Bob
When the boys had watched their aunt and Rosamond drive away, Justin
turned to Archie.
'Come along,' he said, 'I want to go and ask Griffith about the ferrets.
I wonder if Tom Brick has brought them.'
The two walked off together, but they had not gone far before they were
overtaken by Pat, who came running after them.
'What do _you_ want?' said Justin, not too amiably. 'I didn't ask you to
come.'
'You're not my----' began Pat, but checked himself. 'Why shouldn't I
come?' he went on in a pleasanter tone. 'I should like to see the
ferrets too.'
'Yes,' put in Archie, 'why shouldn't he, Justin, if he wants to?'
'I suppose you've finished your story,' said Justin gruffly, 'and then
when you've nothing better to do you condescend to give _us_ your
company. But I warn you, if you come with us, I won't have any sneaking
or tell-taleing about anything we do.'
Pat opened his eyes--they were large dark eyes with a rather sad
expression, quite unlike any of his brothers'--with a look of great
surprise.
'What on earth could there be for me to tell-tale about,' he said, 'in
just going to look at Tom Brick's ferrets? And what's more,' he added,
with some indignation in his voice, 'it'll be time enough for you to
speak to me like that when you do find me tell-taleing.'
'Yes,' chimed in peace-loving Archie, who was struck by Pat's unusual
gentleness, 'I think so too, Jus. You're rather difficult to please, for
you're always going on at Pat for not joining in with us, and when he
does come you slang him for that.'
Apparently Justin found self-defence rather difficult in the present
case, for he only muttered something to the effect that Pat might come
if he chose--it was all one to him.
But Pat already felt rewarded for what he had tried to do by Archie's
taking his part. For though Archie was a most thoroughly good-natured
boy, he had come to be so entirely under Justin's influence that his
acting upon his own feelings could scarcely be counted upon. And he
himself was a little puzzled by what Justin had said. There could not be
anything to sneak or tale-tell about if old Griffith had to do with it--
Griffith had been with their father long before they were born, and Mr.
Hervey trusted him completely.
Justin led the way to the stable-yard, which was at some little distance
from the house. There was no one to be seen there, though the boys
called and whistled.
'Griffith may be in the paddock,' said Archie, 'looking after mamma's
pony,' for Mrs. Hervey's pony had not been driven lately, having got
slightly lame.
The paddock was some way farther off, but as the boys ran along the
little lane leading to it, they heard voices in its direction which
showed that Archie's guess was correct, and soon they saw a little group
of men and boys, old Griffith in the middle of them.
Justin ran up to them eagerly.
'I say,' he began, in his usual rather masterful tone, 'has Tom----' and
then he stopped, for Tom Brick, a labourer on a neighbouring farm, was
there to answer for himself. 'Have you brought the ferrets?' the boy
went on, turning to him. 'I suppose it's too late to do anything with
them this afternoon?'
Tom Brick touched his cap, looking rather sheepish.
'I've not brought 'em, sir,' he replied; 'fact is, I've not got 'em to
bring. I just stepped over to tell Master Griffith here as I've sold
'em--for a good price too; so I hope you'll ex--cuse it. I didn't want
to keep 'em, as they're nasty things to have about a little place like
mine with the children and the fowls, and my missus as can't abide 'em.'
'I certainly think you should have kept your promise to us before you
parted with them,' said Justin, in his lordly way. 'I think it's a great
shame. What's to be done now, Griffith?' he went on, to the coachman.
'The place will be overrun with rats.'
But Griffith was just then absorbed by the pony, for the third man in
the group was the 'vet' from the nearest town, who had come over to
examine its leg again, and, before replying to Justin, he turned to the
stable-boy, bidding him fetch something or other from the house which
the horse-doctor had asked for.
'Griffith!' repeated Justin impatiently, 'don't you hear what I say?'
Griffith looked up, his face had a worried expression.
'Is it about these ferrets?' he said. 'I can't be troubled about them
just now, Master Justin. It's this here pony needs attending to. We'll
get rid of the rats, no fear, somehow or other.'
Justin was too proud to begin any discussion with the coachman before
the 'vet,' who was an important person in his way. So he walked off,
looking rather black, followed by his brothers, Pat, to tell the truth,
by no means sorry at the turn that things had taken.
'Griffith is getting too cheeky by half,' said Justin at last, in a
sullen tone.
'He's in a fuss about mamma's pony, I suppose,' said Archie. 'But it is
rather too bad of that Tom Brick, only----'
'What?' said Justin. 'Why don't you finish what you've got to say?'
'It's only that I don't know if papa and mamma care much about our
ferreting; at least mamma doesn't, I know,' said Archie. 'I've heard her
say it's cruel and ugly.'
'All women think like that,' said Justin; 'my goodness, if you listen to
them you'd have a pretty dull time of it. I don't see anything cruel
about it when they're just muzzled, and as for killing the rats!--they
_have_ to be killed.'
'All the same,' said Pat, 'it must be rather horrid to see.'
'It's no horrider than heaps of other things that are awfully jolly
too,' said Justin. 'I suppose when you're a man you won't hunt, Pat, for
fear you should be in at the death.'
'Hunting's different,' said Pat. 'There's all the jolliness of the
riding. And shooting's different. There's the cleverness of aiming well,
and papa says that when a bird's killed straight off, it's the easiest
death it could have.'
'It's bad shots that make them suffer most,' said Archie. 'But I say,
Jus, where are you going to. It must be nearly six. Have you finished
your lessons?'
'Mind your own business,' said Justin, 'I'm not going in just yet, to be
mewed up with Miss Ward in the schoolroom. I want a run across the moor
first.'
To this neither of his brothers made any objection. There was one point
in common among all the Hervey boys, and that was love, enthusiastic
love, of their moor--its great stretch, its delicious, breezy air, the
thousand and one interests they found in it, from its ever-changing
colouring, its curious varieties of moss, and heather, and strange
little creeping plants, to be found nowhere else, to the dark, silent
pools on its borders, with their quaint frequenters; everything in and
about and above the moor--for where were such sunsets, or marvellous
cloud visions to be seen as here?--had a charm and fascination never
equalled to them in later life by other scenes, however striking and
beautiful.
Pat felt all this the most deeply perhaps, but all the others too, even
careless Archie, and Justin, rough schoolboy though he was, loved the
moor as a sailor loves the sea.
This evening the sunset had been very beautiful, and the colours were
still lingering about the horizon as the boys ran along one of the
little white paths towards the west.
'It's a pity Miss Mouse can't see it just now,' said Archie suddenly.
'She's a jolly little girl. I liked her for liking the moor. The next
time she comes we can take her a good way across it, as far as Bob
Crag's; she'd like to see the queer cottage.'
'I bet you she'd be frightened of old Nance,' said Justin, with some
contempt, 'she'd think her a witch; girls are always so fanciful.'
'_You_ can't know much about girls,' said Pat. 'I'm sure Miss Mouse
isn't silly. If she did think Nance a witch she'd like her all the
better. You heard what she said about fairy stories.'
'Fairy rubbish,' said Justin. 'I believe you were meant to be a girl
yourself, Pat.'
Pat reddened, but, wonderful to say, did not lose his temper, and before
Justin had time to aggravate him still more, there came an interruption
in the shape of a boy who suddenly appeared a few paces off, as if he
had sprung up out of the earth. He had, in fact, been lying at full
length among the heather.
'Master Justin!' he exclaimed. 'I heard you coming along and I've been
waiting for you. I were going home from Maxter's,' and he nodded his
head backwards, as if to point out the direction whence he had come.
'Well,' said Justin, 'and what about it?'
'I axed about them there ferrets as I was telling you about t'other
day,' said the boy.
Justin threw a doubtful glance over his shoulder at his brothers. Bob,
for Bob Crag it was, caught it at once.
'It was just when we was talking about what they cost,' he said
carelessly, 'I thought maybe you'd like to know.'
'Tom Brick has sold his, did you know that?' said Pat, by way of showing
interest in the subject.
'He's been talkin' about it for a long time,' said Bob. 'But _his_
weren't up to much. Those I've been told about are--why, just
tip-toppers!' and out of his black eyes flashed a quick dart to Justin.
He was a striking-looking boy, with the unmistakable signs of gipsyhood
about him, sunburnt and freckled, as if his whole life had been spent
out of doors, which indeed it mostly had. His features were good, his
eyes especially fine, though with an expression which at times
approached cunning. His teeth, white as ivory, gleamed out when he
smiled, and in his smile there was something very charming. It was
curiously sweet for such a rough boy, and with a touch of sadness about
it, as is often to be seen in those of his strange race. He was strong
and active and graceful, like a beautiful wild creature of the woods.
Nevertheless it was not to be wondered at, that, in spite of his
devotion to the boys, to Justin especially, Mr. Hervey had often warned
his sons against making too much of a companion of old Nance's grandson,
for hitherto no one had succeeded in taming him--clergyman,
schoolmaster, kind-hearted ladies of the country-side had all tried
their hands at it and failed. Bob was now thirteen, and did not even
know his letters! Yet in his own line he was extremely clever, too
clever by half in the opinion of many of his neighbours, though not
improbably it was a case of giving a dog a much worse name than he
deserved. Never was a piece of mischief discovered, which a boy could
have been the author of--from bird's nesting to orchard robbing--without
gipsy Bob, as he was called, getting the credit of it. And this sort of
thing was very bad for him. He knew he was not trusted and that he was
looked upon askance, and he gradually came to think that he might as
well act up to the character he by no means altogether deserved, and his
love of mischief, innocent enough as long as it was greatly mingled with
fun, came to have a touch of spite in it, which had not been in Bob's
nature to begin with.
There were two things that saved him from growing worse. One was his
intense, though half-unconscious, love of nature and all living things,
with which he seemed to have a kind of sympathy, and to feel a
tenderness for, such as are not often to be found in a boy like him. The
second was his grateful devotion to the Hervey family, which his strange
old grandmother, or great-grandmother, maybe, had done her utmost to
foster.
'Where are they to be seen?' said Justin, in a would-be off-hand tone.
'It would do no harm to have a look at them.'
'In course not,' said Bob eagerly. 'It's a good bit off--the place where
they are--but I know what I could do-- I could fetch 'em up to our place
to-morrow or next day, and you could see them there.'
Justin glanced at his brothers, at Pat especially, but, rather to his
surprise, Pat's face expressed no disapproval, but, on the contrary, a
good deal of interest. It was from Archie that the objection came.
'I don't see the good of Bob getting them, as we can't buy them,' he
said.
'How do you know we can't buy them?' asked Justin sharply.
'They cost a lot,' Archie replied, 'and, besides, I'm sure papa and
mamma wouldn't like us to have them. Mamma can't bear them, as you
know.'
'She need never see them,' said Justin, whose spirit of contradiction
was aroused by Archie's unusual opposition, 'and as for what they
cost--how much _do_ they cost, Bob?'
'I couldn't say just exactly,' said Bob, 'but I can easy find out, and
I'd do my best to make a good bargain for you. Five to ten shillin' a
couple, any price between those they might be,' he went on, 'and if you
really fancied them--why, I daresay granny'd let me keep them for you,
and when there come a holiday I could fetch 'em to wherever you like.'
'There's the old out-houses that papa thought of pulling down,' said
Justin. 'They're a nest of rats, I know, and we might be there a whole
afternoon without any one finding out, or we might use them for
rabbiting sometimes.'
Bob's face grew rather serious.
'That's not as good fun,' he said quickly. To tell the truth he had a
very soft corner in his heart for the poor little bunnies, with their
turned-up, tufty white tails, scampering about in their innocent
happiness. 'Rats is best, and a good riddance.'
'Five to ten shillings a couple,' repeated Justin. 'I have only got
two, if that. What are you good for, Archie?'
'Precious little,' the younger boy replied. 'And I don't know that I
care about----'
'You are a muff,' said Justin crossly, 'a muff and a turncoat. You were
hotter upon ferreting than I was.'
'I'd be hot upon it still,' said Archie, 'if we could do it properly,
with Griffith at home. But I don't think it worth spending all our money
upon when very likely we wouldn't be allowed to keep them.'
'We could keep them at Bob's place,' said Justin. 'But as we haven't got
the money there's no more to be said, I suppose.'
'_I've_ got some money,' said Pat. 'Why don't you ask me to join,
Justin?'
'_You!_' said Justin, in a tone of mingled contempt and surprise. 'When
do you ever spend money on sensible things?-- Would they want to be paid
the whole at once, do you think, Bob?' he went on, turning to him.
'I shouldn't think so,' the boy replied, 'anyway I could see about
that.'
'How much have you got, Pat?' Justin now condescended to ask. Pat
considered.
'Three shillings, or about that,' he answered.
'Three and two, and something to make up another shilling with
Archie's,' said Justin. 'Well we shouldn't be far short. I think you may
as well fetch them, Bob, and let us know. You can look out for us on our
way home to-morrow afternoon.'
They had not been standing still all this time. The ground was a little
clearer where they had met, and they had been able to stroll on abreast,
though scarcely noticing they were moving. And now they were but a short
way from Bob's home.
He was always eager to show such hospitality as was in his power to 'his
young gentlemen,' as he called them, and he knew that few things pleased
his granny more than to have a word with them.
'I'll show you the corner where I could put up a box for the ferrets, if
you'll step our way,' he said, and in a minute or two the four boys had
reached the cottage, if cottage such a queer erection could be called.
Justin and his brothers knew it well by sight, but they had very seldom
gone inside, and, to Pat especially, there was a good deal of
fascination about the Crags' dwelling-place. He was not sorry, as they
came near to it, to see old Nance herself standing in the doorway, a
smile of welcome lighting up her brown wrinkled face, and showing off
her still strong even white teeth and bright black eyes.