Menhardoc Part 14

"Here, I want to go," said our friend on the pier. "I'll give you a shilling if you'll take me."

"No; we can't take you," said Josh grimly. "We should make you in such a mess you'd have to be washed."

"There, Taff, I told you so," cried d.i.c.k. "Why don't you put on your flannels. I hate being dressed up at the sea-side!" he added to himself as his brother stalked impatiently away.

"There, now, he's chuffy," said d.i.c.k, half to himself. "Oh! I do wish he wasn't so soon upset! Hi, Taff, old man, don't go, I'm coming soon.

He had a bad illness once, you know," he said confidentially to Will; but his brother did not stop, walking slowly away along the pier, to be met by a tall, dark, keen-looking man of about forty who was coming from the inn.

"I say," said d.i.c.k, who did not see the encounter at the sh.o.r.e end of the pier, "I _should_ like to come with you to-night."

"Why, you'd be sea-sick," said Josh, laughing.

"Oh, no! I shouldn't. I've been across the Channel eight times and not ill. I say, you'll let me come?"

Will looked at Josh, who was turning the new wire binding of the gaff-hook into a file for the gentle rubbing of his nose.

"Shall we take him, Josh?" said Will.

"I don't mind," replied that worthy, "only he'll get in a gashly mess."

"I don't mind," said d.i.c.k. "Flannels will wash. I'll put on my old ones, and--"

"Why, d.i.c.k, what are you doing there?" cried the keen-looking man, who had come down the pier.

"Talking to the fishermen, father," cried the boy, starting up. "I say, they're going out to lay this line. May I go with them?"

His father hesitated a moment and glanced quickly to seaward before turning to Josh.

"Weather going to be fine?" he said in a quick way that indicated business more than command, though there was enough of the latter in his speech to make Josh answer readily:

"Going to be fine for a week;" and then confidentially, "We'll take care on him."

The stranger smiled.

"Yes, you can go, d.i.c.k; but take care of yourself. It does not take you long to make friends, young man. Come, Arthur, I'm going for a walk along the beach."

"Can't I go with d.i.c.k, papa?" said the boy addressed, in an ill-used tone.

"No; I should think three will be enough in a small boat; and besides--"

He said no more, but glanced in a half-amused way at his son's costume, being himself in a loose suit of tweeds.

Arthur coloured and tightened his lips, walking off with his father, too much hurt to say more to his brother, whom he left talking to Will.

"There," said the latter, impaling the last bit of squid on a hook and then laying it in its place, "that's ready. Now you'd better do as I do: go home and get some tea and then come back."

"But it's too soon," replied d.i.c.k, "I can't get tea yet--"

"Come home and have some with me then," said Will.

"All right!" said d.i.c.k. "I say, does he live with you? Is he your brother?"

"Hor--hor--hor--hor!" laughed Josh. "That is a good one. Me his brother! Hor--hor--hor!"

"Well, I didn't know," said d.i.c.k colouring. "I only thought he might be, you know."

"Oh, no, youngster! I ain't no brother o' him," said Josh, shaking his head. "There, don't you mind," he continued, clapping his strong hand on the boy's shoulder, and then catching hold of him with his short deformed limb, an act that looked so startling and strange that the boy leaped back and stared at him.

Josh's deformity was his weakest as well as his strongest point, and he looked reproachfully, half angrily, at the boy and then turned away.

With the quick instinct of a frank, generous nature, d.i.c.k saw the wound he had inflicted upon the rough fisherman, and glanced first at Will, who was also touched on his companion's account. Then stepping quickly up to Josh he touched him on the arm and held out his hand.

"I--I beg your pardon," he said. "I didn't know. I was surprised. I'm very sorry--"

Josh's weather-tanned face lit up directly with a pleasant smile, and grasping the boy's hand he wrung it so hard that d.i.c.k had hard work to keep from wincing.

"It's all right, my lad," he said. "Of course you didn't know! It be gashly ugly, bean't it? Fell off the cliff when I was quite a babby, you know, and soft. Fifty foot. Yonder, you know;" and he pointed to the steep cliff and its thin iron railing at the end of the village.

"How shocking!" said d.i.c.k.

"Oh! I dunno," said Josh cheerily. "I was such a little un, soft as one of our bladder buoys, you see, and I never knowed anything about it.

Bent it like, and stopped it from growing; but thank the Lord, it grew strong, and I never mind. There, you be off along o' Will there and get your tea, and we'll have such a night's fishing, see if we don't!"

CHAPTER TEN.

UNCLE ABRAM ALWAYS HAS A BIT OF SALT PROVISION IN CUT.

The two lads went off towards the village, d.i.c.k in the highest of glee, and chattering and questioning about everything he saw, Will getting more and more quiet and lower of spirit as he thought of the ordeal that he had to face.

For he had asked this young stranger, whom he had never seen before, to come home and share his meal, and all in the frankness of his young hospitable feelings. In fact, he would have given him his own meal with the greatest of pleasure; but it had all been done without a thought of Aunt Ruth and Uncle Abram.

"Where do you live?" said d.i.c.k suddenly.

"Up at the end there; the white cottage."

"What! with the pretty garden and the flowers?" cried the boy. "I know Nor'-nor'-west Cottage. Father said he wished we could have it when we looked round."

"Yes, that's my home," said Will. "Uncle is very fond of his garden, and takes great pains with it."

"Uncle?" said d.i.c.k. "Do you live with your uncle?"

"And aunt," replied Will quietly; and there was so much meaning in his tone that his companion did not ask the question upon his lips about father and mother.

"I like gardens," said d.i.c.k; "but we can't grow anything in our back garden in town. I did try some vegetable-marrows, but the cats scratched up some, and the smoke and blacks killed the others. Anything will grow down here, I suppose?"

"Oh, yes, if you don't plant it just where the west wind cuts. It is so fierce sometimes. Let's go round by the back, and I can take you through our garden."