Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War

by R. D. Blackmore

  CHAPTER X

  ACROSS THE STEPPING-STONES

  Very good boats were built at this time in the south of England, stout,that is to say, and strong, and fit to ride over a heavy sea, and plungegallantly into the trough of it. But as the strongest men are seldomswift of foot or light of turn, so these robust and sturdy boats musthave their own time and swing allowed them, ere ever they would comeround or step out. Having met a good deal of the sea, they knew, likea man who has felt a good deal of the world, that heavy enduranceand patient bluffness are safer to get through the waves somehow thansensitive fibre and elegant frame.

  But the sea-going folk of Springhaven had learned, by lore ofgenerations, to build a boat with an especial sheer forward, beam farback, and deep run of stern, so that she was lively in the heaviest ofweather, and strong enough to take a good thump smiling, when unable todance over it. Yet as a little thing often makes all the difference ingreat things, it was very difficult for anybody to find out exactlythe difference between a boat built here and a boat built ten or twentymiles off, in imitation of her. The sea, however, knew the difference ina moment between the true thing and the counterfeit, and encouragedthe one to go merrily on, while it sent back the other staggering. Thesecret lay chiefly in a hollow curve forward of nine or ten planks uponeither side, which could only be compassed by skilful use of adze andchisel, frame-saw and small tools, after choice of the very best timber,free from knots, tough, and flexible. And the best judge of these pointswas Zebedee Tugwell.

  Not having cash enough just at present (by reason of family expenses,and the high price of bread and of everything else) to set upon thestocks the great smack of the future, which should sail round theRosalie, Captain Tugwell was easing his mind by building a boat forstormy weather, such as they very seldom have inshore, but are likely tomeet with outside the Head. As yet there were not many rowing boats herefit to go far in tumbling water, though the few that could do it didit well, and Tugwell's intention was to beat them all, in power, andspring, and buoyancy. The fame of his meaning was spread for as much astwenty leagues along the coast; and jealous people laughed, instead ofwaiting for him to finish it.

  Young Daniel had been well brought up in the mysteries of his father'scraft, and having a vigorous turn of wrist, as well as a true eye andquick brain, he was even outgrowing the paternal skill, with experimentsagainst experience. He had beautiful theories of his own, and feltcertain that he could prove them, if any one with cash could be broughtto see their beauty. His father admitted that he had good ideas, andmight try them, if any fool would find the money.

  Wroth as he had been at the sharp rebuff and contumely of his father,young Daniel, after a long strong walk, began to look at things morepeaceably. The power of the land and the greatness of the sea and thegoodness of the sky unangered him, and the air that came from someoyster beds, as the tide was falling, hungered him. Home he went, ingood time for dinner, as the duty of a young man is; and instead oflaughing when he came by, the maids of Springhaven smiled at him. Thisquite righted him in his own opinion, yet leaving him the benefit ofthe doubt which comes from a shake in that cradle lately. He made a gooddinner, and shouldered his adze, with a frail of tools hanging onthe neck of it, and troubled with nothing but love--which is a woe ofself-infliction--whistled his way to the beach, to let all the womenunderstand that he was not a bit ashamed. And they felt for him all themore, because he stood up for himself a little.

  Doubtful rights go cheap; and so the foreshore westward of the brookbeing claimed by divers authorities, a tidy little cantle of it hadbeen leased by Admiral Darling, lord of the manor, to Zebedee Tugwell,boat-builder, for the yearly provent of two and sixpence sterling. TheAdmiral's man of law, Mr. Furkettle, had strongly advised, andwell prepared the necessary instrument, which would grow into valueby-and-by, as evidence of title. And who could serve summary process ofejectment upon an interloper in a manner so valid as Zebedee's would be?Possession was certain as long as he lived; ousters and filibusters, inthe form of railway companies and communists, were a bubble as yet inthe womb of ages.

  This piece of land, or sand, or rush, seemed very unlikely to be worthdispute. If seisin corporeal, user immemorial, and prescription forlevance and couchance conferred any title indefeasible, then were therabbits the owners in fee-simple, absolute, paramount, and source ofpedigree. But they, while thoroughly aware of this, took very littleheed to go into it, nor troubled their gentle natures much about afew yards of sand or grass, as the two-legged creatures near them did.Inasmuch as they had soft banks of herb and vivid moss to sit upon,sweet crisp grass and juicy clover for unlabored victuals--as well asa thousand other nibbles which we are too gross to understand--and forbeverage not only all the abundance of the brook (whose brilliance mighttaste of men), but also a little spring of their own which came out ofits hole like a rabbit; and then for scenery all the sea, with strangethings running over it, as well as a great park of their own havingcountless avenues of rush, ragwort, and thistle-stump--where would theyhave deserved to be, if they had not been contented? Content theywere, and even joyful at the proper time of day. Joyful in the morning,because the sun was come again; joyful in the middle day to see how wellthe world went; and in the evening merry with the tricks of their ownshadows.

  Quite fifteen stepping-stones stepped up--if you counted three that weremade of wood--to soothe the dignity of the brook in its last fresh-watermoments, rather than to gratify the dry-skin'd soles of gentlefolk. Forany one, with a five-shilling pair of boots to terminate in, might skipdry-footed across the sandy purlings of the rivulet. And only when aflood came down, or the head of some springtide came up, did any butplayful children tread the lichened cracks of the stepping-stones. Andnobody knew this better than Horatia Dorothy Darling.

  The bunnies who lived to the west of the brook had reconciled theirminds entirely now to the rising of that boat among them. At first itmade a noise, and scratched the sand, and creaking things came down toit; and when the moon came through its ribs in the evening, tail wasthe quarter to show to it. But as it went on naturally growing, seldomappearing to make much noise, unless there was a man very near it, andeven then keeping him from doing any harm--outside the disturbance thathe lives in--without so much as a council called, they tolerated thisencroachment. Some of the bolder fathers came and sat inside toconsider it, and left their compliments all round to the masters of theenterprise. And even when Daniel came to work, as he happened to do thisafternoon, they carried on their own work in its highest form--that ofplay--upon the premises they lent him.

  Though not very large, it was a lively, punctual, well-conducted, andpleasant rabbit-warren. Sudden death was avoidable on the part of mostof its members, nets, ferrets, gins, and wires being alike forbidden,foxes scarcely ever seen, and even guns a rare and very memorablevisitation. The headland staves the southern storm, sand-hills shevelledwith long rush disarm the western fury, while inland gales from northand east leap into the clouds from the uplands. Well aware of all theirbliss, and feeling worthy of it, the blameless citizens pour forth, upona mild spring evening, to give one another the time of day, to gazeat the labors of men upon the sea, and to take the sweet leisure,the breeze, and the browse. The gray old conies of curule rank, primesenators of the sandy beach, and father of the father-land, hold ajust session upon the head borough, and look like brown loaves in thedistance. But these are conies of great mark and special character, fullof light and leading, because they have been shot at, and understand howto avoid it henceforth. They are satisfied to chew very little bits ofstuff, and particular to have no sand in it, and they hunch their roundbacks almost into one another, and double up their legs to keep themwarm, and reflect on their friends' gray whiskers. And one of theirtruest pleasures is, sitting snug at their own doors, to watch theirchildren's gambols.

  For this is the time, with the light upon the slope, and the freshnessof salt flowing in from the sea, when the spirit of youth must be freeof the air, and the quickness of
life is abounding. Without any heedof the cares that are coming, or the prick-eared fears of the elders, afine lot of young bunnies with tails on the frisk scour everywhere overthe warren. Up and down the grassy dips and yellow piles of wind-drift,and in and out of the ferny coves and tussocks of rush and ragwort, theyscamper, and caper, and chase one another, in joy that the winter isbanished at last, and the glorious sun come back again.

  Suddenly, as at the wave of a wand, they all stop short and listen. Thesun is behind them, low and calm, there is not a breath of wind tostir their flax, not even the feather of a last year's bloom has moved,unless they moved it. Yet signal of peril has passed among them; theycurve their soft ears for the sound of it, and open their sensitivenostrils, and pat upon the ground with one little foot to encouragethemselves against the panting of their hearts and the traitorous lengthof their shadows.

  Ha! Not for nothing was their fear this day. An active and dangerousspecimen of the human race was coming, lightly and gracefully skimmingthe moss, above salt-water reach, of the stepping-stones. The stepsare said to be a thousand years old, and probably are of half that age,belonging to a time when sound work was, and a monastery flourishedin the valley. Even though they come down from great Hercules himself,never have they been crossed by a prettier foot or a fairer form thannow came gayly over them. But the rabbits made no account of that. Tothe young man with the adze they were quite accustomed, and they likedhim, because he minded his own business, and cared nothing about theirs;but of this wandering maiden they had no safe knowledge, and judged theworst, and all rushed away, some tenscore strong, giving notice to himas they passed the boat that he also had better be cautious.

  Daniel was in a sweet temper now, by virtue of hard labor and gratifiedwit. By skill and persistence and bodily strength he had compassed acurve his father had declared impossible without a dock-yard. Threeplanks being fixed, he was sure of the rest, and could well afford tostop, to admire the effect, and feel proud of his work, and of himselfthe worker. Then the panic of the conies made him turn his head, and thequick beat of his heart was quickened by worse than bodily labor.

  Miss Dolly Darling was sauntering sweetly, as if there were only onesex in the world, and that an entirely divine one. The gleam of springsunset was bright in her hair, and in the soft garnish of health onher cheeks, and the vigorous play of young life in her eyes; while thesilvery glance of the sloping shore, and breezy ruffle of the darkeningsea, did nothing but offer a foil for the form of the shell-coloredfrock and the sky-blue sash.

  Young Daniel fell back upon his half-shaped work, and despised it, andhimself, and everything, except what he was afraid to look at. In thehollow among the sand-hills where the cradle of the boat was, finerushes grew, and tufts of ragwort, and stalks of last year's thistles,and sea-osiers where the spring oozed down. Through these the whiteribs of the rising boat shone forth like an elephant's skeleton; butthe builder entertained some hope, as well as some fear, of beingunperceived.

  But a far greater power than his own was here. Curved and hollow shipsare female in almost all languages, not only because of their curves andhollows, but also because they are craft--so to speak.

  "Oh, Captain Tugwell, are you at work still? Why, you really ought tohave gone with the smacks. But perhaps you sent your son instead. Iam so glad to see you! It is such nice company to hear you! I did notexpect to be left alone, like this."

  "If you please, miss, it isn't father at all. Father is gone with thefishing long ago. It is only me, Daniel, if you please, miss."

  "No, Daniel, I am not pleased at all. I am quite surprised that youshould work so late. It scarcely seems respectable."

  At this the young man was so much amazed that he could only stare whileshe walked off, until the clear duty of righting himself in her goodopinion struck him. Then he threw on his coat and ran after her.

  "If you please, Miss Dolly--will you please, Miss Dolly?" he called, asshe made off for the stepping-stones; but she did not turn round, thoughher name was "Miss Dolly" all over Springhaven, and she liked it. "Youare bound to stop, miss," he said, sternly; and she stopped, and cried,"What do you mean by such words to me?"

  "Not any sort of harm, miss," he answered, humbly, inasmuch as she hadobeyed him; "and I ask your pardon for speaking so. But if you thinktwice you are bound to explain what you said concerning me, now just."

  "Oh, about your working so late, you mean. I offered good advice to you.I think it is wrong that you should go on, when everybody else has leftoff long ago. But perhaps your father makes you."

  "Father is a just man," said young Tugwell, drawing up his ownintegrity; "now and then he may take a crooked twist, or such like; buthe never goeth out of fair play to his knowledge. He hath a-been hardupon me this day; but the main of it was to check mother of her ways.You understand, miss, how the women-folk go on in a house, till theother women hear of it. And then out-of-doors they are the same aslambs."

  "It is most ungrateful and traitorous of you to your own mother to talkso. Your mother spoils you, and this is all the thanks she gets! Waittill you have a wife of your own, Master Daniel!"

  "Wait till I am dead then I may, Miss Dolly," he answered, with a depthof voice which frightened her for a moment; and then he smiled and said,"I beg your pardon," as gracefully as any gentleman could say it; "butlet me see you safe to your own gate; there are very rough people abouthere now, and the times are not quite as they used to be, when we werea-fighting daily."

  He followed her at a respectful distance, and then ran forward andopened the white gate. "Good-night, Daniel," the young lady said, ashe lifted his working cap to her, showing his bright curls against thedarkening sea; "I am very much obliged to you, and I do hope I have notsaid anything to vex you. I have never forgotten all you did for me, andyou must not mind the way I have of saying things."

  "What a shame it does appear--what a fearful shame it is," she whisperedto herself as she hurried through the trees--"that he should benothing but a fisherman! He is a gentleman in everything but birth andeducation; and so strong, and so brave, and so good-looking!"