CHAPTER IV.
THE PRODIGIOUS CAKE.
Yet theirs the joy That lifts their steps, that sparkles in their eyes; That talks or laughs, or runs, or shouts, or plays, And speaks in all their looks, and all their ways.
Crabbe.
Next day after the fire, Laura could think of nothing but what she wasto do with the shilling that uncle David had given her; and a thousandplans came into her head, while many wants entered her thoughts, whichnever occurred before; so that, if twenty shillings had been in her handinstead of one, they would all have gone twenty different ways.
Lady Harriet advised that it should be laid bye till Laura had fullyconsidered what she would like best; reminding her very truly, thatmoney is lame in coming, but flies in going away. "Many people can get ashilling, Laura," said her grandmama; "but the difficulty is to keep it;for you know the old proverb tells that 'a fool and his money are soonparted.'"
"Yes, Miss! so give it to me, and I shall take care of your shilling!"added Mrs. Crabtree, holding out her hand to Laura, who fell that if hermoney once disappeared into that capacious pocket, she would never seeit again. "Children have no use for money! that shilling will only burna hole in your purse, till it is spent on some foolish thing or other.You will be losing your thimble soon, or mislaying your gloves; for allthese things seem to fly in every direction, as if they got legs andwings as soon as they belong to you; so then that shilling may replacewhat is lost."
Mrs. Crabtree looked as if she would eat it up; but Laura grasped hertreasure still tighter in her hand, exclaiming,
"No! no! this is mine! Uncle David never thought of my shilling beingtaken care of! He meant me to do whatever I liked with it! Uncle Davidsays he cannot endure saving children, and that he wishes all money wereturned into slates, when little girls keep it longer than a week."
"I like that!" said Harry, eagerly; "it is so pleasant to spend money,when the shopkeeper bows to me over the counter so politely, and askswhat I please to want."
"Older people than you like spending money, Master Harry, and spendwhether they have it or no; but the greatest pleasure is to keep it. Forinstance, Miss Laura, whatever she sees worth a shilling in any shop,might be hers if she pleases; so then it is quite as good as her own. Weshall look in at the bazaar every morning, to fix upon something thatshe would like to have, and then consider of it for two or three days."
Laura thought this plan so very unsatisfactory, that she lost no time ingetting her shilling changed into two sixpences, one of which sheimmediately presented to Harry, who positively refused for a long timeto accept of it, insisting that Laura should rather buy some prettyplaything for herself; but she answered that it was much pleasanter todivide her fortune with Harry, than to be selfish, and spend it allalone. "I am sure, Harry," added she, "if this money had been yours, youwould have said the same thing, and given the half of what you got tome; so now let us say no more about that, but tell me what would be thebest use to make of my sixpence?"
"You might buy that fine red morocco purse we saw in the shop windowyesterday," observed Harry, looking very serious and anxious, on beingconsulted. "Do you remember how much we both wished to have it?"
"But what is the use of a purse, with no money to keep in it!" answeredLaura, looking earnestly at Harry for more advice. "Think again ofsomething else."
"Would you like a new doll?"
"Yes; but I have nothing to dress her with!"
"Suppose you buy that pretty geranium in a red flower-pot at thegardener's!"
"If it would only live for a week, I might be tempted to try; butflowers will always die with me. They seem to wither when I so much aslook at them. Do you remember that pretty fuchsia that I almost drownedthe first day grandmama gave it me; and we forgot for a week afterwardsto water it at all. I am not a good flower doctor."
"Then buy a gold watch at once," said Harry, laughing; "or a fine pony,with a saddle, to ride on."
"Now, Harry, pray be quite in earnest. You know I might as well attemptto buy the moon as a gold watch; so think of something else."
"It is very difficult to make a good use of money," said Harry,pretending to look exceedingly wise. "Do you know, Laura, I once foundout that you could have twelve of those large ship biscuits we saw atthe baker's shop for sixpence. Only think! you could feed the wholetown, and make a present to everybody in the house besides! I dare sayMrs. Crabtree might like one with her tea. All the maids would thinkthem a treat. You could present one to Frank, another to old Andrew, andthere would still be some left for these poor children at the cottage."
"Oh! that is the very thing!" cried Laura, running out of the room tosend Andrew off with a basket, and looking as happy as possible. Notlong afterwards, Frank, who had returned from school, was standing atthe nursery window, when he suddenly called out in a voice of surpriseand amazement,
"Come here, Harry! look at old Andrew! he is carrying something tied upin a towel, as large as his own head! what can it be?"
"That is all for me! these are my biscuits!" said Laura, running off toreceive the parcel, and though she heard Frank laughing, while Harrytold all about them, she did not care, but brought her whole collectiontriumphantly into the nursery.
"Oh fancy! how perfect!" cried Harry, opening the bundle; "this is verygood fun!"
"Here are provisions for a siege!" added Frank. "You have at least gotenough for your money, Laura!"
"Take one yourself, Frank!" said she, reaching him the largest, andthen, with the rest all tied in her apron, Laura proceeded up and downstairs, making presents to every person she met, till her whole storewas finished; and she felt quite satisfied and happy because everybodyseemed pleased and returned many thanks, except Mrs. Crabtree, who saidshe had no teeth to eat such hard things, which were only fit forsailors going to America or the West Indies.
"You should have bought me a pound of sugar, Miss Laura, and that mighthave been a present worth giving."
"You are too sweet already, Mrs. Crabtree!" said Frank, laughing. "Ishall send you a sugar-cane from the West Indies, to beat Harry andLaura with, and a whole barrel of sugar for yourself, from my ownestate."
"None of your nonsense, Master Frank! Get out of the nursery thismoment! You with an estate indeed! You will not have a place to put yourfoot upon soon except the topmast in a man-of-war, where all the badboys in a ship are sent."
"Perhaps, as you are not to be the captain, I may escape, and be diningwith the officers sometimes! I mean to send you home a fine new Indiashawl, Mrs. Crabtree, the very moment I arrive at Madras, and some chinatea-cups from Canton."
"Fiddlesticks and nonsense!" said Mrs. Crabtree, who sometimes enjoyed alittle jesting with Frank. "Keep all them rattle-traps till you are arich nabob, and come home to look for Mrs. Frank,--a fine wife she willbe! Ladies that get fortunes from India are covered all over with goldchains, and gold muslins, and scarlet shawls. She will eat nothing butcurry and rice, and never put her foot to the ground except to step intoher carriage."
"I hope you are not a gipsey, to tell fortunes!" cried Harry, laughing;"Frank would die rather than take such a wife."
"Or, at least, I would rather have a tooth drawn than do it," addedFrank, smiling. "Perhaps I may prefer to marry one of those old wives onthe chimney-tops; but it is too serious to say I would rather die,because nobody knows how awful it is to die, till the appointed daycomes."
"Very true and proper, Master Frank," replied Mrs. Crabtree; "you speaklike a printed book sometimes, and you deserve a good wife."
"Then I shall return home some day with chests of gold, and let youchoose one for me, as quiet and good-natured as yourself, Mrs.Crabtree," said Frank, taking up his books and hastening off to school,running all the way, as he was rather late, and Mr. Lexicon, the master,had promised a grand prize for the boy who came most punctually to hislessons, which everybody declared that Frank was sure to gain, as he hadnever once been absent at t
he right moment.
Major Graham often tried to teaze Frank, by calling him "theProfessor,"--asking him questions which it was impossible to answer,and then pretending to be quite shocked at his ignorance; but no oneever saw the young scholar put out of temper by those tricks and trials,for he always laughed more heartily than any one else, at the joke.
"Now show me, Frank," said uncle David, one morning, "how do you advancethree steps backwards?"
"That is quite impossible, unless you turn me into a crab."
"Tell me, then, which is the principal town in Caffraria?"
"Is there any town there? I do not recollect it."
"Then so much the worse!--how are you ever to get through life withoutknowing the chief town in Caffraria! I am quite ashamed of yourignorance. Now let us try a little arithmetic! Open the door of yourunderstanding and tell me, when wheat is six shillings a bushel, what isthe price of a penny loaf. Take your slate and calculate that."
"Yes, uncle David, if you will find out, when gooseberries are twoshillings the pint, what is the price of a threepenny tart. You remindme of my old nursery song--
'The man in the wilderness asked me, How many strawberries grew in the sea; I answered him, as I thought it good, As many red herrings as grew in the wood.'"
Some days after Laura had distributed the biscuits, she became verysorry for having squandered her shilling, without attending to LadyHarriet's good advice, about keeping it carefully in her pocket for atleast a week, to see what would happen. A very pleasant way of usingmoney now fell in her way, but she had been a foolish spendthrift, soher pockets were empty, when she most wished them to be full. Harry camethat morning after breakfast into the nursery, looking in a greatbustle, and whispering to Laura, "What a pity your sixpence is gone! butas Mrs. Crabtree says, 'we cannot both eat our cake and have it!'"
"No!" answered Laura, as seriously as if she had never thought of thisbefore, "but why do you so particularly wish my money back to-day?"
"Because such a very nice, funny thing is to be done this morning. Youand I are asked to join the party, but I am afraid we cannot afford it!All our little cousins and companions intend going with Mr. Harwood, thetutor, at twelve o'clock, to climb up to the very top of Arthur's Seat,where they are to dine and have a dance. There will be about twenty boysand girls of the party, but every body is to carry a basket filled withprovisions for dinner, either cakes, or fruit, or biscuits, which are tobe eat on the great rock at the top of the hill. Now grandmama says weought to have had money enough to supply what is necessary, and then wemight have gone, but no one can be admitted who has not at leastsixpence to buy something."
"Oh! how provoking!" said Laura, sadly, "I wonder when we shall learnalways to follow grandmama's advice, for that is sure to turn out bestin the end. I never take my own way without being sorry for itafterwards, so I deserve now to be disappointed and remain at home; but,Harry, your sixpence is still safe, so pray join this delightful party,and tell me all about it afterwards."
"If it could take us both, I should be very happy, but I will not gowithout you, Laura, after you were so good to me, and gave me this in apresent. No, no! I only wish we could do like the poor madman grandmamamentioned, who planted sixpences in the ground that they might grow intoshillings."
"Pray! what are you two looking so solemn about?" asked Frank, hurryinginto the room, at that moment, on his way to school. "Are you talking ofsome mischief that has been done already, or only about some mischiefyou are intending to do soon?"
"Neither the one nor the other," answered Laura. "But, oh! Frank, I amsure you will be sorry for us, when we tell you of our saddisappointment!"
She then related the whole story of the party to Arthur's Seat,mentioning that Mr. Harwood had kindly offered to take charge of Harryand herself, but as her little fortune had been so foolishly squandered,she could not go, and Harry said it would be impossible to enjoy the funwithout her, though Lady Harriet had given them both leave to be of theparty.
All the time that Laura spoke, Frank stood, with his hands in hispockets, where he seemed evidently searching for something, and when thewhole history was told, he said to Harry, "Let me see this poor littlesixpence of yours! I am a very clever conjuror, and could perhaps turnit into a shilling!"
"Nonsense, Frank!" said Laura, laughing; "you might as well turn Harryinto uncle David!"
"Well! we shall see!" answered Frank, taking up the sixpence. "I haveput the money into this box!--rattle it well!--once! twice!thrice!--there, peep in!--now it is a shilling! I told you so!"
Frank ran joyously out of the room, being much amused with the joke, forhe had put one of his own shillings into the box for Harry and Laura,who were excessively surprised at first, and felt really ashamed to takethis very kind present from Frank, when he so seldom had money of hisown; but they knew how generous he was, for he often repeated thatexcellent maxim, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
After a few minutes, they remembered that nothing could prevent them nowfrom going with Mr. Harwood to Arthur's Seat, which put Laura into sucha state of ecstacy, that she danced round the room for joy, while Harryjumped upon the tables and chairs, tumbled head over heels, and calledBetty to come immediately that they might get ready.
When Mrs. Crabtree heard such an uproar, she hastened also into theroom, asking what had happened to cause this riot, and she became veryangry indeed, to hear that Harry and Laura had both got leave to join inthis grand expedition.
"You will be spoiling all your clothes, and getting yourselves into aheat! I wonder her ladyship allows this! How much better you would betaking a quiet walk with me in the gardens! I shall really speak to LadyHarriet about it! The air must be very cold on the top of them greatmountains! I am sure you will both have colds for a month after thisTom-foolery."
"Oh no, Mrs. Crabtree! I promise not to catch cold!" cried Harry,eagerly; "and, besides, you can scarcely prevent our going now, forgrandmama has set out on her long airing in the carriage, so there isnobody for you to ask about keeping us at home, except uncle David!"
Mrs. Crabtree knew from experience, that Major Graham was a hopelesscase, as he always took part with the children, and liked nothing somuch for old and young as "a ploy;" so she grumbled on to herself, whileher eyes looked as sharp as a pair of scissors with rage. "You will comeback, turned into scare-crows, with all your nice clean clothes intatters," said she, angrily; "but if there is so much as a speck uponthis best new jacket and trowsers, I shall know the reason why."
"What a comfort it would be, if there were no such things in the worldas 'new clothes,' for I am always so much happier in the old ones," saidHarry. "People at the shops should sell clothes that will never eitherdirty or tear!"
"You ought to be dressed in fur, like Robinson Crusoe, or sent outnaked, like the little savages," said Mrs. Crabtree, "or painted blackand blue like them wild old Britons that lived here long ago!"
"I am black and blue sometimes, without being painted," said Harry,escaping to the door. "Good-bye, Mrs. Crabtree! I hope you will not dieof weariness without us! On our return we shall tell you all ourdelightful adventures."
About half an hour afterwards, Harry and Laura were seen hurrying out ofthe pastry-cook, Mrs. Weddell's shop, bearing little covered baskets intheir hands, but nobody could guess what was in them. They whispered andlaughed together with very merry faces, looking the very pictures ofhappiness, and running along as fast as they could to join the noisyparty of their cousins and companions, almost fearing that Mr. Harwoodmight have set off without them. Frank often called him "Mr.Punctuality," as he was so very particular about his scholars being ingood time on all occasions; and certainly Mr. Harwood carried his watchmore in his hand than in his pocket, being in the habit of constantlylooking to see that nobody arrived too late. Mail-coaches or steamboatscould hardly keep the time better, when an hour had once been named, andthe last words that Harry heard when he was invited were, "Remember!sharp twelve."
The
great clock of St. Andrew's Church was busy striking that hour, andevery little clock in the town was saying the same thing, when Mr.Harwood himself, with his watch in his hand, opened the door, and walkedout, followed by a dozen of merry-faced boys and girls, all speaking atonce, and vociferating louder than the clocks, as if they thoughteverybody had grown deaf.
"I shall reach the top of Arthur's Seat first," said Peter Grey. "All ofyou follow me, for I know the shortest way. It is only a hop, step, anda jump!"
"Rather a long step!" cried Robert Fordyce. "But I could lead you a muchbetter way, though I shall show it to nobody but myself."
"We must certainly drink water at St. Anthony's Well," observed Laura;"because whatever any one wishes for when he tastes it, is sure tohappen immediately."
"Then I shall wish that some person may give me a new doll," said MaryForrester. "My old one is only fit for being lady's maid to a fine newdoll."
"I am in ninety-nine minds what to wish for," exclaimed Harry; "we musttake care not to be like the foolish old woman in the fairy tale, whogot only a yard of black pudding."
"I shall ask for a piebald pony, with a whip, a saddle, and a bridle!"cried Peter Grey; "and for a week's holidays,--and a new watch,--and aspade,--and a box of French plums,--and to be first at the top ofArthur's Seat,--and--and--"
"Stop, Peter!--stop! you can only have one wish at St. Anthony's Well,"interrupted Mr. Harwood. "If you ask more, you lose all."
"That is very hard, for I want everything," replied Peter. "What are youwishing for, Sir?"
"What shall I ask for?" said Mr. Harwood, reflecting to himself. "I havenot a want in the world?"
"O yes, Sir! you must wish for something!" cried the whole party,eagerly. "Do invent something to ask, Mr. Harwood!"
"Then I wish you may all behave well till we reach the top of Arthur'sSeat, and all come safely down again."
"You may be sure of that already!" said Peter, laughing. "I set such avery good example to all my companions, that they never behave ill whenI am present,--no! not even by accident! When Dr. Algebra examined ourclass to-day, he asked Mr. Lexicon, 'What has become of the best boy inyour school this morning?' and the answer was, 'Of course your meanPeter Grey! He is gone to the top of Arthur's Seat with that excellentman, Mr. Harwood!'"
"Indeed!--and pray, Master Peter, what bird whispered this story intoyour ear, seeing it has all happened since we left home!--but people whoare praised by nobody else, often take to praising themselves!"
"Who knows better!--and here is Harry Graham, the very ditto ofmyself,--so steady he might be fit to drill a whole regiment. We shalllead the party quite safely up the hill, and down again, without anyladders."
"And without wings," added Harry, laughing; "but what are we to drawwater out of the well with?--here are neither buckets, nor tumblers, norglasses!"
"I could lend you my thimble!" said Laura, searching her pocket. "Thatwill hold enough of water for one wish, and every person may have theloan of it in turn."
"This is the very first time your thimble has been of use to anybody!"said Harry, slyly; "but I dare say it is not worn into holes with toomuch sewing, therefore it will make a famous little magical cup for St.Anthony's Well. You know the fairies who dance here by moonlight, laytheir table-cloth upon a mushroom, and sit round it, to be merry, but Inever heard what they use for a drinking cup."
Harry now proceeded briskly along to the well, singing as he went, asong which had been taught him by uncle David, beginning,
I wish I were a brewer's horse, Five quarters of a year, I'd place my head where was my tail, And drink up all the beer.
Before long the whole party seated themselves in a circle on the grassround St. Anthony's Well, while any stranger who had chanced to passmight have supposed, from the noise and merriment, that the Saint hadfilled his well with champagne and punch for the occasion, as everybodyseemed perfectly tipsy with happiness. Mr. Harwood laughed prodigiouslyat some of the jokes, and made a few of his own, which were none of thebest, though they caused the most laughter, for the boys thought it verysurprising that so grave and great a man should make a joke at all.
When Mary Forrester drank her thimbleful of water, and wished for a newdoll, Peter and Harry privately cut out a face upon a red-cheeked apple,making the eyes, nose, and mouth, after which, they hastily dressed itup in pocket handkerchiefs, and gave her this present from the fairies,which looked so very like what she had asked for, that the laugh whichfollowed was loud and long. Afterwards Peter swallowed his draught,calling loudly for a piebald pony, when Harry in his white trowsers, anddark jacket, went upon all-fours, and let Peter mount on his back. Itwas very difficult, however, to get Peter off again, for he enjoyed thefun excessively, and stuck to his seat like Sinbad's old man of the sea,till at last Harry rolled round on his back, tumbling Peter head overheels into St. Anthony's Well, upon seeing which, Mr. Harwood rose,saying, he had certainly lost his own wish, as they had behaved ill, andmet with an accident already. Harry laughingly proposed that Petershould be carefully hung upon a tree to dry, till they all came downagain; but the mischievous boy ran off so fast, he was almost out ofsight in a moment, saying, "Now for the top of Arthur's Seat, and Ishall grow dry with the fatigue of climbing."
The boys and girls immediately scattered themselves all over the hill,getting on the best way they could, and trying who could scramble upfastest, but the grass was quite short, and as slippery as ice,therefore it became every moment more difficult to stand, and still moredifficult to climb. The whole party began sliding whether they liked itor not, and staggered and tried to grasp the turf, but there was nothingto hold, while occasionally a shower of stones and gravel came down fromPeter, who pretended they fell by accident.
"Oh, Harry!" cried Laura, panting for breath, while she looked bothfrightened and fatigued, "If this were not a party of pleasure, I thinkwe are sometimes quite as happy in our own gardens! People must be verymiserable at home, before they come here to be amused! I wish we werecats, or goats, or any thing that can stand upon a hill without feelinggiddy."
"I think this is very good fun!" answered Harry, gasping and trying notto tumble for the twentieth time; "you would like perhaps to be back inthe nursery with Mrs. Crabtree."
"No! no! I am not quite so bad as that! But Harry! do you ever reallyexpect to reach the top? for I never shall; so I mean to sit downquietly here, and wait till you all return."
"I have a better plan than that, Laura! you shall sit upon the highestpoint of Arthur's Seat as well as anybody, before either of us is anhour older! Let me go first, because I get on famously, and you mustnever look behind, but keep tight hold of my jacket, so then every stepI advance will pull you up also."
Laura was delighted with this plan, which succeeded perfectly well, butthey ascended rather slowly, as it was exceedingly fatiguing to Harry,who looked quite happy all the time to be of use, for he always feltglad when he could do any thing for anybody, more particularly foreither Laura or Frank. Now, the whole party was at last safely assembledon the very highest point of Arthur's Seat, so the boys threw their capsup in the air, and gave three tremendous cheers, which frightened thevery crows over their heads, and sent a flock of sheep scampering downthe mountain side. After that, they planted Mr. Harwood's walking-stickin the ground, for a staff, while Harry tore off the blue silkhandkerchief which Mrs. Crabtree had tied about his neck, and withoutcaring whether he caught cold or not, he fastened it on the pole for aflag, being quite delighted to see how it waved in the wind mosttriumphantly, looking very like what sailors put up when they takepossession of a desert island.
"Now, for business!" said Mr. Harwood, sitting down on the rock, anduncovering a prodigious cake, nearly as large as a cheese, which he hadtaken the trouble to carry, with great difficulty, up the hill. "Isuppose nobody is hungry after our long walk! Let us see what all thebaskets contain!"
Not a moment was lost in seating themselves on the grass, while thestores were displayed, amidst shouts
of laughter and applause whichgenerally followed whatever came forth. Sandwiches, or, as Peter Greycalled them, "savages;" gingerbread, cakes, and fruit, all appeared inturn. Robert Fordyce brought a dozen of hard-boiled eggs, all dyeddifferent colours, blue, green, pink, and yellow, but not one was white.Edmund Ashford produced a collection of very sour-looking apples, andCharles Forrester showed a number of little gooseberry tarts, but whenit became time for Peter's basket to be opened, it contained nothingexcept a knife and fork to cut up whatever his companions would givehim!
"Peter! Peter! you shabby fellow!" said Charles Forrester, reaching himone of his tarts, "you should be put in the tread-mill as a sturdybeggar!"
"Or thrown down from the top of this precipice," added Harry, giving hima cake. "I wonder you can look any of us in the face, Peter!"
"I have heard," said Mr. Harwood, "that a stone is shown in Ireland,called 'the stone of Blarney,' and whoever kisses it, is neverafterwards ashamed of any thing he does. Our friend Peter has probablypassed that way lately!"
"At any rate, I am not likely to be starved to death amongst you all!"answered the impudent boy, demolishing every thing he could get; and itis believed that Peter ate, on this memorable occasion, three times morethan any other person, as each of the party offered him something, andhe never was heard to say, "No!"
"I could swallow Arthur's Seat if it were turned into a plum-pudding,"said he, pocketing buns, apples, eggs, walnuts, biscuits, and almonds,till his coat stuck out all round like a balloon. "Has any one any thingmore to spare?"
"Did you ever hear," said Mr. Harwood, "that a pigeon eats its ownweight of food every day? Now, I am sure, you and I know one boy in theworld, Peter, who could do as much."
"What is to be done with that prodigious cake you carried up here, Mr.Harwood?" answered Peter, casting a devouring eye upon it; "the crustseems as hard as a rhinoceros' skin, but I dare say it is very good. Onecould not be sure though, without tasting it! I hope you are not goingto take the trouble of carrying that heavy load back again?"
"How very polite you are become all on a sudden, Peter!" said Laura,laughing. "I should be very sorry to attempt carrying that cake to thebottom of the hill, for we would both roll down, the shortest way,together."
"I am not over-anxious to try it either," observed Charles Forrester,shaking his head. "Even Peter, though his mouth is constantly ajar,would find that cake rather heavy to carry, either as an inside or anoutside passenger."
"I can scarcely lift it at all!" continued Laura, when Mr. Harwood hadagain tied it up in the towel; "what can be done?"
"Here is the very best plan!" cried Harry, suddenly seizing theprodigious cake; and before any body could hinder him, he gave it atremendous push off the steepest part of Arthur's Seat, so that itrolled down like a wheel, over stones and precipices, jumping andhopping along with wonderful rapidity, amidst the cheers and laughter ofall the children, till at last it reached the bottom of the hill, when ageneral clapping of hands ensued.
"Now for a race!" cried Harry, becoming more and more eager. "The firstboy or girl who reaches that cake shall have it all to himself!"
Mr. Harwood tried with all his might to stop the commotion, and calledout that they must go quietly down the bank, for Harry had no right togive away the cake, or to make them break their legs and arms withracing down such a hill: but he might as well have spoken to an eastwind, and asked it not to blow. The whole party dispersed, like a hiveof bees that has been upset; and in a moment they were in full careerafter the cake.
Some of the boys tried to roll down, hoping to get on more quickly.Others endeavoured to slide, and several attempted to run, but they allfell; and many of them might have been tumblers at Sadler's Wells, theytumbled over and over so cleverly. Peter Grey's hat was blown away, buthe did not stop to catch it. Charlie Hume lost his shoe, Robert Fordycesprained his ancle, and every one of the girls tore her frock. It was afrightful scene; such devastation of bonnets and jackets as had neverbeen known before; while Mr. Harwood looked like the General of adefeated army, calling till he became hoarse, and running till he wasout of breath, vainly trying thus to stop the confusion, and to bringthe stragglers back in better order.
Meantime, Harry and Peter were far before the rest, though EdwardAshford was following hard after them in desperate haste, as if he stillhoped to overtake their steps. Suddenly, however, a loud cry of distresswas heard over-head; and when Harry looked up, he saw so very alarming asight, that he could scarcely believe his eyes, and almost screamed outhimself with the fright it gave him, while he seemed to forget in amoment, the race, Peter Grey, and the prodigious cake.
Laura had been very anxious not to trouble Harry with taking care of herin coming down the bank again; for she saw that during all this funabout the cake, he perfectly forgot that she was not accustomed everyday to such a scramble on the hills, and would have required some help.After looking down every side of the descent, and thinking that eachappeared steeper than another, while they all made her equally giddy,Laura determined to venture on a part of the hill which seemed ratherless precipitous than the rest; but it completely cheated her, being themost difficult and dangerous part of Arthur's Seat. The slope becamesteeper and steeper at every step; but Laura always tried to hope herpath might grow better, till at last she reached a place where it wasimpossible to stop herself. Down she went, down! down! whether she wouldor not, screaming and sliding on a long slippery bank, till she reachedthe very edge of a dangerous precipice, which appeared higher than theside of a room. Laura then grappled hold of some stones and grass,calling loudly for help, while scarcely able to keep from falling intothe deep ravine, which would probably have killed her. Her screams wereechoed all over the hill, when Harry seeing her frightful situation,clambered up the bank faster than any lamplighter, and immediately flewto Laura's assistance, who was now really hanging over the chasm, quiteunable to help herself. At last he reached the place where poor Lauralay, and seized hold of her by the frock; but for some time it seemed anequal chance whether she dragged him into the hole, or he pulled heraway from it. Luckily, however, by a great effort, Harry succeeded indelivering Laura, whom he placed upon a secure situation, and then,having waited patiently till she recovered from the fright, he led hercarefully and kindly down to the bottom of Arthur's Seat.
Now, all the boys had already got there, and a violent dispute was goingon about which of them first reached the cake. Peter Grey had pusheddown Edward Ashford, who caught hold of Robert Fordyce, and they allthree rolled to the bottom together, so that nobody could tell which hadwon the race; while Mr. Harwood laboured in vain to convince them thatthe cake belonged neither to the one nor the other, being his ownproperty.
They all laughed at Harry for being distanced, and arriving last; whileMr. Harwood watched him coming down, and was pleased to observe howcarefully he attended to Laura, though still, being annoyed at the riotand confusion which Harry had occasioned, he determined to appearexceedingly angry, and put on a very terrible voice, saying,
"Hollo! young gentleman! what shall I do to you for beginning thisuproar? As the old proverb says, 'one fool makes many.' How dare youroll my fine cake down the hill in this way, and send everybody rollingafter it? Look me in the face, and say you are ashamed of yourself!"
Harry looked at Mr. Harwood--and Mr. Harwood looked at Harry. They bothtried to seem very grave and serious, but somehow Harry's eyes glitteredvery brightly, and two little dimples might be seen in his cheeks. Mr.Harwood also had his eye-brows gathered into a terrible frown, but stillhis eyes were likewise sparkling, and his mouth seemed to be pursed upin a most comical manner. After staring at each other for severalminutes, both Mr. Harwood and Harry burst into a prodigious fit oflaughing, and nobody could tell which began first or laughed longest.
"Master Graham! you must send a new frock to every little girl of theparty, and a suit of clothes to each of the boys, for having causedtheirs to be all destroyed. I really meant to punish you severely forbeginning such a r
iot, but something has made me change my mind. Inalmost every moment of our lives, we either act amiably of unamiably,and I observed you treat Miss Laura so kindly and properly all thismorning, that I shall say not another word about
"THE PRODIGIOUS CAKE."
Holiday House: A Series of Tales Page 5
