Fielding, being a lady of infinite discernment, suggested that the cake
was poisoned; and related a narrative of a cake, which, within her
knowledge, had turned a seminary for young ladies, blue. But she was
overruled by acclamation; and the cake was cut by May, with much
ceremony and rejoicing.
I don't think any one had tasted it, when there came another tap at the
door; and the same man appeared again, having under his arm a vast brown
paper parcel.
"Mr. Tackleton's compliments, and he's sent a few toys for the Babby.
They ain't ugly."
After the delivery of which expressions, he retired again.
The whole party would have experienced great difficulty in finding words
for their astonishment, even if they had had ample time to seek them.
But they had none at all; for the messenger had scarcely shut the door
behind him, when there came another tap, and Tackleton himself walked
in.
"Mrs. Peerybingle!" said the Toy Merchant, hat in hand. "I'm sorry. I'm
more sorry than I was this morning. I have had time to think of it. John
Peerybingle! I'm sour by disposition; but I can't help being sweetened,
more or less, by coming face to face with such a man as you. Caleb! This
unconscious little nurse gave me a broken hint last night, of which I
have found the thread. I blush to think how easily I might have bound
you and your daughter to me; and what a miserable idiot I was, when I
took her for one! Friends, one and all, my house is very lonely
to-night. I have not so much as a Cricket on my Hearth. I have scared
them all away. Be gracious to me; let me join this happy party!"
He was at home in five minutes. You never saw such a fellow. What _had_
he been doing with himself all his life, never to have known, before,
his great capacity of being jovial! Or what had the Fairies been doing
with him, to have effected such a change!
"John! you won't send me home this evening; will you?" whispered Dot.
He had been very near it though!
There wanted but one living creature to make the party complete; and, in
the twinkling of an eye, there he was: very thirsty with hard running,
and engaged in hopeless endeavours to squeeze his head into a narrow
pitcher. He had gone with the cart to its journey's-end, very much
disgusted with the absence of his master, and stupendously rebellious to
the Deputy. After lingering about the stable for some little time,
vainly attempting to incite the old horse to the mutinous act of
returning on his own account, he had walked into the tap-room and laid
himself down before the fire. But suddenly yielding to the conviction
that the Deputy was a humbug, and must be abandoned, he had got up
again, turned tail and come home.
There was a dance in the evening. With which general mention of that
recreation, I should have left it alone, if I had not some reason to
suppose that it was quite an original dance, and one of a most uncommon
figure. It was formed in an odd way; in this way.
Edward, that sailor-fellow--a good free dashing sort of fellow he
was--had been telling them various marvels concerning parrots, and
mines, and Mexicans, and gold dust, when all at once he took it in his
head to jump up from his seat and propose a dance; for Bertha's harp was
there, and she had such a hand upon it as you seldom hear. Dot (sly
little piece of affectation when she chose) said her dancing days were
over; _I_ think because the Carrier was smoking his pipe, and she liked
sitting by him, best. Mrs. Fielding had no choice, of course, but to say
her dancing days were over, after that; and everybody said the same,
except May; May was ready.
[Illustration]
So, May and Edward get up, amid great applause, to dance alone; and
Bertha plays her liveliest tune.
Well! if you'll believe me, they have not been dancing five minutes,
when suddenly the Carrier flings his pipe away, takes Dot round the
waist, dashes out into the room, and starts off with her, toe and heel,
quite wonderfully. Tackleton no sooner sees this, than he skims across
to Mrs. Fielding, takes her round the waist, and follows suit. Old Dot
no sooner sees this, than up he is, all alive, whisks off Mrs. Dot into
the middle of the dance, and is the foremost there. Caleb no sooner sees
this, than he clutches Tilly Slowboy by both hands and goes off at
score; Miss Slowboy, firm in the belief that diving hotly in among the
other couples, and effecting any number of concussions with them, is
your only principle of footing it.
Hark! how the Cricket joins the music with its Chirp, Chirp, Chirp; and
how the kettle hums!
* * * * *
But what is this! Even as I listen to them, blithely, and turn towards
Dot, for one last glimpse of a little figure very pleasant to me, she
and the rest have vanished into air, and I am left alone. A Cricket
sings upon the Hearth; a broken child's-toy lies upon the ground; and
nothing else remains.
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Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Varied hyphenation was retained
such as teaboard and tea-board.
Text uses both hers and her's and yours and your's.
Page 33, "care" changed to "Care" (Care.' Yes, yes, it's)
Page 121, "controul" changed to "control" (resisted his control)
Page 130, "emphasied" changed to "emphasised" (Miss Slowboy emphasised)
End of Project Gutenberg's The Cricket on the Hearth, by Charles Dickens