beautiful new perambulator with a sweet babysister inside it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
BRAVE JANIE.
At dinner that day there was some talk of nurse going out to walk withthe children.
"Oh do come, nursie dear," said Mary. "It _are_ so much nicer when youcome too," and baby cooed up in nurse's face for all the world as if shewere saying "do come," too.
"I'd like to, dearly," said nurse. "But I think I'd better rest myankle one day more, and then I hope it will be quite well. I feel quiteashamed of having been so stupid about it."
"It wasn't _your_ fault," said Artie. "It was the carpet's fault forbeing loose."
"And mine for not seeing it and getting it fastened," said nurse.Though really I think it was more Emma's fault, for she had charge ofthe passage where nurse had tripped and fallen.
"I think you'd much better wait another day," said Leigh gravely.
And nurse said to herself that Master Leigh was very thoughtful for hisage.
But Leigh had a reason of his own for not wanting nurse to go out withthem that day, and if he had let himself think about it honestly hewould have seen that his dislike to nurse coming showed that he was notdoing right. But all he would allow to himself was "Nurse is so fussy."
"If we could put you in the p'ram-bilator, that would be nice," saidMary. "But I'm afraid it wouldn't be big enough."
"Of course not, you silly girl," said Leigh rather crossly. He did notwant the perambulator spoken of, for fear nurse should say somethingabout not playing any tricks with it. But Mary stared at him. Shecould not understand why he was so cross.
It was again a very fine day for October. And as soon as they could begot ready after dinner the children set off for their walk.
"I'll follow you in a moment," said Leigh, as they were waiting at theside door into the garden while Emma got out the perambulator.
"If you go slowly down the drive I'll make up to you. I'm going tofetch Fuzzy."
Mary's face fell. She was frightened of the dog, you know, when nursewas not there for her to walk beside, for Emma only laughed at her. "I_wiss_ poor Fuzzy wasn't coming," she said. "Rubbish," said Leigh, andthen he said more kindly, "You needn't be frightened of him, Mary,you'll see. He can't knock you down to-day;" and then, as he ran off,he cried back to Emma, "If I don't catch you up in the drive, turn tothe right. We're going round by the smithy and the Lavender Cottages--it's the best road for the p'ram-bilator."
No one paid much attention to what he said, or they might have wonderedwhat he meant, for there were plenty of good roads for the perambulator.Mary kept as close as she could to Emma and baby, and every now andthen she looked round over her shoulder for fear of Fuzz coming fullbang upon her in his affection, and knocking her down. But till theyhad got some little way along the road there was no sign of him or ofLeigh.
Suddenly there came a whoop and cry from behind them. Mary caught holdof Emma's skirt, and in another moment Leigh rushed past them, "drivingFuzz," he would have said, though it looked more like Fuzz dragging_him_. The dog had his harness on, and Leigh was holding the reins andshouting to him.
"I'm taking it out of him," he called out, "just to quiet him down.Doesn't he go well?"
It was certainly a comfort to Mary to see that Fuzz was not loose; andin a minute or two, when the pair came back again, running more slowly,she left off trembling and began to laugh a little.
"Doesn't Fuzzy go just like a little pony?" she said. "Hasn't Leightaught him cleverly?"
Then Leigh showed off all he had trained the dog to do. He made himwalk quite slowly, and then run, and then stop short when he called out"Woa-wo-a, now; gently, old man," till they all admired it greatly.
"He'd soon learn to pull a cart," said Emma.
"He _can_ pull a cart, that's what I've been teaching him for," saidLeigh. "He could draw the p'ram-bilator beautifully."
"Law!" said Emma, "could he now, really?"
"Of course he could," said Leigh, "as soon as we get into the lane I'lllet you see. The road's nice and smooth there."
Mary clapped her hands. She thought it would be lovely. But Emma didhesitate a little.
"Are you sure it's quite safe, Master Leigh?" she said.
"Safe, of course it's safe," said Leigh. "But if you're afraid you canhold on behind just like you're doing now, and then you can stop usgoing faster than you like."
The lane, when they got into it, ran almost straight to the cottages.Leigh meant to pass them and come home by the smithy, for he wantedYakeman to admire him driving Fuzzy. There was a hill to go down, asyou may remember, from the cottages to Yakeman's, and I do not know howLeigh meant to manage there. But as things turned out he did not get sofar as that.
The little party stopped when they had got some way down the lane, andLeigh began to fasten Fuzz to the perambulator. He had got everythingready--for he had secretly tried it before, and he had straps of theright length which he brought out of his pocket. Mary and Artie stoodadmiring his cleverness, but Baby Dolly was not pleased. She wanted togo on, and of course she did not understand what they were all stoppingfor. So she began to cry. Poor little girl, what else could she do?
"P'raps she's cold," said Mary. "It _are_ raver cold standing still."
"Cold, Miss Mary, oh dear no," said Emma. "She's that wrapped up she_couldn't_ be cold. But she's very fractious to-day; she was crying andfretting all the time nurse was dressing her. Nurse spoils her--if shewere my baby I'd be a bit sharper with her."
"Poor Dolly--dear Dolly," said Mary, going up to her little sister andtrying to sooth her. "Don't cry--Dolly's going to have a beauty driveand go _so_ fast."
"Get out of the way, Mary," shouted Leigh. "We're just starting, don'tyou see?"
He held the reins in his hand and ran back behind the perambulator.Then he made Emma take her place as usual, holding the bar--not thatthere was any _need_ for her, he said, but just to make quite sure ofFuzz not running away--they were a funny-looking party, Emma between thereins and Fuzzy wagging his tail in his hurry to be off. Dolly left offcrying and stared about her, wondering what it all meant.
"Gee-up, old fellow," said Leigh, Emma giving a little starting push atthe same time, and off they went, Mary and Artie at each side,breathless with excitement.
At first it seemed all right. They went slowly, and Fuzzy did nothingworse than stand still every minute or two, and look over his shoulderto see what was behind him. The first and second times he did thisLeigh only called out, "All right, old fellow--gee-up then." But whenit got to the third and fourth time Leigh grew impatient.
"Get on with you, you stupid fellow," he shouted, cracking the whip heheld.
And poor Fuzzy, meaning no harm, not understanding what all the unusualnoise and fuss were about, did the only thing he could--he _did_ "geton." He started off, running as fast as he could, and that was prettyfast, for the carriage was very light and Emma was pushing--she couldnot have helped pushing as she was holding the bar and running. And fora minute or two she laughed so that she could not speak. The silly girlthought it was such fun. And seeing her laughing, Leigh thought it wasall right and laughed too. But--on went Fuzz, excited by the laughter,and thinking _he_ was doing all right, till--at the corner where thelane they were in crossed another lane or road, wider but much rougher,and full of deep cart-ruts--instead of keeping straight on he turnedsharply round, for some doggy reason or other, and rushed, still at thesame speed, along this road to the right.
"Fuzz," shouted Leigh, tugging at the left rein. "Fuzz, wo-a then,wo-a."
"Stop, stop," screamed Emma.
But it was no use; in another instant Emma, already panting with runningand laughing, found herself flung off as it were, and Leigh, a momentafter, lay sprawling at full length on the road, the reins torn out ofhis grasp, while Fuzzy in the greatest delight rushed on, on--theperambulator after him, swaying from side to side; and, oh dear, dear--sweet baby Dolly inside!
Mary
and Artie were some little way behind, but when they came up, thiswas what they saw: Emma sitting on the road crying and rubbing her arm,Leigh tearing along as fast as he could go, and a small dark thing farin front of him, bumping up and down among the cart-ruts, and swingingfrom side to side, as if every moment it would tumble over, or else bebroken to pieces.
Mary stood still and screamed. Artie ran on at once, shouting at thetop of his voice, though I do not quite know what good he thought thatwould
Mary: A Nursery Story for Very Little Children Page 18
