Brownsmith's Boy Part 26

"You come down to Mr Brownsmith," I cried.

"Get out! You know who I am: George Day."

"I know you're a thief, and I shall take you up to Mr Brownsmith," I said, "and here he comes."

"If you don't let go," he cried with a sudden access of fury, "I'll just come down and I'll--"

He did not finish his threat. I daresay it would have been something very dreadful, but I was not in the least frightened as I held on; but as he clung to the big quaint coping of the wall he suddenly gave two or three such tremendous kicks that one of them, aided by his getting his free foot on my shoulder, was given with such force that I was driven backwards, and after staggering a few steps, caught my heel and came down in a sitting position upon the path.

I leaped to my feet again, but only just in time to hear a scuffling noise on the top of the wall, the sound of some one dropping on the other side, and then _pat, pat, pat_, steps fast repeated, as my prisoner ran away.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, with a stamp of the foot in my disappointment.

"Chiv-ee! Why, ho! Where are yer?"

"Here, Shock!" I cried in answer to the shout on my right, and the boy came running up.

"Got him?"

"No," I replied. "He climbed up the wall and kicked me backwards.

Didn't you catch one?"

"No. They skiddled off like rabbuts, and the one I tried to run down dodged me in the dark, and when I heerd him he was close up to the fence t'other side, and got away. Didn't I give it some of 'em though!"

"Oh! I do wish we had caught one," I exclaimed; and then I felt as if I did not wish so, especially as the boy I had chased was George Day.

"They didn't get the pears," said Shock suddenly; and now it struck me that we had suddenly grown to be wonderfully talkative, and the best of friends.

"No," I replied, "I don't think they got the pears. Let's go and see."

We trudged off, I for my part feeling very stiff, and as if all the excitement had gone out of the adventure; and in a minute we were feeling about under the pear-trees, and kicking against fallen fruit.

"Here she is," said Shock suddenly. "Big bag. Stodge full."

I ran to him, and was in the act of pa.s.sing my hands over the bulging bag when I uttered a faint cry of horror, for something soft seemed to have dropped upon my back, and a voice from out of the darkness exclaimed:

"What are you boys doing here?"

At the same moment I knew that it was one of the cats that had leaped upon my back, and Old Brownsmith who was speaking.

"We have been after some boys who were stealing the pears, sir," I said.

"Were they?" cried the old man sternly; "and I've come and caught them.

You, Shock, bring that bag up to the door."

Shock seized and shouldered the bag, and we followed the old gentleman to the house; but though I spoke two or three times he made no reply, and I felt too much hurt by his suspicions to say more.

There was a large house lantern alight in the kitchen, as if the old gentleman had been about to bring it down the garden with him and had altered his mind, and the first thing he did was to open the lantern, take out the candle in his fingers, and hold it up so as to look at each of us in turn, frowning and suspicious, while we shrank and half-closed our eyes, dazzled by the light.

Then he turned his attention to the big bag which Shock had placed upon the table, the top of which opened out, and a pear or two rolled upon the floor as soon as it was released.

"Humph! Pillow-case, eh?" said the old man, and his face brightened as if the suspicion was being cleared away. "Who heard 'em?"

"I did, sir," I cried; and I told him how I had wakened up Shock, and of our fight; but I did not mention George Day's name, and I did not mean to do so unless I was asked, for it seemed to be so shocking for a boy like that to be charged with stealing fruit.

"Humph! Ought to have caught some of the dogs! but I say, did you hit 'em hard?"

"As hard as I could, sir," I replied innocently.

"Hah! aha! That's right. Young scoundrels. Spoilt a basket of pears that were not ripe. Young dogs! I'll put gla.s.s bottles all along the walls, and see how they like that. There, be off to bed."

I hesitated.

"Well," he said, "what is it?"

"You don't think it was I who went to steal the pears, sir?" I said uneasily.

"My good boy, no!" he said. "Pooh! nonsense! Looked like it at first.

Caught you dirty-handed. Good night!"

He turned away, and I ran into the yard, where Shock was slowly going back to his hole in the straw.

"Good night, Shock!" I said.

He stopped without turning round, and did not reply. It was as if the sulky morose fit had come over him again, but it did not last, for he half turned his head and said:

"I hit one on 'em such a crack on the nut."

Then he went to the ladder and climbed up into the loft, and I stood listening to him as he nestled down in amongst the straw. Then Old Brownsmith came to the back-door with the lantern and called me in to go up to my room.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

LEARNING MY LESSONS.

Next morning the old gentleman talked at breakfast-time about the police, and having the young scoundrels sent to prison. Directly after, he went down the garden with me and nine cats, to inspect the damages, and when he saw the trampling and breaking of boughs he stroked a tom-cat and made it purr, while he declared fiercely that he would not let an hour pa.s.s without having the young dogs punished.

"They shall be caught and sent to prison," he cried.

"Poor old Sammy then.--I'll have 'em severely punished, the young depredators.--Grant, you'd better get a sharp knife and a light ladder, and cut off those broken boughs--the young villains--and tell Ike to bring a big rake and smooth out these footmarks. No; I'll tell him.

You get the knife. I shall go to the police at once."

I cut out the broken boughs, and Ike brought down the ladder for me and smoothed over the footmarks, chatting about the events of the past night the while.

"He won't get no police to work, my lad, not he. Forget all about it directly. Makes him a bit raw, o' course," said Ike, smoothing away with the rake. "Haw! haw! haw! Think o' you two leathering of 'em. I wish I'd been here, 'stead of on the road to London. Did you hit 'em hard?"

"Hard as I could," I said. "I think Shock and I punished them enough."