness."
'"That I will do most willingly," replied Lucy. "I love Betty, and
should be very sorry to have said anything to vex her. I spoke without
reflection."
'She ran downstairs directly and made a proper apology to Betty, and I
have the pleasure to add has since bought a pretty ribbon with her
pocket-money, which she has given her as a token of her regards.
'_Thursday._--Emma is extremely fond of keeping animals of different
kinds in a domestic state, and I laid no restraint upon this inclination
whilst I observed her attentive to supply the daily wants of each. On
Thursday morning I had the mortification to find her bird-cages dirty,
and the glasses for food and water almost empty. I made no remark, but
proceeded to the room where she keeps her silk-worms. The trays were
filled with dead leaves, which the poor insects crawled over, vainly
endeavouring to find a piece sufficiently moist to satisfy their craving
appetite. From thence I went to the rabbits, and found them without
victuals, and so hungry that they had begun to gnaw the belts of the
hutches. I inquired for Emma, but was some time before I could discover
where she was. At length I found her very busy in making a garden with
her brother George, so much taken up with her new employment that she
had totally forgotten to clean or feed her poor prisoners. When I told
her the situation they were in she shed tears and reproached herself
with great neglect. She did not lose a moment in making all the
reparation in her power, but immediately left the garden that had so
much engrossed her thoughts and supplied her dumb family with suitable
food and attendance. This circumstance afforded me an opportunity of
expressing my sentiments on depriving birds of their liberty, and
confining them in cages, a custom I cannot approve, as it not only
subjects them to suffer much when they are first caught, but frequently
exposes them to a cruel death from the negligence of those who have the
care of them.
[Illustration: _George was despatched to desire one of the servants to
bring a basket, in which we carried the poor sufferer.--Page 179._]
'Cowper has written some pleasing lines on a goldfinch starved to death
in a cage, which Emma has learned by heart, and will repeat when I have
finished reading. Her concern was so great for her carelessness that she
offered to let her birds fly, and turn the rabbits out on the common.
Pleased with her intention to do right, I gave her high commendations;
but informed her that they were rendered unable to provide for
themselves by being kept in a state of confinement, and therefore even
liberty would be a barbarous gift to them now. Punctuality in supplying
them with everything necessary was the only kindness that can be shown
to them, since they have forgotten the habits of their state of Nature.
She has been very exact since this conversation in feeding and cleaning
them, and does everything in her power to make amends for their loss of
freedom.
'_Friday._--As we were walking through the meadows Caroline observed
something white lying near a hedge. Curiosity tempted us to approach it.
As we drew near we found it was a young lamb almost dead, by some
accident abandoned by its dam. Its helpless condition called forth our
pity, and we consulted how we should contrive to carry it home. After
much deliberation George was despatched to desire one of the servants to
bring a basket, in which we carried the poor sufferer. Cold and hunger
were its principal disorders, which were soon relieved by the assiduity
of my humane companions. We chafed it by the fire, whilst another
prepared bread and milk, that it might suck through a quill. Caroline
could not sleep, lest the lamb should suffer for want of food, but rose
several times in the night to give it nourishment. Such kind treatment
soon restored it to health. It is decorated with a blue ribbon about its
neck, and is already become a general favourite.
'_Saturday._--George has been so much taken up in playing with the lamb
this morning that he has suffered himself to be called three times to
attend Mr. Spicer, his writing-master, before he made any reply, and
when he did come, I am sorry to say that the blots in his copy-book
showed that his attention was not fixed upon his employment. After some
reproof he acknowledged his fault, and wrote another copy in his very
best manner.
'I have now finished the account of the most remarkable transactions of
this week, and though I am sensible that it exposes the levity and
thoughtlessness of my pupils, I flatter myself that there are some marks
in the disposition of each which promise improvement and more caution
for the time to come.'
Ellen and George
or
The Game at Cricket
'Sit down, Ellen,' said Mrs. Danvers to a lovely little girl of seven
years of age, who was constantly jumping up to the window, instead of
continuing to look at the book she was holding in her hand, but Ellen
continued to look anywhere rather than at her book, and her mother began
to feel angry.
The sun shone very brightly; it was a fine day in the month of June, and
little Ellen thought it very hard that she was obliged to sit in the
house instead of running about the fields with her brother George.
George was at home for the holidays; he was a fine boy of about nine
years of age, and very fond of his sister Ellen; he would very often
leave his companions to play with Ellen at quieter games than such as he
engaged in with them, and Ellen was delighted when he would thus indulge
her; but on this morning George was with a party of young lads, somewhat
older than himself, who were engaged in a game of cricket, and poor
Ellen was obliged to go through her morning's task without him.
'Should you not like to go and see George play by-and-by?' said Mrs.
Danvers.
'I should like it very much, mother,' replied Ellen in a tone of
delight.
'Then mind your book now,' said her mother, 'and we will afterwards walk
down to the cricket-field together. Father will be at home then,
perhaps, and we shall have a nice walk together.'
For a few minutes Ellen looked in her book; she was very fond of her
father and of walking out with him, but not even this promised scheme of
pleasure could prevent her eyes from wandering every five minutes to the
window, and at length a shout from the boys, who were in the field
adjoining the house, entirely overcame her resolution, and again she
made a sudden spring to the window.
The book was a sad drawback to Ellen's happiness, for she never looked
in it unless obliged, and her mother had always great difficulty in
fixing her attention on it when she wished to do so.
Mrs. Danvers rose from her seat, and quietly lowered the venetian blind,
and Ellen again stole back to her seat. She looked out of the corner of
one of her little blue eyes to see if her mother was angry, and again
for a few minutes was very assiduous. Presently the room door opened,
and a servant entered to say that a poor woman wished to speak to his
mistress. Mrs. Danvers desired that the woman should be shown into the
room, and she entered, leading in her hand a little girl about the age
of Ellen. Ellen's eyes were immediately diverted from her book, but her
mother on this occasion said nothing.
The poor woman came to entreat assistance for her sick husband, who was
unable to go to his work, and for her little girl, who had cut her
finger very badly. The child's finger was covered with a piece of rag,
which was soaked with blood, and tears streaming from her eyes showed
that she was in pain.
'How was the finger cut?' said Mrs. Danvers.
'In helping father cut a piece of wood to mend Charley's hayfork,'
replied the child. 'Father fell down in a fit, and let the knife fall
upon my finger.'
'It is a bad cut,' said Mrs. Danvers. 'Run, Ellen, and ask Sarah for
some rag, and we will tie it up for her.'
Ellen was out of the room in a minute, for she liked running about and
waiting upon anyone in distress. Indeed, Ellen was on the whole a good
little girl, though she could not be made to like either her book or her
work. She soon returned with the rag, and Mrs. Danvers tied up the
little girl's finger, and gave her a nice slice of cake to divert her
attention from the pain she was suffering.
'Is it painful now?' said Mrs. Danvers.
'No, madam,' replied the child, but she still continued to cry.
'Then do not cry any more, and it will be soon well.'
'Mary does not cry so much about the pain, madam,' said the poor woman,
'as because you see it is her thimble finger;' and she held the little
girl's hand up.
Ellen thought this could be no very great misfortune, but Ellen was a
silly little girl to think so, and so she was convinced when the poor
woman said that Mary did needlework enough to keep her in shoes, and
with the pennies she got by reading her book well at school she had
bought two nice pinafores out of her own money.
Ellen looked a little foolish and hung her head. The poor woman and the
industrious little girl left the room after Mrs. Danvers had promised
to call on the sick man in the evening, and Ellen again took up her
book.
'I am afraid you will never get any pennies for reading well,' said Mrs.
Danvers in a few minutes, for again Ellen's eyes were off her book. The
kitten had frisked into the room; it was playing with a cork under the
sofa, and Ellen laughed aloud as she saw it turn round, and over and
over.
'If you like the kitten better than George,' said Mrs. Danvers, 'you may
continue looking at it, and stay at home and read when your father and I
go out into the fields by-and-by.'
'Then pray, mother, put the kitten out of the room,' said Ellen. Mrs.
Danvers did so, and again Ellen seated herself on her little stool with
her book.
Ellen now really applied to her book, for she was very much afraid of
being left at home when her father and mother went out for their walk.
It was very little trouble to her to learn when she gave her attention
to her lessons, and at length she got over them very creditably and
without another word of reproof from mother.
'Now, Ellen,' said Mrs. Danvers, when the book was closed, 'if you had
attended to your lessons at once it would have been over long since, and
by this time you might have finished your work, and have been running in
the field or garden. It is twelve o'clock, but I must have this
handkerchief hemmed before you move.'
'Oh dear,' said Ellen, with a most sorrowful look, 'I thought I should
have gone out now. What a happy boy George is. Oh dear, I wish I was a
boy, and then I should be running about all day, and should not be
obliged to work.'
'You would not be obliged to work with your needle, Ellen,' said Mrs.
Danvers, as she turned down the hem of the handkerchief, 'but you would
have a great many things to learn much harder than you have now, and
which would take you a great deal of time to get by heart unless you
were more attentive than you frequently are.'
'Oh, I am sure I could learn them, mother,' answered Ellen; 'besides,
George has nothing to do--nothing but to play and amuse himself all day
long.'
'This is not the case when George is at school, I can tell you, Ellen,'
replied Mrs. Danvers, 'nor is it always the case, you know, at home, and
I much question whether the days that George sits down with his father
for a few hours after breakfast are not happier days generally than
those which he spends exactly in the manner he himself chooses.'
'Oh, I think he is generally laughing and merry,' said Ellen, 'when he
sets off after breakfast into the hayfield, or the cricket meadow; much
more so than when he walks with his grave face and his book under his
arm into father's study.'
'And I very well remember, Ellen,' replied Mrs. Danvers, 'that this
merry mood of his, which you think so delightful, has more than once
ended in a flood of tears before night, while, on the contrary, I think
the grave study countenance is generally turned into lasting smiles by
dinner-time. But if you continue chatting the work will never be done.
Sit quietly, and be industrious for half an hour, and then we will go
into the garden together, and see if the gardener has any strawberries
for us; I dare say George's companions will like some strawberries and
milk after their game.'
While Ellen is attending to her mother's directions, and industriously
performing the task required of her; we will take a view of George and
his young companions, and see whether or not he is likely to be tired
of his day of idleness.
George had got up very early in the morning to prepare the wickets for
the game of cricket, which had been proposed to him by several lads
living in the neighbourhood. If the young reader is a little girl and
not a cricket player herself, she must ask her brothers or cousins to
describe to her what are wickets, and if neither of these are near her
she must ask her father, who will no doubt be very happy to give her the
desired information. George had been awake very early indeed, but as he
had had a strict injunction never to be out of doors before the gardener
and groom were at their work, he had lain in bed till he heard the
stable-door opened, and then, hastily jumping up and dressing himself,
had said his prayers, and was downstairs before the clock struck five.
He then went to what he called his toolhouse, which was a little shed by
the side of the greenhouse, where the gardeners kept their
watering-pots, and where he had a box containing a hammer, a saw, and a
plane adapted to the use of young hands, and a small box containing
nails. He had also here a repository of pieces of wood thrown aside by
the carpenter, and old sides and covers of boxes, which were no longer
of any service for the uses for which they were designed, and here it
was that George's day of pleasure commenced. He hammered and chopped and
sawed like any workman toiling for his bread till eight o'clock, which
was the hour for breakfast, when, being somewhat hot and tired, he was
not very sorry to hear the summons to a good plateful of bread and
butter, and a fine sweet draught of new milk. Young spirits are soon
refreshed, and George did not sit long at his breakfast; the meal was
soon despatched, and George again was out of doors and in his toolhouse.
Hither Ellen had accompanied him for a few minutes to see the wickets
completed, and, when finished, she had left him, longing to make one of
the party who were now assembling to their play, and with whom she left
him to return into the house, and join her mother in the drawing-room.
[Illustration: _Hither Ellen accompanied him to see the wickets
completed.--Page 186._]
The boys soon began to play, and for some time the game went on very
well--all was high good humour; but George was the least of the party,
and not having played so frequently, and not being so strong, did not
get as many notches as many of his companions. At school he had been
more accustomed to play with less boys, and perhaps with boys even less
than himself, where he was the best player of the set, and he could not
help feeling mortified now that he found himself the worst player, and
not being able to keep in at all against boys who played with so much
more skill than he did. Sometimes he would not have minded this, but the
day was very hot, George had risen early, began to be tired, and, as the
truth must be told on these occasions, rather cross and pettish. Several
games had been played, all of which had been won by the set of boys of
the side opposite to that of George, for as four of the lads with whom
he played were good players, and the fifth, Tom Fletcher, a much better
player than George, the consequence was that Tom and his two companions
were always on the successful side. One of the best players, Charles
Wilson, then proposed to make an alteration in the sides; he asked
George to come over to him and his companions, and let Tom Fletcher take
his place; 'And then we shall see,' he added, 'which plays the best, you
or Tom.'
'Oh, you think you know already,' said George, not in the best of
humours, and throwing down his bat. 'I don't want to play at all, and I
know I go for nothing.'
'The young man is up,' said Wilson's companion, Stevens. 'Never mind,
let him go; we shall do very well without him,' and he was taking up the
discarded bat; but Wilson, who was a very good-natured boy, said:
'We do not think you go for nothing, George; but it is not likely you
should play so well as we do, who are so much bigger than you, or than
Tom Fletcher, who lives with a bat in his hand, and always plays amongst
the great boys. I only wanted to make the game more even, for it is very
tiresome for one party always to win, and the others to lose. Come, let
us play on again as we were, and perhaps you may be more lucky. Come,
Tom, take up the bat.'
Stevens looked very angry, and was about to make some provoking reply;
but the other boys reminded him that they were playing in Mr. Danvers'
ground, and there was no ground like his in the neighbourhood, so the
ball was again bowled, and the bat once more sent it whirling back
through the long field.
'Well done, little fellow!' said Wilson, as George again took the bat,
and gave a pretty good hit. 'Well done; you'll soon play very well. Tom,
take care of yourself, and mind your play, or we shall lose a game
against them now.'
'Not if you mind your play,' replied the sharp Tom Fletcher, who saw
that Wilson in bowling favoured George, and gave him balls that he could
hardly help hitting. George exerted himself to the uttermost, and really
did play better than he had done before; but his party would not have
got the game but for the good-nature of Wilson, who did not put out his
best play, and whose party for the first time were losers. Wilson was
not right in doing this, because, even in a game of cricket, he ought to
have been true to his side, and played his best. It was practising
deceit, and deceit is never to be practised harmlessly. Neither was
George much gratified by his success, for he felt he had gained it in a
childish manner, and it would have been more honest to have lost the
game. Tom Fletcher and Stevens were both extremely angry, and both
declared they would not be beat in that way to please the humours of any
young pet. Tom said he would be matched singly against George, and the
other two boys agreed it would be the fairest way, and also for them to
be matched against Stevens and Wilson, and then they should see where
all the strength lay. Everybody agreed to this, and the two younger boys
were to have the first game. Tom was to give George two notches to begin
with, to which George had no objection, as Tom was allowed to be a very
capital player for his age, and the two young antagonists commenced
their game. For some time they went on pretty evenly. Tom was very cool
and cautious, and George, who put out all his strength, got several
notches, and continued ahead of his rival. It almost seemed doubtful
whether George was not a better player than he had been taken for, and
as the lads who were looking on cried out, 'Now, George,' 'Now, Tom,'
George seemed to have as good a chance of the game as Tom. But Tom was
not fagged as George was, nor was he so hasty in his temper. He was not
at all moved at the show of adverse fortune against him, while George
was in a complete agitation, and on the very first reverse so put out
that he bit his lip with anger, and flung at the bowler with great
violence the ball which he had missed. It took the direction of Tom
Fletcher's eyebrow, narrowly escaping his eye, and the boy put up his
hand in agony to his enlarged forehead.
'Oh, I am very sorry, Tom,' said George, who had most unintentionally
done the mischief.
'Oh, I don't mind a bit,' replied Tom, who was a very hardy boy. 'Stand
to your bat, man.' And with one hand held to his aching head, he bowled
sharply with the other, and dashed away the wickets.
'It is hardly fair play, for he was off his guard,' said one of the
other boys.
'If Tom could bowl with that black eye,' said Stevens, 'I think George
has no right to complain.'
'I don't complain,' said George, throwing down his bat. 'It's my own
fault; I was in a passion. The game is yours, Tom.'
'No, the game is not mine yet, George,' said Tom, 'even if you go out
now, for though you sent the ball in a passion, I had no right to take
you in as I did. I was in a passion, too, or I should not have bowled
upon you so sharp. Come, give me your hand, and then take up the bat,
man, and we will see what we can do.'
'Then take back your two notches to set against the black eye,' said
George, giving his hand. Tom, however, would not agree to this, and it
was at length settled that they should go on as if nothing had happened.
George took up the bat, and Tom returned to the bowling place. George's
notches increased rapidly, but it was evident the cause of this was in
Tom's eye, which by this time was almost closed, though the spirited boy
did not once complain of pain. George requested him not to go on, but he
persisted in bowling till his opponent threw down the bat, declaring it
was not fair play, and he did not want to beat in that mean way.
All the boys agreed that George was right, and it was determined that
the two young ones should defer their trial of skill till Tom had
recovered the use of his eye, and the bigger boys then commenced their
game.
It was at this period of the day that Mrs. Danvers and Ellen, after
having taken a walk round the garden, and collected plenty of
strawberries and cherries from the gardener, arrived in the
cricket-field to inquire if the lads wished for any refreshment. George
felt ashamed, as he remembered Tom Fletcher's eye, and the good-natured
boy stepped forwards to speak to Mrs. Danvers, and draw attention from
Tom to himself. The accident, however, could not be concealed; and
though Tom declared that it was nothing, Mrs. Danvers was sure that he
must be suffering great pain, and begged of him to go into the house and
have his eye bathed. Fletcher replied that he had better go home, for
his mother had a lotion that cured all sorts of bruises; and saying that
he would be up in the cricket-field again before the other game was
over, he bounded over the stile that separated one field from the next,
and was out of sight in a minute. The other lads, who were just
beginning their game, took some fruit of Mrs. Danvers, but declined at
present going into the house; and after standing a few minutes with
Ellen to look at the players, Mrs. Danvers persuaded George to accompany
her into the house, for she saw that he was not very comfortable, and
the day was intensely hot.
As they walked along, Mrs. Danvers said nothing about the black eye, for
she thought that it had happened through some hastiness of George. She
found by his manner he was ashamed of himself for something, and she
knew, as he was an honest boy, that when he was in a little better
humour than he appeared at present he would relate to her everything
that had passed. On arriving in the house, Mr. Danvers met them, and
requested Mrs. Danvers to walk down into the village to see the poor man
who had fallen down in a fit, and inquire if he wanted any assistance.
Mrs. Danvers immediately complied, and recommending George to amuse
himself with his sister during the rest of the morning, she left the
house, and took the road to the village.
'John has not taken that donkey home,' said Mrs. Danvers, as they passed
through a small field where there was one picking in the hedges.
'No,' replied Mr. Danvers, 'but I wish he would do so, for the animal
only destroys the beauty of the hedges, and endeavours to make ugly gaps
in them. It is not at all fit for the children to ride.' And they
proceeded in their walk.
As soon as his father and mother were gone, George threw himself upon
the carpet on his back, for he was very tired, very cross, and very
stiff.
'Oh dear, what a tiresome day this is!' said he, as he rolled over on
the carpet. 'I wish it was over and bedtime was come.'
'Why, you have done nothing but play all day,' said Ellen. Now Ellen
felt as brisk and as merry as she had done the very earliest part of the
morning, and could not help wondering what could be the matter with
George that he was not equally so.
'It is so hot--so very hot,' said George. The kind little Ellen took her
stool, and, standing on tiptoe, and reaching up to the top of the
blinds, at the risk of her neck, at length succeeded in pulling them
down, and prevented the sun from shining into George's eyes.
'Oh, how dark you have made the room, child,' said George.
'I thought you would like to have the sun shut out, George,' said the
affectionate little Ellen, with a tear starting into her eyes, because
George _would not_ be pleased with her.
George saw the tear, and was vexed with himself that he had caused it;
but at present he was not sufficiently subdued to say he was sorry, and
he continued to roll upon the carpet backwards and forwards, till he
rolled over against a small rose-wood cabinet which stood in one corner
of the apartment. The slender fabric shook, and down rolled a beautiful
little vase, which had been sent for Mrs. Danvers by a particular
friend, and on which both the children knew she set a great value.
George started up, and he and Ellen looked at each other. The vase was
broken into twenty pieces. Ellen burst into tears, and George looked
very sorrowful; but the vase was broken, and could not be restored. At
this moment the door was opened, and a little favourite terrier dog
bounded into the room, and began to play amongst the scattered
fragments. He was followed by a servant, from whom he had made his
escape, for she had been ordered to wash the dog, and the dog had
resisted, and ran away from the bath designed for him.
'Why, what a piece of work is here,' said the servant. 'Pompey, you
little tiresome thing; now to come bouncing in here, and making all this
mischief. What will mistress say when she sees her china broken, and all
through you, you little tiresome puppy?'
George and Ellen looked at each other for a moment. Had they not been
well instructed to abhor a lie, and speak the truth, the temptation was
a strong one, and they might have yielded to it; but they knew that
although they might deceive the servant, there was One who could not be
deceived, and by an instantaneous movement of honesty they both at once
exclaimed:
'It was not poor Pompey, Ann; it was----' Here Ellen stopped, unwilling
to accuse her brother; but George with great firmness added: 'It was I,
Ann.'
'Well, it's a sad business,' said Ann, 'but I dare say my mistress will
not be very angry. I am sure I should not have known but what it was
Pompey;' and in saying this Ann, who was herself a good well-principled
girl, silently resolved that her mistress should certainly know how the
young gentleman and lady 'scorned,' as she said, 'to tell a lie.'
Pompey was now removed, and George and Ellen were again left together.
Ellen picked up the broken pieces, and then asked George if he had not
better go and dress himself. 'His nice clean trousers,' she said, 'were
quite green and dirty from rubbing about upon the grass, and the flue of
the carpet was come off upon his jacket.' George, however, was not yet
quite himself, though he was very much softened by the last misfortune.
Ellen then asked him if she should get some quiet play for him--maps,
puzzles, or bricks? But nothing would go right with George this day; all
Ellen's efforts to amuse him were in vain, and at length he resolved
upon going out of doors again. Ellen reminded him that mother had
recommended him to stay indoors.
'Yes, but she did not order me,' said George; 'besides, I think I ought
to go down and ask how Tom Fletcher is, for I gave him that horrible
blow in his face.'
'But you could not help it, I am sure,' said Ellen.
'I did not do it on purpose,' said George, 'but I did it in a passion,
and that is as bad.'
'Oh, this unlucky day,' said Ellen, 'and this morning I thought you so
happy, but I think you had better stay till evening before you go down
to Mr. Fletcher's. I am sure mother thought you had better stay quiet
this morning, and mother is always so kind.'
George felt all this, and went out of the room, and returned into it
several times, from irresolution and dissatisfaction with himself. He
kissed Ellen, and told her not to mind his being cross, upon which she
threw her arm across his shoulder, and entreated him to sit quietly at
home, and not to go out and heat himself and make himself uncomfortable
just as he was beginning to get cool.
George seemed to long to stay with Ellen, and even when he got to steps
which led from the hall into the pleasure-grounds, he went very slowly
down, dragging one leg after the other, half inclined to return, but at
this moment that frisking little Pompey came by looking very bright and
clean after his washing, and he jumped upon George, and invited him to
play. George then gave him a call, and they bounded together over the
fields and hedges, and were very soon lost to the sight of Ellen, who
returned into the house, and could scarcely refrain from shedding tears.
George passed with his frolicsome companion through the same field where
Mr. and Mrs. Danvers had noticed the donkey browsing in the hedges, and
the animal was still browsing, and picking up nettles and flowers, and
enjoying his freedom. George might just as well have walked quietly
through the field, and have left the poor donkey to his repast, but he
was in a very odd sort of a humour still, and thought it would be very
good fun to have a little scamper round the field upon the donkey's
back. He had heard his father and mother say that the donkey had never
been properly broken in, and that he was not fit to be ridden, but
George thought that if he could ride a pony, which he sometimes did, he
certainly could ride a donkey, and at any rate he was determined to try.
He went back to the stable therefore to ask the groom for a halter, but
the groom was not in the stable, unfortunately, or he would have known
better, it is to be hoped, than to have encouraged the young gentleman
in what he knew to be wrong. So George helped himself to an old piece of
rope which he found under the cartshed, and, taking a small hunting-whip
of his own, returned to the field with the intention of having a good
ride. He had some difficulty in catching the animal, which was better
pleased to graze at liberty than to be confined, and have a burthen put
upon his back. It must be owned, nevertheless, that it was not a very
heavy burthen preparing for him, nothing compared to the great weights
many, many poor donkeys are compelled to toil under, and never stopping
to rest, perhaps, from morning till night. Still, the donkey had rather
been left in the hedges, and many a race round and round the field did
he give George, and many a time did he kick up his hinder legs in
defiance before George at length succeeded in throwing the halter over
his head. The mighty feat, however, was, after repeated failures,
accomplished, and George felt not a little satisfied when he found
himself safely seated on the animal. He certainly was seated, but as to
riding, it was what the donkey seemed resolved he should not do, and
there he continued to sit, perfectly still and quiet, for some minutes,
for although the animal had shown great fleetness and alacrity when
George was attempting to stop him, it was very different now George was
endeavouring to make him go on. George kicked as hard as he could kick
with both his heels, and flogged with all his might, but the stubborn
beast would not stir an inch. He then got off his back, and led him into
the road, which he had some difficulty in accomplishing, and when there
he would not go a bit better than in the field. He had no preference to
the turnpike road, and George, after fatiguing himself, and getting into
a violent heat by beating and thumping the animal's impenetrable skin,
considered that he had better get him back again into the field, and
there leave him. But here again the stubborn beast perplexed him; he
would not budge an inch, no, not even when George pulled and dragged him
by the halter till his arms ached so much he was obliged to desist. Now
what was to be done? The donkey was not his father's; it was borrowed.
If he left it on the road it would be lost or stolen, and as to riding
it or leading it away it seemed entirely impossible. He was standing in
not a very happy mood, and leaning against the donkey's neck, when a
butcher's boy came jogging along upon his shaggy and bareboned pony.
'Do you want to get him on, sir?' said the boy.
'Yes, but he won't stir,' said George.
'Oh, trust me to making him stir,' replied the hatless, greasy-haired
lad. 'Get upon his back, sir, and I'll send him on for you.'
George was upon his back in a minute, but with all the famed prowess of
the butcher's boy as a donkey driver, and with all George's renewed
thumps and kicks, the animal would not move from the spot where he had
fixed himself. The butcher's boy was quite in a rage, and he was venting
his spleen upon the stubbornness of all donkeys, and of this donkey in
particular, when the sudden sound of a horn made both the donkey and the
pony prick up their ears. In a few moments a stage coach was in sight,
and in a few more the horn and the rattling wheels approached with great
velocity towards the two equestrians. George would have jumped off to
save himself from being run over, but the donkey saved him for the
present the trouble. All his energies were suddenly roused, and he
darted forward in a pelting gallop; the butcher's pony did the same.
Away they both flew before the leaders of the stage, scarcely distancing
them by a horse's length, and all the passengers thought that mischief
was inevitable. A gentleman on the box begged the coachman to pull in,
but the coachman seemed to enjoy the fun, and only whipped on his
horses. The pony and the donkey were still galloping furiously, both
their riders keeping their seats. Butchers' boys always seem glued to
their saddles, so that there appeared nothing astonishing in Jem
Rattle's not getting a fall; but how George, without his saddle, and not
much accustomed to riding, sat so long was something more remarkable.
Whether he might have got to the end of his race without accident if his
father and mother had not now appeared by the side of the road it is
impossible to say; but certain it is that the sight of them diverted the
attention which had before been entirely given to keeping his eye
steadily before him. At the same instant the donkey gave a little curve
out of the line in which he had been going, and most providential was it
that he did so, for by this inclination George was thrown sufficiently
to the right of the road to clear the wheels of the coach. The pony had
given in some few minutes before, and the donkey, having once checked
himself, stopped suddenly, and stood quietly by the roadside as if
nothing had happened. The gentleman on the box now insisted upon the
coachman's drawing up, to see if the young gentleman had sustained any
injury; and Mr. and Mrs. Danvers, in a state of harassing alarm, also
hastened to approach the spot.
Mr. and Mrs. Danvers were more alarmed than George was hurt; he
certainly got a few bruises, but he received no serious injury. He
immediately jumped on his legs, and relieved the anxiety of his parents,
when, after Mr. Danvers had thanked the gentleman for his kind
interference, and joined with him in condemning the coachman for not
having before checked his horses, the coach drove on, and George joined
his father and mother. The butcher boy was commissioned, with the
promise of a shilling, to bring back the donkey to Mr. Danvers' field,
and George looked not a little foolish as he began his walk home by the
side of his father.
'I thought you had been remaining quietly at home, George,' said Mrs.
Danvers.
'And certainly, if you had been out,' added Mr. Danvers, 'you had no
business to have been riding that donkey. You must have heard me say
that it was not fit to be ridden, for it is always playing tricks of
some sort. And you may be very thankful that you did not get either a
broken limb or a severe blow on your head.'
George made no reply, but he burst into tears, for his ill-humour had
now entirely given way to sorrow; and he continued crying as he walked
by the side of his father.
'I am afraid you have too much indulgence,' said Mr. Danvers, 'and too
much liberty in disposing of your time; you are not the happier for it,
you see. When left to yourself to amuse yourself as you please the whole
day, you almost constantly get into some trouble or other before the day
is over. In future I shall take care that your time is better employed
than in riding races with butchers' boys, and trying to tame
incorrigible donkeys.'
Here George tried to put his father right as to his riding with the
butcher's boy being entirely accidental; but his sobs prevented his
speaking articulately, and they had nearly arrived at home before Mr.
and Mrs. Danvers could exactly understand how the accident had happened.
'And how came Fletcher by his black eye?' said Mr. Danvers.
'Oh, that was done in a passion,' replied George. 'I was tired before I
began to play, and I did not like to be beat by a boy so near my own
size.'
'And how would you have felt,' said Mr. Danvers, 'had you deprived your
companion of the sight of his eye, which was very near being the case?
Accidents of this sort have sometimes happened from cricket-balls; but
this, instead of accidental, would have been the consequence of pettish
ill-humour. I shall allow no more cricket for some days; indeed, I fear
it will be some days before Fletcher will be well enough to play; and
certainly I shall allow no more whole days of play.'
'I wish you would not, father,' said George, 'for they always end
unhappily; and you have not heard all the unhappiness of this.'
George was endeavouring to commence his relation of the broken vase,
when the lads from the cricket-field, who had just finished their game,
approached to bid Mr. and Mrs. Danvers a good-morning, and inquire of
their young companion why he and Tom Fletcher had not again joined them.
In pity to the confusion visibly stamped on George's countenance, Mr.
Danvers undertook to explain the cause of their absence, and begged that
they themselves would come, whenever it was pleasant to them, to play in
his field. As to Tom, he thought he would not be able to play again
within a week; but on that day se'nnight, if his eye was well enough to
allow of his playing, Mr. Danvers would himself take a part in the game,
and he invited all the party to take tea and refreshments after its
conclusion. The boys seemed delighted with this proposition, and took
their leave, when George accompanied his father and mother into the
house, where they were joined by little Ellen. The accident of the
broken vase was related, at which Mrs. Danvers expressed great regret;
but her vexation was accompanied with the pleasing reflection that the
word of her children might be taken without scruple, for the
good-natured Ann was not easy till she had informed her mistress of all
that she knew respecting the accident.
From this day, Ellen never wished that she was a boy to do nothing but
play from morning till night. She saw, in the example of her brother
George, that idleness generally leads to mischief, and consequently to
unhappiness; and she felt how necessary it was to have performed her
duty well before she could enjoy her play.
Waste Not, Want Not
or
Two Strings to Your Bow
Mr. Gresham, a Bristol merchant, who had, by honourable industry and
economy, accumulated a considerable fortune, retired from business to a
new house which he had built upon the Downs, near Clifton. Mr. Gresham,
however, did not imagine that a new house alone could make him happy. He
did not propose to live in idleness and extravagance; for such a life
would have been equally incompatible with his habits and his principles.
He was fond of children; and as he had no sons, he determined to adopt
one of his relations. He had two nephews, and he invited both of them to
his house, that he might have an opportunity of judging of their
dispositions, and of the habits which they had acquired.
Hal and Benjamin, Mr. Gresham's nephews, were about ten years old. They
had been educated very differently. Hal was the son of the elder branch
of the family. His father was a gentleman, who spent rather more than
he could afford; and Hal, from the example of the servants in his
father's family, with whom he had passed the first years of his
childhood, learned to waste more of everything than he used. He had been
told that 'gentlemen should be above being careful and saving'; and he
had unfortunately imbibed a notion that extravagance was the sign of a
generous disposition, and economy of an avaricious one.
Benjamin, on the contrary, had been taught habits of care and foresight.
His father had but a very small fortune, and was anxious that his son
should early learn that economy ensures independence, and sometimes puts
it in the power of those who are not very rich to be very generous.
The morning after these two boys arrived at their uncle's they were
eager to see all the rooms in the house. Mr. Gresham accompanied them,
and attended to their remarks and exclamations.
'Oh, what an excellent motto!' exclaimed Ben, when he read the following
words, which were written in large characters over the chimneypiece in
his uncle's spacious kitchen--
'WASTE NOT, WANT NOT.'
'"Waste not, want not!"' repeated his cousin Hal, in rather a
contemptuous tone; 'I think it looks stingy to servants; and no
gentleman's servants, cooks especially, would like to have such a mean
motto always staring them in the face.'
Ben, who was not so conversant as his cousin in the ways of cooks and
gentleman's servants, made no reply to these observations.
Mr. Gresham was called away whilst his nephews were looking at the other
rooms in the house. Some time afterwards he heard their voices in the
hall.
'Boys,' said he, 'what are you doing there?'
'Nothing, sir,' said Hal. 'You were called away from us, and we did not
know which way to go.'
'And have you nothing to do?' said Mr. Gresham.
'No, sir--nothing,' answered Hal in a careless tone, like one who was
well content with the state of habitual idleness.
'No, sir--nothing,' replied Ben, in a voice of lamentation.
'Come,' said Mr. Gresham, 'if you have nothing to do, lads, will you
unpack those two parcels for me?'
The two parcels were exactly alike, both of them well tied up with good
whipcord. Ben took his parcel to a table, and, after breaking off the
sealing-wax, began carefully to examine the knot, and then to untie it.
Hal stood still, exactly in the spot where the parcel was put into his
hands, and tried, first at one corner and then at another, to pull the
string off by force.
'I wish these people wouldn't tie up their parcels so tight, as if they
were never to be undone!' cried he, as he tugged at the cord; and he
pulled the knot closer instead of loosening it. 'Ben! why, how did you
get yours undone, man? What's in your parcel? I wonder what is in mine.
I wish I could get this string off. I must cut it.'
'Oh no,' said Ben, who now had undone the last knot of his parcel, and
who drew out the length of string with exultation, 'don't cut it, Hal.
Look what a nice cord this is, and yours is the same. It's a pity to cut
it. "_Waste not, want not!_" you know.'
'Pooh!' said Hal, 'what signifies a bit of packthread?'
'It is whipcord,' said Ben.
[Illustration: _'Oh, what an excellent motto!' exclaimed Ben.--Page
205._]
'Well, whipcord. What signifies a bit of whipcord? You can get a bit of
whipcord twice as long as that for twopence, and who cares for twopence?
Not I, for one! So here it goes,' cried Hal, drawing out his knife; and
he cut the cord precipitately in sundry places.
'Lads, have you undone the parcels for me?' said Mr. Gresham, opening
the parlour door as he spoke.
'Yes, sir,' cried Hal; and he dragged off his half-cut, half-entangled
string. 'Here's the parcel.'
'And here's my parcel, uncle; and here's the string,' said Ben.
'You may keep the string for your pains,' said Mr. Gresham.
'Thank you, sir,' said Ben. 'What an excellent whipcord it is!'
'And you, Hal,' continued Mr. Gresham--'you may keep your string, too,
if it will be of any use to you.'
'It will be of no use to me, thank you, sir,' said Hal.
'No, I am afraid not, if this be it,' said his uncle, taking up the
jagged knotted remains of Hal's cord.
A few days after this Mr. Gresham gave to each of his nephews a new top.
'But how's this?' said Hal. 'These tops have no strings. What shall we
do for strings?'
'I have a string that will do very well for mine,' said Ben; and he
pulled out of his pocket the fine, long, smooth string which had tied up
the parcel.
With this he soon set up his top, which spun admirably well.
'Oh, how I wish I had but a string!' said Hal. 'What shall I do for a
string? I'll tell you what: I can use the string that goes round my
hat!'
'But, then,' said Ben, 'what will you do for a hatband?'
'I'll manage to do without one,' said Hal, and he took the string off
his hat for his top.
It was soon worn through, and he split his top by driving the peg too
tightly into it. His Cousin Ben let him set up his the next day, but Hal
was not more fortunate or more careful when he meddled with other
people's things than when he managed his own. He had scarcely played
half an hour before he split it by driving the peg too violently.
Ben bore this misfortune with good-humour.
'Come,' said he, 'it can't be helped; but give me the string, because
_that_ may still be of use for something else.'
It happened some time afterwards that a lady, who had been intimately
acquainted with Hal's mother at Bath--that is to say, who had frequently
met her at the card-table during the winter--now arrived at Clifton. She
was informed by his mother that Hal was at Mr. Gresham's, and her sons,
who were _friends_ of his, came to see him, and invited him to spend the
next day with them.
Hal joyfully accepted the invitation. He was always glad to go out to
dine, because it gave him something to do, something to think of, or at
least something to say. Besides this, he had been educated to think it
was a fine thing to visit fine people; and Lady Diana Sweepstakes (for
that was the name of his mother's acquaintance) was a very fine lady,
and her two sons intended to be very _great_ gentlemen. He was in a
prodigious hurry when these young gentlemen knocked at his uncle's door
the next day; but just as he got to the hall door little Patty called to
him from the top of the stairs, and told him that he had dropped his
pocket-handkerchief.
'Pick it up, then, and bring it to me, quick, can't you, child?' cried
Hal, 'for Lady Di's sons are waiting for me.'
Little Patty did not know anything about Lady Di's sons; but as she was
very good-natured, and saw that her cousin Hal was, for some reason or
other, in a desperate hurry, she ran downstairs as fast as she possibly
could towards the landing-place, where the handkerchief lay; but, alas!
before she reached the handkerchief, she fell, rolling down a whole
flight of stairs, and when her fall was at last stopped by the
landing-place, she did not cry out; she writhed, as if she was in great
pain.
'Where are you hurt, my love?' said Mr. Gresham, who came instantly on
hearing the noise of someone falling downstairs. 'Where are you hurt, my
dear?'
'Here, papa,' said the little girl, touching her ankle, which she had
decently covered with her gown. 'I believe I am hurt here, but not
much,' added she, trying to rise; 'only it hurts me when I move.'
'I'll carry you; don't move, then,' said her father, and he took her up
in his arms.
'My shoe! I've lost one of my shoes,' said she.
Ben looked for it upon the stairs, and he found it sticking in a loop of
whipcord, which was entangled round one of the banisters. When this cord
was drawn forth, it appeared that it was the very same jagged, entangled
piece which Hal had pulled off his parcel. He had diverted himself with
running up and down stairs, whipping the banisters with it, as he
thought he could convert it to no better use; and, with his usual
carelessness, he at last left it hanging just where he happened to throw
it when the dinner-bell rang. Poor little Patty's ankle was terribly
strained, and Hal reproached himself for his folly, and would have
reproached himself longer, perhaps, if Lady Di Sweepstakes' sons had not
hurried him away.
In the evening, Patty could not run about as she used to do; but she sat
upon the sofa, and she said that she did not feel the pain of her ankle
_so much_ whilst Ben was so good as to play at _Jack Straws_ with her.
'That's right, Ben; never be ashamed of being good-natured to those who
are younger and weaker than yourself,' said his uncle, smiling at seeing
him produce his whipcord to indulge his little cousin with a game at her
favourite cat's-cradle. 'I shall not think you one bit less manly,
because I see you playing at cat's-cradle with a little child of six
years old.'
Hal, however, was not precisely of his uncle's opinion; for when he
returned in the evening, and saw Ben playing with his little cousin, he
could not help smiling contemptuously, and asked if he had been playing
at cat's-cradle all night. In a heedless manner he made some inquiries
after Patty's sprained ankle, and then he ran on to tell all the news he
had heard at Lady Diana Sweepstakes'--news which he thought would make
him appear a person of vast importance.
'Do you know, uncle--do you know, Ben,' said he, 'there's to be the most
_famous_ doings that ever were heard of upon the Downs here, the first
day of next month, which will be in a fortnight, thank my stars? I wish
the fortnight was over. I shall think of nothing else, I know, till that
happy day comes.'
Mr. Gresham inquired why the first of September was to be so much
happier than any other day in the year.
'Why,' replied Hal, 'Lady Diana Sweepstakes, you know, is a _famous_
rider, and archer, and _all that_----'
'Very likely,' said Mr. Gresham soberly; 'but what then?'
'Dear uncle,' cried Hal, 'but you shall hear! There's to be a race upon
the Downs on the first of September, and after the race there's to be an
archery meeting for the ladies, and Lady Diana Sweepstakes is to be one
of _them_. And after the ladies have done shooting--now, Ben, comes the
best part of it!--we boys are to have our turn, and Lady Di is to give a
prize to the best marksman amongst us of a very handsome bow and arrow.
Do you know, I've been practising already, and I'll show you to-morrow,
as soon as it comes home, the _famous_ bow and arrow that Lady Diana has
given me; but perhaps,' added he, with a scornful laugh, 'you like a
cat's-cradle better than a bow and arrow.'
Ben made no reply to this taunt at the moment; but the next day, when
Hal's new bow and arrow came home, he convinced him that he knew how to
use it very well.
'Ben,' said his uncle, 'you seem to be a good marksman, though you have
not boasted of yourself. I'll give you a bow and arrow, and perhaps, if
you practise, you may make yourself an archer before the first of
September; and, in the meantime, you will not wish the fortnight to be
over, for you will have something to do.'
'Oh, sir,' interrupted Hal, 'but if you mean that Ben should put in for
the prize, he must have a uniform.'
'Why _must_ he?' said Mr. Gresham.
'Why, sir, because everybody has--I mean everybody that's anybody; and
Lady Diana was talking about the uniform all dinner time, and it's
settled, all about it, except the buttons. The young Sweepstakes are to
get theirs made first for patterns. They are to be white, faced with
green, and they'll look very handsome, I'm sure; and I shall write to
mother to-night, as Lady Diana bid me, about mine, and I shall tell her
to be sure to answer my letter without fail by return of post; and then,
if mother makes no objection--which I know she won't, because she never
thinks much about expense, and _all that_--then I shall bespeak my
uniform, and get it made by the same tailor that makes for Lady Diana
and the young Sweepstakes.'
'Mercy upon us!' said Mr. Gresham, who was almost stunned by the rapid
vociferation with which this long speech about a uniform was pronounced.
'I don't pretend to understand these things,' added he, with an air of
simplicity, 'but we will inquire, Ben, into the necessity of the case;
and if it is necessary--or if you think it necessary that you shall have
a uniform--why, I'll give you one.'
'_You_, uncle? Will you, _indeed_?' exclaimed Hal, with amazement
painted in his countenance. 'Well, that's the last thing in the world I
should have expected! You are not at all the sort of person I should
have thought would care about a uniform; and now I should have supposed
you'd have thought it extravagant to have a coat on purpose only for one
day. And I'm sure Lady Diana Sweepstakes thought as I do, for when I
told her of that motto over your kitchen chimney--"WASTE NOT, WANT
NOT"--she laughed, and said that I had better not talk to you about
uniforms, and that my mother was the proper person to write to about my
uniform; but I'll tell Lady Diana, uncle, how good you are, and how much
she was mistaken.'
'Take care how you do that,' said Mr. Gresham, 'for perhaps the lady was
not mistaken.'
'Nay, did not you say just now you would give poor Ben a uniform?'
'I said I would if he thought it necessary to have one.'
'Oh, I'll answer for it he'll think it necessary,' said Hal, laughing,
'because it is necessary.'
'Allow him, at least, to judge for himself,' said Mr. Gresham.
'My dear uncle, but I assure you,' said Hal earnestly, 'there's no
judging about the matter, because really, upon my word, Lady Diana said
distinctly that her sons were to have uniforms--white, faced with
green--and a green and white cockade in their hats.'
'May be so,' said Mr. Gresham, still with the same look of calm
simplicity. 'Put on your hats, boys, and come with me. I know a
gentleman whose sons are to be at this archery meeting, and we will
inquire into all the particulars from him. Then, after we have seen
him--it is not eleven o'clock yet--we shall have time enough to walk on
to Bristol, and choose the cloth for Ben's uniform if it is necessary.'
'I cannot tell what to make of all he says,' whispered Hal, as he
reached down his hat. 'Do you think, Ben, he means to give you this
uniform or not?'
'I think,' said Ben, 'that he means to give me one if it is necessary;
or, as he said, if I think it is necessary.'
'And that to be sure you will, won't you? or else you'll be a great
fool, I know, after all I've told you. How can anyone in the world know
so much about the matter as I, who have dined with Lady Diana
Sweepstakes but yesterday, and heard all about it from beginning to end?
And as for this gentleman that we are going to, I'm sure, if he knows
anything about the matter, he'll say exactly the same as I do.'
'We shall hear,' said Ben, with a degree of composure which Hal could by
no means comprehend when a uniform was in question.
The gentleman upon whom Mr. Gresham called had three sons who were all
to be at this archery meeting, and they unanimously assured him, in the
presence of Hal and Ben, that they had not thought of buying uniforms
for this grand occasion, and that, amongst the number of their
acquaintance, they knew of but three boys whose friends intended to be
at such an _unnecessary_ expense. Hal stood amazed.
'Such are the varieties of opinion upon all the grand affairs of life,'
said Mr. Gresham, looking at his nephews. 'What amongst one set of
people you hear asserted to be absolutely necessary, you will hear from
another set of people is quite unnecessary. All that can be done, my
dear boys, in these difficult cases, is to judge for yourselves which
opinions and which people are the most reasonable.'
Hal, who had been more accustomed to think of what was fashionable than
of what was reasonable, without at all considering the good sense of
what his uncle said to him, replied with childish petulance:
'Indeed, sir, I don't know what other people think; but I only know what
Lady Diana Sweepstakes said.'
The name of Lady Diana Sweepstakes, Hal thought, must impress all
present with respect. He was highly astonished when, as he looked round,
he saw a smile of contempt upon everyone's countenance; and he was yet
further bewildered when he heard her spoken of as a very silly,
extravagant, ridiculous woman, whose opinion no prudent person would ask
upon any subject, and whose example was to be shunned instead of being
imitated.
'Ay, my dear Hal,' said his uncle, smiling at his look of amazement,
'these are some of the things that young people must learn from
experience. All the world do not agree in opinion about characters. You
will hear the same person admired in one company and blamed in another;
so that we must still come round to the same point--_Judge for
yourself_.'
Hal's thoughts were, however, at present too full of the uniform to
allow his judgment to act with perfect impartiality. As soon as their
visit was over, and all the time they walked down the hill from
Prince's Buildings towards Bristol, he continued to repeat nearly the
same arguments which he had formerly used respecting necessity, the
uniform, and Lady Diana Sweepstakes. To all this Mr. Gresham made no
reply, and longer had the young gentleman expatiated upon the subject,
which had so strongly seized upon his imagination, had not his senses
been forcibly assailed at this instant by the delicious odours and
tempting sight of certain cakes and jellies in a pastrycook's shop.
'Oh, uncle,' said he, as his uncle was going to turn the corner to
pursue the road to Bristol, 'look at those jellies!' pointing to a
confectioner's shop. 'I must buy some of those good things, for I have
got some halfpence in my pocket.'
'Your having halfpence in your pocket is an excellent reason for
eating,' said Mr. Gresham, smiling.
'But I really am hungry,' said Hal. 'You know, uncle, it is a good while
since breakfast.'
His uncle, who was desirous to see his nephews act without restraint,
that he might judge their characters, bid them do as they pleased.
'Come, then, Ben, if you've any halfpence in your pocket.'
'I'm not hungry,' said Ben.
'I suppose _that_ means that you've no halfpence,' said Hal, laughing,
with the look of superiority which he had been taught to think _the
rich_ might assume towards those who were convicted either of poverty or
economy.
'Waste not, want not,' said Ben to himself.
Contrary to his cousin's surmise, he happened to have two pennyworth of
halfpence actually in his pocket.
At the very moment Hal stepped into the pastrycook's shop a poor,
industrious man with a wooden leg, who usually sweeps the dirty corner
of the walk which turns at this spot to the Wells, held his hat to Ben,
who, after glancing his eye at the petitioner's well-worn broom,
instantly produced his twopence.
'I wish I had more halfpence for you, my good man,' said he; 'but I've
only twopence.'
Hal came out of Mr. Millar's, the confectioner's shop, with a hatful of
cakes in his hand. Mr. Millar's dog was sitting on the flags before the
door, and he looked up with a wistful, begging eye at Hal, who was
eating a queen-cake. Hal, who was wasteful even in his good-nature,
threw a whole queen-cake to the dog, who swallowed it at a single
mouthful.
'There goes twopence in the form of a queen-cake,' said Mr. Gresham.
Hal next offered some of his cakes to his uncle and cousin; but they
thanked him, and refused to eat any, because, they said, they were not
hungry; so he ate and ate as he walked along, till at last he stopped
and said:
'This bun tastes so bad after the queen-cakes, I can't bear it!' and he
was going to fling it from him into the river.
'Oh, it is a pity to waste that good bun; we may be glad of it yet,'
said Ben. 'Give it me rather than throw it away.'
'Why, I thought you said you were not hungry,' said Hal.
'True, I am not hungry now; but that is no reason why I should never be
hungry again.'
'Well, there is the cake for you. Take it, for it has made me sick, and
I don't care what becomes of it.'
Ben folded the refuse bit of his cousin's bun in a piece of paper, and
put it into his pocket.
'I'm beginning to be exceeding tired or sick or something,' said Hal;
'and as there is a stand of coaches somewhere hereabouts, had we not
better take a coach, instead of walking all the way to Bristol?'
'For a stout archer,' said Mr. Gresham, 'you are more easily tired than
one might have expected. However, with all my heart, let us take a
coach, for Ben asked me to show him the cathedral yesterday; and I
believe I should find it rather too much for me to walk so far, though I
am not sick with eating good things.'
'_The cathedral!_' said Hal, after he had been seated in the coach about
a quarter of an hour, and had somewhat recovered from his sickness--'the
cathedral! Why, are we only going to Bristol to see the cathedral? I
thought we came out to see about a uniform.'
There was a dulness and melancholy kind of stupidity in Hal's
countenance as he pronounced these words, like one wakening from a
dream, which made both his uncle and his cousin burst out a-laughing.
'Why,' said Hal, who was now piqued, 'I'm sure you _did_ say, uncle, you
would go to Mr. Hall's to choose the cloth for the uniform.'
'Very true, and so I will,' said Mr. Gresham; 'but we need not make a
whole morning's work, need we, of looking at a piece of cloth? Cannot we
see a uniform and a cathedral both in one morning?'
They went first to the cathedral. Hal's head was too full of the uniform
to take any notice of the painted window, which immediately caught Ben's
embarrassed attention. He looked at the large stained figures on the
Gothic window, and he observed their coloured shadows on the floor and
walls.
Mr. Gresham, who perceived that he was eager on all subjects to gain
information, took this opportunity of telling him several things about
the lost art of painting on glass, Gothic arches, etc., which Hal
thought extremely tiresome.
'Come, come, we shall be late indeed!' said Hal. 'Surely you've looked
long enough, Ben, at this blue and red window.'
'I'm only thinking about these coloured shadows,' said Ben.
'I can show you when we go home, Ben,' said his uncle, 'an entertaining
paper upon such shadows.'[A]
'Hark!' cried Ben; 'did you hear that noise?'
They all listened, and they heard a bird singing in the cathedral.
'It's our old robin, sir,' said the lad who had opened the cathedral
door for them.
'Yes,' said Mr. Gresham, 'there he is, boys--look--perched upon the
organ; he often sits there, and sings whilst the organ is playing.'
'And,' continued the lad who showed the cathedral, 'he has lived here
these many, many winters. They say he is fifteen years old; and he is so
tame, poor fellow! that if I had a bit of bread he'd come down and feed
in my hand.'
'I've a bit of bun here,' cried Ben joyfully, producing the remains of
the bun which Hal but an hour before would have thrown away. 'Pray, let
us see the poor robin eat out of your hand.'
The lad crumbled the bun and called to the robin, who fluttered and
chirped and seemed rejoiced at the sight of the bread; but yet he did
not come down from his pinnacle on the organ.
'He is afraid of _us_,' said Ben; 'he is not used to eat before
strangers, I suppose.'
'Ah, no, sir,' said the young man, with a deep sigh, 'that is not the
thing. He is used enough to eat afore company. Time was he'd have come
down for me before ever so many fine folks, and have eat his crumbs out
of my hand at my first call; but, poor fellow! it's not his fault now.
He does not know me now, sir, since my _accident_, because of this great
black patch.'
The young man put his hand to his right eye, which was covered with a
huge black patch. Ben asked what _accident_ he meant; and the lad told
him that, but a few weeks ago, he had lost the sight of his eye by the
stroke of a stone, which reached him as he was passing under the rocks
at Clifton, unluckily when the workmen were blasting.
'I don't mind so much for myself, sir,' said the lad; 'but I can't work
so well now, as I used to do before my accident, for my old mother, who
has had a _stroke_ of the palsy; and I've a many little brothers and
sisters not well able yet to get their own livelihood, though they be as
willing as willing can be.'
'Where does your mother live?' said Mr. Gresham.
'Hard by, sir, just close to the church here. It was _her_ that always
had the showing of it to strangers, till she lost the use of her poor
limbs.'
'Shall we, may we, uncle, go that way? This is the house, is it not?'
said Ben, when they went out of the cathedral.
They went into the house. It was rather a hovel than a house; but, poor
as it was, it was as neat as misery could make it. The old woman was
sitting up in her wretched bed, winding worsted; four meagre,
ill-clothed, pale children were all busy, some of them sticking pins in
paper for the pin-maker, and others sorting rags for the paper-maker.
'What a horrid place it is!' said Hal, sighing; 'I did not know there
were such shocking places in the world. I've often seen
terrible-looking, tumble-down places, as we drove through the town in
mother's carriage; but then I did not know who lived in them, and I
never saw the inside of any of them. It is very dreadful, indeed, to
think that people are forced to live in this way. I wish mother would
send me some more pocket-money, that I might do something for them. I
had half a crown; but,' continued he, feeling in his pockets, 'I'm
afraid I spent the last shilling of it this morning upon those cakes
that made me sick. I wish I had my shilling now; I'd give it to _these
poor people_.'
Ben, though he was all this time silent, was as sorry as his talkative
cousin for all these poor people. But there was some difference between
the sorrow of these two boys.
Hal, after he was again seated in the hackney-coach, and had rattled
through the busy streets of Bristol for a few minutes, quite forgot the
spectacle of misery which he had seen, and the gay shops in Wine Street
and the idea of his green and white uniform wholly occupied his
imagination.
'Now for our uniforms!' cried he, as he jumped eagerly out of the coach,
when his uncle stopped at the woollen-draper's door.
'Uncle,' said Ben, stopping Mr. Gresham before he got out of the
carriage, 'I don't think a uniform is at all necessary for me. I'm very
much obliged to you, but I would rather not have one. I have a very good
coat, and I think it would be waste.'
'Well, let me get out of the carriage, and we will see about it,' said
Mr. Gresham. 'Perhaps the sight of the beautiful green and white cloth,
and the epaulette--have you ever considered the epaulettes?--may tempt
you to change your mind.'
'Oh, no,' said Ben, laughing; 'I shall not change my mind.'
The green cloth and the white cloth and the epaulettes were produced, to
Hal's infinite satisfaction. His uncle took up a pen, and calculated for
a few minutes. Then showing the back of the letter upon which he was
writing to his nephews:
'Cast up these sums, boys,' said he, 'and tell me whether I am right.'
'Ben, do you do it,' said Hal, a little embarrassed; 'I am not quick at
figures.'
Ben _was_, and he went over his uncle's calculation very expeditiously.
'It is right, is it?' said Mr. Gresham.
'Yes, sir, quite right.'
'Then, by this calculation I find I could, for less than half the money
your uniforms would cost, purchase for each of you boys a warm
greatcoat, which you will want, I have a notion, this winter upon the
downs.'
'Oh, sir,' said Hal with an alarmed look, 'but it is not winter _yet_;
it is not cold weather _yet_. We shan't want greatcoats _yet_.'
'Don't you remember how cold we were, Hal, the day before yesterday, in
that sharp wind, when we were flying our kite upon the downs? and winter
will come, though it is not come yet. I am sure I should like to have a
good warm greatcoat very much.'
Mr. Gresham took six guineas out of his purse; and he placed three of
them before Hal and three before Ben.
'Young gentlemen,' said he, 'I believe your uniforms would come to about
three guineas apiece. Now I will lay out this money for you just as you
please. Hal, what say you?'
'Why, sir,' said Hal, 'a greatcoat is a good thing, to be sure; and
then, after the greatcoat, as you said it would only cost half as much
as the uniform, there would be some money to spare, would not there?'
'Yes, my dear, about five-and-twenty shillings.'
'Five-and-twenty shillings? I could buy and do a great many things, to
be sure, with five-and-twenty shillings; but then, _the thing is_, I
must go without the uniform if I have the greatcoat.'
'Certainly,' said his uncle.
'Ah!' said Hal, sighing, as he looked at the epaulette, 'uncle, if you
would not be displeased if I choose the uniform----'
'I shall not be displeased at your choosing whatever you like best,'
said Mr. Gresham.
'Well, then, thank you, sir,' said Hal, 'I think I had better have the
uniform, because, if I have not the uniform now directly, it will be of
no use to me, as the archery meeting is the week after next, you know;
and as to the greatcoat, perhaps between this time and the very cold
weather, which perhaps won't be till Christmas, father will buy a
greatcoat for me; and I'll ask mother to give me some pocket-money to
give away, and she will, perhaps.'
To all this conclusive, conditional reasoning, which depended upon the
word _perhaps_, three times repeated, Mr. Gresham made no reply; but he
immediately bought the uniform for Hal, and desired that it should be
sent to Lady Diana Sweepstakes' sons' tailor to be made up. The measure
of Hal's happiness was now complete.
'And how am I to lay out the three guineas for you, Ben?' said Mr.
Gresham. 'Speak; what do you wish for first?'
'A greatcoat, uncle, if you please.'
Mr. Gresham bought the coat, and after it was paid for five-and-twenty
shillings of Ben's three guineas remained.
'What next, my boy?' said his uncle.
'Arrows, uncle, if you please--three arrows.'
'My dear, I promised you a bow and arrows.'
'No, uncle, you only said a bow.'
'Well, I meant a bow and arrows. I'm glad you are so exact, however. It
is better to claim less than more than what is promised. The three
arrows you shall have. But go on. How shall I dispose of these
five-and-twenty shillings for you?'
'In clothes, if you will be so good, uncle, for that poor boy who has
the great black patch on his eye.'
'I always believed,' said Mr. Gresham, shaking hands with Ben, 'that
economy and generosity were the best friends, instead of being enemies,
as some silly, extravagant people would have us think them. Choose the
poor, blind boy's coat, my dear nephew, and pay for it. There's no
occasion for my praising you about the matter. Your best reward is in
your own mind, child; and you want no other, or I'm mistaken. Now jump
into the coach, boys, and let's be off. We shall be late, I'm afraid,'
continued he, as the coach drove on; 'but I must let you stop, Ben, with
your goods, at the poor boy's door.'
When they came to the house, Mr. Gresham opened the coach door, and Ben
jumped out with his parcel under his arm.
'Stay, stay! you must take me with you,' said his pleased uncle; 'I like
to see people made happy as well as you do.'
'And so do I, too,' said Hal. 'Let me come with you. I almost wish my
uniform was not gone to the tailor's, so I do.' And when he saw the look
of delight and gratitude with which the poor boy received the clothes
which Ben gave him, and when he heard the mother and children thank him,
Hal sighed, and said: 'Well, I hope mother will give me some more
pocket-money soon.'
Upon his return home, however, the sight of the _famous_ bow and arrow,
which Lady Diana Sweepstakes had sent him, recalled to his imagination
all the joys of his green-and-white uniform, and he no longer wished
that it had not been sent to the tailor's.
'But I don't understand, Cousin Hal,' said little Patty, 'why you call
this bow a _famous_ bow. You say _famous_ very often, and I don't know
exactly what it means--a _famous_ uniform, _famous_ doings. I remember
you said there are to be _famous_ doings, the first of September, upon
the Downs. What does _famous_ mean?'
'Oh, why _famous_ means--now, don't you know what _famous_ means? It
means--it is a word that people say--it is the fashion to say it--it
means--it means _famous_.'
Patty laughed, and said:
'_This_ does not explain it to me.'
'No,' said Hal, 'nor can it be explained. If you don't understand it,
that's not my fault. Everybody but little children, I suppose,
understands it; but there's no explaining _those sort_ of words, if you
don't _take them_ at once. There's to be _famous_ doings upon the Downs,
the first of September--that is grand, fine. In short, what does it
signify talking any longer, Patty, about the matter? Give me my bow, for
I must go out upon the Downs and practise.'
Ben accompanied him with the bow and the three arrows which his uncle
had now given to him, and every day these two boys went out upon the
Downs and practised shooting with indefatigable perseverance. Where
equal pains are taken, success is usually found to be pretty nearly
equal. Our two archers, by constant practice, became expert marksmen;
and before the day of trial they were so exactly matched in point of
dexterity that it was scarcely possible to decide which was superior.
The long-expected first of September at length arrived. 'What sort of a
day is it?' was the first question that was asked by Hal and Ben the
moment that they awakened. The sun shone bright, but there was a sharp
and high wind.
'Ha!' said Ben, 'I shall be glad of my good greatcoat to-day, for I've a
notion it will be rather cold upon the Downs, especially when we are
standing still, as we must, whilst all the people are shooting.'
'Oh, never mind. I don't think I shall feel it cold at all,' said Hal,
as he dressed himself in his new green-and-white uniform; and he viewed
himself with much complacency. 'Good-morning to you, uncle. How do you
do?' said he, in a voice of exultation, when he entered the
breakfast-room.
'How do you do?' seemed rather to mean, 'How do you like me in my
uniform?' and his uncle's cool, 'Very well, I thank you, Hal,'
disappointed him, as it seemed only to say, 'Your uniform makes no
difference in my opinion of you.'
Even little Patty went on eating her breakfast much as usual, and talked
of the pleasure of walking with her father to the Downs, and of all the
little things which interested her, so that Hal's epaulettes were not
the principal object in anyone's imagination but his own.
'Father,' said Patty, 'as we go up the hill where there is so much red
mud I must take care to pick my way nicely, and I must hold up my
frock, as you desired me, and perhaps you will be so good, if I am not
troublesome, to lift me over the very bad place where are no
stepping-stones. My ankle is entirely well, and I'm glad of that, or
else I should not be able to walk so far as the Downs. How good you were
to me, Ben, when I was in pain the day I sprained my ankle! You played
at jack straws and at cat's-cradle with me. Oh, that puts me in mind!
Here are your gloves which I asked you that night to let me mend. I've
been a great while about them, but are not they very neatly mended,
father? Look at the sewing.'
'I am not a very good judge of sewing, my dear little girl,' said Mr.
Gresham, examining the work with a close and scrupulous eye; 'but, in my
opinion, here is one stitch that is rather too long. The white teeth are
not quite even.'
'Oh, father, I'll take out that long tooth in a minute,' said Patty,
laughing. 'I did not think that you would observe it so soon.'
'I would not have you trust to my blindness,' said her father, stroking
her head fondly; 'I observe everything. I observe, for instance, that
you are a grateful little girl, and that you are glad to be of use to
those who have been kind to you, and for this I forgive you the long
stitch.'
'But it's out--it's out, father,' said Patty; 'and the next time your
gloves want mending, Ben, I'll mend them better.'
'They are very nice, I think,' said Ben, drawing them on, 'and I am much
obliged to you. I was just wishing I had a pair of gloves to keep my
fingers warm to-day, for I never can shoot well when my hands are
benumbed. Look, Hal; you know how ragged these gloves were. You said
they were good for nothing but to throw away. Now look, there's not a
hole in them,' said he, spreading his fingers.
'Now, is it not very extraordinary,' said Hal to himself, 'that they
should go on so long talking about an old pair of gloves, without saying
scarcely a word about my new uniform? Well, the young Sweepstakes and
Lady Diana will talk enough about it, that's one comfort. Is not it time
to think of setting out, sir?' said Hal to his uncle. 'The company, you
know, are to meet at the Ostrich at twelve, and the race to begin at
one, and Lady Diana's horses, I know, were ordered to be at the door at
ten.'
Mr. Stephen, the butler, here interrupted the hurrying young gentleman
in his calculations.
'There's a poor lad, sir, below, with a great black patch on his right
eye, who is come from Bristol, and wants to speak a word with the young
_gentlemen_, if you please. I told him they were just going out with
you, but he says he won't detain them more than half a minute.'
'Show him up--show him up,' said Mr. Gresham.
'But I suppose,' said Hal, with a sigh, 'that Stephen mistook when he
said the young _gentlemen_. He only wants to see Ben, I dare say. I'm
sure he has no reason to want to see me. Here he comes. Oh, Ben, he is
dressed in the new coat you gave him,' whispered Hal, who was really a
good-natured boy, though extravagant. 'How much better he looks than he
did in the ragged coat! Ah, he looked at you first, Ben, and well he
may!'
The boy bowed, without any cringing civility, but with an open, decent
freedom in his manner, which expressed that he had been obliged, but
that he knew his young benefactor was not thinking of the obligation.
He made as little distinction as possible between his bows to the two
cousins.
'As I was sent with a message by the clerk of our parish to Redland
Chapel out on the Downs to-day, sir,' said he to Mr. Gresham, 'knowing
your house lay in my way, my mother, sir, bid me call, and make bold to
offer the young gentlemen two little worsted balls that she has worked
for them,' continued the lad, pulling out of his pocket two worsted
balls worked in green and orange-coloured stripes. 'They are but poor
things, sir, she bid me say, to look at; but, considering she has but
one hand to work with, and _that_ her left hand, you'll not despise 'em,
we hopes.' He held the balls to Ben and Hal. 'They are both alike,
gentlemen,' said he. 'If you'll be pleased to take 'em. They're better
than they look, for they bound higher than your head. I cut the cork
round for the inside myself, which was all I could do.'
'They are nice balls, indeed. We are much obliged to you,' said the boys
as they received them, and they proved them immediately.
The balls struck the floor with a delightful sound, and rebounded higher
than Mr. Gresham's head. Little Patty clapped her hands joyfully. But
now a thundering double rap at the door was heard.
'The Master Sweepstakes, sir,' said Stephen, 'are come for Master Hal.
They say that all the young gentlemen who have archery uniforms are to
walk together in a body, I think they say, sir; and they are to parade
along the Well Walk, they desired me to say, sir, with a drum and fife,
and so up the hill by Prince's Place, and all to go upon the Downs
together to the place of meeting. I am not sure I'm right, sir, for both
the young gentlemen spoke at once, and the wind is very high at the
street door, so that I could not well make out all they said, but I
believe this is the sense of it.'
'Yes, yes,' said Hal eagerly, 'it's all right. I know that is just what
was settled the day I dined at Lady Diana's, and Lady Diana and a great
party of gentlemen are to ride----'
'Well, that is nothing to the purpose,' interrupted Mr. Gresham. 'Don't
keep these Master Sweepstakes waiting. Decide. Do you choose to go with
them or with us?'
'Sir--uncle--sir, you know, since all the _uniforms_ agreed to go
together----'
'Off with you, then, Mr. Uniform, if you mean to go,' said Mr. Gresham.
Hal ran downstairs in such a hurry that he forgot his bow and arrows.
Ben discovered this when he went to fetch his own, and the lad from
Bristol, who had been ordered by Mr. Gresham to eat his breakfast before
he proceeded to Redland Chapel, heard Ben talking about his cousin's bow
and arrows.
'I know,' said Ben, 'he will be sorry not to have his bow with him,
because here are the green knots tied to it to match his cockade; and he
said that the boys were all to carry their bows as part of the show.'
'If you'll give me leave, sir,' said the poor Bristol lad, 'I shall have
plenty of time, and I'll run down to the Well Walk after the young
gentleman, and take him his bow and arrows.'
'Will you? I shall be much obliged to you,' said Ben; and away went the
boy with the bow that was ornamented with green ribands.
The public walk leading to the Wells was full of company. The windows of
all the houses in St. Vincent's Parade were crowded with well-dressed
ladies, who were looking out in expectation of the archery procession.
Parties of gentlemen and ladies, and a motley crowd of spectators, were
seen moving backwards and forwards under the rocks on the opposite side
of the water. A barge, with coloured streamers flying, was waiting to
take up a party who were going upon the water. The bargemen rested upon
their oars, and gazed with broad faces of curiosity upon the busy scene
that appeared upon the public walk.
The archers and archeresses were now drawn up on the flags under the
semicircular piazza just before Mrs. Yearsley's library. A little band
of children, who had been mustered by Lady Diana Sweepstakes' _spirited
exertions_, closed the procession. They were now all in readiness. The
drummer only waited for her ladyship's signal, and the archers' corps
only waited for her ladyship's word of command to march.
'Where are your bow and arrows, my little man?' said her ladyship to
Hal, as she reviewed her Lilliputian regiment. 'You can't march, man,
without your arms.'
Hal had despatched a messenger for his forgotten bow, but the messenger
returned not. He looked from side to side in great distress.
'Oh, there's my bow coming, I declare!' cried he. 'Look, I see the bow
and the ribands. Look now, between the trees, Charles Sweepstakes, on
the Hotwell Walk--it is coming!'
'But you've kept us all waiting a confounded time!' said his impatient
friend.
'It is that good-natured poor fellow from Bristol, I protest, that has
brought it me. I'm sure I don't deserve it from him,' said Hal to
himself, when he saw the lad with the black patch on his eye running,
quite out of breath, towards him with his bow and arrows.
'Fall back, my good friend--fall back,' said the military lady, as soon
as he had delivered the bow to Hal; 'I mean, stand out of the way, for
your great patch cuts no figure amongst us. Don't follow so close, now,
as if you belonged to us, pray.'
The poor boy had no ambition to partake the triumph; he _fell back_ as
soon as he understand the meaning of the lady's words. The drum beat,
the fife played, the archers marched, the spectators admired. Hal
stepped proudly, and felt as if the eyes of the whole universe were upon
his epaulettes, or upon the facings of his uniform; whilst all the time
he was considered only as part of a show.
The walk appeared much shorter than usual, and he was extremely sorry
that Lady Diana, when they were half-way up the hill leading to Prince's
Place, mounted her horse because the road was dirty, and all the
gentlemen and ladies who accompanied her followed her example.
'We can leave the children to walk, you know,' said she to the gentleman
who helped her to mount her horse. 'I must call to some of them, though,
and leave orders where they are to _join_.'
She beckoned, and Hal, who was foremost, and proud to show his alacrity,
ran on to receive her ladyship's orders. Now, as we have before
observed, it was a sharp and windy day; and though Lady Diana
Sweepstakes was actually speaking to him, and looking at him, he could
not prevent his nose from wanting to be blowed. He pulled out his
handkerchief, and out rolled the new ball which had been given to him
just before he left home, and which, according to his usual careless
habits, he had stuffed into his pocket in his hurry.
'Oh, my new ball!' cried he, as he ran after it.
As he stopped to pick it up, he let go his hat, which he had hitherto
held on with anxious care; for the hat, though it had a fine green and
white cockade, had no band or string round it. The string, as we may
recollect, our wasteful hero had used in spinning his top. The hat was
too large for his head without this band; a sudden gust of wind blew it
off. Lady Diana's horse started and reared. She was a _famous_
horsewoman, and sat him to the admiration of all beholders; but there
was a puddle of red clay and water in this spot, and her ladyship's
uniform habit was a sufferer by the accident.
'Careless brat!' said she; 'why can't he keep his hat upon his head?'
In the meantime, the wind blew the hat down the hill, and Hal ran after
it amidst the laughter of his kind friends, the young Sweepstakes, and
the rest of the little regiment. The hat was lodged at length upon a
bank. Hal pursued it; he thought this bank was hard, but, alas! the
moment he set his foot upon it the foot sank. He tried to draw it back;
his other foot slipped, and he fell prostrate, in his green and white
uniform, into the treacherous bed of red mud. His companions, who had
halted upon the top of the hill, stood laughing spectators of his
misfortune.
It happened that the poor boy with the black patch upon his eye, who had
been ordered by Lady Diana to '_fall back_,' and to '_keep at a
distance_,' was now coming up the hill, and the moment he saw our fallen
hero he hastened to his assistance. He dragged poor Hal, who was a
deplorable spectacle, out of the red mud. The obliging mistress of a
lodging-house, as soon as she understood that the young gentleman was
nephew to Mr. Gresham, to whom she had formerly let her house, received
Hal, covered as he was with dirt.
The poor Bristol lad hastened to Mr. Gresham's for clean stockings and
shoes for Hal. He was willing to give up his uniform. It was rubbed and
rubbed, and a spot here and there was washed out; and he kept
continually repeating: 'When it's dry it will all brush off; when it's
dry it will all brush off, won't it?' But soon the fear of being too
late at the archery meeting began to balance the dread of appearing in
his stained habiliments; and now he as anxiously repeated, whilst the
woman held the wet coat to the fire: 'Oh, I shall be too late! indeed, I
shall be too late! Make haste; it will never dry! Hold it nearer--nearer
to the fire. I shall lose my turn to shoot. Oh, give me the coat! I
don't mind how it is, if I can but get it on.'
Holding it nearer and nearer to the fire dried it quickly, to be sure;
but it shrank it also, so that it was no easy matter to get the coat on
again. However, Hal, who did not see the red splashes which, in spite of
all these operations, were too visible upon his shoulders and upon the
skirts of his white coat behind, was pretty well satisfied to observe
that there was not one spot upon the facings.
'Nobody,' said he, 'will take notice of my coat behind, I dare say. I
think it looks as smart almost as ever!' and under this persuasion our
young archer resumed his bow--his bow with green ribands now no
more--and he pursued his way to the Downs.
All his companions were far out of sight.
'I suppose,' said he to his friend with the black patch--'I suppose my
uncle and Ben had left home before you went for the shoes and stockings
for me?'
'Oh, yes, sir; the butler said they had been gone to the Downs the
matter of a good half-hour or more.'
Hal trudged on as fast as he possibly could. When he got upon the Downs,
he saw numbers of carriages and crowds of people all going towards the
place of meeting at the Ostrich. He pressed forwards. He was at first so
much afraid of being late that he did not take notice of the mirth his
motley appearance excited in all beholders. At length he reached the
appointed spot. There was a great crowd of people. In the midst he heard
Lady Diana's loud voice betting upon some one who was just going to
shoot at the mark.
'So then the shooting is begun, is it?' said Hal. 'Oh, let me in! pray
let me in to the circle! I'm one of the archers--I am indeed; don't you
see my green and white uniform?'
'Your red and white uniform, you mean,' said the man to whom he
addressed himself; and the people, as they opened a passage for him,
could not refrain laughing at the mixture of dirt and finery which it
exhibited. In vain, when he got into the midst of the formidable circle,
he looked to his friends, the young Sweepstakes, for their countenance
and support. They were amongst the most unmerciful of the laughers. Lady
Diana also seemed more to enjoy than to pity his confusion.
'Why could you not keep your hat upon your head, man?' said she in her
masculine tone. 'You have been almost the ruin of my poor uniform habit;
but I've escaped rather better than you have. Don't stand there, in the
middle of the circle, or you'll have an arrow in your eyes just now,
I've a notion.'
Hal looked round in search of better friends.
'Oh, where's my uncle? Where's Ben?' said he.
He was in such confusion that, amongst the number of faces, he could
scarcely distinguish one from another; but he felt somebody at this
moment pull his elbow, and, to his great relief, he heard the friendly
voice and saw the good-natured face of his cousin Ben.
'Come back--come behind these people,' said Ben, 'and put on my
greatcoat; here it is for you.'
Right glad was Hal to cover his disgraced uniform with the rough
greatcoat which he had formerly despised. He pulled the stained,
drooping cockade out of his unfortunate hat; and he was now sufficiently
recovered from his vexation to give an intelligible account of his
accident to his uncle and Patty, who anxiously inquired what had
detained him so long, and what had been the matter. In the midst of the
history of his disaster, he was just proving to Patty that his taking
the hatband to spin his top had nothing to do with his misfortune, and
he was at the same time endeavouring to refute his uncle's opinion that
the waste of the whipcord that tied the parcel was the original cause of
all his evils, when he was summoned to try his skill with his _famous_
bow.
'My hands are benumbed; I can scarcely feel,' said he, rubbing them and
blowing upon the ends of his fingers.
'Come, come,' cried young Sweepstakes, 'I'm within one inch of the mark;
who'll go nearer? I shall like to see. Shoot away, Hal! But first
understand our laws; we settled them before you came upon the green. You
are to have three shots with your own bow and your own arrows; and
nobody's to borrow or lend under pretence of other's bows being better
or worse, or under under any pretence. Do you hear, Hal?'
This young gentleman had good reasons for being so strict in these laws,
as he had observed that none of his companions had such an excellent bow
as he had provided for himself. Some of the boys had forgotten to bring
more than one arrow with them, and by his cunning regulation that each
person should shoot with his own arrows, many had lost one or two of
their shots.
'You are a lucky fellow; you have your three arrows,' said young
Sweepstakes. 'Come, we can't wait whilst you rub your fingers, man;
shoot away.'
Hal was rather surprised at the asperity with which his friend spoke. He
little knew how easily acquaintance who call themselves friends can
change when their interest comes in the slightest degree in competition
with their friendship. Hurried by his impatient rival, and with his
hands so much benumbed that he could scarcely feel how to fix the arrow
in the string, he drew the bow. The arrow was within a quarter of an
inch of Master Sweepstakes' mark, which was the nearest that had yet
been hit. Hal seized his second arrow.
'If I have any luck----' said he.
But just as he pronounced the word _luck_, and as he bent his bow, the
string broke in two, and the bow fell from his hands.
'There, it's all over with you!' cried Master Sweepstakes, with a
triumphant laugh.
'Here's my bow for him, and welcome,' said Ben.
'No, no, sir,' said Master Sweepstakes, 'that is not fair; that's
against the regulations. You may shoot with your own bow, if you choose
it, or you may not, just as you think proper; but you must not lend it,
sir.'
It was now Ben's turn to make his trial. His first arrow was not
successful. His second was exactly as near as Hal's first.
'You have but one more,' said Master Sweepstakes; 'now for it!'
[Illustration: _'The everlasting whipcord, I declare.'--Page 241._]
Ben, before he ventured his last arrow, prudently examined the string of
his bow; and, as he pulled it to try its strength, it cracked. Master
Sweepstakes clapped his hands, with loud exultations and insulting
laughter. But his laughter ceased when our provident hero calmly drew
from his pocket an excellent piece of whipcord.
'The everlasting whipcord, I declare!' exclaimed Hal, when he saw that
it was the very same that had tied up the parcel.
'Yes,' said Ben, as he fastened it to his bow, 'I put it into my pocket
to-day on purpose, because I thought I might happen to want it.'
He drew his bow the third and last time.
'Oh, father,' cried little Patty, as his arrow hit the mark, 'it's the
nearest! Is it not the nearest?'
Master Sweepstakes with anxiety examined the hit. There could be no
doubt. Ben was victorious! The bow, the prize bow, was now delivered to
him; and Hal, as he looked at the whipcord, exclaimed:
'How _lucky_ this whipcord has been to you, Ben!'
'It is _lucky_, perhaps, you mean, that he took care of it,' said Mr.
Gresham.
'Ay,' said Hal, 'very true; he might well say, "Waste not, want not." It
is a good thing to have two strings to one's bow.'
FOOTNOTES:
[A] _Vide_ Priestley's 'History of Vision,' chapter on coloured shadows.
The Bunch of Cherries
On the first day of May, Madame de Clinville, the widow of a Notary of
Paris, conducted her daughter, fourteen years of age, to the delightful
garden of the Tuileries, there to breathe the pure air of spring and the
sweet perfumes from its flowers. In passing through the walks leading to
the royal palace, the young lady's attention was attracted by one of the
shops, supplied with the choicest and most rare fruits; among which was
a bunch of cherries, arranged with so much taste, and so prettily
intermixed with fresh green leaves, that she could not forbear
expressing to her mother her anxious desire to have those cherries,
notwithstanding she could foresee at that season they must be
extravagantly dear. Madame de Clinville, who never denied her daughter
anything, and who was in general very plain and moderate in her
inclinations, purchased the bunch of cherries, although dear, and
proceeded with her dear Emmelina--her daughter's name--to the Tuileries.
Having surveyed the beautiful walks of this truly enchanted place, they
seated themselves on chairs under the shade of a large chestnut tree.
It was scarcely ten o'clock in the morning, the hour most agreeable for
walking, and frequently the most retired, as the fashionables of Paris
seldom make their appearance before three or four o'clock, and in a
_déshabille_ that bespeaks them just arisen from their beds, as if to
behold the sun for the first time. As such, Madame de Clinville and her
daughter met with very little company.
The only object that struck their attention was a lady with the remains
of beauty, whose external appearance indicated a person of quality,
accompanied by a young lady, nearly Emmelina's age, dressed in white and
a small green hat ornamented with a wreath of white pearls, which shaded
the most amiable countenance. They both came and seated themselves near
Madame and Miss de Clinville, when the young stranger could not keep her
eyes from the bunch of cherries, and remarked to the lady who was with
her: 'How fresh and beautiful they are!' Anxiety was depicted in her
eyes and in every action, and at length, slowly advancing towards
Emmelina, with the most affable condescension, she said: 'What a
delicious nosegay you have there, miss! The freshness of it can only be
compared with your complexion.'
'It would be a better comparison with your own,' answered Madame de
Clinville; 'for, with your pretty green hat, one might justly say:
"Behold the cherry under the leaf."'
'It is surprising to me,' added the young stranger, 'that miss does not
eat these fine cherries, no less gratifying to the taste than sight.'
'They are my mother's gift,' modestly answered Emmelina, 'and, being so
rare, I really cannot enjoy them alone. If you, miss, will condescend to
divide them with me!--_the happiness of sharing with others that which
we possess enhances the value of its enjoyment_.'
'These last words, which Emmelina pronounced in the most expressive
manner, made a lively impression on the young lady.
'How can you withstand a favour said with feelings and sentiments so
interesting?' demanded the handsome lady who escorted her; at whose
advice, attended with a sign of approbation, the young stranger accepted
the first cherry from the delightful bunch.
Emmelina presented the second to her mother, and the stranger offered
the third to her charming companion; and the two young folks ate of them
by turns till there remained only the leaves. They entered into
conversation, when Madame de Clinville endeavoured by several judicious
and direct questions to ascertain the name of the pretty green hat; but,
perceiving the lady make a sign of caution to the unknown, she ceased
further interrogatories, and they mutually adhered to the customary
civilities, and separated with assurances of the pleasure so agreeable
an interview had excited.
On returning home, Madame de Clinville and her daughter observed that a
servant in red livery had followed them, who appeared to examine very
minutely the number of the house in which they lived, and from that
circumstance concluded the strange lady wished to learn their place of
residence, notwithstanding she had taken every precaution to conceal her
own, or the most distant knowledge of the young person in the green hat.
Several months having elapsed, Madame de Clinville thought no longer of
the Tuileries adventure, when one morning, while at breakfast with
Emmelina and Gustavus, her only son--a pupil at the Imperial Academy,
seventeen years of age--the porter of the lodge entered the apartment,
holding in one hand a ripe pineapple, and in the other a note, directed
to Mademoiselle de Clinville, the contents as follows:
[Illustration: _The happiness of sharing with others that which we
possess enhances the value of its enjoyment.--Page 244._]
'Having been presented with two pineapples, permit me to offer
you one of them, and to recall to mind your own impressive
sentiment--_The happiness of sharing with others that which we
possess enhances the value of its enjoyment._
'THE LITTLE GREEN HAT.'
In vain did Madame de Clinville and her children question the porter to
know who brought this note. He answered:
'It was a messenger, who, upon leaving the parcel, went away without
saying a word.'
Emmelina at once decided upon sharing the pineapple with her mother and
brother, which they regarded but as a return for the bunch of cherries;
but were still the more perplexed from a desire to know the two
strangers. In a short time the porter again entered Madame de
Clinville's house with a rich china vase, in which was an orange tree of
an uncommon size in full bloom, with a second letter, which was, as
usual, directed to Emmelina, and contained these words:
'I received yesterday for my birthday fête, _Ste Clotilde_, two
orange trees like the one sent you; condescend to accept of
one. _The happiness of sharing with others that which we
possess enhances the value of its enjoyment._'
The porter informed them it was conveyed by the same person, to whom he
had put several useless questions.
'What!' said Emmelina, 'am I never to know who this charming Clotilde
is, with the green hat?'
'Let me try,' said Gustavus; 'I will undertake to find her out. Describe
her as exactly as you can.'
'She is about my size,' answered his sister, 'but a much better figure
than I am. Her grace displays a prepossessing _je ne sais quoi_; her
regular and noble features are enlivened by an air of sweetness and
gaiety that attracts and at the same time interests you; fine auburn
hair flows in ringlets on her lovely neck; and the whiteness of her skin
adds still greater beauty to her fine large blue eyes, the vivacity and
expression of which seem to penetrate to the bottom of your heart, and
to guess every thought.'
'From this picture,' said Gustavus, 'I foresee that, if I discover the
unknown belle, I shall be repaid for my trouble on beholding her. Rely
upon my wish to serve thee, no less than the person in whom I already
sensibly feel so many charms are blended to admire.'
Gustavus exerted every effort to meet with the beauty in the green hat,
the description of whom was engraven on his heart no less than on his
memory. He sought her at all the public walks, theatres, balls,
concerts, and, in short, every private society in Paris, yet could not
possibly discover the slightest or most distant trace of her.
A month had elapsed when Emmelina, on her return from taking a walk,
found upon her work-table a white silk basket, ornamented with
embroidery, which, she was informed by her waiting-maid, was brought by
a careful person. Not doubting it came from the amiable Clotilde, she
opened the basket in her mother's presence, and found it contained every
species of sweetmeat accompanied by a polite note, wherein the stranger
mentioned having been a god-mother, and, loaded with presents, she had
adopted Emmelina's maxim, which never was obliterated from her
remembrance, and which she had actually worked in golden letters in
front of the basket, with a bunch of cherries, ornamented with leaves,
in embroidery--viz.: '_The happiness of sharing with others that which
we possess enhances the value of its enjoyment._'
This tasty specimen of ingenuity created the most pleasing and grateful
sensations in the breasts of the Clinville family, who, though
distressed beyond measure at receiving so many anonymous gifts, by the
manner in which they were offered were obliged to accept them. Emmelina
and Gustavus therefore hesitated not to partake of the various and
delicious confectionery with which the basket seemed entirely filled,
but great was their surprise to discover underneath the sweetmeats
half-a-dozen elegant fans, six dozen pairs of gloves, and, lastly, a
beautiful white cashmere shawl with a broad border highly and elegantly
finished.
'I cannot,' said Emmelina, 'think of wearing these rich articles without
knowing from whom they come; simple cherries, offered with a truly
hearty welcome, do not merit such considerable presents.'
'I commend thy discretion,' said Madame de Clinville to her; 'every
instance denotes the rank and fortune of these charming strangers, and
denies us the power to make them amends, as an exchange of presents can
only be made with our equals; we must, therefore, take care of the
handsome shawl till we can discover the person who has sent it.' Also
the gloves and fans were carefully preserved in the elegant basket, and
they contented themselves with doing justice to the delicacies.
Gustavus, although one of the first pupils at the Imperial Academy,
frequently shared them with his sister, and daily repeated, while eating
them: 'Oh, generous and charming green hat, I will find thee. Who would
not, even the most callous, aspire to the honour and happiness of
knowing thee? Yes, yes, I will discover thee....'
But, alas, his renewed researches were as unsuccessful as the former. In
vain did he pursue every green hat he perceived at a distance in Paris,
but could not find that similarity of grace, youth, beauty, and
expression of which his sister had drawn so faithful and prepossessing a
picture.
Emmelina, being no less desirous than her brother to gain a knowledge of
the person with whom she had divided her cherries, prepared a note for
the porter to deliver, at the same time giving him strict orders to send
it by the next person that came, which note was directed _To the
charming Green Hat_ ... as follows:
'If the sensibility of your heart correspond with the charms of
your countenance, you must approve of the resolution I have
taken not to make use of all the presents with which you have
favoured me. I therefore assure you they are placed under my
mother's care, who suffers no less than myself from the cruel
secrecy in which you persist.
'EMMELINA DE CLINVILLE.'
The porter, faithful to the execution of his orders, was not long the
holder of the note. Two days after the same messenger presented himself
at the lodge, and was preparing to go away as usual, after having left
the parcel, when the porter, formerly a soldier, and still full of
vigour, seized him by the collar, and called loudly for Gustavus, who,
followed by his mother and sister, quickly descended to know from whence
he came, but neither entreaties, threats, nor the promise of reward
could prevail with this good man, who merely said the parcel was
delivered to him by an old servant in red livery, who had given him a
crown for his trouble, and being well recompensed he would not betray
the trust reposed in him.
'Since you are so discreet,' said Emmelina, 'I am sure you must be
obliging. Do me the favour to deliver this note to the same servant from
whom you received the parcel; that will not bring your discretion, for
which I commend you, into question, and I shall be obliged by your
compliance.'
'If you only require me to give the note,' answered the porter, 'I will
do it willingly, and you may rely on my punctuality. You need not follow
me, for you will lose both your time and trouble....' At these words he
speedily departed with Emmelina's note.
Anxious to know the contents of the newly-arrived parcel, which appeared
much heavier than any hitherto, Gustavus was himself eager to open the
envelope, and found a handsome uniform for an artillery officer, with an
elegant sabre, to which was attached a green morocco portfolio that
contained this writing:
'My relation, the Minister at War, according to annual custom, on my
birthday presents me with an officer's commission, for those of my
family or friends who merit it. I beg you to accept it for your brother
as a due reward for his success at the Imperial Academy. If, as I doubt
not, he should signalize himself in his military career, and become a
hero, all I request of him is to follow your maxim: _The happiness of
sharing with others that which we possess enhances the value of its
enjoyment._'
To the above was added a lieutenant's commission of artillery, with
orders to join the appointed regiment in eight days. Gustavus conceived
it a dream, for that which he so ardently desired and least expected to
be provided by the generosity of a beautiful young stranger, whose
delicacy redoubled the value of the gift. 'And,' said he, 'shall I take
my departure without knowing, seeing, or thanking her?'
'There is a mode,' exclaimed Madame de Clinville, with her eyes beaming
with recollection and delight. 'We must introduce ourselves this day to
the Minister at War, and request an interview; we may then learn from
him to whom we are indebted for this happy event....'
'You are right,' replied Gustavus; 'let us go to him directly.' He
dressed himself in the regimentals, which to his great surprise exactly
fitted him. Emmelina and her mother dressed themselves elegantly, and in
an hour's time all three arrived at the Minister's house, who received
them with most polite affability, and, conceiving they were acquainted
with their young benefactress, said: 'In acceding to the anxious
solicitations of Miss de St. Leon I am only doing justice to her
deserving protégé as I can trace in M. de Clinville's countenance a
goodness that will render him worthy all the interest I can devote to
him, and which I promise you he shall ever experience.'
'Miss de St. Leon! Miss de St. Leon!' repeated Gustavus.
'Most likely,' added Madame de Clinville, 'she is the daughter of the
general who, by his great exploits, has attained one of the highest
posts under Government, and is one of the Emperor's greatest favourites.
We must learn where he lives, and go to him directly.'
'Let us,' said Emmelina, 'enter the first library and examine the Court
calendar, and we shall find this so much desired address.' Upon which
they discovered the general resided at the village St. Honoré, near the
Elysée, and thither speedily repaired.
Emmelina desired the porter to announce that M. de Clinville, an
artillery officer, and his family requested a moment's interview with
Miss de St. Leon. The porter shortly returned with a footman, who had
orders to introduce the ladies and the newly-appointed officer to the
great hall where Miss de St. Leon delayed not to attend them.
She was in the same dress and green hat, ornamented with white pearls,
which she wore on meeting her in the Tuileries, accompanied by the same
lady, whom she called her aunt. She advanced precipitately to Emmelina,
and, embracing her, said: 'Forgive me for having deceived you with
secrecy, and wounded your delicacy.' She then added, with sensible
emotion: 'I wished gradually to give you a proof of those sentiments you
inspired me with on our first meeting, and convinced, by the inquiries I
made, that your greatest ambition was to obtain a commission for your
brother, and from the high character given of him by the head masters of
the academy my aunt and I have (in the absence of my father with the
army), without difficulty obtained him that which will add to the
country's service another brave soldier, and to your worthy family the
completion of your wishes, and, lastly, to myself the happiness of
proving to you the high value I set on your delicious bunch of cherries
which you obliged me to partake of, and how strong an impression the
sentiment which accompanied them has made upon my remembrance.' To which
at first Emmelina made no reply, but affectionately embraced and saluted
her.
Madame de Clinville could not forbear requesting permission for the same
indulgence.
Gustavus, with all the vivacity of a young French officer, and eager to
realize the good opinion formed of him, exclaimed with an heroic accent:
'How long the time seems ere I shall take my station under the Imperial
Eagles. If I do not in a year merit the cross of honour His Majesty
shall be welcome to erase me from the list of the brave....' As soon as
he found his amiable benefactress had carried her goodness so far as to
find out his tailor, to whom she gave the order for his first
regimentals, his surprise ceased that they fitted so well.
'To complete this day of joy,' said Miss de St. Leon's aunt, 'I hope
these ladies and the young lieutenant will dine with us, so that we may
enjoy as long as possible the felicities they have been the means of
promoting.'
Madame de Clinville readily accepted the invitation, but requested leave
to return home, when herself and children departed, and at the
dinner-hour made their appearance dressed in the clothes they wore at
the Tuileries meeting, but in addition to Emmelina's simple dress was
displayed the rich cashmere shawl, one of the fans, and a pair of gloves
received from the green hat, who sensibly felt this mark of attention.
They seated themselves at table, when Miss de St. Leon discovered, on
unfolding her napkin, a small case containing a ring set with three
brilliants. Underneath the mounting was engraved: _A token of lasting
gratitude...._
She immediately put the ring on her finger, and declared she never would
part from it. In Emmelina she found a constant and sincere friend, in
Gustavus an officer of exalted rank by his important services to his
country. Miss de St. Leon and Emmelina, in their frequent interviews and
the participations of their sweetest endearments, repeated together:
'_The happiness of sharing with others that which we possess enhances
the value of its enjoyment._'
The Fugitive
On the evening of the day which succeeded that of the visit to the Fairy
Island the baronet and his family were seated in the drawing-room, and
Lady Clairmont was arranging with her husband their plans for the
reception of their uncle, Mr. Geoffrey Clairmont, from whom a letter had
been just received intimating his intention of being with them the next
day to a late dinner, but requesting they would not make any material
addition to their table, as a white soup, a turbot, a little venison,
and a pheasant would be all he should require, or if his fancy stood for
any _bonnes bouches_, his factotum, Monsieur Melange (his valet, cook,
and occasional secretary) would bring materials for preparing them.
The party were amusing themselves with admiring the modest simplicity of
the old gentleman's bill of fare when Denton, the house-steward, ran in,
and, staring wildly around, exclaimed: 'Thank goodness everybody is
here!' then, darting forward to an open door which looked upon the lawn,
he shut and locked it, and slammed down the sashes with the greatest
precipitation, then, turning to Sir William, said: 'Pray, sir, please
to come out of the room with me this moment.'
The baronet followed him outside the door, while the careful servant,
still holding it ajar, added: 'Pray, ladies and gentlemen, don't stir
out of this room, pray don't.' He then shut and locked the door.
'Why, what ails you, Denton; what is all this about?' said the baronet.
'One would think you had been bit by a mad dog.'
'Not exactly that, Sir William,' replied the man, quivering in every
limb, 'but I fear we may all be bit, before an hour is over our heads,
by something quite as bad.'
He then informed his master that the keeper of a caravan of wild beasts
had just come to the castle, and stated that in going through the
nearest market-town his vehicle had been upset, and the damage which
ensued had given an opportunity for one of his most valuable animals, a
Bengal tiger, to make its escape, that he and two of the keepers had
tracked it as far as the Warren on the Clairmont estate, and he had come
to beg assistance from the castle, while the other two stood armed on
each side a gap in the Warren where they thought it was hid, and from
whence, should it attempt to issue, they hoped, by help from Sir
William, to intercept its free egress.
'They want ropes and blankets and coverlets from the servants' beds,'
added Denton, 'to spread over the gap, which things they mean to fasten
down on each side, and then lure the beast to the entrance by the scent
of his usual food, when he will try to force himself through the
coverings; then they can lay hold of his smothered head without fear,
and easily slipping a noose round his neck convey him in this manner
back to his old quarters.'
'By all means let them have what is necessary,' said the baronet, 'and
tell the grooms to keep the stable-door locked, and get in the horses.
It is not likely that the creature will come near the house till he is
starved into a visitation, but let the gamekeeper and his men be ready,
and muster what arms you have.'
'To be sure, Sir William, it shall be done,' said the frightened
steward, as he walked cautiously across the hall, looking on every side
as he advanced.
'Well,' said the baronet laughing, as he returned to the drawing-room,
'two such _gourmands_ in one four-and-twenty hours is one too many sure
enough. Here's a tiger come amongst us to-day by way of _avant-courier_
to Uncle Geoffrey.'
'A tiger!' cried both the boys. 'Oh, where, father? But you are joking?'
'No; 'tis a plain fact, according to Denton,' said Sir William, whose
information he then gave, and added: 'Though I have no apprehension of
the animal coming here I must beg you all to move upstairs, and keep in
the house till it is secured.'
'Secured; how can that be? it must be shot,' said William, adding: 'Pray
don't let Fred and me go upstairs with the misses, father. We can load a
gun, and take aim now as well as we shall do at five-and-twenty.'
'Pray let us go, father,' said Frederick; 'it would be such a thing for
me to say in India that I had shot a tiger in England.'
'But,' said Mr. Stanhope, 'do you not think it would be better if the
poor creature's life could be preserved? Its death must be a great loss
to its owner, and life is, no doubt, happiness to the creature itself.
Why terminate the existence of any animal by which we are not annoyed,
and which is not necessary to our subsistence? We certainly have no
right to do so.'
'Then you would not even kill a moth, Mr. Stanhope?' said Julia.
'No, that he would not, I dare say,' said Agnes; 'dear little
silver-wings. Mr. Stanhope knows that clippings of Russia leather and
cedar-shavings will keep the little creatures off our shawls and muffs,
and why should not the pretty things live and be happy?'
'Are you the patroness of the spiders too, little girl?' said William.
'I would put one out of my room,' said Agnes, 'if I found one there, but
certainly I would not kill it, for you know it does me no harm, and
surely it was intended that spiders should have some place to live in,
or they would not have been made.'
'You are a very considerate miss,' said William; 'but, at all events, we
cannot afford any free place for tigers in this country. So come, dear
father, let us have guns, and go with you and Mr. Stanhope, for I am
sure neither of you intend to stay cooped up here. I promise to be under
orders, and not move an inch in any way without permission.'
'And I make the same promise,' said Frederick eagerly.
'And I can answer for both,' said Mr. Stanhope warmly, 'that neither of
those young gentlemen will fail to keep his word.'
'Thank you, dear sir,' said the youths in the same breath.
'Mother, grandmother, you don't wish us to stay here,' said William;
'you would not like to see us milk-sops?'
'Certainly not, my dears,' said the dowager. 'While you move under your
father's directions your mother and I can have nothing to fear. Courage
is a virtue indispensible in a man and a gentleman, and like other
virtues is confirmed by exercise. You need not walk into the tiger's
mouth, you know; but if you find him likely to do mischief, and you can
prevent it, I hope you will retain your self-possession so as to make
sure aim, and pull your trigger firmly.'
'Never fear, grandmother; never fear, dear mother,' cried the youths.
'Good-bye, Bill; good-bye, Freddy,' said all the sisters.
'Now, father, shall we go?'
'What say you, Mr. Stanhope,' asked the baronet, 'will you make a sortie
with us.'
'Most willingly,' replied the tutor. 'I have a brace of trusty pistols
in prime condition, and with a gun shall feel well equipped.'
'Well, then, ladies, adieu for the present,' said Sir William; 'you had
better go up to the observatory; you may see all our movements from
thence.'
'An excellent thought,' replied Lady Clairmont; and away went the female
party to their high station, while the gentlemen, well furnished with
arms, walked out into the park, looking with keen inquiring eyes on
every side as they went on. No enemy, however, appeared, but in about
ten minutes, having taken the direction of the western lodge, they were
surprised by the sight of a coach-and-four coming rapidly along.
'By Jove, 'tis the Clairmont livery! 'tis Uncle Geoffrey, as I am
alive!' exclaimed Sir William. 'What day of the month is this?'
'The seventeenth,' said Frederick.
'His letter says he shall be here on the eighteenth,' rejoined the
baronet. 'Well, he must put up with what he can get for his dinner, and
thank his own want of punctuality for his bad fare.'
'Oh, poor Sheldon, what a fuss he will be in,' said Frederick laughing.
'The turbot is taking his pastime in the waters, and the pheasant in the
woods. Unfortunate Uncle Geff!'
At this moment a tremendous shout or rather yell was heard in the
direction of the Warren on the left, and at a considerable distance, but
it grew louder and approached nearer every moment.
'There is certainly something in the wind now,' said the gentlemen.
Every eye was upon the alert, and the carriage within two hundred paces
of our party.
'Ha, there he goes!' said William.
'There he goes!' cried Frederick, as the tiger darted across the park
towards the carriage. 'He'll make at the horses. See! see! he has
actually fastened upon poor Culina! No, 'tis Apicius, uncle's grand
favourite. Look at the horses, how they rear and tear away!'
'Now,' said Sir William, 'a little in this direction to be out of his
side-sight. Remember we must act in concert, and all fire at his head at
the same moment. A single bullet would but interrupt his attentions to
poor Apicius, and call them to ourselves, but two brace must surely
disable him.'
'Oh, father,' cried William, 'how terrified the horses are! See how they
plunge and rear, first on one side the road, then on the other; they
will upset poor Uncle Geff to a certainty. Look, the footman leaps off
like lightning, and now the coachman follows him. See, they are climbing
up into the old oak, and leave the horses to their fate, the cowards!
The poor beasts are perfectly mad. Now they have done it. The fore-wheel
has struck against the curbstone and flown off, and now the hind-wheel
on the same side is off too, and down goes the carriage. I'm sure I
heard poor Uncle Geff cry out, but the tiger still keeps hold on the
horse's shoulders.'
'Now there's a moment's pause,' said the baronet. 'Fire at his head!'
They did so, and their aim was so just that the creature fell instantly,
but his efforts to rise, in which he nearly succeeded two or three
times, filled the crowd which was now assembling with dismay.
'Mr. Stanhope will lend you his pistols, boys,' said Sir William. 'Go
nearer, if you like, and share the honour of giving the beast his
quietus.'
The youths took the arms exultingly, and advancing boldly towards the
animal, who still writhed in fearful strength, they fired again at his
head, and he then sunk to rise no more. It seems he had actually taken
refuge in a hollow of the Warren, but the keepers had secured the
entrance so imperfectly that he easily effected his escape.
A loud cry of 'Victory! victory!' was uttered by the surrounding
multitude, and the words 'Brave boys!' 'True Clairmonts!' were many
times repeated by the crowd.
'And now let us see after poor Mr. Clairmont,' said Sir William, going
up to the carriage, which lay on its side. The two _stout gentlemen_ who
had clambered up into the oak, seeing the enemy breathless, had summoned
courage to descend, and were trying to pacify and unharness the
trembling horses.
'How are you, my dear sir? how are you, Mr. Clairmont?' said the
baronet, speaking aloud, not being able to see into the carriage.
'_What_ am I, you mean, nephew,' roared out the old gentleman. 'Why I am
a perfect mass of blanc-mange, bruised to a universal pulp.'
[Illustration: _'There he goes!'--Page 261._]
'I hope not,' replied the baronet; 'no bones broken, I trust?'
'Bones! I don't think I've such a thing as a bone belonging to me no
more than if I had been hermetically sealed in a register-boiler. I tell
you I'm nothing but a huge fricandeau; you may cut me in slices, and
take me out piecemeal.'
'I am happy to hear you are in a state to make merry with your
misfortunes, my dear sir,' rejoined Sir William; 'but, seriously, how
shall we manage to get you out?'
'The tiger is dead as Napoleon, uncle, and lies at the feet of your
favourite Apicius,' said William.
'And the horses are taken off,' added the baronet; 'but I fear the
raising of the carriage to assist your descending cannot be effected
without giving you some more severe jolting. Where is your valet?
Perhaps he can help you if the coach-door be got open. Melange,' cried
Mr. Clairmont, 'are you dead or stupid?'
'Ni l'un ni l'autre, monsieur,' replied the servant doggedly.
'Then pray bestir yourself, and get me out of this miserable ruin. Don't
you hear them say the tiger is killed? Why do you stay sprawling here
looking as ghastly as if he were grinning at you in all his glory?'
Melange began to move.
'There now,' said his master, 'you have set your foot on the bottle in
the side-pocket; there it goes--a bottle of my finest claret!'
Melange popped his head over the perpendicular floor of the carriage,
and seeing the tiger positively dead he sprang out with great facility,
and appeared to have received no other injury than certain indications
of culinary luxuries which besprinkled his habit so plentifully as to
give his tailor (had he seen it) hopes of an ample order for a refit.
'Well, Melange,' said Sir William, 'what measure are you about to take
for your master's relief?'
'The carriage must be unpacked, Sir William,' said the valet
consequentially, 'and then monsieur may be raised so gently as not to
suffer any farther inconvenience.'
He then, with the assistance of his two fellow-servants, removed all the
packages from the boot, etc., etc., and by the help of the numerous
bystanders propped up the carriage, and assisted his master to descend,
the skirts of whose coat bore evident marks of the course the claret had
taken when it escaped from its imprisonment in the flask, while his
trousers and stockings appeared to have been liberally complimented with
Ude's delicious _consommé_ at the moment of the grand squash.
Lady Clairmont, having seen all from the observatory, had sent a sofa
and pillows for her uncle's accommodation, which arrived at this moment,
and the baronet, with Mr. Stanhope's aid, placed the old gentleman upon
it in a state of comparative comfort, the boys trying to arrange the
cushions and pillows for him, while an air of good-humoured contempt
mingled with their assiduities.
'Ah, my poor friend, Apicius,' he exclaimed on seeing the dying horse
panting beside the prostrate destroyer, 'nothing can be done for you, I
see. Lead him away if possible, and put him out of his pain as
mercifully as you can. Fine creature. I cannot bear to look at him; he
little thought, when he pranced off so stately yesterday morning, that
he was coming to feed the hounds at Clairmont, and a tit-bit they will
find him; he's in capital condition. Pray let him be taken away.'
'I think we had better take care of you first, dear sir,' said his
nephew, 'but I fear you will not find a dinner to your taste this
evening. There will be two dishes minus at least, for we did not expect
you till to-morrow, the eighteenth--the day you named.'
'Ha, that was an unlucky mistake of Melange which we found out too late.
He put the paper before me and dated the letter; but, however, as things
have turned out it is of no consequence. I shall take no dinner to-day,
but some pearl-sago, enriched with a good dash of old Jamaica. You must
let me have a warm bath, nephew, and bid them put me to bed directly,
and in two or three days, perhaps, all will be set to rights. Hope Lady
Clairmont and all your family are well. How do you do, Mr. Stanhope?
Excuse me, I can't pretend to see anybody for the next eight-and-forty
hours. By this management I, perhaps, may escape a fit of the gout,
which has certainly received a most pressing invitation to take intire
possession of me, even on the very heels of the dog-days. Ha, William,
how are you, my boy? and dear Freddy, how are you? How wonderfully you
are both grown. No need to inquire if you are well; you must have been
playing a capital knife and fork this last year, young gentlemen, but
that's not surprising; you live in clover here at old Clairmont as
usual. Fat Scotch cattle and black-faced sheep in the meadows, and a
crowd of noble bucks in the park.'
'Et les poissons,' said Melange, edging in his remark as he stood making
some arrangement required by his master. 'Les jolis poissons qui
s'élèveront de temps hors l'eau, pour dire à leur façon vous êtes les
bienvenus, Messieurs, nous aurons l'honneur de vous régaler. Ah, c'etait
un coup d'oeil ravissant.'
The boys laughed aloud, and Mr. Stanhope could hardly preserve his
gravity, but Sir William gave Melange a look that seemed a deathblow to
his flippancy, for he moved off directly to the care of his jars and
hampers.
'And your pheasants, how are they? Suppose you have had grouse this
fortnight? However, for fear of the worst, I've brought a few brace. Are
your partridges lovable? But I forgot; you never disturb them till next
month. But I should not dare to touch them if you could set me down to a
covey just now; my stomach would take it fearfully amiss if I were to
call upon it for any service at present, after all the bumpings and
thumpings it has just suffered. But stay, before they carry me off I
should like to ascertain the extent of the mischief we have sustained.
Melange, get into the carriage and examine the contents of the
sword-case and all the little private recesses. What a ruin it is!'
The valet skipped in.
'Well, is the _curaçoa_ safe?'
'No, sir, the bottle is smashed to atoms.'
'Not a drop left?'
'Not a drop, monsieur.'
'Well, it was a liquor fit for the gods, and George the Fourth--made
after old Goddard's recipe. His late Majesty used to say he never tasted
any so excellent. And my "Treatise on the Wines of the Ancients," where
is it?'
'Here, sir'--holding it up outside the coach-door.
'Actually seasoned with sardines; not a page legible, I fear. And
there's the "Cook's Oracle," dumb as a fish, drowned in claret, and a
new edition of "Ude" soaked, I'm aware, in one of his own delicious
_consommés_. This is sad work, indeed! And the glaze?'
'Smashed, monsieur.'
'Oh, ruin upon ruin! Best portable soup in the kingdom! Only three men
in England can make it. However, Melange is one of the three. The
edible nests[B] and the Strasburg livers?'
'Quite safe, sir.'
'The potted char, and the Scotch laver? The limes, and the olives, and
the dravolinas?'
'Tout est à merveille, monsieur.'
'Then how have my medicines fared?'
'They were put in the boot with the ginger, the parmesan, the Westphalia
hams, and the reindeer tongues,' said Melange.
'Now then, come down and see if the colchicum sherry, l'eau médicinale,
gout mixture, cogniac, vespetro, noyau, and old Jamaica are safe.'
Melange examined, and reported, 'Perfectly safe, sir.'
'And the lachryma christi, Hermitage hock, and tokay, with the West
India sweetmeats?'
'All right.'
'Well, 'tis an untoward business enough, but it might have been worse,
nephew,' said Mr. Clairmont, consoled to think all his hampers were in a
sound state.
'True, sir,' replied Sir William, 'infinitely worse. You have escaped
broken bones, and out of four horses have lost only one.'
'Then are all the rest safe and sound, coachman?' asked his master.
'Quite well, sir, only terribly frightened, like some of us,' replied
the man, smiling on one side of his face, and blushing as well as he
could on the other, 'but life is sweet to us all, and who would not have
run away from that frightful beast?' looking at the tiger.
'What a beautiful animal it was!' said Mr. Stanhope to William.
'Very beautiful indeed, sir,' replied William, 'and if I were rich I
would buy its coat, and make a present of it to mother for a hearthrug.'
'A very good thought, my boy,' said Mr. Clairmont, 'and you shall have
it, if it is to be sold.'
'Are you the proprietor of this unfortunate animal?' said the baronet.
'I am, sir,' said one of the three men who were standing guard over the
dead tiger, and waiting for an opportunity to ask the baronet for the
loan of a cart to convey it to the town where their caravan was waiting.
'What do you ask for the skin?' demanded Mr. Clairmont.
The man named his price, and the demand, though somewhat exorbitant, was
complied with, greatly to the satisfaction of the two youths, who were
anxious to have it in the family as a memento of this, to them,
important day. Sir William then ordered the tiger to be conveyed to the
butchery, and uncoated preparatory to the operation the currier would
have to perform on the skin previous to its exhibition in the
dining-room.
'Well, now, my good Melange,' said Mr. Clairmont, beckoning him to come
near, and whispering coaxingly, 'you will see all our valuables safe
before you leave them.'
'Sans doute, monsieur, n'ayez pas peur, I have sent Foster on to the
house for a cart, and shall have everything conveyed to that apartment
you are accustomed to occupy. Of course we shall be there?'
'Are we to have our old lodgings, nephew?' said Mr. Clairmont.
'If you please, sir,' replied the baronet; 'your bedroom is as usual in
the west angle, on the ground floor, close to the bath, which is the
situation you have always preferred.'
'Ha, thank you, that is comfortable. You hear, Melange?'
'Oui, monsieur.'
'And now, nephew, if your carriers be ready say the word, and let us be
moving, for I begin to feel terribly stiff and awkward in the sinews,
and shall be right glad to find myself in a steaming bath. Don't
forget,' added he to his servant, 'the gout-stool and the moxa, and all
necessary for a good shampooing, and remember to have the sago ready for
me on coming out of the bath. Now make haste, for here comes the cart.
Be alive, Foster, as you were when you clambered up the oak like a
squirrel.'
'My valet shall attend you till Melange has made his arrangements,' said
Sir William. 'No doubt your apartments are in perfect order by this
time; so come, chairmen, take up the sofa, and go gently.'
The men began their march, and the baronet walked on at a brisk pace to
apprise Lady Clairmont that the whole family had a respite of
eight-and-forty hours.
Mr. Stanhope and his pupils lingered behind, walking on very slowly till
the men were out of hearing with their burden, and William then
exclaimed:
'Go, you genuine sybarite! Uncle of mine, I would not accept the gift of
all your estates if your gourmandizing be entailed on them.'
'Neither would I,' said his brother. 'It is impossible for a man to be a
more devoted slave to his appetite than our great-uncle Geff. The slave
of the ring in the Arabian Nights' Entertainments had a holiday life of
it in comparison. Perhaps it is wrong to say it, but really I feel quite
disgusted with him. As father truly says, "All his conversation has
reference to the sustenation of his insatiable maw," and we shall all be
glad when this animal infliction is over.'
'Gourmandizing,' said Mr. Stanhope, 'is indeed a vice which fearfully
degrades a man from the rank he was born to hold as a rational being,
and I trust you will never either of you be under the dominion of such a
tyrant.'
'We should both of us,' said William, 'revolt at the idea of being an
object of contempt to others, such as Uncle Geff is now to us.'
'That's plain English,' replied Frederick, 'but not the most polite
thing to say of one's venerable great uncle, brother Bill, and who has,
moreover, just now given you that superb tiger's skin.'
'The fear of the world's contempt,' said Mr. Stanhope, 'though salutary,
ought not to influence our conduct so much as the consciousness that,
while excess clogs our intellects, we become incapable of the virtuous
exertions we might otherwise make, and that of the talents we have thus
smothered we must one day render an account.'
'And yet there are, I have heard, some men of great abilities and
eminent virtue who are said to eat enormously,' said Frederick.
'True,' replied the tutor, 'extreme hunger is, in some constitutions, a
rapid effect of intense study, and the appetite may be innocently
gratified while it rather adds to the impetus of thought than checks its
advance. Excess begins when the perceptions become weak and indistinct
by indulgence. Every person is able to judge for himself when he
approaches that point, and, if he respect himself, he will stop short of
it. Such men as those to whom you allude feel renovated by their meal,
and return to their intellectual pursuits with increased alacrity, but
the _veritable gourmand_ divides his existence between the contemplation
of what his dinner shall be, the pleasure of eating, and the labour of
digesting it.'
'It is very odd in Uncle Geff to bring his eatables and his cook to
Clairmont. I wonder father will suffer it. What a larder this modern
Lucullus carries about with him!' said Frederick.
'Why, father has indulged him in the practice so many years that I
suppose he does not think it worth his while to set his face against it
now,' replied William. 'Besides, Melange is a superb cook. Sheldon finds
it his interest to keep well with him, and gets into many of his
culinary mysteries, of which father reaps the benefit when he is obliged
to give great dinners. As to the Frenchman himself, it is easy to see he
is the master of his master, and holds him fast by the stomach, as it
were, by a talisman.'
'What an honourable bondage for a man who is proud of his descent from
men who were hand and glove with the conqueror,' said Frederick,
laughing.
A servant now came out upon the lawn to say tea had been waiting some
time. The youths and their tutor hastened to the drawing-room, when
William and his brother were congratulated on the fortunate issue of
their rencounter with the tiger. Their gentle mother shed a tear of joy
as she kissed the cheek of each darling child, and the dowager expressed
herself happy at seeing they had proved themselves worthy descendants of
the Clairmonts.
'Emily,' said she to her grand-daughter in the joy of her heart, 'what
do you think of your brothers now? Do you not think they will indeed
prove an honour to the family, and realize in their manhood all the
anticipations of youth? For my part, I feel so much obliged to our
grand-dame Cicely Dewberry at the present moment, that I can hardly find
words to express myself in due terms; that task I shall, therefore,
leave to you.'
Emily coloured at this remark, but, after a pause, replied:
'I am so much pleased that my brothers have acquitted themselves with
honour that I am equally at a loss for words with your ladyship.'
The evening passed most agreeably, and the conversation was animated and
interesting from the topics the occurrences of the day gave birth to. As
for Lady Clairmont, she was, indeed, greatly pleased with the present of
her new hearthrug, and Sir William ordered the body of the tiger to be
deposited under the oak in which the servants had found shelter, saying
that, some time or other, he might probably put down on that spot some
solid memento of the event.
FOOTNOTES:
[B] The nest of a bird found in the southern latitudes, considered a
delicacy by the natives, particularly by European epicures.
The Butcher's Tournament
Marmaduke Mumbles was the son of a worthy butcher in the village town of
Scrambles.
He was an only son, and as such, of course, petted by his father and
spoiled by his mother.
Mrs. Mumbles had been in early life a lady's-maid, and, while in her
waiting upon the Honourable Miss Languish, was employed not so much in
millinery as novel reading, which she used to read to her young lady
from morning till night, and from night till morning.
The tales which took the fancy of the Honourable Miss Languish, and
which were echoed from the mouth and mind of Miss Squeamish were those
of 'high romance,' as it is termed. Young, handsome, virtuous, and
valiant heroes going through more wonderful adventures than our poor
Mosette in her nine lives, and poor Neddy Bray in his, I do not know how
many.
Then there must be, to please these novel readers, extraordinary
situations, wonderful incidents, perplexing difficulties, overwhelming
disasters, strange providences, and miraculous escapes, together with a
proper assemblage of old castles, ruined tombs, yawning cloisters, grim
vaults, mouldering coffins, unearthly sounds, awful visitations,
spiritual appearances; ghosts in white sheets, with bleeding bosoms:
hobgoblins with saucer eyes, fierce claws, and long tails; and
catastrophes so tremendous as to set the hair on end, and convulse the
whole frame with the delight of tenor, and the tenor of delight.
Such was the food of Miss Squeamish, afterwards Mrs. Mumbles, in her
early days.
And she used to read and read and read till she looked upon the world in
which she had to get her living as no world of hers, but a sort of
common sphere made on purpose for tradespeople, washer-women, and
cart-driving. She revelled in a world of the romances, where everything
was made as it _ought to be_, where the virtuous were always rewarded
and the wicked always punished, where high and noble sentiments met with
the reception they deserved, and disinterestedness was duly appreciated,
where passion and impulse, unmixed with the care of consequences, were
held as the glory of both sexes, and everything that was fair and bright
and beautiful, and free and elegant and good, shone triumphantly to the
glory of the heroes and heroines who figured always so splendidly in
these romantic pages.
But at last all these bright visions were to end. Miss Languish died of
a consumption brought on from lying in bed night and morning to read
novels. And Miss Squeamish, afterwards Mrs. Mumbles, was forced to turn
out into the world to seek her living--into that very world which was so
odious to her. But there was no resource, and so the lady who had been
identified with so many heroines was obliged to set up as a milliner and
dressmaker in the little town of Scrambles.
But the poor young woman soon found out that things were carried on in
this world in a manner radically different from that in which the
romances pictured. She soon found out that mutton was eightpence
halfpenny a pound, and that if she did not look well after her butcher
she would find her pound and a half of mutton chops weighing not quite a
pound and a quarter; that bread was ten-pence a loaf, and that the baker
was no more romantic than the butcher, and would, unless he was checked
every day, find means to put down a 'dead one'; and that the milkman's
chalk had got a notch in it, and would make two strokes instead of one.
In short, that there was at the bottom of this best of all possible
worlds a vast amount of sheer roguery.
The consequence of Miss Squeamish's want of a knowledge of all this was
that she soon found out the impossibility of being able to make things
come together--'to make ends meet'--as the saying is.
She floundered about in her business for a year or two, but grew poorer
and poorer, got in debt largely with her grocer, baker, and butcher, and
at last was obliged to stop for want of funds.
But it is an old proverb that 'when one door shuts another opens,' and
this was the only part of Miss Squeamish's philosophy which had ever
come true. No sooner was her shop shut up than the bills came in, and
with Mrs. Shambles' bill the copy of a writ, so that Miss Squeamish was
on the high road to a prison. But fortune sometimes favours those who
will not favour themselves, and it somehow or other happened that Miss
Squeamish pleaded so eloquently for herself and her destitute situation
with Mr. Mumbles, the very fat butcher and her principal creditor, that
he agreed to cancel his debt and pay the others on condition that Miss
Squeamish would become Mrs. Mumbles.
And Mrs. Mumbles she did become. For Mr. Mumbles was very rich, and
although in person he was not very imposing he made up in quantity for
what he wanted in quality, and the prospect of plenty of meat and a good
name to one destitute of either had such an effect on Miss Squeamish as
to put to flight all her visionary ideas of perfection--love in a
cottage and platonic affection--and she settled down, in appearance at
least, as a very spruce butcher's wife, and took to caps, aprons, and
blue ribands.
Mr. Mumbles was a thrifty man, and had been so all his life. He was
about fifty years of age, and not disposed to alter his habits, but he
required Mrs. Mumbles to alter hers. He proceeded, therefore, to give
his worthy spouse some initiatory instructions in the art of jointing a
scrag of mutton, cutting out a pluck, or chinning a whole sheep upon an
occasion. This was very different from novel reading. She had, indeed,
read of knights cleaving their adversaries from the 'chaps to the
chine,' and of 'sticking to the heart,' and sometimes fancied, as she
made a blow upon some unfortunate leg of mutton, which required
shanking, that this would she do to the Knight of the Black Visage, or
the cruel Tyrant of the Bloody Tower, or the Renegades of the Cross, or
any other anti-hero, so that it might be said romance was _scotched_ in
her, not killed, as we shall hear in the sequel.
After Miss Squeamish became Mrs. Mumbles she determined to endeavour to
'civilize' her husband, as she called it. It did not follow because he
was a butcher that he was to have butchering ideas for ever, or that he
was to know nothing of 'literature,' as she termed it--that is, novels.
Mr. Mumbles had read 'Puss in Boots,' 'Jack the Giant Killer,' 'Tom
Thumb,' 'Jack and the Bean Stalk,' 'Whittington and his Cat,' and
'Mother Goose' in his childhood. In his boyhood he had gone through
'Robinson Crusoe,' 'The Pilgrim's Progress,' and 'The Seven Champions of
Christendom,' and therefore knew there was something in the world
besides scrags of mutton.
Having made these discoveries Mrs. Mumbles was determined to put her
husband under regular training, to win him, by degrees, from his boorish
estate to that of poetry and refinement. She looked at his unwieldy
bulk--it was not exactly the size for a hero, but then she thought of
bluff Harry the Eighth, who was both stout and romantic, and the Field
of the Cloth of Gold, and so as Mr. Mumbles became romantic she made up
her mind to put up with his stoutness.
Mr. Mumbles had no other relaxation on a summer's evening than a game of
bowls, but as his fat increased so did his difficulty of playing this
noble game. He used to think that once down it would require something
more than the levers of his legs to lift him up again. So just as Mr.
Mumbles had made up his mind within himself to leave off bowls did Mrs.
Mumbles think of making him a hero outright. But she went cautiously
about her work. She knew that to change the man she must first change
the mind, and therefore she commenced her operations upon the mental
part of Mr. Mumbles.
Her first thought was as to the kind of hero she was to train him into.
She would not like him to be a 'Jack Sheppard,' for fear he might break
into some lady's heart with a crowbar of his impudence. Nor would she
like him to be a 'Eugene Aram,' for fear he should make a mistake and
hang her some night instead of himself. He seemed fitter for a 'Jack
Falstaff' than anything else. But Falstaff was too witty for a hero, and
she thought, perhaps, that if he laughed any more he would be only so
much the fatter.
She therefore put into his hands the most sentimental exotics of the
publishing firms. There was the 'Elegant Maniac; or, the Snuff-coloured
Rose and the Field of Silver,' a beautiful romance. Then there was the
'Sentimental Footpad; or, Honour among Thieves.' And 'Syngenesia,' the
last of the melancholies; with the 'Knight of the Snorting Palfrey; or,
the Silken Fetlock.' These works she read to Mr. Mumbles on evenings
instead of suffering him to repair to his bowls, and after a short time
had the satisfaction to find him a ready and an eager listener. She read
and read and read, and he became more and more interested, till at last
he could scarcely find time to serve a customer if one happened to come
in when the hero was in some 'interesting situation.'
And so Mr. Mumbles began to find his business decline, for at last he
would have his novel in his hand on a Saturday night, and would ask his
customers concerning this or that book, which he happened to have been
reading during the week. He would forget to joint the loins of mutton,
to pickle the stale beef, to send out his orders; in short, his
customers were treated with such neglect that his trade, long
vacillating between going on and going off, suddenly stopped.
Nor did Mr. Mumbles care a whit for it, as he was rich when his father
died, had grown richer since, and was worth at least ten thousand pounds
in houses, lands, and money. He would soon have given up his business
had it not given up him, and therefore when somebody told him it was
time to 'shut up shop,' he said: 'Yes, and I intend to do it.'
Suiting the action to the word he forthwith began to retire. All the
beasts and beastesses were sold off with the goodwill of the shop, the
blocks, cleavers, hooks, and jemmies. And Mr. Mumbles planned out a
house in a secluded spot about a mile from the town. It was to be called
Mumbles Castle, and was to be built in the old English or baronial
style, with turrets, low doors, battlements, arch windows, and gothic
mouldings. The grand hall was twenty feet by fifteen, the armoury half
the size, the refectory fourteen by fourteen. A long passage leading to
the adjacent pigsties was called the corridor, and the bedchambers, four
in number, were dignified with the names of the griffin room, the
martlet, the rampant lion, and the wild boar, such being a part of the
newly-formed armorial bearing of the Mumbles.
The adjacent grounds were also laid out in a style corresponding with
the castle. There was, among other arrangements for the comfort and
delight of visitors, a tournament court, an archery ground, and a
hawking mound. Certainly they were not of very extraordinary dimensions,
but they were rather beyond the general scale of the other parts of the
building. Mrs. Mumbles had in contemplation to give a grand fête of some
kind or other. Mumbles talked of the house-warming, but that was vulgar.
But at last, to ease all difficulties on this score, Master Marmaduke
Tristram St. George Mumbles was born.
When it was ascertained that provision for a baby was necessary Mr.
Mumbles determined that everything should be conducted according to the
established laws of chivalry. But having searched in vain among romances
to find how such matters were managed, he gave up the matter in despair.
He found that all romances having come to a marriage suddenly stopped.
This was very perplexing, but there was no help for it, and as Master
Marmaduke was in a hurry to come into the world he was born before his
father and mother could arrange the solemn order of the proceedings.
But both Mr. and Mrs. Mumbles were determined that the christening
should be conducted upon a scale of all conceivable splendour. There was
no precedent for it, but then there was less likelihood of any mistake
or more room for the fancy. But a gothic christening it was to be--a
gothic christening it should be--a gothic christening it must be.
And what would redound to the glory of so mighty an event? This was the
consideration, this was the feat to be achieved. Mr. and Mrs. Mumbles
had many a discourse upon the subject at breakfast, dinner, and supper,
at morning, noon, and night, but still the happy idea was too good to
strike them suddenly.
At last Mrs. Mumbles had a dream. She dreamed of a tournament, and of
all the glory of such an event. Polished helms, furbished arms, clang of
trumpets, waving of banners and plumes, clouds of dust, clash of swords,
unhorsing of knights, and outcry of heralds. When she awoke, she said
emphatically to Mr. Mumbles, as he was beginning to take his morning
yawn: 'I've hit it'; and gave him a sharp stroke on his wigless pate.
'I think you have,' said Mr. Mumbles, 'and I would thank you not to hit
quite so hard. But what do you mean, my dear Celestia?'
'Mean,' replied the delighted spouse--'mean that I have hit upon a plan
for doing honour to the birth of our son and heir, of the propagator of
the glory of our house, and of the renowned name of Mumbles.'
'Have you, by gowls?' said Mr. Mumbles. 'What is it?'
'A tournament,' said she, 'a tournament, that glory of the chivalric
ages; will it not be gloriously delightful to see once more "the light
of other days" upon us? To see those battlements decked with the banners
of the house of Mumbles, to hear the clarion ring, to listen to the
strains of martial music, to see the lounge and thrust and anvil blow,
knights unhorsed, armour riven, helms cloven.'
'It would be a good go,' said Mr. Mumbles.
'A good go; it would be a go and three-quarters--at least, according to
your own phraseology. I think myself truly happy at having been blessed
with such a revelation, and pray that I may be strengthened to perform
my part of the ceremony.'
'And what may that be?' said Mr. Mumbles.
'Why of course I must be the queen of beauty, and you must be my king
consort. The knights, having arranged themselves, must, first of all,
pay their respects to me, and then the victor must kneel before me, and
receive from my hands the richly-embroidered scarf and the crowning
garland.'
'Well, it will be a grand day--an epoch in my existence--a sort of hera.
I think they call it a _hera_. And if we could get the band of the
Scrambles Volunteer Company it would be excellent; if not, I think I
know some music that would suit.'
'What is that?' inquired Mrs. Mumbles.
'The marrow-bones and cleavers; they are very pretty music, and I should
like _them_, band or no band.'
'The marrow-bones and cleavers,' said Mrs. Mumbles in astonishment.
'Yes,' said Mr. Mumbles, 'it was my glory when I was a boy, and we used
to have them all rung at christenings and weddings. I have heard say
that at my christening and at my mother's marriage they rang a treble
bob-major.'
'And pray, what is a bob-major?' inquired Mrs. Mumbles. 'I have heard of
a serjeant-major and a drum-major, but never heard of a bob-major.'
'A bob-major,' rejoined the elated butcher, 'is a long tune, that
puzzles you to know when you will get to the end of it, and so you stand
and wait and wait, till at last, all of a sudden, it stops.'
'And how does it go, my dear? Is it a pretty tune?'
'I should think it _was_ a pretty tune--like the church bells, only more
cutting, as it might be expected, from its coming from cleavers. It has
made me cry like a child, Mrs. Mumbles.'
'I hope it won't make baby cry.'
'I hope not; but, cry or no cry, we must have it, and any other music
you like.'
This point being settled the ardent pair began to prepare, with the
greatest alacrity, for the forthcoming fête.
Mrs. Mumbles declared that no expense should be spared to make the
proceedings go off with éclat, and Mr. Mumbles began to fidget himself
concerning the tournament laws, rules, and regulations.
The principal difficulty was, however, in inducing others to take a part
in this strange whim. Had it been bull-baiting or badger-drawing or
cock-throwing or horse and donkey racing, hundreds would have been found
ready to engage in the sport. But for a tournament! Most people did not
even know the name of it, and Mr. Mumbles' description was in no way
calculated to elucidate its mysteries, so that few seemed to care about
lending themselves to the fête.
There was, however, in the town of Scrambles a sharp dapper lawyer's
clerk, who saw at once into the affair and what a frolic it might be
made. He therefore wrote a civil note to Mr. Mumbles, in which he
expressed his delight at the forthcoming novelty, and offered himself as
a candidate for the white silken scarf which was to be the reward of the
victor in the field.
The letter being couched in chivalric language, and ornamented with
armorial bearings, delighted Mr. and Mrs. Mumbles above all things. They
now felt a prospect of the realization of their fondest hopes, and began
to prepare accordingly. The lawyer's clerk, whose name was Quiddity,
also set about publishing the whole of the matter abroad. He soon
succeeded in inducing a number of young men and maidens to favour the
joke, and to lend themselves to it. He explained the insane folly of
this worthy pair with such irresistible drollery that everyone was eager
to be one of the favoured company.
On the next interview Mr. Mumbles, delighted with the report of
Quiddity, addressed him with truly dignified solemnity.
'Sir Knight,' said he, 'thou hast done thy spirit gently. Thy wondrous
works have found favour in mine eyes; be thou our warden from this time,
and for evermore.'
'With leave to thrust or lance,' said Quiddity; 'for I would not forego
a rencontre for the lord-wardenship of the cinque ports.'
'Sink me if you shall not tilt with me rather than that you should not
display your prowess. On the morning of that auspicious day will I
dissolve thee from the wardenship, and give thee freedom to thy
knighthood. I will, with my own hands, buckle on thy armour, with my
right hand place a spear in thy grasp, and with my left salute thee.'
'And for me,' said Mrs. Mumbles, 'I will choose thee for my own dear
knight, and thou shalt fight under my banner, and be victorious; and
then, when thou resist from the field of glory, will I embrace thee, and
thou shalt be the envy of all beholders.'
'We'll _stow_ that,' said Mr. Mumbles, who did not appear to like the
embracing part of the ceremony. 'But let us now form a committee of ways
and means--that is to say, let us concoct the thing in a regular
manner.'
And so the three concoctors sat down to arrange the order of the
proceedings.
'And, first and foremost,' said Mr. Mumbles, 'we must have seats raised
round the tilting coast, and a platform built at one end. Then at the
other end must be a barrier for the knights to come in at; and then we
must have a long pole _straight across_ the ground, to prevent the
horses _falling foul_ of each other; and then we must have flags at
different stations, charged with the armorial bearings of the knights,
with their crests on the top of them.'
'And then,' said Mrs. Mumbles, taking up the same strain, 'we must begin
to think of dresses. For my part, I shall wear a white satin robe,
trimmed with silver lilies, and a scarf of azure blue, richly
embroidered with gold. Seven ostrich plumes shall wave from my brow; a
lion's skin shall be spread for my feet; all my jewels shall be
displayed to the best advantage; and I think I shall, upon the whole, be
pretty considerably imposing. As to Mr. Mumbles, I intend to have him
dressed in a manner which shall be unique, imposing, and captivating.'
'We will first draw out a programme of the proceedings,' said Quiddity,
'and then we can select the various personages who are to be honoured
with having a part in the ceremony.'
'Good,' said Mr. Mumbles.
'And I shall head it the "Mumblonian Tournament," and publish a
challenge to all the world to deny the peerless beauty of Mrs. Mumbles.'
'But won't that be coming it rather strong? I should like you to draw it
pretty mild,' ejaculated Mr. Mumbles.
'Not a bit too strong,' said Mrs. Mumbles, with a toss of her head. 'Go
on, pray, Mr. Quiddity.'
So Mr. Quiddity went on:
'And then, of course, we should find persons sending in their defiance,
and extolling other dames, and therefore we should have all our knights,
squires, horses, armour, and so on.'
'But must we not publish regulations afterwards?' observed Mumbles.
'Of course we must. That is to say, every knight who professes his
readiness to break a lance must provide himself with horse, weapons, and
esquire, and send in his certificate of noble blood and knightly
bearing.'
'But where shall we place the proclamation?'
'On the doors of the church, certainly; upon the "cage"; upon the
"pound"; and other public institutions of our country.'
'Good,' said Mr. Mumbles; 'I like to honour the institutions of my
country, and therefore I would not have forgotten the parish pump.'
'Certainly not, my dear sir. Well, then, we must apply to the
schoolmaster to let us have, on hire, the boys and girls of the national
schools to walk in order before the procession, with silver wands in
their hands and blue ribands in their hats, while the girls should be
dressed all in white like nymphs, and strew flowers.'
'Capital,' said Mr. Mumbles; 'and then we can give them a tuck-out with
rolls and treacle; won't the boys like it--ay, and the girls too! Lawks!
how I did laugh once to see girls eat rolls and treacle! They beat the
boys out and out at that fun. They dabbed the treacle into each other's
eyes, and roped it over each other's shoulders, and swung it into each
other's faces, like good 'uns. There is nothing like girls for a spree;
when they do begin, they beat the boys hollow.'
'Well, then,' continued Quiddity, 'I thought of hiring for a day the old
workhouse women, to act as matrons or sibyls, as the case may be. They
will be a pretty contrast to the "gals." And, that they may not cry out,
we will treat them all to a pound of snuff apiece, and a new dress.'
'And a red brocade petticoat each, and a Margaret of Anjou cap or hat.'
'What, one of those with a long poke behind like a rolling-pin, and a
veil at the end of it?' said Mr. Mumbles.
'Just so, my dear,' replied the lady; 'and they must have one stocking
red and the other blue.'
'Ay, ay,' rejoined Mumbles, with an arch look, 'I know the reason of
that; you fancy but for this expedient that in the _crowd_ the old
ladies would not otherwise know one leg from the other.'
'You are quite wrong, my dear; but we must follow the ancient costume,
you know, or else we shall be laughed at.'
'What shall be next?' said Mr. Quiddity.
'Ay, what next, my dear?' said Mrs. Mumbles, who seemed herself to be
got to her wits' end.
'Why, _I_ was thinking, love, that after the old women we should have a
bullock, dressed with blue ribands, and garnished with flowers, roasted
whole.'
'Yes, upon the green, after the sports,' said Mrs. Mumbles; 'and, as I
should like the whole of the ceremony to conclude with a bonfire and a
discharge of fireworks, the fire that is to roast the bullock can be
kept up, which will be killing two birds with one stone, you know.'
And thus the preliminaries for the grand entertainment were settled by
the three who were to be chief actors in it. Quiddity, in the very
frolicsomeness of his heart, now canvassed the town, and, with little
difficulty, succeeded in bringing a number of persons into the plot or
joke; and banners were prepared, armour was provided, and arms of every
description brought into requisition.
At last the important day arrived. It was ushered in by a discharge of
firearms from the back of the butcher's premises. A squadron of horsemen
next paraded the town on horses, ponies, and donkeys, with the
marrow-bones and cleavers, and rung most dolorous music. Mr. Mumbles
arose from his bed at earliest dawn, and, having breakfasted, set to
enrobing himself as a grand grandee of the first order. His dress was of
the time of Louis XIV. of France, frilled and furbelowed; and, when
fully arranged, Mr. Mumbles looked like a real Prince, and Mrs. Mumbles
held up her hands in astonishment and delight.
The back premises of Mr. Mumbles had been already prepared; a rude
scaffolding, with seats, skirted three sides of a quadrangle, to which
admission was to be obtained for the small charge of one penny, the
whole of the proceeds to go to the Institution for the Cure of
Rheumatism. The people mustered in large numbers, and, although the
tournament joust did not boast of many lords and ladies, or persons of
high ancestral lineage, yet everyone was, according to Adamic heraldry,
a perfect gentleman or lady in their own right; for they all bore
_arms_, with the exception of Jack Sprat, the bellman, who could only
muster one, with which he rang his bell.
In the centre of the platform, at the upper end, was a raised seat, and
a canopy over it. The seat was covered with yellow baize, and the canopy
was formed of the hangings of Mr. Mumbles' best spare bed. It was red,
bordered with yellow, which hung in fanciful festoons, and a
richly-carved bed-foot on each gave the whole a very imposing
appearance. On this raised seat, which was made to hold two, were placed
two armchairs, richly gilt, and around these were other chairs for
persons of distinction, who now began to arrive in pretty considerable
numbers. First, there was the Grand Master of the Odd Fellows, with a
numerous retinue, with their emblematical tools, flags, banners, and
devices. He entered the arena amid the clang of trumpets and the roll of
drums, and proceeded to the place assigned him. Then came the President
of the Anti-Lie-a-Bed Society, with a whole troop of boys and girls who
had been cured of this great sin by drinking half a pint of yeast
overnight, which made them _rise early_ in the morning. They were
received by 'artificial cock-crowing' by the gallant showman, who had a
place assigned him as underwarden. Then came a batch of young damsels,
all in white, being chimney-sweepers' daughters; and after them a
flourish of trumpets--that is, _cow-horns_--a squadron of costermongers'
donkey-lads mounted, with their pocket-handkerchiefs floating from the
vulnerable point of 'bean-sticks.'
Next came the redoubtable Mr. Mumbles himself, leading Mrs. Mumbles by
the hand, preceded by the young lawyer Quiddity. He ascended the throne
provided for him with extraordinary dignity, and, having made a bow to
the company by putting his hand to one of his curls, as if to pull his
head down, and giving a scrape with his foot behind, the whole assembly
burst out with a simultaneous cheer--'Mumbles for ever! Mumbles for
ever!'
Soon after Mr. Mumbles had seated himself the clang of trumpets was
heard, and Quiddity appeared on a splendid pony, richly caparisoned,
with a hearthrug under his saddle as a saddle-cloth, having in one hand
his baton of office, and in the other a banner. After making his
obeisance to the king and queen of the tournament, Mrs. and Mr. Mumbles,
he took his place in the centre. Immediately the horns were blown, the
mob shouted, and Quiddity read the following proclamation:
'_To all whom it may concern, and to our beloved Neighbours, greeting,_
'With a view to do away with and put down the cowardly, dastardly, and
_ungenteel_ sports of bull-baiting, badger-baiting, fox-hunting,
pigeon-shooting, and other wicked and cruel amusements, we, John Mumbles
and Co., King of Chivalry, Grand Master of this Tournament, invite all
persons, gentlemen born, to engage in, and others to _witness_, trials
of skill, might, prowess, and magnanimity by means of tilt, combat, or
archery, and all those knights who have been enrolled as true knights,
worthy to try their prowess in the tilts, are hereby invited to do so
without fee or reward, fear or distinction.
'GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.'
'Hurrah! hurrah!' said everybody, and then arose the flapping of white
pocket-handkerchiefs, the waving of flags, the sounding of horns, and
the beating of drums. The arena was cleared by Sam Swipes with a long
cart-whip, and opposite to each other, by separate entrances, appeared
the first two knights who were to engage--(1) The Knight of the Boiling
Fish-kettle, (2) The Knight of the Red-hot Copper. The Knight of the
Boiling Fish-kettle was armed with a splendid helmet of polished metal,
something resembling a double block-tin dish-cover, No. 3 on the
bottom; at the top was inverted a red-boiled lobster for a crest, over
which hung in graceful curves three black cats' tails duly charged with
electricity. A large pewter-dish formed the breast-plate of this knight,
while his arms and thighs were plated with bands of tin, which had an
exceedingly martial appearance. The shield of the knight was the lid of
the fish-kettle, a broad oblong defence, upon which was painted the
device of a leg of pork, with the motto 'Porkus est miceabus.' The
lance-pole of this knight was a clothes-prop, at the end of which a
pepper-box was duly fixed instead of a lance.
The Knight of the Copper was also mounted on a steed; it was of a
reddish-brown, and for his saddle-cloth he had chosen a rich damask
table-cover, which nearly covered the whole body of the animal. He had
on his head a copper cake-mould in the shape of a porcupine. His
breast-plate was a richly-figured japanned waiter. His armour consisted
of muffin-tins fixed over his arms and legs, his crest was a 'scalded
cat,' and his shield a copper-lid of wood. The copper-lid was painted
green, and it had for its device a calve's head, with a lemon in its
mouth, with the motto, 'Calve's head is best hot.'
The knights being set in due array and in proper position, at the sound
of the herald's trumpets spurred their nags, and went towards each other
with the velocity of lightning. At the first assault the pepper-box was
dashed to pieces against the copper-lid, and the fractured fragments
clattered about the combatants. The next charge upset the Knight of the
Boiling Fish-kettle and his Rosinante at the same time, and both lay
wallowing on the ground. Mr. Mumbles on this rose from his seat, and the
Knight of the Red-hot Copper made his appearance on the throne or
platform, where, kneeling down, he received at the hands of Mrs. Mumbles
a beautiful white silken scarf, while the assembly shouted, the drums
beat, and the trumpets sounded.
[Illustration: _Knights in armour tumbled over their own steeds, donkeys
ran snorting about, ladies shrieked.--Page 295._]
How long this foolery would have gone on I know not, but just as the
ceremony was being performed of investing the conqueror knight with the
silken scarf a loud cracking was heard under the platform. Mr. Mumbles
looked red, Mrs. Mumbles looked pale, the company stood aghast, the
music ceased, the uproar was quelled, and the applause subsided. Crack,
snap, bang! What was the matter? The fireworks placed underneath the
scaffolding, and which were to have concluded the evening's
entertainments, had by some means or other ignited. Presently a rocket
with a loud roar made a sweep in a slanting direction through the canvas
at the top of the canopy, to the consternation of all. Before the alarm
subsided, and before anyone could make his or her escape by flight,
another and another rocket rushed from beneath the scaffolding with
prodigious roar and flame. The alarm became general; Mrs. Mumbles
fainted; Mr. Mumbles roared out 'Fire, fire!' as loud as he was able.
But now the indiscriminate ignition of rockets, crackers, squibs,
Catherines, fiery fountains, flaming cascades, sparkling arbours, and
gunpowder and nitre pillars, and suns, stars, and comets enveloped the
whole throne and its appurtenances in a blaze of fiery splendour.
Rockets shot out on every side, fiery squibs ran along the ground,
Catherine wheels danced on every shoulder, and crackers banged at every
heel. Such a scene of confusion followed as is seldom witnessed. Knights
in armour tumbled over their own steeds, donkeys ran snorting about,
ladies shrieked, and fell over gentlemen, and gentlemen tumbled over
ladies in pell-mell havoc and confusion, amid smoke and steam and
hissing and cracking and banging and roaring.
It was with the greatest difficulty that Mr. and Mrs. Mumbles were
extricated from the danger that threatened them--namely, being burnt
alive. But Mrs. Mumbles was carried home in a wheelbarrow in a state of
insensibility, while Mr. Mumbles had the same attention bestowed upon
him through the intervention of a well-disposed hurdle and four of the
marrow-bone and cleaver musicians.
Such was the untoward end of the Mumblonian tournament, an event not to
be easily forgotten in the locality in which it took place. It was
subsequently found out, as it ought to have been discovered before, that
both Mr. and Mrs. Mumbles had driven themselves mad by novel and romance
reading, and they were both obliged to be sent to a madhouse for some
time before they could be cured of their egregious folly. But as they
_were cured_, it may be said that the circumstances which I have related
were 'all for the best.'
Malleville's Night of Adventure
I
The Story of Agnes
In a few minutes Beechnut returned with a large rocking-chair, which he
placed by the fire, on one side. He then took Malleville in his arms,
and carried her to the chair, and sat down. Next he asked Phonny to go
out into the entry, and look by the side of the door, and to bring in
what he should find there.
'What is it?' said Malleville.
'You will see,' replied Beechnut. So saying, he placed Malleville in his
lap in such a position that she could see the door and the fire. Her
head rested upon a small pillow which Beechnut had laid upon his
shoulder. By the time that Malleville was thus placed, Phonny came back.
He had in his hand a small sheet-iron pan, with three large and rosy
apples in it. Beechnut directed Phonny to put this pan down upon the
hearth where the apples would roast.
'Who are they for?' asked Malleville.
'One is for you,' replied Beechnut, 'one for Phonny, and one for me. But
we are not going to eat them till to-morrow morning.'
'There ought to be one for Hepzibah,' said Malleville.
'Why, Hepzibah can get as many apples as she wants,' said Beechnut, 'and
roast them whenever she pleases. Only,' he continued, after a moment's
pause, 'perhaps it would please her to have us remember her, and roast
her one together with ours.'
'Yes,' said Phonny. 'I think it would.'
'Then,' said Beechnut, 'you may go, Phonny, and get her an apple. You
can make room for one more upon the pan.'
'Well,' said Phonny, 'but you must not begin the story until I come
back.'
So Phonny went away to get an apple for Hepzibah. In a short time he
returned, bringing with him a very large and beautiful apple, which he
put upon the pan with the rest. There was just room for it. He then set
the pan down before the fire, and took his own seat in the little
rocking-chair, which still stood in its place by the side of the
light-stand.
'Now, Beechnut,' said he, as soon as he was seated, 'now for the story.'
'What sort of story shall I tell you, Malleville?' asked Beechnut.
'Shall it be the plain truth, or shall it be embellished?'
'Embellished,' said Malleville. 'I wish you would embellish it as much
as ever you can.'
'Well,' said Beechnut, 'I will tell you about Agnes.'
'Agnes!' repeated Phonny. 'Who was she?'
'You must not speak, Phonny,' said Malleville. 'Beechnut is going to
tell this story to me.'
'Yes,' said Beechnut, 'it is altogether for Malleville, and you must
not say a word about it from beginning to end.'
'One night,' continued Beechnut, 'about three weeks ago, I sat up very
late in my room, writing. It was just after I had got well from my hurt,
and as I had been kept away from my desk for a long time, I was very
glad to get back to it again, and I used to sit up quite late in the
evenings, writing and reading. The night that I am now speaking of, I
sat up even later than usual. It had been a very warm day, and the
evening air, as it came into my open window, was cool and delightful.
Besides, there was a bright moon, and it shone very brilliantly upon the
garden, and upon the fields and mountains beyond, as I looked upon them
from my window.
'At last I finished my writing just as the clock struck twelve, and as I
still did not feel sleepy, notwithstanding that it was so late, and as
the night was so magnificent, I thought that I would go out and take a
little walk. So I put my books and papers away, took my cap, and put it
upon my head, and then stepped out of the window upon the roof of the
shed, which, you know, is just below it. I thought it better to go out
that way rather than to go down the stairs, as by going down the stairs
I might possibly have disturbed somebody in the house.
'I walked along the roof of the shed, without meeting anybody or seeing
anybody except Moma. She was lying down asleep behind one of the
chimneys.'
Moma was a large black cat belonging to Malleville.
'Poor Moma!' said Malleville. 'Has not she got any better place to sleep
in than that? I mean to make her a bed as soon as I get well.'
'When I reached the end of the shed,' continued Beechnut, 'I climbed
down by the great trellis to the fence, and from the fence to the
ground. I went along the yard to the steps of the south platform, and
sat down there. It looked very pleasant in the garden, and I went in
there. I walked through the garden, and out at the back gate into the
woods, and so up the glen. I rambled along different glens and valleys
for half an hour, until at last I came to a most beautiful place among
groves and thickets where there was a large spring boiling out from
under some mossy rocks. This spring was in a deep shady place, and was
overhung with beautiful trees. In front of the spring was a large basin
of water, half as large as this room. The water was very clear, and as
the moonlight shone upon it through the interstices of the trees, I
could see that the bottom was covered with yellow sands, while beautiful
shells and pebbles lined the shore.
'The water fell down into the basin from the spring in a beautiful
cascade. All around there were a great many tall wild flowers growing.
It seemed to me the most beautiful place I ever saw. I sat down upon a
large round stone which projected out from a grassy bank just below this
little dell, where I could see the basin of water and the spring, and
the flowers upon its banks, and could hear the sound of the water
falling over the cascade.
'There was a very large oak-tree growing near the basin on the one side.
I could only see the lower part of the stem of it. The top was high in
the air, and was concealed from view by the foliage of the thickets. The
stem of the tree was very large indeed, and it had a very ancient and
venerable appearance. There was a hollow place in this tree very near
the ground, which had in some degree the appearance of a door, arched
above. The sides of this opening were fringed with beautiful green
moss, which hung down within like a curtain, and there were a great many
beautiful flowers growing upon each side of it. Another thing which
attracted my attention and excited my curiosity very strongly, was that
there seemed to be a little path leading from this door down to the
margin of the water.
'While I was wondering what this could mean, I suddenly observed that
there was a waving motion in the long moss which hung down within the
opening in the trunk of the tree, and presently I saw a beautiful little
face peeping out. I was, of course, very much astonished, but I
determined to sit perfectly still, and see what would happen.
'I was in such a place that the person to whom the face belonged could
not see me, though I could see her perfectly. After looking about for a
minute or two timidly, she came out. She was very beautiful indeed, with
her dark hair hanging in curls upon her neck and shoulders. Her dress
was very simple, and yet it was very rich and beautiful.'
'What did she have on?' asked Malleville.
'Why, I don't know that I can describe it very well,' said Beechnut. 'I
am not much accustomed to describe ladies' dresses. It was, however, the
dress of a child. She had in her hand a very long feather, like a
peacock's feather, only, instead of being of many colours, it was white,
like silver, and had the lustre of silver. I verily believe it must have
been made of silver.'
'I don't believe it would be possible,' said Phonny, 'to make a feather
of silver.'
'Why not?' asked Beechnut, 'as well as to make a tassel of glass?
However, it _looked_ like silver, and it was extremely graceful and
brilliant as she held it in her hands waving in the moonbeams.
'After looking about for a minute or two, and seeing nobody, she began
to dance down the little path to the brink of the basin, and when she
reached it she began to speak. "Now," said she, "I'll freeze the
fountain, and then I'll have a dance."
'As she said this, she stood upon the pebbles of the shore, and began
gently to draw the tip of her long feather over the surface of the
water, and I saw, to my amazement, that wherever the feather passed it
changed the surface of the water into ice. Long feathery crystals began
to shoot in every direction over the basin wherever Agnes moved her
wand.'
'Was her name Agnes?' asked Malleville.
'Yes,' said Beechnut.
'How do you know?' asked Malleville.
'Oh, she told me afterwards,' replied Beechnut. 'You will hear how
presently. When she had got the surface of the water frozen, she stepped
cautiously upon it to see if it would bear.'
'Would it?' asked Malleville.
'Yes,' replied Beechnut, 'it bore her perfectly. She advanced to the
middle of it, springing up and down upon her feet to try the strength of
the ice as she proceeded. She found that it was very strong.
'"Now," said she, "for the cascade."
'So saying, she began to draw her silver feather down the cascade, and
immediately the same effect was produced which I had observed upon the
water. The noise of the waterfall was immediately hushed. Beautiful
stalactites and icicles were formed in the place of the pouring and
foaming water. I should have thought that the cascade had been wholly
congealed were it not that I could see in some places by the moonlight
that the water was still gurgling down behind the ice, just as it
usually does when cascades and waterfalls are frozen by natural cold.'
[Illustration: _Wherever the feather passed it changed the surface of
the water.--Page 302._]
'Yes,' said Phonny, 'I have watched it very often on the brook.'
'On what brook?' asked Malleville.
'On the pasture brook,' said Phonny.
Beechnut took no notice of Phonny's remark, but went on with his
narrative as follows:
'Agnes then walked back and forth upon the ice, and began to draw the
tip of her long silver feather over the branches of the trees that
overhung the basin, and over the mossy banks and the tall grass and
flowers. Everything that she touched turned into the most beautiful
frost-work. The branches of the trees were loaded with snow, the banks
hung with icicles, and the tall grass and flowers seemed to turn white
and transparent, and they glittered in the moonbeams as if they were
encrusted with diamonds. I never saw anything so resplendent and
beautiful.
'At last she looked round upon it all and said: "There, that will do. I
wonder now if the ice is strong enough."
'Then she went into the middle of the ice, and standing upon it on
tiptoe, she sprang up into the air, and then came down upon it again, as
if she were trying its strength. At the same instant she said or sung in
a beautiful silvery voice, like a bird, the word, "Peep!"
'When she had done this, she stopped for a moment to listen. I sat
perfectly still, so as not to let her know that I was near. Presently
she leaped up again twice in succession, singing, "Peep! Peep!"
'Then, after pausing a moment more, she began to dance away with the
utmost agility and grace, singing all the time a little song, the music
of which kept time with her dancing. This was the song:
'"_Peep! peep! chippeda dee,
Playing in the moonlight--nobody to see;
The boys and girls are gone away,
They've had their playtime in the day,
And now the night is left to me.
Peep! peep! chippeda dee!_"'
'That's a pretty song,' said Malleville.
'Yes,' said Beechnut, 'and you cannot imagine how beautifully she sang
it, and how gracefully she danced upon the ice while she was singing. I
was so delighted that I could not sit perfectly still, but made some
movement that caused a little rustling. Agnes stopped a moment to
listen. I was very much afraid that she would see me. She did not see
me, however, and so she began the second verse of her song:
'"_Peep! peep! chippeda dee!
The moon is for the mountains, the sun is for the sea!_"
'When she had got so far,' continued Beechnut, 'she suddenly stopped.
She saw me. The fact was, I was trying to move back a little farther, so
as to be out of sight, and I made a little rustling, which she heard.
The instant she saw me, she ran off the ice, and up her little path to
the opening in the oak, and in a moment disappeared. Presently, however,
I saw the fringe of moss moving again, and she began to peep out.
'"Beechnut," said she, "how came you here?"
'"Why, I was taking a walk," said I, "and I came along this path. Don't
you want me to be here?"
'"No," said she.
'"Oh, then I will go away," said I. "But how came you to know me?"
'"Oh, I know you very well," said she. "Your name is Beechnut."
'"And do you know Malleville?" said I.
'"Yes," said she. "I know her very well. I like Malleville very much. I
like her better than I do you."
'"Ah," said I; "I am sorry for that. Why do you like her better than you
do me?"
'"Because she is a girl," said Agnes.
'"That is a good reason," said I, "I confess. I like girls myself better
than I do boys. But how came you to know Malleville?"
'"Oh, I have seen her a great many times," said she, "peeping into her
windows by moonlight, when she was asleep."
'"Well," said I, "I will tell Malleville about you, and she will want to
come and see you."
'"No," said Agnes, "she must not come and see me; but she may write me a
letter."
'"But she is not old enough to write letters," said I.
'"Then," said she, "she must tell _you_ what to write, and you must
write it for her."'
Beechnut observed that, though Phonny and Malleville neither of them
spoke, they were both extremely interested, and somewhat excited by the
story, and that he was far from accomplishing the object which he had in
view at first in telling a story, namely, lulling Malleville to sleep.
He therefore said to Malleville that, though he had a great deal more to
tell her about Agnes, he thought it would be better not to tell her any
more then; but that he would sing Agnes's song to her, to the same tune
that Agnes herself sung it. He would sing it several times, he said, and
she might listen, laying her head upon his shoulder.
Malleville said that she should like very much to hear Beechnut sing
the song, but that after he had sung it, she hoped he would tell her a
_little_ more about Agnes that night. She liked to hear about her, she
said, very much indeed.
So Beechnut changed Malleville's position, placing her in such a manner
that her head reclined upon his shoulder.
'Shut your eyes now,' said he, 'and form in your mind a picture of the
little dell and fountain, with the frost-work beaming in the moonlight,
and Agnes dancing on the ice while I sing.'
Then Beechnut began to sing the first verse of the song to a very lively
and a pretty tune. He could not sing the second verse, he said, because
he had not heard it all. But the first verse he sung over and over
again.
'_Peep! peep! chippeda dee!
Playing in the moonlight, nobody to see;
The boys and girls have gone away.
They've had their playtime in the day,
And now the night is left for me.
Peep! peep! chippeda dee!_'
Malleville lay very still, listening to the song for about five minutes,
and then Beechnut found that she was fast asleep. He then rose very
gently, and carried her to her bed. He laid her in the bed, and Phonny,
who stood by, covered her with the clothes. He and Phonny then crept
softly out of the room.
II
A Sound Sleeper
About nine o'clock, Hepzibah, having finished her work for the day,
covered up the kitchen fire, and fastened the outer doors. Beechnut had
gone to bed, and so had Phonny. Hepzibah went into Phonny's room to see
if all was safe, and to get the light. She then went into Malleville's
room.
The room had a very pleasant aspect, although the fire had nearly gone
down. The lamp was burning on the stand at the foot of the bed where
Phonny had left it. Hepzibah advanced softly to the bedside. Malleville
was lying asleep there, with her cheek upon her hand.
'Poor child!' said Hepzibah to herself. 'She has gone to sleep. What a
pity that I have got to wake her up by-and-by, and give her some
medicine.'
Hepzibah then looked at a clock which stood upon the mantel-shelf, and
saw that it was a little past nine. It was an hour or more before it
would be time to give Malleville the drops. Hepzibah thought that if she
went to bed, she should fall asleep, and not wake up again until
morning, for she always slept very soundly. She determined, therefore,
that she would sit up until half-past ten, and then, after giving
Malleville the medicine, go to bed. She accordingly went and got her
knitting-work, intending to keep herself awake while she sat up by
knitting. When she came back into the room, she began to look for a
comfortable seat. She finally decided on taking the sofa.
Mary Bell, after using the sofa for Malleville while she was making the
bed, had put it back into its place by the side of the room. Hepzibah,
however, easily brought it forward again, for it trundled very smooth
and noiselessly upon its castors. Hepzibah brought the sofa up to the
fire, placing one end of it near to the stand, in order that she might
have the benefit of the lamp in case of dropping a stitch. She prepared
the medicine for Malleville by mixing it properly with water in a little
cup, and put it upon the stand, so that it should be all ready to be
administered when the time should come, and then sat down upon the sofa,
next to the sofa cushions, which were upon the end of the sofa, between
herself and the light.
Things went on very well for almost half an hour, but then Hepzibah,
being pretty tired in consequence of her long day's work, and of her
want of rest the night before, began to grow sleepy. Twice her
knitting-work dropped out of her hands. The dropping of the
knitting-work waked her the first and second time that it occurred. But
the third time it did not wake her. After falling half over and
recovering herself two or three times, she at length sank down upon the
cushions, with her head upon the uppermost of them, and there in a short
time she was fast asleep.
She remained in this condition for nearly two hours, Malleville in her
bed sleeping all the time quietly too. When Malleville went to sleep,
she did so resolving not to wake up for her medicine. She did not
resolve not to _take_ it, if any one else waked her up for it, but she
determined not to wake up for it of her own accord. Whether this had any
influence in prolonging her sleep it would be difficult to say. She did,
however, sleep very soundly, and without changing her position at all,
until a little after eleven o'clock, when she began to move her head and
her arms a little, and presently she opened her eyes.
She looked around the room and saw nobody. The light was burning, though
rather dimly, and the fire had nearly gone out. She sat up in the bed,
and after a few minutes' pause, she said in a gentle voice, as if
speaking to herself:
'I wish there was somebody here to give me a drink of water.' Then,
after waiting for a moment, she added, 'but I can just as well get down
and find it myself.'
So saying, she climbed down from the bed, and put on her shoes and
stockings, singing gently all the time, 'Peep! peep! chippeda dee!'
This was all of Agnes's song that she could remember.
She went toward the fire, wondering who had drawn out the sofa and what
for, and on passing round before it, her wonder was changed into
amazement at finding Hepzibah asleep upon it.
'Why,' she exclaimed, in a very low and gentle tone, just above a
whisper, 'here is Hepzibah. I suppose she is sitting up to watch with
me. How tired she is.'
She stood looking at Hepzibah a minute or two in silence, and then said,
speaking in the same tone and manner as before:
'She is not comfortable. I mean to put her feet upon the sofa.'
So saying, Malleville stooped down, and clasping Hepzibah's feet with
both her arms, she lifted them up as gently as she could, and put them
upon the sofa. Hepzibah's sound sleep was not at all disturbed by this.
In fact, her position being now much more easy than before, she sank
away soon into a slumber deeper and more profound than ever.
Malleville, finding that her first attempt to render Hepzibah a service
was so successful, immediately began to feel a strong interest in taking
care of her, and, observing that her feet were not very well covered as
she lay upon the sofa, she thought it would be a good plan to go and
find something to cover them up. So she went to a bureau which was
standing in the room, and began to open one drawer after another, in
search of a small blanket which was sometimes used for such a purpose.
She found the blanket at length in the lowermost drawer of the bureau.
'Ah! here it is,' said she. 'I knew it was somewhere in this bureau.'
Saying this, she took out the blanket, and carried it to the sofa, doing
everything in as noiseless a manner as possible. She spread the blanket
over Hepzibah's feet, tucking the edges under very gently and carefully
all around.
'Now,' said Malleville to herself, 'I will make up the fire a little, so
that she shall not catch cold.'
There were two sticks remaining of those which Beechnut had brought up,
and they were lying upon the carpet by the side of the fire, near the
rocking-chair in which Beechnut had rocked Malleville to sleep. The wood
which had been put upon the fire had burned entirely down, nothing being
left of them but a few brands in the corners. Malleville took up the two
sticks, one after another, and laid them upon the andirons, one for a
back-stick and the other for a fore-stick, as she had often seen Phonny
do. She then brought up a little cricket in front of the andirons, and
sitting down upon it there, she took the tongs and began to pick up the
brands and coals, and to put them into the interstice which was left
between the two sticks. She did all this in a very noiseless and gentle
manner, so as not to disturb Hepzibah; and she stopped very frequently
to look round and see if Hepzibah was still sleeping.
The air soon began to draw up through the coals which Malleville had
placed between the sticks of wood, and thus fanning them, it brightened
them into a glow. The brands began to smoke, and presently there
appeared in one part a small flickering flame.
'There!' said Malleville, in a tone of great satisfaction, 'it is
burning. Phonny said that I could not make a fire, but I knew that I
could.'
Malleville had been very careful all the time not to allow her
night-dress to get near the fire, and now, as the fire was beginning to
burn, she thought that she must move still further away. She accordingly
rose, and moved the cricket back. The fire burned more and more
brightly, and Malleville observed that the light of it was flashing upon
Hepzibah's face.
'I must make a screen for her,' said she, 'or the flashes will wake her
up.'
So she went to the bureau again, and brought forth a shawl, one which
she had often seen her aunt Henry use for this purpose. Then, putting a
chair between the sofa and the fire, she spread the shawl upon the back
of it, and found that it produced the effect of keeping the flashes of
light from Hepzibah's face entirely to her satisfaction.
Malleville then began to wonder whether it was not time for her to take
her medicine. She looked at the clock, to see if she could tell what
o'clock it was. She could not, of course, for she had never learned to
tell the time by the clock. Accordingly, after looking at the hands and
figures a few minutes in silence, and listening to the ticking, she
said:
'I cannot tell what o'clock it is, but it looks pretty late. I have a
great mind to take my medicine myself.'
She then turned to the table, where the lamp and the medicines were
standing. The cup was there in which Hepzibah had prepared Malleville's
medicine. Malleville took it up, looked at it, and stirred it a little
with the spoon.
'I wonder if this is my medicine,' said she. 'I have a great mind to
take it. But, then perhaps, it is not my medicine. Perhaps it is
poison.'
So she put the cup down upon the table again, glad, in fact, of a
plausible excuse for not taking the draught.
'I'll sit down in this rocking-chair,' he said, 'and wait till Hepzibah
wakes up. She will wake up pretty soon.'
So she went to the rocking-chair and sat down. She began to rock herself
to and fro, watching the little flames and the curling smoke that were
ascending from the fire. She remained thus for nearly a quarter of an
hour, and then she began to be a little tired.
'What a long night!' said she. 'I did not know that nights were so long.
I wish that Hepzibah would wake up. But I suppose she is very tired. I
mean to go and look out of the window, and see if the morning is not
coming. Beechnut said that we could always see it coming in the east, at
the end of the night.'
Malleville did not know which the east was, but she thought she would at
any rate go and look out of the window. She accordingly went to the
window, and pushing the curtains aside and opening the shutters, she
looked out. She saw the moon in the sky, and several stars, but there
were no appearances of morning.
There was a bronze ink-stand upon the table near the window, and some
pens upon it. The idea occurred to Malleville that perhaps she might
write a little while, to occupy the time till Hepzibah should wake up.
'If I only had some paper,' said she, 'I would write a letter to Agnes.'
Malleville carried the lamp now to the table by the window, and taking
great care to put it down in a place where it would not be at all in
danger of setting fire to the curtain, she took the pen and began her
writing. She worked patiently upon the task for half an hour. The letter
was then completed. Of course, it is impossible to give any idea in a
printed book of the appearance of the writing, but the letter itself, as
Malleville intended to express it, was as follows:
_Wednesday, midnight._
'DEAR AGNES,
'I like you because Beechnut says you like me. Please to answer this
letter.
'Your affectionate friend,
M.
Malleville only wrote M. instead of her whole name, Malleville, at the
bottom of her letter, because, just as she was finishing her work, the
lamp began to burn very dim. She was afraid that it was going out. So
she stopped with the M., saying to herself that Agnes would know who it
was from, and, besides, if she did not, Beechnut could tell her when he
gave it to her. She folded the note and slipped it into the envelope,
and then, hastily wetting a wafer, which she found in a small
compartment in the centre of the bronze ink-stand, she put it in its
place, and pressed down the flap of the envelope upon it. She then took
the lamp and went to find a pin to prick up the wick a little, to keep
it from going out.
She could not find any pin, and the lamp burned more and more dimly.
'I must go downstairs and find another lamp,' said Malleville, 'or else
Hepzibah will be left all in the dark.'
She turned and looked towards Hepzibah a moment as she said this, and
then added, 'Poor Hepzibah! How tired she must be to sleep so long.'
She then took the lamp and walked softly out of the room. The stairs
creaked a little as she descended, though she stepped as carefully as
she could. When she reached the kitchen door, she found it shut. She
opened it and went in.
The kitchen was pretty warm, as there had been a fire in it all the day,
although the fire was now all covered up in the ashes. The andirons were
standing one across the other upon the hearth, idle and useless.
Malleville looked about the room for a lamp, but she did not see any.
The kitchen was in perfect order, everything being put properly away in
its place.
'I will look into the closets,' said Malleville.
So she opened a closet door and looked in. There were various articles
on the shelves, but no lamps. She then shut this door, and opened
another closet door at the back of the room. Here Malleville found four
lamps standing in a row upon the second shelf. She was very much pleased
to see them. She took one of them down and carried it to the kitchen
table, and then lighted it by means of a lamp-lighter, which she
obtained from a lamp-lighter case hanging up by the side of the
fireplace. She then blew out her own lamp, and carrying it into the
closet, she put it up upon the shelf in the place of the one which she
had taken away.
On the lower shelf Malleville saw, much to her satisfaction, a plate of
bread with some butter by the side of it. There was a little pitcher
near, too, and Malleville, on looking into it, found that it was half
full of milk.
'I am very glad that I have found this,' said she, 'for now I can have
some supper. I wanted something, and I could not tell what. I know now.
I was hungry.'
She brought out the bread and butter and the milk to the kitchen table,
and then drawing up a chair, she began to eat her supper, feeling a most
excellent appetite.
She went on very prosperously for a time, having eaten two slices of
bread and drank nearly all the milk, when suddenly her attention was
arrested by a movement at the head of the kitchen stairs. These stairs
ascended from very near the door where Malleville had entered the
kitchen, and as Malleville had left the door open, the light from her
lamp shone out into the entry, and she could also, while in the kitchen,
hear any sound upon the stairs. The sound which attracted her attention
was like that of a person opening a door and coming out. Malleville
immediately stopped drinking from her pitcher and listened.
'Who is that down in the kitchen?' said a voice. Malleville immediately
recognised the voice as that of Beechnut.
'I,' said Malleville.
'I?' repeated Beechnut. 'Who do you mean? Is it Malleville.'
'Yes,' replied Malleville.
'Why, Malleville,' exclaimed Beechnut, in a tone of profound
astonishment, 'what are you doing in the kitchen?'
'I am eating some supper,' said Malleville.
'But, Malleville,' exclaimed Beechnut, 'you ought not to be down there
eating supper at this time of night. How came you to go down?'
'Oh, I came down,' replied Malleville, 'to get a lamp for Hepzibah.'
'For Hepzibah!' repeated Beechnut. 'Did she send you down there for a
lamp?'
'Oh, no,' said Malleville, 'I came myself.'
'Where is Hepzibah?' asked Beechnut.
'She is asleep,' said Malleville, 'and you must not speak so loud or you
will wake her up.'
Malleville could now hear Beechnut laughing most immoderately, though
evidently making great efforts to suppress the sound of his laughter.
Presently he regained his composure in a sufficient degree to speak, and
Malleville heard his voice again, calling:
'Malleville!'
'What?' said Malleville.
'Have you nearly finished your supper?' asked Beechnut.
'Yes,' replied Malleville. 'I have only got a little more milk to
drink.'
'Well,' said Beechnut, 'when you have drank your milk, you had better go
directly back to your room again, and get into bed and go to sleep.'
'And what shall I do with Hepzibah?' said Malleville.
'Where is Hepzibah?' asked Beechnut. 'Is she asleep in your room?'
'Yes,' replied Malleville.
'On the sofa?' asked Beechnut.
'Yes,' replied Malleville.
'Then leave her where she is,' replied Beechnut, 'and go to bed and go
to sleep. If you do not get to sleep in half an hour, ring your bell,
and I will dress myself, and come and see what to do.'
'Well,' said Malleville, 'I will.' So, taking her new lamp, she went
upstairs again to her room. Hepzibah was sleeping as soundly as ever.
Malleville, in obedience to Beechnut's directions, after putting her
lamp upon the stand, went directly to her bed and lay down. She shut her
eyes to try to go to sleep, thinking of Beechnut's injunction to ring
the bell if she did not get to sleep in half an hour, and wondering how
she was to determine when the half hour would be ended. Long, however,
before she had decided this perplexing question, she was fast asleep.
The next morning Hepzibah awoke at half-past five, which was her usual
time of rising. She started up, amazed to find that it was morning, and
that she had been asleep all night upon the sofa in Malleville's room.
Her amazement was increased at finding her feet enveloped in a blanket,
and a screen placed carefully between her face and the remains of the
fire. She went hastily to Malleville's bedside, and finding that the
little patient was there safe and well, she ran off to her own room,
hoping that Phonny and Beechnut would never hear the story of her
watching, and tell it to the men; for if they did, the men, she said to
herself, would tease her almost to death about it.
When the doctor came the next morning, and they told him about
Malleville's supper, he laughed very heartily, and said that food was
better for convalescents than physic after all, and that, though
patients often made very sad mistakes in taking their case into their
own hands, yet he must admit that it proved sometimes that they could
prescribe for themselves better than the doctor.
The Life and Adventures of Lady Anne
Chapter I
Of the first years of my life I have but a slight recollection, as I
suddenly lost my mother by death, and was placed under the care of
strangers soon after I had completed my fifth year. What passed before
that time is like the faint remembrance of a long past dream, but it
seemed to myself that I had lived among ladies and gentlemen--had been
used to ride in a carriage, to be waited on by servants, who called me
Lady Anne, and to be fondled by a lady and gentleman, who called me
Annie, and their little darling, and whom I called father and mother.
These pleasing visions seemed suddenly to pass away. I no longer saw my
father, nor the ladies and gentlemen; we were no longer living in a
large house; our servants were gone, and mother was almost always in
tears. Then, all of a sudden, we were riding alone in a post-chaise;
night came on, and we stopped at a house. There mother was very ill, and
laid in bed, and did not speak to me for several days, and a great many
people came and talked to her, but she did not answer any of them. At
last I thought she was asleep, for her eyes were shut, and her hands
were quite cold; then I wanted to get upon the bed that I might sit
beside her, but the strange people that were there carried me out of the
room, and teazed me with questions that I did not understand, or, if I
had understood them, could not have answered for crying. After this two
men came and put my mother into a large black box, and took her away.
These are painful remembrances, so sad and so painful that, at this
distance of time, I cannot think of them without weeping.
What passed immediately after this I cannot remember, for I have been
told that I had a violent fever, and was ill for a long time. Of all
these things I have but a confused remembrance, yet I do remember them;
but the time from which I can clearly recollect is from when I was about
six years old, and from that period I remember every material
circumstance of my life as clearly as if I had written them all down as
they happened. I will now continue my narrative at the time from which I
can correctly remember. I then found myself living in a large cottage
with nearly twenty other children. We were under the care of an elderly
woman, whom we called nurse. This house, I was told, when I was old
enough to understand the meaning of the expression, was the place where
the infant paupers, or poor children of the parish, were kept. Of our
treatment there I have no cause to complain. We were well washed every
morning, and our clothes were kept clean and tidy; our food was coarse
and rather scanty, so that we always had a good appetite, yet we had
sufficient to keep us in a good state of health, and the farmers' wives
and cottage people who lived near would often give us pieces of bread
and a little milk, so that, as I said before, we had no cause for
complaint. Our nurse taught us reading and sewing, and, as she was
rather a good-natured woman, she would frequently converse with us, if
the prattle of children can be called conversation, and answer our
little questions.
I must here make a digression to inform my young readers that, though I
was a poor child, a mere pauper among a number of others who were not
any poorer than myself, yet I was always treated with a great deal of
respect both by the nurse and the other children. I was always called
Lady Anne, and in all our little plays my companions would choose me to
be a lady or their queen. Then I would, in a language which seemed
natural to me, order the carriage for an airing, or propose a saunter in
the park, or perhaps say we would go to the opera in the evening. The
girls whom I admitted to the honour of visiting me I would address as
ladies, and tell some of the others to come and say that 'Her ladyship's
carriage was waiting,' or that 'Lady Sally's carriage stopped the way.'
It was on one of these occasions that my nurse said to me:
'Ah, Lady Anne, it is a thousand pities that you are not among the lords
and ladies you are so often talking about. It was an unlucky chance that
brought you here, for, poor child, with us you are like a fish out of
water.'
'What was it that brought me here?' said I. 'How did I come?'
'It is a long story to tell you,' replied she, 'but, as it is about
yourself, you will not be tired of hearing it; so come, children, get
your knitting and sit down, and you shall hear how Lady Anne came to
live among us.'
In a few minutes we all had our knitting, and seated ourselves so as to
form a semi- or half-circle round the good woman. Curiosity and
expectation were painted in every countenance, myself the most curious
and anxious of the whole group, for I often, in my own mind, wondered
how it was that I no longer saw the gentlemen and ladies who it seemed
to myself I had been in the habit of seeing, and where my father could
be gone to, and why everything about me was so different to what it had
once been. Our nurse having examined our work, and directed us how to go
on with it, began her little narrative in the following manner:
'It will be two years on the twelfth of next November since one cold,
wet evening, about eight o'clock, a lady, with a little girl that seemed
about five years old, stopped at the Falcon Inn at E----. That lady was
your mother, and that little girl was you, Lady Anne. Well, the chaise
stopped, and your mother got out, and desired to be shown to a bedroom,
and ordered tea, and tired and ill the landlady said she looked, but she
did not know how very ill she really was. Well, after tea she put you to
bed, and prepared to go herself, and she told the chambermaid to call
her next morning at eight o'clock, for that, after breakfast, she
intended to continue her journey. She ordered breakfast too, but, poor
lady, when the morning came she was in a high fever.
'The good woman of the inn was terribly frightened, as you may suppose,
at having a strange lady ill in her house, and not knowing whom she
belonged to, nor whether she had money to pay her expenses, so she went
to Mr. Sanders, our clergyman, to advise with him what was to be done.
Then he went to the inn, and looked at your mother, and examined a
little trunk, which was all the luggage she had. It contained just a
change of linen for herself and you, and rather more than forty pounds
in bank-notes and money, but no letters, nor any writing to tell who
she was. The linen, both yours and your mother's, was marked A. M., and
the trunk had the same letters in brass nails.
'Then the clergyman asked you your name; you said it was Lady Anne. Then
he asked you your father's and mother's, and you said it was my lord and
my lady, and that was all the answer he could get from you, for you did
not know anything about a surname, and I must say I think it is a very
foolish thing not to teach children their names and proper directions,
for if you could have told yours, your friends would have been wrote to,
and you would now have been with them, instead of being a poor little
beggar in a workhouse; but I suppose, as your parents kept their
carriage, they did not think there was any occasion that you should know
your name and your direction; so much the worse for you.
'But to go on with my story. When Mr. Sanders asked your age, you said
you were five years old, and that was all he could learn from you. Well,
your mother was very ill, and did not know anything they asked her; she
did not even know you, though you sat on the bed, by her, and did all
you could to make her notice you, but it was all of no use, your poor
mother could not notice anything. Then a doctor was sent for, and as
soon as he came he said that the lady would die, but that he would do
all in his power to save her, and so, I believe, he did, but it was all
in vain, for on the third evening your mother died. The parish buried
her very decently, for Mr. Sanders said that, as she had left money, she
should not be buried like a pauper, and he would have taken you home and
brought you up, but Madam Sanders said they had a large family of their
own, and could not be burdened with other people's children, so you were
sent to me, and I took all the care of you I could, for you had a bad
fever, and were ill for a long time, and used to talk about lords and
ladies, and would often say, if the earl would but forgive your father
and mother you should all be very happy. When you grew better I asked
you what earl you had been talking about, but you neither knew his name,
nor what had been done to offend him.
[Illustration: _The arrival at the inn.--Page 323._]
'Mr. Sanders drew up an advertisement that was put into several
newspapers, describing your mother and you, and telling of her coming to
E----, and of her death, and begging her friends to come and take away
the child, or it must otherwise be sent to the parish poor-house; but
nobody ever sent or came, and the churchwardens would not allow any more
money to be spent upon advertisements, for they said they must keep what
was left to pay them for their care of you, as you were left upon their
hands, and many people said they thought that you and your mother were
only sham ladies, and that there was some trick in it, but, for my part,
I always said that you and your mother were real ladies, and so thinks
Mr. Sanders, for he says he does not know what trick there could be in a
lady being taken ill and dying. He says he hopes to see the day when you
will be restored to your friends, and he keeps the little trunk that
your mother had, and the picture of a gentleman that she wore hung from
her neck, and two rings; one, I suppose, was her wedding ring, the other
is a very handsome one, and has hair in it and letters, and a great many
little pearls, and the clergyman says it is worth a great deal of money,
and that no sham lady could have such a handsome ring, and, besides all
that, he keeps the clothes that you and your mother wore, that in case
you should ever meet with your relations all these things may prove you
are the same child that was lost, and not an impostor.'