Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California Read online

  CHAPTER III.

  A CRIPPLE BOY.

  JOHN HOLL returned from work a few minutes after Evan came in. John Hollwas a dustman. A short, broadly-built man, with his shoulders bowedsomewhat from carrying heavy baskets up area steps. His looks werehomely, and his attire far from clean; but John was a good husband andfather, and the great proportion of the many twopences he daily receivedas douceurs for discharging his duties were brought home to his wife, aswas all the weekly money, instead of being exchanged for liquor at thepublic-house.

  Sarah Holl added to the family income by going out charring. She was abig woman, with a rough voice, and slipshod in walk; her hands were redand hard from much scrubbing and polishing, and she was consideredgenerally by the servants in the establishments at which she worked tobe a low person. But Sarah's heart was in the right place; her childrenloved her, and her husband regarded her as a treasure.

  It was not until John Holl had changed his dirt-stained clothes, and hadfreshened himself up with a copious wash, had put on a pair of listslippers of Sarah's manufacture in place of his heavy boots, and hadseated himself by the fire with his long pipe alight, while Sarahbustled about getting the tea, that he was informed of the importantevents which had taken place; for John, like many more distinguishedmen, had his idiosyncrasies, and one of these was that he hated to be,as he called it, "hustled," before he had tidied up. John was not quickof comprehension, and could not give due weight to what was said to himwhile engaged in the important work of changing; therefore all pieces offamily news were reserved until he had taken his seat and his pipe wasfully alight. Then Mrs. Holl began--

  "What do you think, John, Evan 'as been a-doing to-day?"

  John gave a grunt, to signify that he would prefer hearing the facts towasting his brain-power in random guesses.

  "Why, he has been in the Serpentine, and was nigh drowned, and had to betaken to the 'Mane Society and put into a hot bath, and all his clothesshrunk that much as you never seed."

  "I thought the ice weren't strong enough to bear," John said, taking hispipe from his mouth; "one of my mates tells me as he heard a chap goingalong with skates say as it weren't strong enough on the Serpentine tohold a cat."

  "No more it ain't, John; but Carrie Hill's little dog run on and fellthrough, and nothing would do but that Evan must go out and risk hislife to fetch it out. And a nice business he made of it; when he gotclose out to the dog down he went hisself, and would have been drownedas sure as fate if a young gent as was a-standing there hadn't swam outand brought him in. And I think you ought to speak to him, John, forsuch venturesome ways; he don't mind my speaking no more than the winda-blowing."

  John Holl smoked his pipe in silence for some time, looking solemnlyinto the fire; the number of facts and ideas presented suddenly to himwere too great to be instantly taken in and grappled with.

  "And how do you feel now, Evan?" he said at last; "cold right throughthe bones?"

  "No, father; I am as warm as need be; and what do you think? I have gotthirty-eight bob and some coppers which they 'scribed for me."

  "Did they, now?" John Holl said. Then after taking in this new fact, andturning it over in different lights, he said to his wife, "Well, Sarah,it seems to me that if the people who saw our Evan go into the watersubscribed well-nigh upon two pounds for the boy, they must have thoughtthat what he did warn't a thing for him to be jawed for, but a brave,good-hearted sort of action; and I ain't no manner of doubt, Sarah, thatthat's just what you think it yerself, only you are a bit scared overthe thought that he might have been drowned, which is natural andwoman-like. It seems to me as Evan has done a wery honourable kind o'action. I know as I should have liked to have done it myself, though Iholds that a man can't have too much of hot water and plenty of soap init, cold water allus giving me the shivers, and being no good forgetting out dirt--not where its ground in pretty thick. I suppose it'scos of this that I didn't larn to swim. Evan, my boy, your father feelsproud of yer, and so does your mother--as proud as a peacock--though shedon't think it's right to say so."

  Whereupon Mrs. Holl, finding to her great inward satisfaction that thepaternal sanction and approval had been given to Evan's adventure, feltno longer constrained to keep up a semblance of disapproval, butembraced him with great heartiness, and then wiped her eyes with thecorner of her apron. Then came the great point of the disposal of Evan'sfortune. His first proposal was to hand it over to his father as acontribution towards the general expenses, but this John Hollperemptorily refused.

  "It's your money, boy, to do as you like with; it's earned in ahonourable way, and a way to be proud of. You are to do with it justwhat you likes; it were best not to spend it foolish, but if you aredisposed to spend it foolish, you do so."

  "There are such lots of things I should like to buy," Evan said. "Ishould like to buy mother a new Sunday bonnet, and I should like to getyou a pound of bacca; and Winnie wants a new pair of boots andstockings, and there's lots of things I should like to get for Harry,and some warm gloves for Sue, and--and no end of things."

  "Two pounds," John Holl said, "is a nice little lump of money, Evan; butwhen you gets as old as I am you will know as two pounds don't go weryfar. My advice to you is this, whatever you get yer sure a whileafterwards to want something else, and to wish as you had bought thatinstead; that's human nature, and it's the same with men, women, andboys--at least that's my 'sperience, and mother will tell you the same.My advice is, give that money to mother to keep for you, say for amonth. Well then, every day you can settle fresh what you mean to buy,and that will be most as good as buying it; perhaps towards the end ofthe month you will have settled yer mind on to something which reallyseems to you better than all the others: that's my advice."

  "And capital good advice too, father," Harry said.

  And thus the approval of the two authorities of the family having beenobtained, the matter was considered as settled.

  "And who was the young gent as went in and fetched you out, Evan?" JohnHoll asked, when the important business of tea was concluded, and heagain settled himself to his pipe. "He must have been a good sort; Ishould like to shake hands with that chap."

  "He told me as his name were Frank Norris," Evan replied; "he is one ofthe scholars we see going along to Vincent Square; I knew him againdirectly. He was one of those chaps as fought so well the day they gotattacked going back to the School. A fine-looking chap he is too, with apleasant face, and a nice sort of way about him. No nonsense, you know;he talked just pleasant and nice, as Harry might talk to me, just as ifhe was a sort of pal, and not a swell no-how."

  "I should like to shake hands with him," John Holl repeated; "he savedyour life, that's sure enough"--for by this time Harry had related thefull details of the affair. "I think, Sarah, as it would be only rightand proper, come Sunday, for you and I to go round to that youngfellow's house and tell him how we feels about it. If it had been a chapof our own station in life I suppose there ain't nothing we wouldn't dofor him, if we saw our way to it; and though I don't see as it's likelyas we can do nothing for this young fellow, the least as we can do is togo and tell him what we thinks about it. Did he tell you where he lived,Evan?"

  "No, father. He didn't say where he lived; but he writ down in apocket-book my name and where we lived, and said as how he would look inone of these days and see that I was none the worse for my ducking."

  "Well, I hopes as how he will," John said, "but if he don't come soon,we must find him out. I expect his name or his father's name would bedown in a 'Rectory, and the name ain't so common a one as there would belikely to be a great many on them living about here; but if there wasfifty I would call on them all till I found the right one. I shan't beeasy in my mind, not till I have shaken that young chap's hand and toldhim what I thinks on it. And I am sure your mother feels the same as Ido. And now, Harry, take out that fiddle of yours and let's have a tune;my pipe allus seems to draw better and sweeter while you are playing."

  One of the children--there w
ere eight in all in the room--fetchedHarry's fiddle from the wall. It was a cheap, common instrument, buteven far better judges of music than the Holls would have been able todiscern, in spite of its cracked and harsh tone, that the lad who wasplaying it had a genius for music. It is true that the airs which he wasplaying, those which the street boys of the day whistled as they walkedby, were not of a nature to display his powers. Harry could play otherand very different kinds of music; for whenever Evan earned a sixpenceby holding a horse, or doing any other odd job, a penny or twopence weresure to go in the purchase of a sheet of music for Harry at the cheapbookstalls. Harry had learned the notes from a secondhand book ofinstructions which John Holl had bought for him one Saturday night, whenthe weather had been particularly hot, and people in their desire toget their dust-bins emptied were more liberal than usual. But of anevening, when John was at home, Harry always played popular airs, as hisfather and family were unable to appreciate the deeper and better music.This he reserved for the time when the children were at school, andmother was either charring or was at the wash-tub.

  Sarah used to wonder silently at the sounds which seemed to her to haveno particular air, such as she could beat time to with her foot as sheworked; but in her heart she appreciated them; they made her feel as ifshe was in church, and sometimes she would draw her apron across hereyes, wondering all the time what there was in the tones of the fiddlewhich should make her cry.

  Three or four days later, when Harry, as usual, was playing on hisviolin, and Mrs. Holl was washing, there was a knock at the door.

  "Drat it!" Mrs. Holl muttered, "who's a-coming bothering now, just whenI am busy?"

  "If no one is to come except when you are not busy," Harry laughed, asMrs. Holl moved towards the door, wiping the lather from her arms andhands, "we shan't have many visitors, for as far as I can see you arealways busy."

  "Ah!" he exclaimed, as Mrs. Holl opened the door, and he saw who wasstanding without, "it's the gentleman who got Evan out of the water."

  "Mrs. Holl?" Frank asked interrogatively, and then, catching sight ofHarry, he at once walked across to him and shook him by the hand.

  "I hope I am not intruding, Mrs. Holl, but I promised your son to lookin and see how he was; and as I had to come down to the School to-dayfor a book I wanted for my holiday task, I thought it would be a goodopportunity to fulfil my promise."

  "It is no intrusion, sir, and I am sure I am heartily glad to see yer,and thank ye for coming," Mrs. Holl said, as she dusted an alreadyspotless chair and placed it for her visitor. "My John does nothingevery evening but talk of how he wishes he could see you, to tell youhow beholden he and me feels to you for having brought our Evan to landjust as he was being drowned."

  "No thanks are required indeed, Mrs. Holl," Frank said cheerfully, "itwas a sort of partnership affair. You see I was going in after the dog,only Evan, who was a sort of friend of the family, had first claim; sowe agreed that he should try first and do all the hard work of breakingthe ice, and then, if the cold was too much for him, I was to go out andfetch him in and finish the job myself. So you see it was a mutualarrangement, and no particular thanks due to any one. But your son is aplucky young fellow, Mrs. Holl, and he behaved most gallantly. I findtoo, from what your son here tells me, that I owe him one for havingfetched help up from the School when we were getting the worst of itjust opposite your house here. Well, in the first place, how is he? Nonethe worse, I hope, for the cold."

  "Not at all, sir. He is out to-day with a friend of ours as 'as got abarrow, and lives in the next street, but who is that hoarse with thecold that he can't speak out of a whisper; so he offered Evan sixpenceto go along with him to do the shouting, and a nice shouting he willmake; his voice goes through and through my head when he is onlya-talking with his brothers and sisters here, and if anything can bringthem to the windows it will be his voice. He offered to come round herewith the barrow afore they started off this morning, but says I, 'No,Evan; I have a good name in the street, I hope, and don't wish to bedighted as a nuisance to the neighbourhood, nor to have my neighboursaccusing me of a-being the cause of fits in their children.'"

  "I don't suppose that it would be as bad as that, Mrs. Holl," Franksaid, laughing. "However, if his voice is as loud and clear as that, itis evident that he is not much the worse for his cold bath. I came roundpartly to see him, partly to know if I could do anything for him; heseems a sharp lad, and I am sure he is as honest as he is plucky. As abeginning, my uncle says he could come into the house as a sort oferrand-boy, and to help the footman, until he can hear of some betterposition for him among his friends."

  "I am sure you are very good, sir," Mrs. Holl said gratefully; "I willmention it to his father, and he---- But I doubt whether Evan's steadyenough for a place yet, he is allus getting into mischief; there neverwas such a boy for scrapes; if all my eight were like him I should goclean mad afore the week was out. When he is in the house, as long as heis talking or singing I can go on with my work, but the moment that heis quiet I have to drop what I am a-doing on and look arter him, for heis sure to be up to some mischief or other."

  "No, no, mother," Harry put in, laughing; "you are giving Evan a worsecharacter than he deserves. He is up to fun, as is only natural with onewho has got the free use of his limbs, but he never does any real harm."

  "No, I don't say that he does real harm, 'Arry," Mrs. Holl replied,"but I do say as at present he is too full of boyish tricks to be of anygood in a place, and we should be a-having him back here a week arter hewent, and that would be a nice show of gratitude to this gentleman forhis kindness."

  "I don't suppose he is as bad as you make out, Mrs. Holl; and no doubthe would tame down after a time, just as other boys do. Perhaps a placein a warehouse would be more suitable for him at first.

  "And it was you who were playing as I came in," he went on, noticing theviolin; "I was wondering who was playing so well. How jolly it must beto play! I wish I could, but I should never have patience to learn. Whotaught you?"

  "I picked it up myself, sir," Harry replied, "from a book father boughtme. You see I have plenty of time on my hands; I don't get out much,except just along the street, for I can't very well get across crossingsby myself. The wheels go well enough on a level, but I cannot push themup a curb-stone. But what with reading and fiddling the days passquickly enough, especially when mother is at home; she is out two orthree days a week, and then the time seems rather long."

  "I should think so," Frank said; "I should go mad if I were laid upentirely. I am awfully sorry for you. If you are fond of books I shallbe glad to let you have some; I have got no end of them, and there theystand on my shelf unopened from year's end to year's end. What sort ofbooks do you like best? Sea stories, or Indians, or what?"

  "I should like any story-books, sir," Harry replied, his eyesbrightening up with pleasure; "I have read a few which father haspicked up for me at the bookstalls, and I have gone through and throughthem until I could almost say them by heart. And then tales of traveland history,--oh, I love history! to read what people did hundreds ofyears ago, and how nations grew up step by step, just like children, itis splendid!"

  "I am afraid," Frank said, with a laugh, "that I don't care so much forhistory as you do. Names are hard enough to remember, but dates areawful; I would rather do the toughest bit of construing than have a pageof Greek history to get up. Well, I will certainly look you up somebooks on history and some travels, and will send you some of Marryat'sstories. I suppose you do not care for schoolbooks; I have got abarrow-load that I shall never want again."

  "Oh yes, sir," Harry said eagerly, "I think I should like those best ofall. Have you a Virgil, sir? I do like Virgil, and all that story aboutthe siege of Troy. I only had it for a fortnight. Father bought it forme, and then one of the little ones managed somehow to take it out andlose it; she ran out with it for a bit of fun, and we suppose sat downon a doorstep and forgot it."

  "But, bless me," Frank exclaimed, "you don't mean to say that you r
eadVirgil in Latin! You are a rum fellow. How on earth did you learn it?"

  "I have taught myself, sir," Harry said. "Father is awfully good, andoften picks up books for me at old bookstalls. Of course sometimes hegets things I can't make out. But he got twelve once for a shilling, andthere was a Latin Grammar and Dictionary among them; and when I hadlearned the Grammar, it was very easy with the Dictionary to make outthe sense of some of the Latin books. But of course I often come acrossthings that I don't understand. I think sometimes if some one wouldexplain them to me once or twice, so that I could really understand howthe rules in the Grammar are applied, I could get on faster."

  "Well, you are a rum fellow!" Frank exclaimed again. "I wish I likedlearning as you do, for though I am in the Sixth at Westminster, I ownthat I look upon the classics as a nuisance. Well, now, look here; Ihave got an hour at present with nothing special to do, so if you likewe will have a go at it together. What have you got here?" and he walkedacross to a shelf on which were a number of books. "Oh! here is a Caesar;suppose we take that; it's easy enough generally, but there are somestiffish bits now and then. Let's start off from the beginning, andperhaps I may be able to make things clear for you a bit."

  In spite of Mrs. Holl's protestations that Harry ought not to troublethe gentleman, the two lads were soon deep in their Caesar. Frank found,to his surprise, that the cripple boy had a wonderful knack of graspingthe sense of passages, but that never having been regularly taught toconstrue, he was unable to apply the rules of grammar which he hadlearned. Frank taught him how to do this, how to take a sentence topieces, how to parse it word by word, and to see how each word dependedupon the others, so that even if absolutely in ignorance of the meaningof any one word in a sentence, he could nevertheless parse themunerringly in the order in which they would be rendered inEnglish--could determine the value of each, and their bearing upon oneanother.

  This was quite a revelation to Harry; his face flushed with eagernessand excitement, and so interested were both lads in their work, that thehour was far exceeded before the lesson came to an end by Mrs. Hollinterfering bodily in the matter by carrying off the Dictionary, anddeclaring that it was a shame that Harry should give so much trouble.

  "It is no trouble at all, Mrs. Holl," Frank said, laughing. "You see oneis accustomed a little to teaching, as one often gives one's fag, or anyother little chap who asks, a construe, or explains his lesson to him.But I can tell you that there are precious few of them who take it allin as quickly as your son does. Now that I have made myself at home, Iwill come in sometimes when school begins again, if you will let me, forhalf an hour and read with Harry. But I don't think he will want anyhelp long. Still, it may help to show him the regular way of getting atthings. And now I must hurry off. You will ask Evan to think over what Ihave said. Here is my address. I wrote it down in case I should find noone in. If he makes up his mind about it before I come again, he hadbetter call on me there; the best time would be between nine and elevenin the morning; I have always finished breakfast by nine, and I have putoff my holiday task so long, that I must stick at it regularly two hoursa day till school begins again, so he will be pretty sure to find mebetween nine and eleven. Will you tell your husband not to worry himselfabout seeing me? I don't want to be thanked, for it was, as I told you,a sort of partnership business between your boy and me."

  "Now I call that a downright nice sort of young chap," Mrs. Holl said,as their visitor departed, "good-hearted and good-natured, without nosort of nonsense. He just sits himself down and makes himself at homeas if he was one of the family, and I was able to go on with my washingjust as if he hadn't been here."

  For a time Harry did not answer.

  "So, that's a gentleman," he said at last, in a low voice, as ifthinking aloud; "I have never spoken to a gentleman before."

  "Well, lad," Sarah Holl said, "there ain't much difference between thegentry and other sorts. I don't see very much of them myself in thehouses I goes to, but I hears plenty about them from the servants' talk;and, judging from that, a great many of them 'as just as nasty andunpleasant ways as other people."

  "I suppose," Harry said thoughtfully, "there can't be much difference inreal nature between them and us; there must, of course, be good and badamong them; but there is more difference in their way of talking than Iexpected."

  "Well, of course, Harry; they have had education, that accounts for it;just the same as you, who have educated yourself wonderful, talksdifferent to John and me and the rest of us."

  "Yes," Harry said; "but I am not talking about mistakes in grammar; it'sthe tone of voice, and the way of speaking that's so different. Now whyshould that be, mother?"

  "I suppose a good deal of it," Mrs. Holl answered, "is because they arebrought up in nusseries, and they can't run about the house, or holloaor shout to each other in the streets. D' ye see they are taught tospeak quiet, and they hear their fathers and mothers, and people roundthem, speaking quiet. You dun't know, Harry, how still it is in some ofthem big houses, you seem half afraid to speak above a whisper."

  "Yes, but I don't think he spoke lower than I do, mother, or than therest of us. O mother!" he went on, after a while, "isn't he good? Justto think of his spending an hour and a half sitting here, showing me howto construe. Why, I see the whole thing in a different way now; he hasmade clear all sorts of things that I could not understand; and he saidhe would come again too, and I am quite sure that when he says a thinghe means to do it. I don't believe he could tell a lie if he tried. Andis he not good-looking too?"

  "He is a pleasant-looking young chap," Mrs. Holl replied, "but I shouldnot call him anything out of the way. Now I should call you abetter-looking chap than he is, Harry."

  "O mother, what an idea!" Harry exclaimed, quite shocked at what seemedto him a most disrespectful comparison to his hero.

  "It ain't no idea at all," Mrs. Holl rejoined stoutly; "any one witheyes in his head could see that if you was dressed the same as he is youwould be a sight the best-looking chap of the two."

  "Ah mother!" Harry said, laughing, "you remind me of an old saying I sawin a book the other day, 'A mother's geese are all swans.'"

  "I am sure," Mrs. Holl said, in an aggrieved voice, "you ain't no goose,Harry, and if any one else said so I should give them a bit of my mindsharp enough."

  Harry did not attempt to argue with her, but with a little laugh turnedto his books again, and was soon deep in the mysteries of Caesar.

  The next day a carrier's cart stopped before Mrs. Holl's house, to thegreat amazement of the neighbourhood--for such an occurrence had notbeen known in the memory of the oldest inhabitant in the street, andquite a crowd of children collected to witness the delivery of a squareheavy box of considerable weight at the door.

  Harry was almost beside himself with delight as he took out thetreasures it contained; and as fully half were story-books, his delightwas shared by the rest of the young Holls. It was evening when the cartarrived, and John was just enjoying his first pipe, and he once moreuttered the sentiment he had expressed so often during the last fourdays, "I should like to shake that young chap by the hand."