Johnny Ludlow Sixth Series Part 28

"It's a shame. It will take me all the afternoon to get through it," ran his thoughts--and he would have liked to say so aloud.

"You don't look pleased, young man," remarked his father. "Recollect you will be off duty to-morrow."

Oliver's countenance cleared; his disposition was a pleasant one, never retaining anger long, and he set to his task with a good will. The morrow being the day of the picnic, he would have whole holiday.

At five o'clock the young servant carried the tea-tray into the parlour.

Presently Mrs. Preen came in, made the tea, and sat down to wait for her son and daughter. Tired and hot, she was glad of the rest.

Jane ran downstairs, all happiness. "Mamma, it is finished," she cried; "quite finished. It looks so well."

"It had need look well," fretfully retorted Mrs. Preen, who had been unable to get at Jane for any useful purpose these two days, and resented it accordingly.

"When all trades fail I can turn dressmaker," said the girl, gaily.

"Where's Oliver?"

"In the b.u.t.tery, I expect; he said he had a great deal to do there this afternoon, and I have not seen him about," replied Mrs. Preen, as she poured out the tea. "Not that I should have been likely to see him--shut into that hot kitchen with the ironing."

Jane knew this was a shaft meant for herself. At ordinary times she did her share of the ironing. "I will tell Oliver that tea is ready, mamma,"

she said, rising to go to the other room. "Why, there he is, sitting in the shade under the walnut tree," she exclaimed, happening to look from the window.

"Sitting out in the cool," remarked Mrs. Preen. "I don't blame him, poring all day long over those accounts and things. Call him in, Jane."

"Coming," said Oliver, in response to Jane's call from the open window.

He crossed the gra.s.s slowly, fanning himself with his straw hat. His fair face--an unusual thing with him--was scarlet.

"You look red-hot, Oliver," laughed his sister.

"If it is as hot to-morrow as it is to-day we shall get a baking,"

returned Oliver.

"In this intense weather nothing makes one feel the heat like work, and I suppose you've been hard at it this afternoon," said his mother in a tone of compa.s.sion, for she disliked work naturally very much herself.

"Of course; I had to be," answered Oliver.

He and Jane sat together under the shade of the walnut tree after tea.

When it grew a little cooler they went to the Inlets, that favourite resort of theirs; a spot destined to bear a strange significance for one of them in the days to come; a haunting remembrance.

II

The white mist, giving promise of a hot and glorious day, had hardly cleared itself from the earth, when, at ten o'clock on the Thursday morning, Jane and Oliver Preen set off in the gig for North Villa, both of them as spruce as you please; Jane in that pretty summer dress she had spent so much work over, a straw hat with its wreath of pink may shading her fair face, Oliver with a white rose in his b.u.t.ton-hole. The party was first to a.s.semble at Mrs. Jacob Chandler's, and to go from thence in waggonettes. There had been some trouble about the gig, Mr.

Preen wanting it himself that day, or telling Jane and Oliver that he did, and that they could walk. Jane almost cried, declaring she did not care to arrive at North Villa looking like a milkmaid, hot and red with walking; and Mr. Preen gave way. Oliver was to drive himself and Jane, Sam being sent on to Crabb to bring back the gig.

Mr. Preen did not regard the picnic with favour. Mr. Preen could not imagine what anybody could want at one, he said, when ungraciously giving consent to Oliver's absenting himself from that delightful b.u.t.tery for a whole day.

Picnics in truth are nearly all alike, and are no doubt more agreeable to the young than to the old. This one was given conjointly by the Jacob Chandlers, the Letsoms, the Coneys, and the Ashtons of Timberdale. A few honorary guests were invited. I call them honorary because they had nothing to do with finding provisions. Tod got an invitation, myself also; and uncommonly vexed we were not to be able to arrive till late in the afternoon. The Beeles from Pigeon Green were coming to spend the day at Crabb Cot, and the Squire would not let us off earlier.

The picnic was held upon Mrs. Cramp's farm, not far from Crabb, and a charming spot for it. Gentle hills and dales, shady groves and mossy glens surrounded the house, which was a very good one. So that it may be said we all were chiefly Mrs. Cramp's guests. Mrs. Cramp made a beaming hostess, and was commander-in-chief at her own tea-table. Tea was taken in her large parlour, to save the bother of carrying things out. Dinner had been taken in the dell, under shade of the high and wide-spreading trees.

They were seated at tea when we got there. Such a large company at the long table; and such tempting things to eat! I found a seat by Emma Paul, the prettiest girl there; Oliver Preen was next her on the other side. Mary MacEveril made room for Tod beside her. The MacEverils were proud, exclusive people, and Miss MacEveril privately looked down on some of her fellow guests; but Tod was welcome; he was of her own order.

Two or three minutes later Tom Chandler came in; he also had not been able to get away earlier. He shook hands with his aunt, Mrs. Cramp, nodded to the rest of us, and deftly managed to wedge himself in between Emma Paul and young Preen. Preen did not seem pleased, Emma did; and made all the room she could, by crushing me.

"I wouldn't be in your shoes to-morrow morning, young man," began Mr.

Chandler, in a serio-comic tone, as he looked at d.i.c.k MacEveril across the table. "To leave the office to its own devices the first thing this morning, in defiance of orders----"

"Hang the musty old office!" interrupted MacEveril, with a genial laugh.

Valentine Chandler had done the same by his office; pleasure first and business later always with both of them; but Valentine was his own master and MacEveril was not. In point of fact, Mr. Paul, not a man to be set at defiance by his clerks, was in a great rage with d.i.c.k MacEveril.

I supposed the attractions of the picnic had been too powerful for d.i.c.k, and that he thought the sooner he got to it the better. But this proved to be a fallacy. Mrs. Cramp was setting her nephew right.

"My dear Tom, you are mistaken. Mr. MacEveril did not come this morning; he only got here an hour ago--like two or three more of the young men."

"Oh, did he not, Aunt Mary Ann?" replied Tom, turning his handsome, pleasant face upon her.

"Yes, and if you were not at the office I should like to know what you did with yourself all day, d.i.c.k," severely cried Miss MacEveril, bending forward to regard her cousin.

"I went to see the pigeon-match," said d.i.c.k, coolly.

"To see the pigeon-match!" she echoed. "How cruel of you! You had better not let papa know."

"If anyone lets him know it will be yourself, Miss Mary. And suppose you hold your tongue now," cried d.i.c.k, not very politely.

This little pa.s.sage-at-arms over, we went on with tea. Afterwards we strolled out of doors and disposed of ourselves at will. Some of the Chandler girls took possession of me, and I went about with them.

When it was getting late, and they had talked me deaf, I began looking about for Tod, and found him on a bench within the Grove. A sheltered spot. Sitting there, you could look out, but people could not look in.

Mary MacEveril and Georgiana Chandler were with him; Oliver Preen stood close by, leaning against the stump of a tree. I thought how sad his look was, and wondered what made it so.

Within view of us, but not within hearing, in a dark, narrow walk Tom Chandler and Emma Paul were pacing side by side, absorbed evidently in one another. The sun had set, the lovely colours in the sky were giving place to twilight. It was the hour when matter-of-fact prosaic influences change into romance; when, if there's any sentiment within us it is safe to come out.

"It is the hour when from the boughs The nightingale's high note is heard; It is the hour when lovers' vows Seem sweet in every whispered word,"

as Lord Byron says. And who could discourse on love--the true ring of it, mind you--as he did?

"Do sing," said Tod to Miss MacEveril; and I found they had been teasing her to do so for the last five minutes. She had a pleasant voice and sang well.

"I'm sure you don't care to hear me, Mr. Todhetley."

"But I'm sure I do," answered Tod, who would flirt with pretty girls when the fit took him. Flirt and flatter too.

"We should have everyone coming round us."

"Not a soul of them. They are all away somewhere, out of hearing. Do sing me one song."

She began at once, without more ado, choosing an old song that Mrs.

Todhetley often chose; one that was a favourite of hers, as it was of mine: "Faithless Emma." Those songs of the old days bore, all of them, a history.