Brownsmith's Boy: A Romance in a Garden

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER NINETEEN.

  BROTHER SOLOMON.

  The new-comer went slowly up the ladder, looked at my work, and thentook out a small knife with a flat ivory handle, came down again,stropped the knife on his boot, went up, and pared my stump just roundthe edge, taking off a very thin smooth piece of bark.

  "Good!" he said as he wiped his knife, came down, and put the knifeaway; "but your knife wanted a touch on a bit o' Turkey-stone. How areyou, Ezra?"

  Old Brownsmith set down some cats gently, got up off the bushel basketslowly, and shook hands.

  "Fairly, Solomon, fairly; and how are you?"

  "Tidy," said the visitor, "tidy;" and he stared very hard at me. "Thisis him, is it?"

  "Yes, this is he, Solomon. Grant, my lad, this is my brother Solomon."

  I bowed after the old fashion taught at home.

  "Shake hands. How are you?" said Mr Solomon; and I shook hands withhim and said I was quite well, I thanked him; and he said, "Hah!"

  "He has just come up from Hampton, Grant--from Sir Francis Linton's.He's going to take you back."

  "Take me back, sir!" I said wonderingly. "Have--have I done anythingyou don't like?"

  "No, my lad, no--only I've taught you all I can; and now you will gowith him and learn gardening under glass--to grow peaches, and grapes,and mushrooms, and all kinds of choice flowers."

  I looked at him in a troubled way, and he hastened to add:

  "A fine opportunity for you, my boy. Brother Solomon is a very famousgardener and takes prizes at the shows."

  "Oh! as to that," said Brother Solomon, "we're not much. We do the bestwe can."

  "Horticultural medals, gold and bronze," said Old Brownsmith, smiling."There!--you'll have to do so as well, Grant, my lad--you will have todo me credit."

  I crept close to him and half-whispered:

  "But must I go, sir?"

  "Yes, my lad, it is for your benefit," he said rather sternly; and Isuppose I gave him such a piteous look that his face softened a littleand he patted my shoulder. "Come," he said, "you must be a man!"

  I seemed to have something in my throat which I was obliged to swallow;but I made an effort, and after a trial or two found that I could speakmore clearly.

  "Shall I have to go soon, sir?"

  "Yes: now," said Old Brownsmith.

  "Not till I've had a look round," said Brother Solomon in a slowmeditative way, as he took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands,staring about him at the trees and bushes, and then, as a cat gave afriendly rub against his leg, he stooped down after the fashion of hisbrother, picked it up, and held it on his arm, stroking it all the time.

  I had not liked the look of Brother Solomon, for he seemed cold, andquiet, and hard. His face looked stiff, as if he never by any chancesmiled; and it appeared to me as if I were going from where I had beentreated like a son to a home where I should be a stranger.

  "Yes," he said after looking about him, as if he were going to findfault, "I sha'n't go back just yet awhile."

  "Oh no! you'll have a snap of something first, and Grant here will wanta bit of time to pack up his things."

  Old Brownsmith seemed to be speaking more kindly to me now, and thismade me all the more miserable, for I had felt quite at home; and thoughShock and I were bad friends, and Ike was not much of a companion, I didnot want to leave them.

  Old Brownsmith saw my looks, and he said:

  "You will run over now and then to see me and tell me how you get on.Brother Solomon here never likes to leave his glass-houses, but you canget away now and then. Eh, Solomon?"

  "P'r'aps," said Brother Solomon, looking right away from us. "We shallsee."

  My heart sank as I saw how cold and unsympathetic he seemed. I feltthat I should never like him, and that he would never like me. He hadhardly looked at me, but when he did there was to me the appearance inhis eyes of his being a man who hated all boys as nuisances and to makematters worse, he took his eyes off a bed of onions to turn themsuddenly on his brother and say:

  "Hadn't he better go and make up his bundle?"

  "Yes, to be sure," said Old Brownsmith. "Go and tell Mrs Dodley youwant your clean clothes, my boy; and tell her my brother Solomon's goingto have a bit with us."

  "And see whether your boy has given my horse his oats, will you?" saidBrother Solomon.

  I went away, feeling very heavy-hearted, and found Shock in the stable,in the next stall to old Basket, watching a fine stoutly-built cob thathad just been taken out of a light cart. The horse's head-stall hadbeen taken off, and a halter put on; and as he munched at his oats,Shock helped him, munching away at a few that he took from one hand.

  I was in so friendly a mood to every one just then that I was about togo up and shake hands with Shock; but as soon as he saw me coming hedived under the manger, and crept through into old Basket's stall, andthen thrust back his doubled fist at me, and there it was being shakenmenacingly, as if he were threatening to punch my head.

  This exasperated me so that in an instant the honey within me was turnedto vinegar, and I made a rush round at him, startling our old horse sothat he snorted and plunged; but I did not catch Shock, for he divedback through the hole under the manger into the next stall. Then onunder the manger where Brother Solomon's horse was feeding, making himstart back and nearly break his halter, while Shock went on into thethird stall, disturbing a hen from the nest she had made in the manger,and sending her cackling and screaming out into the yard, where the cockand the other hens joined in the hubbub.

  As I ran round to the third stall I was just in time to see Shock's legsdisappearing, as he climbed up the perpendicular ladder against thewall, and shot through the trap-door into the hay-loft.

  "You shall beg my pardon before I go," I said between my teeth, as Ilooked up, and there was his grubby fist coming out of the hole in theceiling, and being shaken at me.

  I rushed at the ladder, and had ascended a couple of rounds, when bangwent the trap-door, and there was a bump, which I knew meant that Shockhad seated himself on the trap, so that I could not get it up.

  "Oh, all right!" I said aloud. "I sha'n't come after you, you dirtyold grub. I'm going away to-day, and you can shake your fist atsomebody else."

  I had satisfied myself that Brother Solomon's horse was all right, so Inow strode up to the house and told Mrs Dodley to spread the table fora visitor, and said that I should want my clean things as I was goingaway.

  "What! for a holiday?" she said.

  "No; I'm going away altogether," I said.

  "I know'd it," she cried angrily; "I know'd it. I always said it wouldcome to that with you mixing yourself up with that bye. A nasty dirtyhay-and-straw-sleeping young rascal, as is more like a monkey than abye. And now you're to be sent away."

  "Yes," I said grimly; "now I'm to be sent away."

  She stood frowning at me for a minute, and then took off her dirty apronand put on a clean one, with a good deal of angry snatching.

  "I shall just go and give Mr Brownsmith a bit of my mind," she said."I won't have you sent away like that, and all on account of that bye."

  "No, no," I said. "I'm going away with Mr Brownsmith's brother, tolearn all about hothouses I suppose."

  "Oh, my dear bye!" she exclaimed. "You mustn't do that. You'll have tobe stoking and poking all night long, and ketch your death o' cold, andbe laid up, and be ill-used, and be away from everybody who cares foryou, and and I don't want you to go."

  The tears began to run down the poor homely-looking woman's face, andaffected me, so that I was obliged to run out, or I should have caughther complaint.

  "I must be a man over it," I said. "I suppose it's right;" and I wentoff down the garden to say "Good-bye" to the men and women, and have afew last words with Ike.

  As I went down the garden I suddenly began to feel that for a long timepast it had been my home, and that every tree I passed was an oldfriend. I had not known it before, but it struck me now that I had beenvery happy t
here leading a calm peaceable life; and now I was going awayto fresh troubles and cares amongst strangers, and it seemed as if Ishould never be so happy again.

  To make matters worse I was going down the path that I had traversedthat day so long ago, when I first went to buy some fruit and flowersfor my mother, and this brought back her illness, and the terribletrouble that had followed. Then I seemed to see myself up at the windowover the wall there, at Mrs Beeton's, watching the garden, and Shockthrowing dabs of clay at me with the stick.

  "Poor old Shock!" I said. "I wonder whether he'll be glad when I'mgone. I suppose he will."

  I was thinking about how funny it was that we had never become a bitnearer to being friendly, and then I turned miserable and choking, for Icame upon half a dozen of the women pulling and bunching onions formarket.

  "I've come to say good-bye," I cried huskily. "I'm going away."

  "Oh! are you?" said one of them just looking up. "Good luck to you!"

  The coolness of the rough woman seemed to act as a check on mysentimentality, and I went on feeling quite hurt; and a few minuteslater I was quite angry, for I came to where the men were digging, andtold them I was going away, and one of them stopped, and stared, andsaid:

  "All right! will yer leave us a lock of yer hair?"

  I went on, and they shouted after me:

  "I say, stand a gallon o' beer afore you go."

  "There's nobody cares for me but poor Mrs Dodley," I said to myself ina choking voice, and then my pride gave me strength.

  "Very well," I exclaimed aloud; "if they don't care, I don't, and I'mglad I'm going, and I shall be very glad when I'm gone."

  That was not true, for, as I went on, I saw this tree whose pears I hadpicked, and that apple-tree whose beautiful rosy fruit I had put socarefully into baskets. There were the plum-trees I had learned how toprune and nail, and whose violet and golden fruit I had so often watchedripening. That was where George Day had scrambled over, and I had hungon to his legs, and there--No; I turned away from that path, for therewere the two brothers slowly walking along with the cats, looking at thedifferent crops, and I did not want to be seen then by one who was soready to throw me over, and by the other, who seemed so cold and hard,and was, I felt, going to be a regular tyrant.

  "And I'm all alone, and not even a cat to care about me," I said tomyself; and, weak and miserable, the tears came into my eyes as Istopped in one of the cross paths.

  I started, and dashed away a tear or two that made me feel like a girl,for just then there was a rustle, and looking round, there was one ofOld Brownsmith's cats coming along the path with curved back, and taildrooped sidewise, and every hair upon it erect till it looked like adrooping plume.

  The cat suddenly rushed at me, stopped short, tore round me, and thenran a little way, and crouched, as if about to make a spring upon me,ending by walking up in a very stately way to rub himself against myleg.

  "Why, Ginger, old fellow," I said, "are you come to say good-bye?"

  I don't think the cat understood me, but he looked up, blinked, anduttered a pathetic kind of _mew_ that went to my heart, as I stoopeddown and lifted him up in my arms to hug him to my breast, where henestled, purring loudly, and inserting his claws gently into my jacket,and tearing them out, as if the act was satisfactory.

  He was an ugly great sandy Tom, with stripes down his sides, but heseemed to me just then to be the handsomest cat I had ever seen, and thebest friend I had in the world, and I made a vow that I would ask OldBrownsmith to let me have him to take with me, if his brother wouldallow me to include him in my belongings.

  "Will you come with me, Ginger?" I said, stroking him. The cat purredand went on, climbing up to my shoulder, where there was not much roomfor him, but he set his fore-paws on my shoulder, drove them into myjacket, and let his hind-legs go well down my back before he hooked onthere, crouching close to me, and seeming perfectly happy as I walked onwondering where Ike was at work.

  I found him at last, busy trenching some ground at the back of Shock'skitchen, as I called the shed where he cooked his potatoes and snails.

  As I came up to the old fellow he glanced at me surlily, stoppeddigging, and began to scrape his big shining spade.

  "Hullo!" he said gruffly; and the faint hope that he would be sorry diedaway.

  "Ike," I said, "I'm going away."

  "What?" he shouted.

  "I'm going to leave here," I said.

  "Get out, you discontented warmint!" he cried savagely, "you don't knowwhen you're well off."

  "Yes, I do," I said; "but Mr Brownsmith's going to send me away."

  "What!" he roared, driving in his spade, and beginning to dig with allhis might.

  "Mr Brownsmith's going to send me away."

  "Old Brownsmith's going to send you away?"

  "Yes."

  "Why, what have you been a-doin' of?" he cried more fiercely than ever,as he drove his spade into the earth.

  "Nothing at all."

  "He wouldn't send you away for doing nothing at all," cried Ike, givingan obstinate clod that he had turned up a tremendous blow with hisspade, and turning it into soft mould.

  "I'm to go to Hampton with Mr Brownsmith's brother," I said, "to learnall about glass-houses."

  "What, Old Brownsmith's brother Sol?"

  "Yes," I said sadly, as I petted and caressed the cat.

  "He's a tartar and a tyrant, that's what he is," said Ike fiercely, andhe drove in his spade as if he meant to reach Australia.

  "But he understands glass," I said.

  "Smash his glass!" growled Ike, digging away like a machine.

  "I'm going to-day," I said after a pause, and with all a boy's longingfor a sympathetic word or two.

  "Oh! are you?" he said sulkily.

  "Yes, and I don't know when I shall get over here again."

  "Course you don't," growled Ike, smashing another clod. I stood pattingthe cat, hoping that Ike would stretch out his great rough hand to me tosay "Good-bye;" but he went on digging, as if he were very cross.

  "I didn't know it till to-day, Ike," I said.

  "Ho!" said Ike with a snap, and he bent down to chop an enormousearthworm in two, but instead of doing so he gave it a flip with thecorner of his spade, and sent it flying up into a pear-tree, where I sawit hanging across a twig till it writhed itself over, when, one end ofits long body being heavier than the other, it dropped back on to thesoft earth with a slight pat.

  Still Ike did not speak, and all at once I heard Old Brownsmith's voicecalling.

  "I must go now, Ike," I said, "I'll come back and say `Good-bye.'"

  "And after the way as I've tried to make a man of yer," he said as iftalking to his mother earth, which he was chopping so remorselessly.

  "It isn't my fault, Ike," I said. "I'll come over and see you again assoon as I can."

  "Who said it war your fault?"

  "No one, Ike," I said humbly. "Don't be cross with me."

  "Who is cross with yer?" cried Ike, cleaning his spade.

  "You seemed to be."

  "Hah!"

  "I will come and see you again as soon as I can," I repeated.

  "Nobody don't want you," he growled.

  "Grant!"

  "Coming, sir," I shouted back, and then I turned to Ike, who dug away ashard as ever he could, without looking at me, and with a sigh I hurriedoff, feeling that I must have been behaving very ungratefully to him.Then there was a sense as of resentment as I thought of how calmlyeverybody seemed to take my departure, making me think that I had donenothing to win people's liking, and that I must be a very unpleasant,disagreeable kind of lad, since, with the exception of Mrs Dodley andthe cat, nobody seemed to care whether I went away or stayed.