CHAPTER TWELVE.
Those were busy times at Meade Place, for Mr Hasnip worked me hard; MrRebble harassed me a little whenever he had a chance; and every now andthen the Doctor made a sudden unexpected attack upon me with questionsuttered in the severest of tones.
All this meant long hours of what the masters called "private study" andthe boys "private worry;" while in addition there were the lessons weinflicted upon ourselves, for we never once failed of being at the lodgeby five o'clock on those summer mornings, to be scolded, punched, andgenerally knocked about by our instructor.
Join to these, other lessons in the art of skinning and preservingbirds, given by Mercer up in the loft; compulsory games at cricket, asthey were called, but which were really hours of toil, fielding for Burrmajor, Hodson, and Dicksee; sundry expeditions after specimens, visitsto Bob Hopley, bathing, fishing, and excursions and incursionsgenerally, and it will be seen that neither Mercer nor I had much sparetime.
A busy life is after all the happiest, and, though my lessons oftenworried and puzzled me, I was perfectly content, and my friendlyrelations with Mercer rapidly grew more firm.
"I say," he cried one morning, after Lomax had grumbled at us a littleless than usual respecting our execution of several of the bits ofguarding and hitting he put us through--"I say, don't you think we areperfect yet?"
The serjeant opened his eyes wide, and then burst into a hearty laugh.
"Well," he said, "you will grow into a man some day, and when you do, Idaresay you will be a bit modest, for of all the cocksparrowy chaps Iever did meet, you are about the most impudent."
"Thank-ye," said Mercer, and he went off in dudgeon, while Lomax gave mea comical look.
"That's the way to talk to him," he said. "If you don't, he'll grow upso conceited he'll want extra buttons on his jacket to keep him fromswelling out too much."
"Now, Burr, are you coming?" shouted Mercer.
"Yes. Good morning," I said to Lomax, and I hurried out.
"I thought we should have learned long before this," said my companion,as we strolled leisurely back. "I don't seem to get on a bit further,and I certainly don't feel as if I could fight. Do you?"
"No," I said frankly.
"You see, it wants testing or proving, same as you do a sum. Shall wehave a fall out with them and try?"
"No," I cried excitedly. "That wouldn't do. They might lick us. Weought to try with some one else first."
"But who is there? If we had a fight with some other boys, Eely andDicksee would know, and we should have no chance to fight them then. Iknow. Let you and I fall out and have a set to."
I whistled, and put my hands in my pockets.
"Wouldn't that do?" he said.
"No, not at all. It wouldn't be real, and--"
"Hold your tongue. Here's Magglin."
"Morning, young gents," said the man coming up in his nasty, watchful,furtive way, looking first behind him, and then dodging to right andleft to look behind us, to see if any one was coming.
"Morning.--Hi! look out! Keeper!" cried Mercer.
"Eh? Where? where?" whispered Magglin huskily.
"Down in the woods," cried Mercer laughingly. "Look at him, Burr; hehas been up to some games, or he wouldn't be so frightened."
"Get out!" growled the gipsy-looking fellow sourly. "Doctor don't teachyou to behave like that, I know."
"Nor the gardener don't teach you to try and cheat people with ferrets."
"Well, I like that," cried Magglin in an ill-used tone. "I sells youfor a mate of mine--"
"No, you didn't, it was for yourself, Magg."
"As good a farret as ever run along a hole."
"As bad a one as ever stopped in and wouldn't come out again."
"And you turn like that on a fellow."
"You're a cheat, Magg, and you took us in. That was your old ferret yousold me, and I wish I'd never paid you a shilling."
"Nay, not you. It's a good farret, and you've only paid me fourshillin' out of them five."
"And I don't think I shall pay you any more."
"Nay, you must. Gents can't break their words."
"But they can break blackguards' heads, Magg."
"I ain't a blackguard, and I sold you the ferret fair and square. Itweren't my fault you let it run down a hole in the loft."
"When it proved directly that it was your old one, for there it stops."
"I shouldn't pay him the other shilling till he got it out, Tom," Isaid.
"I don't mean to. How many times have you been to look for it, Magg?"
"How many times? I didn't count. Every morn when I come to work have Igone down on my chestie in that there loft, watching o' them rat-holes."
"Yes, and you've never caught him. Four shillings did I pay you forthat ferret--"
"And a shillin' more to pay," said Magglin, grinning. "And only oncehave I seen his nasty ugly little pink nose since, when he poked it outof a hole and slipped back again.
"But then see how he must have kept down the rats," said the man.
"Bother the rats. I want my ferret." Mercer turned sharply round tome.
"I say," he whispered, "he's a blackguard and a cheat. We wanted topractise. Let's both pitch into him."
I naturally enough laughed at the idea, and, looking round at the undergardener, I saw that he was watching us with his rat-like eyes.
"I say," he whispered, with an accompaniment of nods and winks, "I waslying wait for you two."
"We're not rabbits, Magg," I said.
"Who said you was?" he cried, with a sharp look round behind him.
"Nor yet hares, Magg," cried Mercer.
"Now look ye here," said the fellow appealingly, "it's too bad on youtwo chuckin' things in a man's face like that now. Ain't I alwaysgetting a honest living? You talk like that, and somebody'll bethinkin' I go porching."
"So you do," said Mercer.
"What, porch?"
"Yes. I know. Bob Hopley says so too."
"Only hark at him," cried Magglin, "talking like that! Why, BobHopley's a chap as must do something to show for his wage, and he'd takeany man's character away. He hate me, he do."
"Yes, and you hate him, Magg," I said.
The fellow turned on me sharply, but a curiously ugly smile began tomake curves like parentheses at the corners of his lips, and he showedhis teeth directly after.
"Well, I ain't so very fond of him," he said. "But look here, thereain't no harm in a rabbid, and I was looking out for you two to ast ifyou'd like to meet me, just by accident like, somewheers down to thisside o' High Pines, where the sandhills is. There's a wonderful lot o'rabbids there just now."
"Yes, but when?" cried Mercer. "I want a rabbit or two to skin andstuff."
"And you'd gie me the rabbids to eat."
"Of course. When do you mean?"
"I thowt as to-night'd do, 'bout seven, when they're beginning to lopeabout."
"And you'd shoot some with that little gun of yours?"
"Whisht! Who's got a gun? Nonsense!"
"Ah, we know," cried Mercer.
"But I mean farreting."
"Wouldn't do," said Mercer decisively. "Bob Hopley would be sure tocome."
"Nay, he's going to Hastings to-day, and won't be back till teno'clock."
"How do you know?"
"Little birds out in the woods tells me."
"Magpies, eh?" I said. "Oh, I know."
"Then we'll come," cried Mercer. "But, I say, let us each have a shotwith the little gun."
"Nay, I'm a gardener, and ain't got no guns. I meant farreting."
"But you know I've lost the ferret," cried Mercer. "You can't goferreting without ferrets."
Magglin was standing before us with a curious, furtive smile on hisface, and his hands deep down in his pockets, and as Mercer finishedspeaking, he slowly raised one hand, so that we saw peering out over thetop of his jacket pocket the sharp buff hairy head of a ferret, and webot
h uttered a cry of joy.
"Why, you've got one!" said Mercer. "Why--yes--it is. It's my ferret."
"Yes," said Magglin. "I nipped him this morning. He was out runningabout the loft, and I got hold of him at once. He's eaten all the ratshe could catch, and he was out smelling about, and trying to get intothat old corn-bin, so as to have a feed on your stuffed things."
"Lucky he didn't," cried Mercer. "Oh, you are a good chap, and I'llgive you the other shilling as soon as I can."
"Ay, do, master, for that chap I knows wants it badly."
"Come along, and let's shut it up safely," said Mercer.
"S'pose you let me take care of him in the tool-shed. I'll put himwhere he can't get out, and I shall have him ready when you come."
"Very well then," cried Mercer, "you keep him. At the High Pines, then,at seven o'clock."
"That's it, sir," said Magglin, securing the ferret in his pocket.
"Ah, good morning," said a voice; and we two turned sharply, to findthat Mr Rebble and Mr Hasnip, who were out early for a constitutional,had come up behind us quietly.
"Good morning, sir.--Good morning, sir," we said, and Magglin touchedhis cap and went off down the garden.
"Very good, Mercer. Very good, Burr junior," said Mr Hasnip blandly,as he brought his dark spectacles to bear upon us. "I like to see this,and I wish the other boys would be as industrious, and get up theselovely mornings. Been making plans with the gardener about your littlegardens, I see. That's right--that's right. But, as I was saying,Rebble," he continued, turning away, "Galileo's opinion, when combinedwith that of Kepler and Copernicus, is all buzz-buzz-buzz--"
So the latter part of his speech sounded to us, as they went on towardthe bottom of the garden.
"All buzz buzz buzz," whispered Mercer; "and that's what lots of othersof those old folks' opinions sound like to me--all buzz buzz buzz in mypoor head. I say, wasn't it lucky they didn't see the ferret?"
"They think we were speaking to him about gardening."
"Yes. What a game! We must go down to our gardens now, and pretend wegot up early to work."
"I shan't," I said shortly. "I hate being so deceptive, and I wish youwouldn't be, Tom."
"Well, it don't sound nice, does it?" he replied thoughtfully. "Butit's so easy."
"Perhaps we had better not go after the rabbits."
"Oh, but we must now. Don't you sneak back. I shall go, and nobodywill know."
I felt doubtful, but I ended by promising.
"I say," cried Mercer suddenly, "what time is it? Oh, I do wish I had awatch! You can't see the clock from here, but my clock inside says it'sbreakfast-time."
"Let's go and see, then," I said, and we went toward the schoolroom.