They Arrive--Unexpectedly.
There was a joyous ring in my dear mother's voice as she called out
of the window for father to carry me upstairs; and I noticed that
they both looked at each other with a satisfied nod as I was
deposited on a long Rattan chair, which, with the exception of a
great oak chest, was the only piece of furniture in the den.
It was a glorious day in July. The tower room was almost walled with
glass on three sides, and looking out I saw such a view as I had
never imagined could be seen from our own house. In front of me I
could gaze across the field to the back-water of the river which made
our farm into an island at high tide; beyond that, again, lay a
narrow neck of land, then the main stream, which, running to the
left, widened and widened till it entered into the sea. Across the
river were some few houses of a small seaside town, and beyond those
houses I knew was the sea; the open sea on which I had never been but
once. I knew that summer after summer yachts sailed from the pier at
Craigstown round the Eagle Point, and up the river to the old
watermill, or from the mill to the pier. Sometimes I would watch the
tops of the sails from my bedroom window; but I could see little
more, and never wished to be in the vessels. Here in the tower room
I could see the whole course of the river when mother dragged my
chair to the different windows, and I exclaimed, "Oh! I am glad I
came, mother: doesn't the water look lovely?"
"Yes, darling, it is a very high tide to-day. If you look down there
to the right of that large tree you will see that our road to
Craigstown is quite covered up. They may well call this Island Farm;
you would have to swim across the little stream whichever way you
wanted to go now. Now, Edric, you can help me; tell me what I shall
put in this room to make it nice for your cousins. Remember, their
parents are thousands of miles away, and we must try to make them
happy. Fancy how you would feel if you were in Australia without me."
I didn't fancy it at all; but I know what mother meant, and suggested
that first one thing and then another should be brought upstairs.
There was my tool chest--of course I should never use it; it was such
a funny thing for father to give me. I did not realize that he had
bought it hoping to rouse me to try to use some of the tools. There
was a box of lovely stone bricks. I could play with them, and used
to enjoy making designs out of my own head, which pleased my parents
and made them prophesy that I should be an architect some day. There
were paint boxes and puzzles. There was even a fishing rod and a
landing net; I almost laughed when mother brought them up from a
cupboard in my room.
"It seems a pity that father should buy me such things, doesn't it,
mother?" I said, and then I felt sorry. Mother came across the room
to me, and said softly, "You see, dear, the London doctor said he
quite hoped that you would be able to get about like other children
some day, though you would always have a little twist in your back,
which would prevent you being as straight and strong as they are.
Your father loves you so, that he cannot bear to think you ore
different from others; and so he keeps giving you things just as if
you were well and strong, hoping that some day you will be able to
use them. Now where shall I put this flag?"
You would not believe what a change mother made in the room. By
dinner time it looked quite pretty; and I was actually so hungry that
I was glad when the dinner bell sounded, and father came up the
creaky stairs two at a time to carry me down.
"I think the change of rooms has done you good, laddie," he said, as
he took me in his arms. "You had better have that Rattan chair
moved, Mary," he added to my mother; "there won't be much of it left
by September if you don't."
"Oh, don't move it, please, father," I said. "It will do so nicely
for me to lie in when I go there."
"So it's going to be your den as well as theirs, is it, young man?
And, pray, what do you think we shall feel like when we come into
this room and see your empty sofa?"
Glancing at father, to see how much he meant, I fancied that there
was a merry twinkle in his eye. At all events, I am certain that we
had a brighter dinner than we generally had, and I remember
particularly that I asked for a second helping of meat.
"What shall I bring you from Colchester?" said father, after dinner.
"I am going to try the new mare, and I'll bring you back anything you
like to name up to five shillings."
"There's a new book of Kingston's, father--I forget the title--if you
wouldn't mind getting that. I have nearly finished _Rupert and the
Redskins_."
"Oh, no more books," said father, impatiently. "I'd like to burn the
lot of them. I'd rather buy you a cricket bat. There, don't look
miserable, laddie. You shall have the book, but I'd give a
five-pound note to hear you say, 'Take me with you in the dog-cart.'
Now, good-bye. I shan't be starting for another hour, till the tide
is down, but I don't suppose you will see me again before I go.
Shall I send a telegram to Bath to say the youngsters can come?
Perhaps they will like to look forward to it. And is there anything
else you want, to rig up their den?"
We both laughed, and mother said something about believing father
would be delighted to see the savages after all.
"Oh! I don't care, as long as you keep them out of my way. I'll
bring them a couple of boxes of soldiers; that's sure to keep them
quiet for a time."
"Girls don't like soldiers," I remarked.
"Don't they, though, if they have half a dozen brothers and no
sister. I suppose you'd like me to buy Miss Kathleen a workbox, and
she wouldn't know which finger to put the thimble on, I'll be bound.
What on earth is that?"
Well might he ask. A succession of shouts and yells, interspersed
with loud "C-o-o-e-e, c-o-o-e-e," disturbed the usual placid silence
which reigned on a summer afternoon in our island farm, especially
when the tide was up, and we were cut off from the mainland.
Angry expostulations from some of the labourers followed; and then,
to our utter amazement, there appeared on the lawn at our open window
three figures, dripping from head to foot.
[Illustration: Chapter II tailpiece]
[Illustration: Chapter III headpiece]