Quicksilver: The Boy With No Skid to His Wheel

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  A "REG'LAR" BAD ONE.

  Maria, the doctor's maid, opened the door, and as she admitted hermaster and his charge, her countenance was suggestive of round O's.

  Her face was round, and her eyes opened into two round spots, while hermouth became a perfectly circular orifice, as the doctor himself tookoff the boy's cap, and marched him into the drawing-room, where HelenGrayson was seated.

  On his way to the house, and with his young heart swelling at having topart from the only being who had been at all kind to him--for therecollection of the rough tramp had become extremely faint--the boy hadhad hard work to keep back his tears, but no sooner had he passed thedoctor's door than the novelty of all he saw changed the current of histhoughts, and he was full of eagerness and excitement.

  The first inkling of this was shown as his eyes lit upon Maria's roundface, and it tickled him so that he began to smile.

  "Such impidence!" exclaimed Maria. "And a workus boy. My! what'smaster going to do with him?"

  She hurried to the housekeeper's room, where Mrs Millett, who had keptthe doctor's house, and attended to the cooking as well, ever since MrsGrayson's death, was now seated making herself a new cap.

  "A workhouse boy, Maria?" she said, letting her work fall upon herknees, and looking over the top of her spectacles.

  "Yes; and master's took him into the drawing-room."

  "Oh! very well," said Mrs Millett tartly. "Master's master, and he hasa right to do what he likes; but if there's anything I can't abear in ahouse it's a boy in buttons. They're limbs, that's what they are;regular young imps."

  "Going to keep a page!" said Maria, whose eyes looked a little lessround.

  "Why, of course, girl; and it's all stuff."

  "Well, I don't know," said Maria thoughtfully. "There's thecoal-scuttles to fill, and the door-bell to answer, a deal more than Ilike."

  "Yes," said Mrs Millett, snipping off a piece of ribbon viciously; "Iknow. That boy to find every time you want 'em done, and a deal lesstrouble to do 'em yourself. I can't abear boys."

  While this conversation was going on in the housekeeper's room,something of a very different kind was in progress in the drawing-room,where the daughter looked up from the letter she was writing, and gazedwonderingly at the boy. For her father pushed the little fellow inbefore him, and said: "There!" in a satisfied tone, and looked from oneto the other.

  "Why, papa!" said Helen, after looking pleasantly at the boy.

  "Yes, my dear, that's him. There he is. From this hour my experimentbegins."

  "With this boy?" said Helen.

  "Yes, my dear, shake hands with him, and make him at home."

  The doctor's sweet lady-like daughter held out her hand to the boy, whowas staring about him at everything with wondering delight, till hecaught sight of an admirably drawn water-colour portrait of the doctor,the work of Helen herself, duly framed and hung upon the wall.

  The boy burst into a hearty laugh, and turned to Helen, running to hernow, and putting his hand in hers. "Look there," he cried, pointingwith his left hand; "that's the old chap's picture. Ain't it like him!"

  The doctor frowned, and Helen looked troubled, even though it was acompliment to her skill; and for a few moments there was a painfulsilence in the room.

  This was however broken by the boy, who lifted Helen's hand up and down,and said in a parrot-like way--

  "How do you do?"

  Helen's face rippled over with smiles, and the boy's brightened, and hetoo smiled in a way that made him look frank, handsome, and singularlyattractive.

  "Oh, I say, you are pretty," he said. "Ten times as pretty as MissHippetts on Sundays."

  "Hah! yes. Never mind about Miss Hippetts. And look here, my man, MrHippetts said that you were anything but a good boy, and yourschoolmaster said the same."

  "Yes; everybody knows that I am a reg'lar bad boy. The worst boy in thewhole school."

  Helen Grayson's face contracted.

  "Oh, you are, are you!" said the doctor drily.

  "Yes, Mr Sibery told everybody so."

  "Well, then, now, sir, you will have to be a very good boy."

  "All right, sir."

  "And behave yourself very nicely."

  "But, I say: am I going to stop here, sir?"

  "Yes; always."

  "What, in this room?"

  "Yes."

  "And ain't I to go back to the House to have my crumbs!"

  "To have your what?"

  "Breakfasses and dinners, sir?"

  "No, you will have your meals here."

  "But I shall have to go back to sleep along with the other boys?"

  "No, you will sleep here; you will live here altogether now."

  "What! along of you and her?" cried the boy excitedly.

  "Yes, always, unless you go to a good school."

  "But live here along o' you, in this beautiful house with this nicelady, and that gal with a round face."

  "Yes, of course."

  "Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ri-i-kee!" cried the boy in a shrill, piercingvoice; and, to the astonishment of the doctor and his daughter, he madea bound, and then, with wonderful skill and rapidity, began turning thewheel, as it is called, going over and over on hands and feet,completely round the room.

  "Here, stop, sir, stop!" cried the doctor, half-angry and half-amused.

  "I can do it t'other way too," cried the boy; and, as he had turnedbefore commencing upon his left hand, he began with his right, andcompleted the circuit of the room in the opposite direction.

  "There!" he cried, as he stopped before the doctor and his daughter,flushed and proud. "There isn't a chap in the House can do it as quickas I can. Mr Sibery caught me one day, and didn't I get the cane!"

  There was such an air of innocent pride displayed by the boy, that afterfor the moment feeling annoyed, Helen Grayson sat back in her chair andlaughed as much at the boy as at her father's puzzled look, of surprise.

  "That's nothing!" cried the boy, as he saw Helen's smiles. "Look here."

  He ducked down and placed his head on the hearthrug, his hands on eitherside in front, and threw his heels in the air, to the great endangermentof the chimney ornaments.

  "Get down, sir! get down!" cried the doctor. "I mean, get up."

  "It don't hurt," cried the boy, "stand on my head longer than you willfor a penny."

  "Will you get up, sir!"

  The boy let his feet go down into their normal position upon the carpet,and rose up with his handsome young face flushed, and a look of prouddelight in his eyes.

  "I can walk on my hands ever so far," he shouted boisterously.

  "No, no; stop!"

  "You look, miss, and see me run like a tomcat."

  Before he could be stopped, he was down on all-fours running, withwonderful agility, in and out among the chairs, and over the hearthrug.

  "That's what I do to make the boys laugh, when we go to bed. I can goall along the dormitory, and jump from one bed to the other. Where'sthe dormitory? I'll show you."

  "No, no; stop!" cried the doctor, and he caught hold of the boy by thecollar. "Confound you, sir: are you full of quicksilver!"

  "No. It's skilly," said the boy, "and I ain't full now I'm ever sohungry."

  The doctor held him tightly, for he was just off again.

  Helen Grayson tried to look serious, but was compelled to hold herhandkerchief before her mouth, and hide her face; but her eyes twinkledwith mirth, as her father turned towards her, and sat rubbing his stiffgrey hair.

  The doctor's plan of bringing up a boy chosen from the workhouse hadcertainly failed, she thought, so far as this lad was concerned; and asthe little prisoner stood tightly held, but making all the use he couldof his eyes, he said, pointing to a glass shade over a group of waxfruit--

  "Is them good to eat!"

  "No," said Helen, smiling.

  "I say, do you have skilly for breakfast!"

  "I do not know what s
killy is," replied Helen.

  "Then, I'll tell you. It's horrid. They beats up pailfuls of oatmealin a copper, and ladles it out. But it's better than nothing."

  "Ahem!" coughed the doctor, who was thinking deeply.

  The boy glanced at him sharply, and then turned again to Helen--

  "You mustn't ask for anything to eat at the House if you're ever sohungry."

  "Are you hungry?" said Helen.

  "Just!"

  "Would you like a piece of cake!"

  "Piece o' cake? Please. Here, let go."

  He shook himself free from the doctor and ran to Helen.

  "Sit down on that cushion, and I'll ring for some."

  "What, have you got a big bell here? Let me pull it, will you?"

  "It is not a big bell, but you may pull it," said Helen, crossing to thefireplace. "There, that will do."

  She led the way back to the chair where she had been seated, and inspite of herself felt amused and pleased at the way in which the boy'sbright curious eyes examined her, for, outside of his school discipline,the little fellow acted like a small savage, and was as full of eagercuriosity.

  "I say," he said, "how do you do your hair like that? It is nice."

  Just then Maria entered the room.

  "Bring up the cake, Maria, and a knife and plate--and--stop--bring aglass of milk."

  "Yes, miss," said Maria, staring hard at the boy with anything butfavourable eyes.

  "I say, do you drink milk?" said the boy.

  "Sometimes. This is for you."

  "For me? Oh, I say! But you'll put some water to it, won't you!"

  "No; you can drink it as it is. No, no! Stop!"

  Helen Grayson was too late; in the exuberance of his delight the boyrelieved his excited feelings by turning the wheel again round the room,stopping, though, himself, as he reached the place where the doctor'sdaughter was seated. "Well, why do you look at me like that?"

  "I d'know. Feels nice," said the boy. "I say, is that round-face galyour sister?"

  "Oh no; she's the servant."

  "I'm glad of that," said the boy thoughtfully; "she won't eat that cake,will she!"

  Helen compressed her lips to control her mirth, and glanced at herfather again, where he sat with his brow knit and lips pursed upthinking out his plans.

  Maria entered now with the cake and milk, placing a tray on a littletable, and going out to return to the housekeeper, saying--

  "Pretty pass things is coming to when servants is expected to wait onworkus boys."

  In the drawing-room the object of her annoyance was watching, withsparkling eyes, the movements of the knife with which Helen Grayson cutoff a goodly wedge of the cake.

  "There," she said; "eat that, and sit quite still."

  The boy snatched the piece wolfishly, and was lifting it to his mouth,but he stopped suddenly and stretched out his hand--

  "Here; you have first bite," he said.

  Helen shook her head, but felt pleased.

  "No," she said. "It is for you."

  "Do," said the boy, fighting hard with the longing to begin.

  "No; eat it yourself."

  "Would he have a bit if I asked him!" said the boy, torturing himself inhis generous impulse.

  "No, no. You eat it, my boy."

  Once more the cake was within an inch of the bright sparkling teeth, butthe bite was not taken. Instead of eating, the boy held out the cake tohis hostess.

  "Cut it in half, please," he said; "fair halves."

  "What for?"

  "I'm going to eat one bit; t'other's for Billy Jingle. He's hadmeasles, and been very bad, and he's such a good chap."

  "You shall have a piece to send to your schoolfellow," said Helen, withher eyes a little moist now, for the boy's generous spirit was gainingupon her, and she looked at him with more interest than she haddisplayed a few minutes before.

  The boy took a tremendous bite, and began to munch as he sat upon avelvet-covered hassock; but he jumped up directly, and held out thebitten cake again, to say, with his mouth full--

  "Oh, do have a bit. It's lovely."

  Helen smiled, and laid her hand upon the boy's shoulder, as she shookher head, when to her surprise he caught the soft white hand in hisleft, gazed hard at it, and then pressed it against his cheek, making asoft purring noise, no bad imitation of a cat.

  Then he sat eating and holding the hand which was not taken away, till,as the little stranger munched on in the full enjoyment of the wondrousnovelty, the doctor said sharply, "Helen, come here."

  The boy stared, but went on eating, and the doctor's daughter crossedthe room to where her father sat.