The Crofton Boys Part 21

"What do people do, all the world over, when they want money?" asked Mr Tooke. Holt looked puzzled. Hugh smiled. Holt was hesitating whether to guess that they put into the lottery, or dig for treasure, or borrow from their friends, or what. Having always till lately lived in India, where Europeans are rather lazy, and life altogether is very languid, he did not see, as Hugh did, what Mr Tooke could mean.

"When men come begging to our doors," said Mr Tooke, "what is the first question we ask them?"

Holt still looked puzzled, and Hugh laughed, saying,--

"Why, Holt, you must know very well. We ask them whether they cannot get work."

"Work!" cried Holt.

"Yes," said Mr Tooke. "The fathers and uncles of both of you work for what money they have; and so do I; and so does every man among our neighbours who is satisfied with his condition. As far as I see, you must get the money you want in the same way."

"Work!" exclaimed Holt again.

"How is he to get work?" asked Hugh.

"That is where I hope to a.s.sist him," replied Mr Tooke. "Are you willing to earn your half-crown, Holt?"

"I don't know how, sir."

"Widow Murray thinks she should have a better chance for a new lodger if her little parlour was fresh papered; but she is too rheumatic to do it herself, and cannot afford to engage a workman. If you like to try, under her directions, I will pay you as your work deserves."

"But, sir, I never papered a room in my life."

"No more had the best paper-hanger in London when he first tried. But if you do not like that work, what do you think of doing some writing for me? Our tables of rules are dirty. If you will make good copies of our rules for all the rooms in which they hang, in the course of the holidays, I will pay you half-a-crown. But the copies must be quite correct, and the writing good. I can offer you one other choice. Our school library wants looking to. If you will put fresh paper covers to all the books that want covering, write the t.i.tles on the backs, compare the whole with the catalogue, and arrange them properly on the shelves, I will pay you half-a-crown."

Holt's pleasure in the prospect of being out of debt was swallowed up in the anxiety of undertaking anything so new to him as work out of school.

Hugh hurried him on to a decision.

"Do choose the papering," urged Hugh. "I can help you in that, I do believe. I can walk that little way, to widow Murray's; and I can paste the paper. Widow Murray will show you how to do it; and it is very easy, if you once learn to join the pattern. I found that, when I helped to paper the nursery closet at home."

"It is an easy pattern to join," said Mr Tooke.

"There now! And that is the chief thing. If you do the library books, I cannot help you, you know. And remember, you will have two miles to walk each way; four miles a-day in addition to the work."

"He can sleep at Crofton, if he likes," said Mr Tooke.

"That would be a queer way of staying at uncle Shaw's," observed Hugh.

"Then there is copying the rules," said Holt. "I might do that here; and you might help me, if you liked."

"Dull work!" exclaimed Hugh. "Think of copying the same rules three or four times over! And then, if you make mistakes, if you do not write clearly, where is your half-crown? I don't mean that I would not help you, but it would be the dullest work of all."

Mr Tooke sat patiently waiting till Holt had made up his mind. He perceived something that never entered Hugh's mind: that Holt's pride was hurt at the notion of doing workman's work. He wrote on a slip of paper these few words, and pushed them across the table to Holt, with a smile:--

"No debtor's hands are clean, however white they be: Who digs and pays his way--the true gentleman is he."

Holt coloured as he read, and immediately said that he chose the papering job. Mr Tooke rose, tossed the slip of paper into the fire, b.u.t.toned up his coat, and said that he should let widow Murray know that a workman would wait upon her the next morning, and that she must have her paste and brushes and scissors ready.

"And a pair of steps," said Hugh, with a sigh.

"Steps, of course," replied Mr Tooke. "You will think it a pretty paper, I am sure."

"But, sir, she must quite understand that she is not at all obliged to us,--that is, to me," said Holt.

"Certainly. You will tell her so yourself, of course."

Here again Holt's pride was hurt; but the thought of being out of Meredith's power sustained him.

When Mr Tooke was gone, Hugh said to his companion,--

"I do not want you to tell me what Mr Tooke wrote on that paper that he burned. I only want to know whether he asked you to choose so as to indulge me."

"You! O no! There was not a word about you."

"O! Very well!" replied Hugh, not sure whether he was pleased or not.

The next morning was so fine that there was no difficulty about Hugh's walking the short distance to the widow Murray's; and there, for three mornings, did the boys work diligently, till the room was papered, and two cupboards into the bargain. Holt liked it very well, except for two things:--that Hugh was sure he could have done some difficult corners better than Holt had done them, if he could but have stood upon the steps; and that widow Murray did so persist in thanking him, that he had to tell her several times over that she was not obliged to him at all, because he was to be paid for the job.

Mr Tooke came to see the work when it was done, and returned to Mr Shaw's with the boys, in order to pay Holt his half-crown immediately, and yet so that the widow should not see. Hugh's eye followed Mr Tooke's hand as it went a second time into his pocket; and he was conscious of some sort of hope that he might be paid something too.

When no more silver came forth, he felt aware that he ought not to have dreamed of any reward for the help he had freely offered to his companion: and he asked himself whether his schoolfellows were altogether wrong in thinking him too fond of money; and whether he was altogether right in having said that it was justice that he cared for, and not money, when he had pressed his debtor hard. However this might be, he was very glad to receive his sixpence from Holt. As he put it in his inner pocket, he observed that this would be all the money he should have in the world when he should have spent his five shillings in fairings for home.

Holt made no answer. He had nothing to spend in the fair; still less, anything left over. But he remembered that he was out of debt,--that Meredith, would twit him no more,--and he began to whistle, so light-hearted, that no amount of money could have made him happier. He only left off whistling to thank Hugh earnestly for having persuaded him to open his heart to Mr Tooke.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

TRIPPING.

When the day came for returning to Crofton, Hugh would have left his crutches behind at his uncle's, so much did he prefer walking with the little light stick-leg he had been practising with for a fortnight. But his aunt shook her head at this, and ordered the crutches into the gig.

He still walked slowly and cautiously, and soon grew tired: and she thought he might find it a relief at times to hop about on his crutches.

They were hidden under the bed, however, immediately on his arrival; so anxious was Hugh to make the least of his lameness, and look as like other boys as possible, both for Tooke's sake and his own. When the boys had been all a.s.sembled for one day, and everybody had seen how little Proctor could walk, the subject seemed to be dropped, and nothing was talked of but the new usher. So Hugh said to himself; and he really thought that he had fully taken his place again as a Crofton boy, and that he should be let off all notice of his infirmity henceforth, and all trials from it, except such as no one but himself need know of. He was even not quite sure whether he should not be a gainer by it on the whole. He remembered Tooke's a.s.surances of protection and friendship; he found Phil very kind and watchful; and Mrs Watson told him privately that he was to be free of the orchard. She showed him the little door through which he might enter at any time, alone, or with one companion.

Here he might read, or talk, and get out of sight of play that he could not share. The privilege was to be continued as long as no mischief was done to anything within the orchard. The prospect of the hours, the quiet hours, the bright hours that he should spend here alone with Dale, delighted Hugh: and when he told Dale, Dale liked the prospect too; and they went together, at the earliest opportunity, to survey their new domain, and plan where they would sit in spring, and how they would lie on the gra.s.s in summer, and be closer and closer friends for ever.

Holt was encouraged to hope that he should have his turn sometimes; but he saw that, though Hugh cared more for him than before the holidays, he yet loved Dale the best.

While Hugh was still in spirits at the thought that his worst trials were over, and the pleasure of his indulgences to come, he felt very complacent; and he thought he would gratify himself with one more reading of the theme which he had written in the holidays,--the theme which he really believed Mr Tooke might fairly praise,--so great had been the pains he had taken with the composition, and so neatly was it written out. He searched for it in vain among his books and in his portfolio. Then he got leave to go up to his room, and turn over all his clothes. He did so in vain; and at last he remembered that it was far indeed out of his reach,--in the drawer of his aunt's work-table, where it had lain ever since she had asked him for it, to read to a lady who had visited her.

The themes would certainly be called for the first thing on Mr Tooke's appearance in school, at nine the next morning. The duties of the early morning would leave no one any time to run to Mr Shaw's then. If anybody went, it must be now. The first day was one of little regularity; it was only just beginning so grow dusk; any willing boy might be back before supper; and there was no doubt that leave would be given on such an occasion. So Hugh made his way to the playground as fast as possible, and told his trouble to his best friends there,--to Phil, and Holt, and Dale, and as many as happened to be within hearing.

"Never mind your theme!" said Phil. "n.o.body expected you to do one; and you have only to say that you left it behind you."

"It is not that," said Hugh. "I must show up my theme."

"You can't, you know, if you have it not to show," said two or three, who thought this settled the matter.

"But it is there: it is at my uncle's, if any one would go for it," said Hugh, beginning to be agitated.

"Go for it!" exclaimed Phil. "What, in the dark,--this freezing afternoon?"