PAT AND PETS
Aunt Mattie smiled again to herself at Justin's last words. She felt
very much inclined to say that in _her_ opinion the two youngest boys
were much less likely to get into mischief if left by themselves than
under the elders' care. But just now, for Rosamond's sake, she thought
it better to say nothing which would lead to any more discussions. So
after a moment's thought she turned again to Justin.
'I will stay here with the little ones,' she said, 'if you take Rosamond
out to see your pets----'
'Oh!' interrupted Miss Mouse. 'It's _pets_ you mean! I didn't think of
pets when you said "animals."'
"Pets" is a girl's word, you see,' said Justin loftily, for he was
already quite getting over his aunt's snub.
'Now, Justin,' said Aunt Mattie quietly, 'I haven't finished. If you
take Rosamond out, she is under your charge, you understand? You mustn't
let the dogs jump on her, or let her be teased or frightened in any
way.'
'All right,' said Justin. 'Come along, Miss Mouse.'
Rosamond got up and half timidly took the hand which the boy held out to
her.
'I'm coming too,' said Archie, at which the little girl's face
brightened up.
'Don't till----' began Justin, stopping short, however, when he caught
his aunt's eye, for Aunt Mattie's control over the boys was no new
thing.
'Yes,' she said. 'Archie may go too, certainly, and remember, both of
you, that you are on your honour to have no squabbling or fighting of
any kind while Rosamond is with you.'
The trio set off. Rosamond between the boys, holding a hand of each.
Aunt Mattie smiling and nodding encouragingly, for there was still a
half-frightened look on the little face.
'It is best,' thought she, 'to test them, for they are not bad boys at
heart, and she is far from childish for her age. But if they are really
too rough, our plan must be given up. I am very much afraid that Miss
Ward is not a success. Patrick,' she said aloud, 'I didn't want to keep
on finding fault this first time of Rosamond's seeing you all, but I
must say to you, now that we are alone, that I am surprised at your not
knowing that it is not polite to go on reading in a corner when any one
comes to see you. It is not polite even to _me_.'
'I didn't know you'd come to see _me_,' said Pat gruffly, 'and I don't
like girls.'
'I really don't care whether you like them or not,' said his aunt,
getting rather angry in spite of herself, 'and that is not the question.
The point is that you should and must behave like a gentleman to any
visitors in your father's house, and I shall certainly insist on your
doing so to any _I_ bring here.'
Pat did not reply. He had left off reading, but he sat still, with the
book open on his knees and a far from amiable look on his face.
Aunt Mattie felt troubled. Of all the boys, Pat, she well knew, was the
most difficult to understand, but during the years that her home had
been with her sister, Mrs. Hervey, she had come to be like a second
mother to the children, and Pat, every one said, was more manageable by
'Miss Mattie' than by any one else. And now he was as sulky and
disagreeable to her as ever he had been to old nurse, whom he was
always fighting with, or to any one.
'Pat,' she said suddenly, 'come over here. Hec, you and Ger can go back
to your own corner,' for there was one specially counted 'the kids','
where the old toy cupboard stood, and where the elder ones were not
allowed to interfere with them, on the principle that an Englishman's
house is his castle, I suppose.
'Us diddun want to play with Jus and Pat,' said Ger, 'but they made us
be "'orses."'
'Never mind,' said Hector, 'Aunt Mattie won't let us be teased any more.
We was tidyin' the cupboard,' he went on; 'it wanted tidyin' awful bad.'
Hec was that very uncommon thing, a neat little boy.
So Mrs. Mattie and her nephew were as good as alone.
'Pat,' she began again, 'why are you so surly to me?'
Pat got red and mumbled something about 'not meaning.'
'But you must mean the words you say,' said his aunt. 'It wasn't kind or
nice to tell me you hated--or "didn't like"--girls, when I had brought
my little niece to make friends with you all.'
Pat stood silent, but his face had softened a little.
'She'd not make friends with me,' he said,' nobody does. She can make
friends with Jus and Archie. Besides, what does it matter--she's not
going to live here.'
'No, not exactly. But we have been thinking of planning for her to come
here every day to have lessons with Miss Ward. And of course it would be
nice for her to be friends with you all if she was so much here. On
half-holidays, for instance, Justin and you could sometimes let her be
with you and take part in your pleasures. There are lots of things that
a little girl can join in, and she is a very sensible little girl as
well as a sweet one.'
Pat shuffled about, first on one foot, then on the other. He did not
want to vex his aunt, and he was rather pleased by her talking to him in
this way, but he did not care to make friends with Miss Mouse, and he
wanted to get back to his book.
'I'm not going to hurt her,' he said. 'I don't want to be rude to her,
but it's no good humbugging. I don't like girls and I don't think I like
anybody--not much. She'll be all right with Jus and Archie. Why don't
you tell them to be nice to her?'
'Because,' said Aunt Mattie slowly, 'I want you all to be nice to her,
and in some ways I had thought you would suit her the best, Pat. You are
quieter than Jus and Archie, and little Rosamond has not been used to
boys, or indeed to playfellows at all. And she is fond of reading, like
you.'
'I'm always being scolded for reading,' grumbled Pat. 'It's often that
that Jus and I fight about, and then mamma takes for granted it's all my
fault, and they call me surly and ill-natured and all that. And it's
like that at school too--only----'
'Only what?' asked his aunt, delighted to get him to speak out to her in
the old way.
'I-- I didn't mind so much when--when _you_ were here and I could tell
you things,' said Pat. 'I've nobody now--nobody who cares. O auntie, I
do so wish you hadn't gone and got married.'
Aunt Mattie's face had grown very kind and gentle. She had sometimes
fancied that, little though he said about it, Pat really did care for
her.
'I'm not so far away after all,' she said, 'and I'm sure you know that
I'm always ready to talk to you, or to help you in any way I can.'
'Oh, but it's different,' said Pat. 'It's not like living in the house,
and taking my part a little, and explaining to them--oh! it's quite
different, and then--there's Uncle Ted----'
A little smile crept into Mattie's eyes at this; she had suspected more
than once that Pat was rather jealous of his new uncle.
'Of course,' she said, 'I know it can't be quite the same, but it might
be a good deal worse; I might have had to go to India, like Rosamond's
father and mother. And if you knew Uncle Ted better, you would find him
awfully kind and understanding about boys.'
Pat grunted.
'He likes the others, I know,' he said gloomily.
His aunt's face grew graver again. This touch of jealousy in Pat made
her anxious about him.
'It is such a pity,' she said, 'that you get these ideas into your
head--of people not liking you or liking the others better, and
uncomfortable fancies of that kind.'
'They are _not_ fancies,' said Pat; 'they are true.'
'Well, if they are true, make them not true,' was the reply. 'Try to be
a little brighter and pleasanter to other people, especially to your own
people, and see if that doesn't make a difference. Just _try_, for my
sake, and as far as Rosamond is concerned I am sure you won't find the
trying difficult.'
Pat did not speak. He stood there looking before him gravely. But the
hard gloomy expression had gone, and after a while he said quietly,
'I _will_ try, but, auntie-- I'm not made right, somehow-- I don't care
for their animals and things like that, and I don't care much for games,
and I _hate_ ferreting!'
'You care for dogs,' said his aunt.
'Some,' he replied. 'I like clever, affectionate dogs. I don't care for
those that think about nothing except hunting and chasing cats and
making a row. I like a dog like your Flip, that sits beside you and
understands when you want to be quiet.'
'Flip _is_ a dear,' Aunt Mattie agreed. 'But, O Hec! what are you
doing?' for at that moment a pile of toys came clattering down within an
ace of Ger's head, from the top shelf of the cupboard, whereupon Ger set
up a scream, though he was not the least hurt, and the toys, being
principally wooden bricks, were not hurt either.
Still peace was destroyed between the two little boys, and their aunt
proposed that they should get their hats and go out with her and Pat to
meet the others.
These 'others,' in the meantime, had been enjoying themselves more or
less--very much as regarded the boys, Justin especially, for there was
nothing he liked better than showing off his animals, and Archie's
pleasure was only damped by his noticing signs of fear every now and
then on Rosamond's part. She did her best to hide them, poor little
girl, and to trust Justin's loud assurances that the growls of the
puppies' mother were only meant for 'how do you do? so pleased to see
you. Aren't the little people looking well?' or civil speeches of that
kind, translated into dog-language, though these assurances were not
quite in keeping with the quick way in which he pulled back her hand
when she timidly stooped down to stroke one of the black-and-tan babies.
'I'll pick it up for you,' he said, and so he did, taking care first to
shut the stable door on the anxious mother.
'It _is_ a nice soft little thing,' said Miss Mouse, when she had got it
safe in her arms, 'but--oh it's going to bite me,' and but for fear of
hurting it, she would have got rid of master puppy in double-quick
time.
'He won't really hurt you--it's only little snaps that do no harm,' said
Archie; 'but I'll put him back again, and then p'raps we'd better show
her the rabbits and the pigeons--_they're_ not frightening.'
'No,' agreed Rosamond,' I'd like to see them very much.'
'And,' said Justin, forgetting his promise to his aunt, 'the ferrets--
Tom Brick has got his ferrets here to-day, you know, Archie. They are
going to have a good rat hunt to-morrow morning.'
'Ferrets,' said Rosamond innocently, 'what are they? I never heard of
them. Are they nice and tame and pretty?'
'Oh lovely,' said Justin, beginning to laugh. 'They're the hideousest
things there are. And if you get one up your sleeve--ugh--it does feel
horrid. All the same they're splendid chaps for rats. I'd give anything
to have a pair of my own, I can tell you.'
'I don't want to see them, thank you,' said the little girl. 'Do they
eat rats? I don't like pets that eat each other.'
Justin laughed more loudly.
'Eat each other,' he repeated. 'Rats and ferrets don't eat each other.
Besides, ferrets aren't like foxes--they're not fierce; they're jolly
little beggars. I only wish I had a couple.'
'Oh, I say, Justin,' exclaimed Archie, 'I wouldn't call them not fierce.
Why does Bob Crag muzzle his when he's going to catch rabbits with
them?'
'Because they would eat rabbits if they were hungry. Rabbits would be
nicer to eat than rats, I should think, though I daresay they'd eat rats
too if they were ravenous--and they have to be ravenous when they're
used for ratting, to make them eager, for when they've had lots to eat
they are sad lazy little beggars.'
'That's like snakes,' said Rosamond, with a small shudder. 'I'm sure I
shouldn't like ferrets, Justin. Don't let's talk about them any more.
Who is Bob Crag?'
'Oh, he's a boy,' said Justin, with some slight hesitation. 'He lives
out on the moor with his grandmother.'
'You can see their cottage,' said Archie, 'from the top of the mound
behind the paddock, such a queer, wild sort of place; we pass it on our
way to the vicarage, when it's a fine day.'
'I'd like to see the moor,' said Rosamond, her eyes brightening.
'Come along then,' said Justin, 'it won't take us two minutes to run up
the mound,' and off they set.