DAYS OF SUNSHINE.
Somehow after that Saturday at the Crag, and the Sunday following, on
which some good resolutions had been made, Esther found that her life
became decidedly brighter and happier.
Mr. Earle was particularly kind to her in study hours. He put aside for
a time the lessons on arithmetic, which had often haunted her at night,
for sums were rather a trouble to the little girl; and, instead, he
brought from the Crag some beautiful books on natural history, and gave
her chapters to read about the structure and habits of wild animals,
which was very interesting; and then, when the boys had done their
tasks, he would tell them all delightful tales about these animals, some
of which he had shot himself in different parts of the world.
Mr. Earle was a capital hand at telling a story. They soon found that
out; and the boys began to understand that he was a tutor quite worth
pleasing. On the days when they had been industrious and well-behaved,
he never minded stopping for half an hour or more before time, to help
them with some bit of work of their own, or to tell them exciting
stories.
But if they had been idle, or impertinent, or unruly, he just packed
them off to their own pursuits with a few cutting words; and if he
stayed at all, it was to tell Esther something about the pictures in her
book, and the boys were not permitted to remain or to hear a word.
"You're not fit for civilized society--be off with you!" Mr. Earle would
say in his quick, authoritative way; and it was no use their putting on
coaxing or defiant airs, as they had done to their father in old days.
Mr. Earle would neither be coaxed nor defied. He sent them straight off
with an air of cutting contempt, which Pickle, at least, was old enough
to feel and to wince under.
"If you can't behave yourselves like gentlemen, you're not fit company
for a lady," was another of his maxims; and both Pickle and Puck began
rather to dread provoking these speeches from their inflexible tutor.
And then Mr. Earle was well worth pleasing, as they soon began to find.
Upon the Wednesday following that eventful Saturday, when he came down
in the afternoon (for he always went back to the Crag between half-past
twelve and two), he walked into the study and swept all the books back
into their places, and said, with a happy twinkle in his eye,--
"Get your hats, and come along. We're going to have a lesson in
navigation this afternoon."
The boys gave a whoop of delight. They did not exactly know what
navigation might be, but they scented something delightful; and as they
had been remarkably good for the past days, it seemed to come like a
reward of virtue. Esther's face brightened with pleasure and curiosity.
She wondered what was going to happen; but there was no delay in getting
off, and soon they were all walking down to the shore, where they found
old Pollard waiting for them, not in his cranky old tub, but in the
tight, trim boat belonging to the Crag, that was kept in order by the
old fisherman, and had beautiful white sails curled up in readiness, two
masts, and a figurehead like a swan with a gracefully-arched neck.
Esther knew the look of the boat, and had once been out in it with Mr.
Trelawny, but had been too much afraid of him to enjoy her sail at all.
Now, however, her eyes kindled and danced, for she dearly loved the
water, and was never the least seasick; and when the boys understood
that they were going out for a sail, they yelled and danced and shouted
like a pair of wild Indians.
The old fisherman sat with the helm in his hand, but Mr. Earle managed
the sails, and he went about his business as though he were a sailor
himself, and talked in queer terms with the old man, whilst the boys
listened agape, and wished they knew what it meant.
They soon found, however, that they had not come out simply to be idle.
They were soon in the middle of a lecture upon ropes and rigging, sails
and spars, and began to understand that this sailing was not a mere
game, but that there was a vast deal to learn about it, and that a
whole new world of thoughts and ideas was opening before them.
But it was very interesting, for Puck always meant to be a sailor, and
he was eager to learn as many new words as his little head could take
in. It was interesting too because the things Mr. Earle told them
explained many mysteries which they had come across in story-books, and
had never understood. The boys did not lack for wits, and were clever
with their fingers too, so it was not a difficult task to get them into
the way of furling or unfurling a sail, or learning to distinguish
between the different ropes and spars.
When they passed by other boats, Mr. Earle pointed out different parts
of them, and expected them to remember the names; and, on the whole, he
was satisfied with the sharpness of his pupils, and he found them
tolerably well-behaved too.
"If you boys are thinking of the army and the navy for professions," he
remarked once to them, with his rather grim yet not unkindly smile, "the
sooner you get all this fooling out of your heads the better."
"What fooling?" asked Pickle, with a little flush in his cheek, for the
word did not quite please him.
"I mean the foolish trick of treating all the world as though there was
perfect equality there--as though a little shaver like you had the same
rights of speech and remark as grown-up people who have served their
apprenticeship, and gone through their training--as though your opinions
were of the least consequence to anybody, and you had any right to air
them when they are not wanted, and to have any say in the way in which
your affairs are regulated. I mean all that, and a good deal more. If
you don't get the better of that stuff these next few years, you'll find
yourself in some trouble when you're under discipline."
Pickle flushed slowly. He had a fairly good understanding of the
admonition addressed to them; but Puck felt it rather beyond him.
"I don't understand," he said.
"Well, I'll explain. A soldier and a sailor have nothing in the world to
do at first but just to obey orders. There is no answering back, no
questioning commands, no loitering, or any nonsense like that. In
old-fashioned days boys were trained like that at home--at least the
majority were; a father or a mother gave the word, and there was an end
of it. Then, when those boys went out into life they had learned
unquestioning obedience, and it had become second nature to them.
Nowadays things are vastly changed--whether for the better or the worse
time will show, but I have my own opinions on the point."
Pickle and Puck exchanged glances, and the elder boy said slowly,--
"Cr--I mean father--sometimes told us we should have to have the
nonsense licked out of us some day. But we did generally obey him. Of
course we didn't obey Miss Masters. I don't see how anybody could expect
it. She was just an old frump, and her rules were all bosh. I don't
think father thought much of her himself."
"You may not think very much of your superior officer some day," said
Mr. Earle grimly, "but you'll have to obey him, or he'll know the reason
why."
"Ah! but a man is different."
"Yes, a much harder nut to crack, as you will find to your cost. If you
had a spark of chivalry in your composition, you would know better than
to speak slightingly of women. No really brave or noble-minded man ever
does that."
Mr. Earle did not spare his pupils; yet in spite of his sharp speeches
Pickle and Puck liked him better and better every day, and began to take
good care not to get into his black-books. They found that that did not
pay at all.
Navigation lessons were not all play, as the boys soon found; and there
was some pretty hard work in the way of sums bound up with it, as well
as a great deal to notice and remember. But it was the sort of thing
that they liked. And later on they were allowed to make rough models of
ships themselves, and try to get the ropes and spars right; and this was
like a new game, and kept them busy and happy for hours together. And
then they were taken up to the Crag to see certain models of ships
there; and Mr. Trelawny put them through their paces, and seemed really
quite pleased with them, and made them a present of a small model
yacht, which became the most prized of their possessions.
Esther did not learn the navigation so thoroughly as the boys, though
she began to feel quite knowing on the subject of spars and rigging and
nautical terms. She used to sit beside the old fisherman at the helm
when the boat went out, and look at the clouds and the sea, and dream
her own dreams or get the old man to tell her some of his stories, which
he was always ready to do.
Her head hardly ever ached now; and Mr. Earle always seemed to know when
it did, and gave her the sort of lessons that did not make it any worse.
The boys were very nice too--much more companionable than they had been
at first; and she was always ready to cut out and hem the sails for
them, and help them with her clever little fingers when they got into
difficulties over their rigging. And they soon found that her sharp eyes
saw things quite as soon as theirs, and that she could often help them
out of a difficulty; so instead of treating her with a sort of boyish
contempt, they came to look upon her as a valuable assistant, and
included her in their games.
Then about this time another great pleasure and interest came into
Esther's life.
It was about a fortnight after the visit to the Crag, when her mother
called her one day, and said, with a smiling face,--
"Esther dear, do you think you remember how to drive?"
Esther's face colored with surprise and pleasure. When she was quite a
little girl her father had taught her both to ride and drive, for they
kept a little pony carriage for the mother, and she used to be allowed
sometimes to drive the pony, though generally only when her father sat
beside her. It seemed a long time now since she had done anything of the
kind, but she fancied the power would soon come back, and answered
eagerly,--
"O mama dear, I think I remember. Why do you ask?"
"Because I have been talking things over with Mr. Trelawny, and he has
found me a nice quiet little pony, and a little light carriage, and Mr.
Earle is going to drive it down this evening, and give you a lesson in
driving, for the pony has been used to children, and is said to be
quite safe; but I should like you to have a few more lessons before you
take me out."
Esther clasped her hands in ecstasy.
"O mama! are you going to have a little carriage again?"
"Yes, dear--at least it is to be like this; it will be my carriage, but
it will be kept up at the Crag, where they have plenty of room, and a
good coachman to look after things. And Mr. Earle is putting up a
telephone from this house to the stables there, so that we can send for
it when we want. And perhaps, by and by, if we like, we shall have it
here; but I am always afraid of things going wrong with live creatures."
Esther's eyes were bright. She would have better liked, for some things,
that the pony should live in their own little stable, where she could
visit it with apples and sugar; and the thought of the telephone to the
Crag was a little alarming to her--she hardly knew why. But she was
making a great effort to conquer her groundless fears, and had met Mr.
Trelawny lately several times, almost without a tremor. And certainly
the pony would have added to her cares, for her mother would not have
been able to tell her anything about it, and if the man had neglected it
in any way it would have been so difficult to find out.
"I see, mama," she said slowly. "Perhaps that is best. How nice it will
be for you to get drives again!"
"Yes, we shall both enjoy that. Mr. Trelawny wants you to get out into
the fresh air as much as possible. We shall both get rosy cheeks, I
hope, when we have our daily drives."
The boys were greatly excited by the news that a pony was coming, and
the three children stood together at the gate to watch the road leading
downwards from the Crag to their house.
"Here it comes! here it comes!" cried Puck, capering with excitement;
"here is Mr. Earle driving along. Oh, what a jolly little pony! He's got
a mane like yours before it was cut off, Essie--all in a tousle. And
look how he tosses his head! I'm sure he's a jolly little beggar. I
wonder if we may ride him sometimes. We used to ride at home. There was
a pony there to mow the lawns, and we had him in turns in the field
often."
Mr. Trelawny appeared at this moment from the direction of the pine
wood.
"Well," he said, on seeing the children, "and what are you all in such a
state of jubilation about?"
"Oh, the pony, the pony!" shouted Puck; "isn't he a jolly little fellow!
Where did he come from, Uncle Bob? and why didn't you drive down with
him too?"
"My legs are too long for that little affair," laughed Mr. Trelawny. "It
is only meant for fairies and ladies," and he laid his hand on Esther's
head, so that she looked up quickly with a blush and a smile. Mrs. St.
Aiden appeared from the house, and Mr. Trelawny offered her his arm and
led her down towards the gate. Mr. Earle had drawn up the little
equipage now, and the children were crowding round the pony, patting and
praising him--a state of affairs to which he seemed quite accustomed,
and which appeared to suit him very well.
"He is a darling!" cried Esther delightedly.
[Illustration: "'He is a darling!' cried Esther delightedly."--Page 168.
_Esther's Charge._]
"What is his name?" asked Puck.
"He was called Punch at his last home," answered Mr. Earle, "and he is
used to little people.--Now, little Miss Esther, are you going to be
bold, and see how well you can drive him? I have come to see what sort
of a whip you make."
Esther's face was in a glow. It was such a pretty little carriage, and
everything about the pony was charming--his flowing mane and tail, the
bright, silver-mounted harness, the red-leather frontlet and saddle pad,
and the bright brown of the reins where she would hold them. It was all
so spick and span and well turned out--much better than anything she had
known in past days.
"I can drive," began Pickle with sudden eagerness, and then he clapped
his hand to his mouth and turned away.
"I'll run and get a bit of sugar for Punch," he cried; and he dashed
off, pulling Puck after him.
"Look here," he said, when they were a little way off; "I was just going
to ask to have the first drive myself; but it's Esther's pony, and she
must go. Don't you go and say anything; and if she offers, don't you
take it. She's always doing things for us. We won't go and be pigs now
she's got something nice herself."
"All right," answered Puck, whose mouth was watering for a ride on the
pony, or a drive behind him; "she shall go first. But I suppose when she
comes back we might have a turn?"
"Well, we will if they offer it us; but don't let's ask. We mustn't be
greedy, you know; and we mustn't pretend we've ever done such a mighty
lot of driving and riding, because you know we haven't--only just a
little now and then. Crump was always saying we must have ponies and
learn properly; but we never did."
Puck colored up a little, for he had been rehearsing in his head some of
the things he meant to tell Esther about his prowess in the saddle and
as a whip. But he remembered that he had resolved not to romance so
much, just as Pickle was keeping in mind that he must not always expect
to be the leader, and have the best place in everything. So they ran
away to the house together to get the sugar; and Esther, after looking
round a little uncertainly, let herself be handed into the carriage by
Mr. Earle.
"I thought perhaps the boys would like the first turn," she said.
"Ladies first is the right motto," said Mr. Trelawny. "Now let us see
how you hold your reins and whip. You won't want much whip for this
fellow, so you can leave that in its socket for the present.--Now,
Earle, in with you, and let us see how the little lady can drive
you.--You are not afraid, my dear?"
Esther looked up with candid eyes.
"No--at least, hardly at all. I'm not afraid, now Mr. Earle is here to
help me. I like it very much, but I haven't driven for a very long time.
I might do something wrong if there was nobody here to help me."
Then she drew up her reins and chirruped to Punch, who threw up his head
and started at a brisk trot; and Esther felt her heart beating with
excitement and delight, just dashed with a nervous tremor, for Punch
went very fast, and there were several corners to turn in the winding
road.
But the pony was a well-trained little fellow, and knew his business,
and there was nothing in his way. He dashed along in fine style, Mr.
Earle encouraging both him and his driver; and then Esther had the
delight of drawing up at the rectory gate to show her new accomplishment
to the little Polperrans, who came flocking out to admire and exclaim.
It was a very enchanting half-hour that Esther spent taking her first
lesson; but she was in rather a hurry to get back, for she wanted the
boys to enjoy the new pleasure also.
So Mr. Earle took them each a turn, looking rather sharp after them; but
they had a very fair notion of driving, and were perfectly fearless, yet
at the same time they were fond of animals, and had no desire to use the
whip unreasonably, or otherwise to harass the pony.
Punch gave the greatest satisfaction to all, and was declared to be a
"perfect darling" by Esther, and "a jolly little brick" by the boys.
"Mr. Earle will take you out every day for a week, Esther," said her
mother, when the carriage had gone, "and after that he thinks you will
be able to drive me out."
Esther's face glowed with pleasure, and Pickle cried out,--
"We can drive you too, Aunt Saint!"
But to his surprise his aunt shook her head, smiling the while, and
said,--
"I think, dear, I should feel safer with Esther, thank you."
"Well, that's funny," said Puck; "I thought women always felt so much
safer when they had a man driving them."
Then Mrs. St. Aiden laughed and kissed him, and said he should drive her
out some day, when he was a man.
Nice things seemed to happen often now. For after the pony and carriage
had been a few weeks in use, and Esther had grown to be quite an
experienced little whip, the children heard that Mr. Trelawny was going
to keep his birthday, and that it was to be celebrated by an excursion
to an old ruin, and that little people as well as their parents were to
be allowed to go.
Esther clasped her hands in ecstasy when she heard this. She had never
seen a ruin yet, though she had so often heard of them; and as her
knowledge of history had greatly enlarged during the past few months,
she was quite delighted to think of seeing any place which had played a
part in the strange doings of olden times.
Mr. Trelawny's house had done that; but Esther could never quite conquer
her fears of that place. She did not go very often even now, though the
boys scrambled up the steep path as often as they dared, when she was
out driving.
But a real old castle would be delightful; and Mr. Earle gave them a
whole history of the things that had happened there, and showed them
pictures of the kind of old windows and arches they would see, and
taught Esther the names of the different moldings, so that she might
know them when she saw them.
She was to drive herself in the pony carriage, and have one companion,
either grown-up or not as she liked, and Puck had leave to go in the
tiny back seat, which had been added in order that the three children
might go out together.
"Of course you'll take me," cried Pickle, dancing round Esther in his
excited fashion.
She hesitated a little, and then said,--
"Pickle dear, I should like you best; but I feel as though I ought to
ask Prissy Polperran. I'm afraid she sometimes thinks I am unkind to
her. We used to be a good deal together, but I haven't time now that I
have so many more things to do."
"Oh, bother that young poll-parrot!" cried Pickle; "I don't see why you
should be bothered by her. She's a regular kill-joy. You know she is."
"It would be kind," said Esther gently; "she would like it very much.
But you may drive her, Pickle, if mama and Mr. Earle don't mind."
"Not I, thank you!" answered Pickle scornfully. "I can't abide the
stuck-up minx. She's a little prig. She's----"
Pickle suddenly stopped short. The Sunday class in the arbor still went
on, and the children discussed with interest each week how they were
"getting on with their sins," and how many dragons they had killed. They
also had a little book now, and Esther wrote down in it what good
resolutions they made week by week. It was rather like a "Sunday game"
to the little people; nevertheless it was not without its effect upon
them. Pickle's sudden stop was due to the remembrance that they had last
Sunday resolved to try and be kind to other people, and always do as
they would be done by; so that saying all these things about Prissy was
not quite according to their rule.
"Oh, bother!" he said, and looked at Esther, and then began to laugh. In
a minute he spoke again,--
"All right, Ess. Take Pretty Polly. I suppose she will like it, and they
don't have half the fun we do. I'll try to be civil to her all day too,
if I can; but she is such a precious----"
Another stop and another laugh.
"I say, Essie, I think we make too many resolutions. I'm always tripping
over some of them. Don't let's have any new ones till we've learned how
to keep these."
"I'll let Bertie have the dicky behind," said Puck suddenly--"he'd like
it; and I don't care so very much, if Pretty Polly is going instead of
Pickle."
"Thank you, boys," said Esther; "it is very nice of you. I should like
to have you best, but I think we ought to try and be kind."
The young folks did not enjoy themselves any the less for the small
sacrifice they had made. The delight of the Polperrans at being driven
in Esther's little carriage made amends to her for the loss of the boys;
and Prissy was quite nice and merry, and never once put on her grown-up
airs of superiority.
Pickle and Puck occupied the box seat of a big wagonette, and were
permitted by the driver to hold the reins now and then up the hill, or
along the level, so they had nothing left to wish for; and it was a very
merry and happy party that arrived by midday at the old ruined castle
perched commandingly on the summit of a crag, not so very unlike the one
where Mr. Trelawny lived.
Prissy had been there once before, and showed Esther a great many of the
wonders it contained--the great banqueting hall, with a part of its
beautiful vaulted roof still standing; the old chapel, where the tracery
of the windows was wonderful in its graceful beauty; and the ancient
keep, with the thick walls, in which little passages could run without
interfering with them.
Mr. Trelawny was a capital host, and knew how to make people enjoy
themselves. There was plenty to eat, and plenty to do; but he seemed
fondest of getting all the little people about him, and telling them the
wonderful stories of battles and sieges and escapes which had taken
place around these very walls.
"Show us the prisons!" cried Pickle. "Aren't there some dungeons
underneath? And isn't there a block or an ax or something like that? I
like those jolly old underground places. I'd soon have got out though,
if I'd been a prisoner."
"I'll show you one prison, anyhow," answered Mr. Trelawny; "but I think
you'd be puzzled how to get out of it, if once you were shut in."
Esther felt her breath coming and going. She did so hope there were no
underground places here. The old feeling of horror came back directly
she heard this talk. She felt as though everything had suddenly been
spoiled.
She didn't want to think about poor wretched prisoners, shut out from
the light of day, lying in chains down in those terrible places. She
couldn't think how all the children seemed to want to go and look. It
made her feel sick and miserable; and yet she did not like to hang back
when everybody else was moving.
She thought of her resolution not to be frightened of fancied terrors;
but this was not fancy. These were real prisons, and real people had
been shut up there; and perhaps she would hear of horrid things that
were done to them, which would make her feel all creepy at night, and
not let her go to sleep.
Her feet lagged more and more as the party trooped on after Mr.
Trelawny, laughing and asking questions; and then Esther suddenly found
that she could not make up her mind to go with the rest. She turned
tail, and ran in the opposite direction, and threw herself down on the
warm grass, shaking all over.
"What is the matter?" asked a voice close beside her. She gave a great
jump, and looked round with scared eyes. There was Mr. Earle sitting
very near indeed to her, with a sketch-book in his hand. She wished then
she had not come, or had seen him in time to run somewhere else.
"What is the matter?" he asked again quite kindly.
"I--I don't know. They were going down to the dungeons. I didn't want to
go--that's all."
"There is nothing very pretty down there; come and look at my drawing,
and tell me how you like it. Isn't that a fine bit of molding there? Do
you know people come from all over the country to see it. It's one of
the best bits that exist in the world--or at least in this country."
"How nicely you draw!" said Esther admiringly, feeling the cold tremors
abating. "What a lot of things you can do, Mr. Earle! It must be nice to
be clever."
"Very, I should think," he answered with a smile. "Would you like to
learn to sketch some day?"
"Oh, very much, only there are so many things to learn. There does not
seem time for them all."
"No, that's the worst of it; it is like picking up pebbles on the
seashore. One can never get more than a few out of all the millions
there. Still, if we make these few our own we have done something."
Mr. Earle went on with his drawing, and Esther sat watching him, feeling
soothed and comforted, she did not know why. Her thoughts went off on
their own wonderings, and presently she said suddenly,--
"Mr. Earle, is it wrong to be afraid of things--I mean of things that
don't hurt, like dark places and cellars?"
"It is not wrong, but it is often inconvenient."
"You don't mind them, I suppose?"
"Not now. I used to be afraid of the dark once when I was a little boy."
"How did you cure yourself?"
"My mother asked me to try and get over it. So she taught me to say my
prayers first, and then walk over the dark part of the house every night
alone. I used to make believe that an angel came with me. After that I
soon stopped being afraid."
Esther sat very still for a little while, a light coming slowly into her
face.
"Do you think the angel was there really, Mr. Earle?"
"I should not be very much surprised," he answered gravely, and they sat
in silence till the rest came back.