_A SURPRISE._
"I say, John, 'this 'ere' is rather tiring; and when we've done there
will be nothing to show for it."
"Only our possessions will be in order, and we shall start straight for
the next term."
"I don't know about that. Look at my possessions, and see if you call
that 'straight'?"
John picked his way over the drawers and boxes scattered everywhere, and
surveyed his brother's treasures. There they were, lying in a
heap--clothes, collars, neckties, papers, nails, string, knives, corks,
ships, balls, fishing tackle, all mixed up pell-mell.
"Is that your idea of tidying?" he asked.
"Yes; put 'em all together, and then you know what you have to do, and
can act accordingly."
"I should think so! Act! all I can say is, I'd rather it was you than
me."
"How do you do it then?" asked Hugh hopelessly, watching his brother
step back to his own precincts.
"I take out one thing after another, and put those I want on the
bed--so, and tear up and burn what I don't want."
"And a nice smell you make!" said Hugh, laughing.
"Eh? oh, well, that's what a fire's for, to air the room."
"With a vengeance. I wish Agnes could have found us a large rag of some
sort."
"You'd have been for ever playing pranks behind it, and peeping through
the holes of your 'rag;' I'm not sorry on the whole she could not."
"I shouldn't have. However, that's neither here nor there. I'm going up
to the attics to find my hammer; I believe Agnes has put it away
tidily."
He went off, and presently John heard him shouting for him to come up.
"What do you want?" he called in answer.
"You."
"What for?"
"A find; a grand idea."
John went up, expecting a hoax, but yet reassured by the earnestness of
Hugh's tone.
"Look here," exclaimed a voice from the depths of a small attic where
only a few boxes were kept, "if you don't think I've lighted on a
splendid plan. Here's a room for you all ready, and we've nothing to do
but carry up the bed, and there you are."
By this time John stood in the low doorway of the little room, and
looked round.
His mind quickly placed a little furniture round it, and hung his
pictures and text on its bare walls, and in a few moments it became his
own little room, full of his own things.
"Or I could have it," broke in Hugh's voice.
"Oh, no," answered John hastily, "I should like it very much. But what
will Agnes say?"
"_She_ won't mind so long as we do no mischief. Let's surprise her."
John looked dubious.
"It can't be any harm," said Hugh.
"I'll just go and tell her," answered John.
He ran down. "Where's Agnes?" he asked of Alice, who was still reading.
"In next door," said Alice, "at least she was, but I believe I saw her
go along with grandmama just now."
"When will she be home?"
"I don't know."
"I say, Alice, you'll make yourself ill so near the fire. Where's
Minnie?"
"She went in after Agnes."
John withdrew, and returned to Hugh.
"She's out, Hugh," he said.
"That's all right then. We'll have a jolly time, and get it done to
surprise her."
"But what about your grand heap?"
"Stuff them in again; they can't be worse than they were."
"I wonder if we ought to sort them out first?" said John, considering.
"I'm not going to; that would be no fun at all."
John yielded for a moment, then he paused.
"Hugh, Agnes would be right down vexed with us, and we should deserve
it. I won't do a stroke till we've cleared this."
Hugh made a face; but when John's voice took _that_ tone it was of no
use objecting, so they sorted out and put up as quickly as they could,
Hugh privately shirking any idea of thoroughness, till about twelve
o'clock order once more reigned, and the boys' spirits began to rise.
"I say," remarked John, surveying his new domain, "I wish I'd asked Jane
to clean this while we were putting up, it looks mighty dusty and
queer."
"Well, we can't now," said Hugh.
"No, I daresay it would take ages."
"I can sweep it," said Hugh; "but that would be a hindrance; let's get
in the things and they'll cover up the dirt."
"Nice that!" remarked John; "but as it is not _your_ room it won't
matter."
"No," assented Hugh; "and if it were, I should not care particularly.
Now, John, what is the first thing to do?"
"Bring up the chest of drawers."
"That's my chest of drawers. You don't mean to say----"
"Well, what am I to do?" said John, pausing in this first difficulty;
"you can't suppose I can go without a chest of drawers."
"No; I don't see that you can; but, then, no more can I."
"That's unanswerable; but as there's only one, what's to be done?"
"_I_ can have it," answered Hugh slyly; "it belongs to my room!"
As his brother did not immediately reply, Hugh saw he had gained an
advantage.
"Here's a go," said John, looking round in dismay. "Now I shouldn't
wonder if you didn't claim the washstand too."
"Then I _will_ claim it," said Hugh with a wink.
And sure enough Hugh kept the washstand.
"Well, I've got my own bed," said John; "you can't take that from under
me."
Decidedly with lowered spirits he descended to see about the bedstead,
unforeseen difficulties in the direction of Agnes looming before him;
but the delight of planning how it was to go through the door whole,
turned off his thoughts.
At last the actual moment arrived. The clothes and mattresses were
heaped on Hugh's bed, and they began wheeling it about in fine style.
It was just too wide to go through the door, but the boys did not take
long to turn it on its side. They had succeeded in almost clearing the
back and tallest end, when the banisters proved an insuperable barrier
to further progress.
"We must take it down," said John.
"I'm stuck. I say, John, did you ever happen to mistake your fingers for
the painted legs?"
"Not that I know of. Look, what a precious mark you've made on the door
that side."
"Where?"
"There! just where you say your fingers grazed it."
"It'll come off," said Hugh, applying his pocket-handkerchief, having
first conveyed it to his tongue; but it didn't, and Hugh shrugged his
shoulders.
"Lesson No. 1. Don't knock your fingers," he said.
"Lesson No. 2," remarked John. "Do you know how to take down these
precious things?"
"Lesson No. 3. Shall learn."
"Then do go up and get us a screw-driver; if this comes to grief I shall
tell Agnes it was all you."
"You seem afraid of Agnes," laughed Hugh.
"Not at all. But you know we are 'on the spree;' and I don't want to do
what she would not like, which would be no spree."
The screw-driver was found, and then they began in earnest; but before
long the bumps and scrapes brought Jane up from below.
"Now, master John, are you gone mad?" she asked.
"Don't you say a syllable, Jane, or I'll skin you," said Hugh coaxingly;
"it would spoil all our fun."
"What on earth are you doing then?" she asked.
"I'll call you up to see when we've done; but do leave us now, there's a
good soul."
She went down again, looking rather scared; but the cook happened to be
busy, and did not notice it.
The bedstead now lay at their feet in pieces, which they quickly carried
upstairs, and by-and-by were able to set up to their great satisfaction.
"Well, I call that prime," said Hugh; "now for the clothes and things."
These were soon on; and the room began to look "like a room," as John
said.
"Might that window be grey ground glass, or might it be dirt?" asked
Hugh, going up to examine it, and drawing his finger down it.
The question did not need answering, for he left a line of clear glass
behind him.
"Wait till I've got the rest of my furniture up, and then I'll see to
things," said John.
"The rest of it?" laughed Hugh. "I think this is all of it; the rest
belongs to me."
"Hugh, you're a cheat! Do you mean to say I'm not to have a chair?"
"Oh, yes, I'll spare you a chair!"
"And that little table's my _own_; so now, Mr. Hugh!"
"So it is; what a bore! Why I was perfectly counting on that table when
your things were gone off it."
"Very likely; you're sold there! But what shall I do to wash on? I dare
say Agnes has got a basin somewhere."
"There's an odd set in here!" exclaimed Hugh, springing up and hurrying
into the box room next door.
John followed quickly enough, and to his joy found an old mahogany stand
which would do very well for the crockery which he discovered on a top
shelf covered with dust.
"How shall we wash it?" he asked.
"I'll get our towels; Agnes'll _have_ to give us clean ones."
They pulled about the boxes and things till they had secured their
prize, and then went back in triumph to John's "castle."
"Hugh, I shall never have you in here," said John.
"Grateful," said Hugh.
"I mean, without asking."
"Oh, of course not! Nor I you."
"I must come in when I want my things out of my drawer," said John
ruefully.
"What a pity we can't find a chest to match that jimcrack in the
corner!"
"Let's go and see."
No sooner said than done, and sure enough there was a set, but on
looking every drawer was full.
The boys were now so thoroughly in the spirit of the thing that they
forgot all caution, and after a rapid glance to see where they could
stow the things, out they bundled them heap on heap, till the drawers
were empty, then they paused and looked at each other.
"I say, Hugh, we are in for it now; I don't believe we ought to have
done this."
"It can't be helped now; we must eat humble pie."
"Look here, I won't do a thing more of this sort. Here's a precious mess
for that poor Agnes, and I scouted the idea of giving her any trouble."
"She'll be home soon, if she isn't now."
"Then let's make haste. Fetch up my things. Hugh, will you?"
Hugh ran down and soon brought up a drawer full, and hastened off for
another. For the girls to see it before it was accomplished and in
order, would spoil everything.
"Now for the window," exclaimed John; "and my pictures. I say, there's
no carpet."
"Do without."
"I shall have to."
"There's lots in there," nodding towards the box-room.
[Illustration "Out they bundled them heap on heap, till the drawers
were empty." _p. 166._]
"Not I," answered John. "I'm not fond of this sort of thing, Hugh; I
wish I'd waited."
"Well, make the best of it now," said Hugh; "we have done no _harm_."
"Oh, no!" said John.
John was hard at work on the window, making his towel in a worse mess
than it was before, when an exclamation from Hugh made him turn round.
"They're coming up," he called excitedly. "All three of 'em. I can hear
their voices."
For Jane had said, in answer to Agnes's enquiry as to where her brothers
were:
"Right at the top, I believe, miss."
So up they came, and all Hugh's "humble pie" was demolished before he
had time to produce it.
"John! Hugh! whatever _are_ you after? Are you gone out of your wits?"
"Come and look, Agnes," said John, hurrying to her, "and don't be vexed,
there's a darling. I wanted a room to myself, and we meant to surprise
you; but when we'd got half through it I began to fear you would be more
than surprised."
An hour or two ago Agnes would have been vexed, almost angry; now she
had been to the Fountain of Strength, and coming refreshed from Him she
answered gently:
"I can't say that I would rather you had done it, but I'll try to like
it if you wish."
She kissed their hot, dusty faces and looked round.
"If you point out anything wrong I'll say 'Hugh did it,'" smiled John,
"and he is to say 'John did it' if he is blamed."
"I see," answered Agnes.
"Isn't it a nice little room?"
"Very. I wonder mother never thought of it before."
"Hurrah!" exclaimed Hugh. "Now, Agnes, you'll not mend that; it's as
good as a whole volume of permission. Let's go down to dinner after
that."
But as they went down John said to her:
"You're not really vexed, dear girl?"
"No, dear," she answered, looking up brightly. "If you are pleased, I'm
sure mother will not mind till she has time to think about it. But,
John, the dirt----"
"Oh, that'll come all right," said John.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]