Wilfrid Cumbermede Part 13

'Well, I am going to try you. There is a secret. I know it; you do not.

You have a right to know it some day, but not yet. I mean to tell it you, but I want you to learn a great deal first. I want to keep the secret from hurting you. Just as you would keep things from a baby which would hurt him, I have kept some things from you.'

'Is the sword one of them, uncle?' I asked.

'You could not do anything with the secret if you did know it,' my uncle went on, without heeding my question; 'but there may be designing people who would make a tool of you for their own ends. It is far better you should be ignorant. Now will you keep my secret?--or, in other words, will you trust me?' I felt a little frightened. My imagination was at work on the formless thing. But I was chiefly afraid of the promise--lest I should anyway break it.

'I will try to keep the secret--keep it from myself, that is--ain't it, uncle?'

'Yes. That is just what I mean.'

'But how long will it be for, uncle?'

'I am not quite sure. It will depend on how wise and sensible you grow.

Some boys are men at eighteen--some not at forty. The more reasonable and well-behaved you are, the sooner shall I feel at liberty to tell it you.'

He ceased, and I remained silent. I was not astonished. The vague news fell in with all my fancies. The possibility of something pleasant, nay even wonderful and romantic, of course suggested itself, and the hope which thence gilded the delay tended to reconcile me to my ignorance.

'I think it better you should not go back to Mr Elder's, Willie,' said my uncle.

I was stunned at the words. Where could a place be found to compare for blessedness with Mr Elder's school? Not even the great Hall, with its acres of rooms and its age-long history, could rival it.

Some moments pa.s.sed before I could utter a faltering 'Why?'

'That is part of my secret, Willie,' answered my uncle. 'I know it will be a disappointment to you, for you have been very happy with Mr Elder.'

'Yes, indeed,' I answered. It was all I could say, for the tears were rolling down my cheeks, and there was a great lump in my throat.

'I am very sorry indeed to give you pain, Willie,' he said kindly.

'It's not my blame, is it, uncle?' I sobbed.

'Not in the least, my boy.'

'Oh! then, I don't mind it so much.'

'There's a brave boy! Now the question is, what to do with you.'

'Can't I stop at home, then?'

'No, that won't do either, Willie. I must have you taught, and I haven't time to teach you myself. Neither am I scholar enough for it now; my learning has got rusty. I know your father would have wished to send you to college, and although I do not very well see how I can manage it, I must do the best I can. I'm not a rich man, you see, Willie, though I have a little laid by. I never could do much at making money, and I must not leave your aunt unprovided for.'

'No, uncle. Besides, I shall soon be able to work for myself and you too.'

'Not for a long time if you go to college, Willie. But we need not talk about that yet.'

In the evening I went to my uncle's room. He was sitting by his fire reading the New Testament.

'Please, uncle,' I said, 'will you tell me something about my father and mother?'

'With pleasure, my boy,' he answered, and after a moment's thought began to give me a sketch of my father's life, with as many touches of the man himself as he could at the moment recall. I will not detain my reader with the narrative. It is sufficient to say that my father was a simple honourable man, without much education, but a great lover of plain books. His health had always been delicate; and before he died he had been so long an invalid that my mother's health had given way in nursing him, so that she very soon followed him. As his narrative closed my uncle said: 'Now, Willie, you see, with a good man like that for your father, you are bound to be good and honourable! Never mind whether people praise you or not; you do what you ought to do. And don't be always thinking of your rights. There are people who consider themselves very grand because they can't bear to be interfered with.

They think themselves lovers of justice, when it is only justice to themselves they care about. The true lover of justice is one who would rather die a slave than interfere with the rights of others. To wrong any one is the most terrible thing in the world. Injustice _to_ you is not an awful thing like injustice _in_ you. I should like to see you a great man, Willie. Do you know what I mean by a great man?'

'Something else than I know, I'm afraid, uncle,' I answered.

'A great man is one who will try to do right against the devil himself: one who will not do wrong to please anybody or to save his life.'

I listened, but I thought with myself a man might do all that, and be no great man. I would do something better--some fine deed or other--I did not know what now, but I should find out by-and-by. My uncle was too easily pleased: I should demand more of a great man. Not so did the knights of old gain their renown. I was silent.

'I don't want you to take my opinions as yours, you know, Willie,' my uncle resumed. 'But I want you to remember what my opinion is.'

As he spoke, he went to a drawer in the room, and brought out something which he put in my hands. I could hardly believe my eyes. It was the watch grannie had given me.

'There,' he said, 'is your father's watch. Let it keep you in mind that to be good is to be great.'

'Oh, thank you, uncle!' I said, heeding only my recovered treasure.

'But didn't it belong to somebody before my father? Grannie gave it me as if it had been hers.'

'Your grandfather gave it to your father; but when he died, your great-grandmother took it. Did she tell you anything about it?'

'Nothing particular. She said it was her husband's.'

'So it was, I believe.'

'She used to call him my father.'

'Ah, you remember that!'

'I've had so much time to think about things, uncle!'

'Yes. Well--I hope you will think more about things yet.'

'Yes, uncle. But there's something else I should like to ask you about.'

'What's that?'

'The old sword.'

My uncle smiled, and rose again, saying, 'Ah! I thought as much. Is that anything like it?' he added, bringing it from the bottom of a cupboard.

I took it from his hands with awe. It was the same. If I could have mistaken the hilt, I could not mistake the split sheath.

'Oh, uncle!' I exclaimed, breathless with delight.

'That's it--isn't it?' he said, enjoying my enjoyment.

'Yes, that it is! Now tell me all about it, please.'

'Indeed I can tell you very little. Some ancestor of ours fought with it somewhere. There was a story about it, but I have forgot it. You may have it if you like.'