'Me and Nobbles'

by Amy Le Feuvre

  Chapter III.

  THE BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.

  And so the house slipped back again to its gravity and silence, and thechild played about in the shrubberies and sat in the apple-tree gazingwistfully up the dusty high-road. And deep down in his heart the hopestill lingered that his father would appear one day. Spring turnedinto summer, and Bobby spent most of his days out of doors. Oneafternoon his nurse took him to a farm. She was great friends with thefarmer's wife, and Bobby loved a visit there, for he was allowed towander about round the farm and watch the farm hands in their variousoccupations. This afternoon he crossed a field to see a young colt.He was laughing heartily as he watched its frisky antics, when from thelane that was on one side of the field, a big black retriever appeared,barking furiously.

  Bobby was not accustomed to dogs. 'The House' kept none, and with hisheart in his mouth he turned and fled. The retriever pursued him,evidently showing by his gambols that he wanted to play. Somehow orother Nobbles slipped from his grasp as he ran, and in an instant thedog had seized hold of him and, bounding over the hedge, carried himaway in his mouth.

  This awful tragedy brought Bobby to his senses. He was panic-strickenno more, but scrambled as fast as he could into the lane. He was thepursuer now; the big black dog was trotting slowly up the road, and hetrotted as hard as he could go after him.

  It was of no use to call after the robber. Once Bobby did so, but thedog only turned his head to look at him, and then began to trot fasterthan ever. Bobby's short legs did not make rapid progress. Soon hebegan to feel dreadfully tired. Up the lane, out on the highroad, upanother side road, and finally through some big iron gates towards anold red-brick house that stood in the midst of bright flowerbeds andgreen lawns. The big dog led his pursuer deliberately on, and Bobby,heated and footsore, had no thought but to follow.

  There was a lady sitting at tea under some shady trees upon the lawn.The retriever made his way straight to her, and dropped the stick ather feet. Bobby came shyly forward, and the lady looked at him insurprise. She was dressed in deep mourning, and had a very sad face,and, though she looked young, her hair was as white as snow.

  'Who are you, little boy; and what do you want?'

  'I'm Bobby, and that dog took away Nobbles. I've runned after him'bout twenty miles!'

  He picked up his beloved stick, kissed the ugly little smiling face,then produced a very small handkerchief from his pocket and beganwiping Nobbles all over very carefully.

  The lady looked at him with a puzzled smile.

  'You look hot and tired,' she said; 'sit down, and I will give you somestrawberries and cream.'

  Bobby's eyes brightened. He sat down on the grass and looked up at thelady.

  'Is that dog yours?' he asked.

  'Yes; his name is Lucky. That's a funny name, isn't it? It was verynaughty of him to run away with your stick. I must punish him by notgiving him any cake.'

  She shook her head at Lucky, who was sitting up on his haunches withhis tongue hanging out, watching his mistress with beseeching browneyes.

  Bobby looked at him severely.

  'He is a robber! Poor Nobbles must have thought he was being taken offby a lion. I expec' he was dre'ffully frightened. You see, Nobblesisn't just a stick at all.'

  'What is he? I see he has a wonderful head!'

  'Yes; he's Nobbles.' He paused, then added impressively: 'He's my'ticylar friend; we always live together. He understands all I say,but he can't speak.'

  'I see.'

  The lady smiled upon him very pleasantly, then she handed him adelicious plate of strawberries, and Bobby set to work at once. Hethought he had never tasted anything so nice, and in the middle of ithe looked up a little anxiously.

  'Poor Nobbles can't eat at all. It's such a pity. He doesn't grumble,but when I have anyfing _very_ nice he looks in his eyes as if he couldcry; only he doesn't, for he never leaves off smiling.'

  'He's a splendid little friend to have,' the lady said cheerfully. 'Iwonder where you live?'

  'In the House, with nurse and grandmother.' He heaved a sigh. 'Weshall have to go back soon.'

  'I suppose you know the way; but you're a very little boy to be outalone.'

  'I had to run after Lucky; Nurse was at Mrs. Tikes'.'

  'Tikes' Farm? That is some way from here.'

  'Is it twenty miles?'

  'No, but it is nearly two. I expect your nurse will wonder where youare.'

  'I expec' she will; but I likes being here. Are you a proper grown-upperson?'

  'How do you mean?'

  Bobby frowned; he couldn't always put his thoughts into words.

  'You talk so nice to me; I can't talk to grown-up people, acept MasterMortimer. At least I can say "Yes" and "No" to them. That's whatchildren should talk, grandmother says.'

  'I'm so glad you think I talk nice to you. I can't talk to grown-uppeople either. I live alone here--so alone now--so alone!'

  She sighed, and fell into such deep thought that Bobby wondered if shewould ever speak to him again. At last he ventured:

  'I've got a father coming for me one day.'

  'Have you really? Tell me about him.'

  So Bobby told her of his never-fading hope, and she listened andsmiled, and then ordered her pony-trap round, and tucking Bobby inbeside her, drove him along the road by which he had come. They verysoon met Nurse toiling along, with a heated, anxious face, and Bobbybegan to feel rather ashamed of himself. But the lady seemed to putmatters straight at once with her soft voice and pleasant smile. Andthen she stooped and kissed the small boy by her side.

  'I should like you to come and see me very often,' she said. 'I usedto know your grandmother long ago, before I went out to India. Do youthink,' she added, turning to Nurse, 'that he would be allowed to cometo me?'

  'I'm sure,' said Nurse, hesitating, 'that if you were to invite him----'

  'Then I invite you, Bobby, at once to come to tea with me the day afterto-morrow. I will write a note to your grandmother.'

  Bobby's eyes shone with delight

  'Me and Nobbles never go to tea with anybody,' he said. 'Do you thinkgrandmother will say "yes"?'

  'I hope she will.'

  She nodded at him brightly, then drove off; and Nurse looked after herwith a curious interest upon her face.

  'That's the rich young widow, Lady Isobel, I've heard talk about. Sheshuts herself up, and won't go out nowheres.'

  'Oh, no!' corrected Bobby. 'She wasn't shut up; I sawed her in thegarden.'

  'She's had a deal of trouble,' Nurse went on, more to herself than toBobby. 'Her husband and only child and favrit sister were all drownedsudden in a boat out in them foreign rivers, and she come home, andfound her old father dyin'; and she haven't got a relation left, and ithave turned her head, and no wonder!'

  'When peoples die,' said Bobby thoughtfully, 'they go away and nevercome back; don't they, Nurse? Jane says they're put under ground inthe churchyard, but you told me the angels take them up to God.'

  'Don't bother your little head about such things,' said Nurse hastily.'And don't you be a naughty boy and run away from me again. I feel asif I shall never get cool. I'm regular done up, and 'twas only achance I took the right road; but one of the farm hands saw you runnin'along.'

  The next day was Sunday. Bobby never went to church in the morning,but very often his nurse took him in the afternoon. And Sunday morningwas his opportunity to slip through the green baize door and wanderover the house, for his grandmother and uncle and aunt always went tochurch, and the house was empty. Nurse did not mind his doing it, aslong as he did not get into mischief. This morning he wandered intothe dining-room; the family portraits on the walls always attractedhim. Jenkins, the butler, was arranging the table for lunch, and eyedhim morosely as he appeared.

  'Now then, this ain't your nursery, you know,' was his greeting.

  Bobby was so accustomed to this speech that he paid no attention to it.He sauntered ro
und the room with Nobbles in his hand, and his eyes wereriveted on the stern and gloomy faces looking out of their frames.

  'Mr. Jenkins,' he said very politely, 'will your picture be put upthere when you're dead?'

  'Law, no!' said Jenkins testily. 'What a silly child you be! Tis onlygrandees can have their picters taken.'

  'Has my father had his picture taken?'

  'More'n I can say. He don't belong to this house. Your mother'spicter were taken, and the mistress keeps it locked up. She werewonderful fond of Miss Vera.'

  Bobby was not half so interested in his dead mother as in his livingfather.

  'I don't belong to the House,' he murmured to himself. 'Father has gota big house somewheres where he'll take me when he comes home, andeverything in that house will belong to me and father--all mine own!'

  He reflected for a minute with shining complacency upon this idea.Then he looked up at the pictures again.

  'I'm so glad they're all dead. I shouldn't like to see them going upand down stairs. I'm sure they'd scold me!'

  'Don't you be abusin' your elders, Master Bobby; and liking them deadbe not a right state o' mind at all.'

  'But dead people are very happy in heaven. Nurse says so. Wouldn'tyou like to be dead, Mr. Jenkins?'

  Jenkins put down the glass he was polishing, and pointed sternly to thedoor.

  'Now you go off, Master Bobby, and don't you be asking imperentquestions.'

  Bobby trotted off. There was no love lost between him and Jenkins. Hepeeped into the drawing-room, then found his way to the library, andhere he wandered about for some considerable time. The plaster bustswere always a puzzle to him. Why had they no eyes? Were they bornblind? Why had they no bodies? Had their heads been cut off? Theseand many other questions he would ask Nobbles, who could only grin athim by way of reply.

  Then he began to pull out some books in the bookcase. He could notread very well himself, though he spent half an hour with Nurse everymorning over a reading-book. But he loved pictures, and he knew therewere books with pictures in them. Once he had found a wonderful bookhere. It was bound in brown leather, and had filigree brass cornersand clasps studded with blue turquoises. He had opened it and foundpictures on every page, and the front page was illuminated in the mostbrilliant colours. His Aunt Anna had come into the room and taken itfrom him.

  'That is a most valuable old Italian Bible,' she said. 'You are toolittle to be trusted with it. You must wait till you grow bigger.'

  Now as he caught sight of it he said to Nobbles very gravely:

  'I'm grown bigger now, Nobbles. We'll look at it. That was years agowhen Aunt Anna said that.'

  It was a heavy book to lift. He dragged a footstool close to thebookcase, then placed the Bible very carefully upon it, and sat down onthe carpet in front of it prepared to enjoy himself. First he fingeredthe little blue stones in true childish fashion, then he laid his cheekon the soft leather binding, and told Nobbles it smelt just sweet. Andthen with the greatest reverence he opened the clasps and began to lookat the pictures. They were wonderful! But some of them ratherfrightened him. The angels with their big wings he loved, but therewas an awful picture of the ark floating over stormy waves throughtorrents of rain, and drowning people holding up their arms to be takenin; and there was one of a boy being tied to a heap of stones and hisold father, with knife uplifted, just going to kill him.

  Bobby did not like the look of that at all; and then noticing that,scattered through the book, were a few very beautifully paintedpictures, he turned over the pages to find them first. At last he cameto one at the very end of the volume that arrested his attention andheld him spellbound.

  It was shining with gold and glory, and was the picture of two goldengates guarded by white angels with glittering golden wings. Inside thegates was a broad golden road lined with avenues of fruit-laden trees,and crowds of white-robed people and children were walking along it,some dancing and singing, some playing harps and blowing trumpets, someresting under the trees, but nearly all making their way to a big treeladen with golden fruit that stood on the edge of a flowing river. Inthe distance was a beautiful golden city, which seemed to be sendingits rays of light right up to this tree and surrounding it. Every facewas smiling, every person seemed entrancingly happy, and all of themwere dressed in white, and nearly all wore golden crowns on their heads.

  Bobby drew a long breath.

  'It's Fairyland!' he whispered to Nobbles. 'Oh, I wish me and youcould walk straight in and be there! I would love to pick those goldenapples, and to blow those trumpets, and to play about with the childrenby the water.'

  He gazed with wistful longing in his eyes; then from the inside of thegates his glance tell upon a dark corner outside in the picture. Andthis was the angel shutting out a little group of people who werebegging to be let in. They were dressed in filthy rags, their faceswere wretched, and several were weeping bitterly. No light from thegolden city seemed to fall upon them, and Bobby noticed, through thedarkness that seemed all round them, that their feet were close to theedge of a precipice.

  As he looked at them the tears came into his eyes; and when he heardNurse's voice call to him he started violently. He could hardlybelieve he was in the library, and was going up to his sunny nursery.He had been in the picture for such a long time, and so very far away.

  Very carefully he put the Bible back in its place and ran out of theroom.

  'Nurse,' he said a little later, as he was eating his dinner in thenursery, 'do you know a story in the Bible about some big lovely gates,and angels, and a street all gold, and trees with gold apples, andlovely flowers, and everybody smiling, and then, outside the gates,some poor, unhappy crying people being shut out in the dark and rain?It's rather near the end of the book.'

  'Oh, I expect it's a picture of heaven,' said Nurse, 'and the wickedpeople being shut out.'

  'But,' said Bobby, with anxious eyes, 'are many bodies shut outside ofheaven? Can't they never get in?'

  'Now, eat your dinner and don't talk so much! There are no wickedpeople in heaven. It is only good little boys who go there.'

  An awful fear clutched at Bobby's heart, but he could not put it intowords. He had taken it for granted that everybody who died wentstraight to heaven. The picture of those weeping men and women outsidethe gates, and the sad stern face of the angel who was shutting themout, haunted him. He was very quiet indeed; and when Nurse took himoff to church a little later, he never spoke a word. They walked alongthe high-road for a short distance, then turned up a lane with highbanks and hedges, and at last came to the little country church, withsome shady elms and beeches casting cool shadows across the sunnychurchyard. It was a children's service, and the Sunday-schoolchildren were filing in before them. Bobby followed his nurse up tohis grandmother's pew. It was very near the pulpit, and when sittingdown Bobby could not see over the top of it. He was not very fond ofchurch. It was a long time to sit still, and Nurse would not let himtalk to Nobbles. In fact she had threatened more than once to leaveNobbles behind when they went to church if he persisted in playing withhim.

  To-day Bobby was pleased by hearing one of his hymns sung that he knewby heart, and when the clergyman began to talk in the pulpit of thisvery hymn he could not help listening.

  There's a Friend for little children Above the bright blue sky,'

  said the clergyman. 'Now I am going to talk to you about seven thingsyou have above the sky. Will you say them after me? A Friend, a rest,a home, a crown, a song, a robe, and a harp with palms of victory.'Bobby's attention was fixed for a time as the clergyman spoke of theseone by one. He described heaven with all its glories, and Bobby noddedhis head as he listened.

  'Me and you have seen it, Nobbles,' he whispered. 'We sawed it in thepicsher.'

  When the robe and harp were described Bobby drew a long breath ofdelight. It seemed all so certain that he was going to be inside thegates one day. He went into dreams after that, and then
started in hisseat as he heard the very solemn closing words of the sermon: 'Soremember, dear children, you must have your white robe on _before_ youenter those golden gates, or they will close upon you, and you will beleft outside.'

  Poor Bobby thought and thought of these words as he trotted home withNurse; but he felt that if he asked for them to be explained Nursewould only tell him to be quiet.

  When he was in bed that night he confided his fears to Nobbles.

  'Me and you may be shut outside, like those peoples, if we don't havethose white gowns. How can I get one, Nobbles, dear? I wonder if myfather would give me one! And I wonder if you can buy them, and wheresthey comes from!'

  Tired out with such conjectures, he fell asleep.