CHAPTER THREE.
OLD BROWNSMITH'S VISITOR.
The time glided on, but I did not go to the garden again, for my motherfelt that we must not put ourselves under so great an obligation to astranger. Neither did I take her over for a walk, but we sat at thewindow a great deal after lesson time; and whenever I was alone andShock was within sight, he used to indulge in some monkey-like gesture,all of which seemed meant to show me what a very little he thought ofme.
At the end of a fortnight, as I was sitting at the window talking to aboy who went to a neighbouring school, and telling him why I did not go,a great clod of earth came over the wall and hit the boy in the back.
"Who's that!" he cried sharply. "Did you shy that lump?"
"No," I said; and before I could say more, he cried:
"I know. It was Brownsmith's baboon shied that. Only let us get himout in the fields, we'll give it him. You know him, don't you?"
"Do you mean Shock?" I said.
"Yes, that ragged old dirty chap," he cried. "You can see him out ofyour window, can't you?"
"I can sometimes," I said; "but I can't now."
"That's because he's sneaking along under the wall. Never mind; we'llpay him some day if he only comes out."
"Doesn't he come out then?"
"No. He's nobody's boy, and sleeps in the sheds over there. One ofBrownsmith's men picked him up in the road, and brought him home in oneof the market carts. Brownsmith sent him to the workhouse, but healways runs away and comes back. He's just like a monkey, ain't he?Here, I must go; but I say, why don't you ask your ma to let you comeand play with us; we have rare games down the meadows, bathing, andwading, and catching dace?"
"I should like to come," I said dolefully.
"Ah, there's no end of things to see down there--water-rats and frogs;and there's a swan's nest, with the old bird sitting; and don't the oldcock come after you savage if you go near! Oh, we do have rare gamesthere on half-holidays! I wish you'd come."
"I should like to," I said.
"Ain't too proud; are you?"
"Oh no!" I said, shaking my head.
"Because I was afraid you were. Well, I shall catch it if I stop anylonger. I say, is your ma better?"
I shook my head.
"Ain't going to die, is she?"
"Oh no!" I said sharply.
"That's all right. Well, you get her to let you come. What's yourname?"
"Grant," I said.
"Grant! Grant what?"
"Dennison."
"Oh, all right, Grant! I shall call for you next half-holiday; and mindyou come."
"Stop a moment," I said. "What's your name?"
"George Day," he replied; and then my new friend trotted off, swinginghalf-a-dozen books at the end of a strap, and I sat at the windowwishing that I too could go to school and have a strap to put round mybooks and swing them, for my life seemed very dull.
All at once I saw something amongst the bristly young shoots of theplum-trees along the wall, and on looking more attentively I made outthat it was the top of Shock's straw head-piece with the lid gone, andthe hair sticking out in the most comical way.
I watched him intently, fully expecting to see another great clod ofearth come over, and wishing I had something to throw back at him; but Ihad nothing but a flower-pot with a geranium in it, and the shells uponthe chimney-piece, and they were Mrs Beeton's, and I didn't like totake them.
The head came a little higher till the whole of the straw bonnet crownwas visible, and I could just make out the boy's eyes.
Of course he was watching me, and I sat and watched him, feeling that hemust have turned one of the trained plum-trees into a ladder, andclimbed up; and I found myself wondering whether he had knocked off anyof the young fruit.
Then, as he remained perfectly still, watching me, I began to wonder whyhe should be so fond of taking every opportunity he could find to stareat me; and then I wondered what old Brownsmith would say to him, or do,if he came slowly up behind him and caught him climbing up hisbeautifully trained trees.
Just then I heard a loud cough that I knew was old Brownsmith's, for Ihad heard it dozens of times, and Shock's head disappeared as if bymagic.
I jumped up to see, for I felt sure that Shock was going to catch it,and then I saw that old Brownsmith was not in his garden, but in thelane on our side, and that he was close beneath the window looking up atme.
He nodded, and I had just made up my mind that I would not complainabout Shock, when there was a loud thump of the knocker, and directlyafter I heard the door open, a heavy step in the passage, the doorclosed, and then the sound of old Brownsmith wiping his shoes on the bigmat.
His shoes could not have wanted wiping, for it was a very dry day, buthe kept on rub--rub--rub, till Mrs Beeton, who waited upon us as wellas let us her apartments, came upstairs, knocked at my mother's door,and went down again.
Then there was old Brownsmith's heavy foot on the stair, and he wasshown in to where I was waiting.
"Mrs Dennison will be here directly," said our landlady, and the oldman smiled pleasantly at me.
I say old man, for he was in my eyes a very old man, though I don'tsuppose he was far beyond fifty; but he was very grey, and grey hairs inthose days meant to me age.
"How do?" he said as soon as he saw me. "Being such a nigh neighbour Ithought I'd come and pay my respects."
He had a basket in his hand, and just then my mother entered, and heturned and began backing before her on to me.
"Like taking a liberty," he said in his rough way, "but your son andme's old friends, ma'am, and I've brought you a few strawberries beforethey're over."
Before my mother could thank him he went on:
"Been no rain, you see, and the sun's ripening of 'em off so fast. Afew flowers, too, not so good as they should be, ma'am, but he said youliked flowers."
I saw the tears stand in my mother's eyes as she thanked him warmly forhis consideration, and begged him to sit down.
But no. He was too busy. Lot of people getting ready for market and hewas wanted at home, he said, but he thought he would bring those fewstrawberries and flowers.
"I told him, you know, how welcome you'd be," he continued. "Garden'salways open to you, ma'am. Come often. Him too."
He was at the door as he said this, and nodding and bowing he backedout, while I followed him downstairs to open the door.
"Look here," he said, offending me directly by catching hold of one endof my neckerchief, "you bring her over, and look here," he went on in asevere whisper, "you be a good boy to her, and try all you can to makeher happy. Do you hear?"
"_Yes_, sir," I said. "I do try."
"That's right. Don't you worry her, because--because it's my opinionthat she couldn't bear it, and boys are such fellows. Now you mind."
"Yes, sir," I said, "I'll mind;" and he went away, while, when Ireturned to the room where my mother was holding the flowers to herface, and seeming as if their beauty and sweetness were almost more thanshe could bear, I glanced towards the window, and there once more, withhis head just above the wall, and peering through the thick bristlingtwigs, was that boy Shock, watching our window till old Brownsmithreached his gate.
Hardly a week had passed before the old man got hold of me as I wasgoing by his gate, taking me as usual by the end of my tie and leadingme down the garden to cut some more flowers.
"You haven't brought her yet," he said. "Look here, if you don't bringher I shall think you are too proud."
"He shall not think that," my mother said; and for the next week or twoshe went across for a short time every day, while I walked beside her,for her to lean upon my shoulder, and to carry the folding seat so thatshe might sit down from time to time.
Upon these occasions I never saw Shock, and old Brownsmith never camenear us. It was as if he wanted us to have the garden to ourselves forthese walks, and to a great extent we did.
Of course I used to notice how often I ha
d to spread out that chair forher to sit down under the shady trees; but I thought very little more ofit. She was weak. Well, I knew that; but some people were weak, Isaid, and some were strong, and she would be better when it was not sohot.
Brownsmith's Boy: A Romance in a Garden Page 3
