Fighting the Flames Part 32

Leaping in after him he shut the door with a bang. "Now then, cabby, all right, Beverly Square, full split; sixpence extra if you do it within the half!"

Away they went, and in a few seconds were in the Mall driving at a rattling pace.

"See that house?" asked Willie, so suddenly as to startle Hopkins, who was quite overwhelmed by the vigour and energy of his young companion.

"Eh! which! the one with the porch before the door?"

"No, no, stoopid! the old red-brick house with the limbs of a vine all over the front of it, and the skeleton of a Virginia creeper on the wall."

"Yes, I see it," said Hopkins, looking out.

"Ah, a friend o' mine lives there. I'm on wisitin' terms there, I am.

Now then, mind your eye, pump-handle," cried Willie; "the turn's rather sharp--hallo!"

As they swung round into the Bayswater Road the cab came in contact with a butcher's cart, which, being the lighter vehicle, was nearly upset.

No serious damage resulted, however, and soon after they drew up at the door of the house next Mr Auberly's; for that gentleman still occupied the residence of his friend.

"Master Willders," said Hopkins, ushering him into the presence of Mr Auberly, who still sat at the head of the couch.

Willie nodded to Loo and then to her father.

"Boy," said the latter, beckoning Willie to approach, "my daughter wishes me to go and visit a poor family near London Bridge. She tells me you know their name and address."

"The fairy, you know," said Loo, explaining.

"Ah, the Cattleys," answered Willie.

"Yes," resumed Mr Auberly. "Will you conduct me to their abode?"

In some surprise Willie said that he would be happy to do so, and then asked Loo how she did.

While Mr Auberly was getting ready, Willie was permitted to converse with Loo and Mrs Rose, who was summoned to attend her young mistress.

Presently Mr Auberly returned, bade Mrs Rose be very careful of the invalid, and then set off with Willie.

At first the boy felt somewhat awed by the remarkably upright figure that stalked in silence at his side, but as they continued to thread their way through the streets he ventured to attempt a little conversation.

"Weather's improvin', sir," said Willie, looking up. "It is," replied Mr Auberly, looking down in surprise at the boldness of his small guide.

"Good for the country, sir," observed Willie.

Mr Auberly, being utterly ignorant of rural matters, thought it best to say nothing to this.

We may add that Willie knew just as little (or as much), and had only ventured the remark because he had often heard it made in every possible variety of weather, and thought that it would be a safe observation, replete, for all he knew to the contrary, with hidden wisdom.

There was silence after this for some time.

"D'you know Mr Tippet well, sir?" inquired Willie suddenly.

"Ye--yes; oh yes, I know him _pretty_ well."

"Ah, he's a first-rater," observed Willie, with a look of enthusiasm; "you've no notion what a trump he is. Did you hear ever of his noo machine for makin' artificial b.u.t.ter?"

"No," said Mr Auberly, somewhat impatiently.

"Ah, it's a wonderful invention, that is, sir."

"Boy," said Mr Auberly, "will you be so good as to walk behind me?"

"Oh, _cer'nly_, sir," said Willie, with a profound bow, as he fell to the rear.

They walked on in silence until they came to the vicinity of the Monument, when Mr Auberly turned round and asked Willie which way they were to go now.

"Right back again," said Willie.

"How, boy; what do you mean?"

"We've overshot the mark about half a mile, sir. But, please, I thought you must be wishin' to go somewhere else first, as you led the way."

"Lead the way, _now_, boy," said Mr Auberly, with a stern look.

Willie obeyed, and in a few minutes they were groping in the dark regions underground which Mr Cattley and his family inhabited. With some difficulty they found the door, and stood in the presence of "the fairy."

Thin though the fairy had been when Willie saw her last, she might have been called fat compared with the condition in which they now found her.

She appeared like a mere shadow, with a delicate skin thrown over it.

A bad transparency would have been more substantial in appearance. She lay alone on her lonely pallet with a farthing candle beside her, which cast a light sufficient only to make darkness visible. Being near the poor invalid, it caused her large dark eyes to glitter in an awful manner.

Willie at once forgot his companion, and running up to the fairy, seized her hand, and asked her how she did.

"Pretty well, Willie. It's kind of you to come and see me so often."

"Not a bit, Ziza; you know I like it; besides, I've only come to-day to show a gentleman the way."

He pointed to Mr Auberly, who had stopped short in the doorway, but who now advanced and sat down beside the invalid, and put to her several formal questions in a very stately and stiff manner, with a great a.s.sumption of patronage. But it was evident that he was not accustomed to the duty of visiting the sick, and, like little boys and girls when they sit down to write a letter, was very much at a loss what to say!

He began by asking the fairy about her complaint, and exhausted every point that entered into his imagination in reference to that. Then he questioned her as to her circ.u.mstances; after which he told her that he had been sent to see her by his daughter Louisa, who was herself very ill, owing to the effects of a fire in his own house.

At this point the child became interested, and came to his relief by asking a great many eager and earnest questions about Loo. She knew about the fire in Beverly Square and its incidents, Willie having often related them to her during his visits; and she knew Mr Auberly by name, and was interested in him, but his frigid manner had repelled her, until he spoke of Loo having sent him to see her.

"Oh, I've been so sorry about Miss Loo, sir," said Ziza, raising her large eyes full in Mr Auberly's face; "I've heard of her, you know, from Willie, and when I've been lying all alone here for hours and hours together, I have wondered how she spent her time, and if there were kind people about her to keep up her spirits. It's so strange that she and I should have been both hurt by a fire, an' both of us so different every way. I _do_ hope she'll get better, sir."

Mr Auberly became suddenly much interested in the fairy, for just as "love begets love," so does interest beget interest. His feelings having been roused, his tongue was loosed, and forthwith he enjoyed a delightful conversation with the intelligent child; not that there was any remarkable change as to the matter of what was spoken, but there was a vast change in the manner of speaking it.

Willie also chimed in now and then, and volunteered his opinions in a way that would have called forth a sharp rebuke from his patron half an hour before; but he was permitted to speak, even encouraged, now, for Mr Auberly was being tickled pleasantly; he was having his feelings and affections roused in a way that he had never thought of or tried before; he was gathering golden experiences that he had never stooped to touch before, although the mine had been under his feet all his life, and his path had been strewn with neglected nuggets from the cradle--fortunately not, as yet, to the grave! Ziza's Bible lay on the counterpane close to her wasted little hand. While she was talking of Loo, with deep sympathy beaming out of her eyes and trembling in her tones, Mr Auberly laid his hand inadvertently on it. She observed the action, and said--

"Are you going to read and pray with me, sir?"

Mr Auberly was taken very much aback indeed by this question.

"Well--no," said he, "that is--if--fact, I have not brought my prayer-book with me; but--but--I will read to you if you wish it."