CHAPTER VIII
WELCOME VISITORS
But Ferdy did not need to wait till Thomas had made his inquiries, whichmost likely would have taken some time, as he was not a young man whocared to be hurried.
Miss Lilly in her quiet way was quite excited when she came the nextmorning.
"Whom do you think I met yesterday afternoon on my way home, Ferdy?" shesaid as soon as she and Chrissie came into the oriel room for the partof the morning they now regularly passed there with the little invalid.
"I can guess," said Ferdy eagerly. "I believe it was Jesse Piggot," andthen he told Miss Lilly about having seen a boy's figure standing at theend of the drive looking in.
"Poor fellow," said Miss Lilly, "I daresay he was watching in the hopesof seeing some one who could--" but then she stopped short.
Ferdy looked up with curiosity.
"'Who could' what, Miss Lilly?" he asked.
His governess smiled.
"I think I mustn't tell you," she said. "It might disappoint the boy, ifhe is wanting to give you a little surprise. And I scarcely think hewould have sent in a message by any one but me," she went on, speakingmore to herself than to Ferdy, "after what I promised him last night."
"What did you promise him, Miss Lilly?" the little boy asked. Hiscuriosity was greatly excited.
"Only that if possible I would get leave for him to come in and see youfor a few minutes," the young lady replied. "I must ask Mrs. Ross."
"Oh, I'm sure mamma wouldn't mind," said Ferdy. "I do so wonder what thesurprise is."
"You'd better not think about it," said Chrissie sagely. "That's what_I_ do. I put things quite out of my mind if I know I can't find outabout them. Don't you, Miss Lilly?"
Miss Lilly smiled.
"I try to," she said, "but I own I find it very far from easy sometimes.I think the best way to put something out of your mind is to putsomething else in. So supposing we go on with our lessons, Ferdy."
"Oh, but first," said Ferdy eagerly, "first I must show you thebeautiful things mamma and Chris brought me yesterday. See here, MissLilly."
And Eva examined his new possessions with great interest, even greaterinterest than Ferdy knew, for her head was full of her new ideas aboutJesse, and the talent she believed he had shown in his carving. Sheturned over the leaves of the little book of animal outlines till shecame to one of a pig, and she sat looking at it in silence for so longthat Christine peeped over her shoulder to see what it could be that hadso taken her fancy.
"It's a pig, Ferdy," she called out, laughing. "Miss Lilly, I didn'tknow you were so fond of pigs. I'm sure there are much prettier animalsin the book than pigs."
"I daresay there are," said her governess good-naturedly. "But I _am_very interested in pigs, especially their heads. I wish you would drawme one, Ferdy, after lessons. I would like to see how you can do it."
Ferdy was quite pleased at the idea. But in the meantime Miss Lillyreminded both children that they must give their attention to theEnglish history which was that morning's principal lesson.
Jesse Piggot did not make his appearance. It was a busy day at the farm,and for once there was plenty for him to do. He had finished carving thestick, and if he had dared he would have run off with it to the WatchHouse. But what he had gone through lately had been of use to the boy.He was becoming really anxious to get a good regular place at FarmerMeare's, for he had no wish to go off again on "odd jobs" under thetender mercies of his rough Draymoor cousins.
And, on the whole, Miss Lilly settled in her own mind that she was notsorry he had not come that day, for she hoped that Mr. Ross had seen hergrandfather that morning and heard from him about the lessons inwood-carving which the old doctor thought might be so good for Ferdy;and more than that, she hoped that perhaps Mr. Ross's interest in poorJesse might be increased by what Dr. Lilly would tell about him.
It all turned out very nicely, as you will hear.
Late that afternoon, just as lessons were over and Chrissie had got hermother's leave to walk a little bit of her way home with Miss Lilly,Thomas appeared in the oriel room with a message from Mrs. Ross.
"Would Miss Lilly stay to have tea with Miss Christine and Master Ferdy?Mrs. Ross would come up presently, but there was a gentleman in thedrawing-room with her just now."
"What a bother!" exclaimed Chrissie. "Now it will be too late for me togo with you, Miss Lilly. I wish horrid, stupid gentlemen wouldn't cometo call and interrupt mamma when it's her time for coming up to seeFerdy. And it's not really tea-time yet."
But tea appeared all the same. There was plainly some reason for MissLilly's staying later than usual. And when the reason was explained inthe shape of Dr. Lilly, who put his kind old face in at the door half anhour or so later, no one welcomed him more heartily than Chrissie,though she got very red when Ferdy mischievously whispered to her to askif she counted _him_ "a horrid, stupid gentleman."
Dr. Lilly was a great favourite with the children. And never had Ferdybeen more pleased to see him than to-day.
"I am so glad you've come," he said, stretching out his little hand,thinner and whiter than his old friend would have liked to see it. "MissLilly says you know a lot about wood-carving, and I do so want to learnto do it."
Dr. Lilly smiled.
"I am afraid my granddaughter has made you think me much cleverer than Iam, my dear boy," he replied. "I can't say I know much about it myself,but I have a young friend who does, and if you really want to learn, Idaresay he might be of use to you."
Ferdy's eyes sparkled, and so did Miss Lilly's, for she knew hergrandfather too well to think that he would have spoken in this way toFerdy unless he had good reason for it.
"Grandfather must have seen Mr. Ross and got his consent for thelessons," she thought.
And she looked as pleased as Ferdy himself, who was chattering away likea little magpie to Dr. Lilly about all the lovely things he would makeif he really learnt to carve--or "cut out," as he kept calling it--verynicely.
"What I'd like best of all to do is swallows," he said. "You see I'vegot to know the swallows over this window so well. I do believe I knoweach one of them sep'rately. And sometimes in the morning early--I canhear them out of my bedroom window too--I really can almost tell whatthey're talking about."
"Swallows are charming," said Dr. Lilly, "but to see them at their bestthey should be on the wing. They are rather awkward-looking birds whennot flying."
"They've got _very_ nice faces," said Ferdy, who did not like to allowthat his friends were short of beauty in any way. "Their foreheads andnecks are such a pretty browny colour, and then their top feathers are asoft sort of blue, greyey blue, which looks so nice over the whiteunderneath. I think they're awfully pretty altogether."
"You have watched them pretty closely, I see," said Dr. Lilly, pleasedat Ferdy's careful noticing of his feathered neighbours. "I loveswallows as much as you do, but it takes a master hand to carve_movement_. You may begin with something easier, and who knows what youmay come to do in time."
Ferdy did not answer. He lay still, his blue eyes gazing up into thesky, from which at that moment they almost seemed to have borrowed theircolour. Visions passed before his fancy of lovely things which he wouldhave found it difficult to describe, carvings such as none but a fairyhand could fashion, of birds and flowers of beauty only to be seen indreams--it was a delight just to think of them. And one stood out fromthe rest, a window like his own oriel window, but entwined withwonderful foliage, and in one corner a nest, with a bird still almost onthe wing, poised on a branch hard by.
"Oh," and he all but spoke his fancy aloud, "I feel as if I could makeit _so_ lovely."
But just then, glancing downwards, though still out of doors, he gave alittle start.
"It _is_ him," he exclaimed. "Miss Lilly, dear, do look. Isn't thatJesse, standing at the gate?"
Yes, Jesse it was. Not peeping in shyly, as some boys would have done.That was not Mr. Jesse's way. No, there he stood, in the middle of theopen ga
teway, quite at his ease, one hand in his pocket, in the fellowof which the other would have been, no doubt, if it had not been holdingan inconvenient shape of parcel--a long narrow parcel done up in a bitof newspaper, which had seen better days; not the sort of parcel youcould possibly hide in a pocket. It was tea-time at the farm, and Jessehad slipped down to the Watch House in hopes of catching sight of MissLilly, for she had spoken of the afternoon as the best time for seeingFerdy.
"Of course it is Jesse," said the young lady. "Look, grandfather, don'tyou think I may run down and ask Mrs. Ross to let me bring him in for afew minutes?"
And off she went.
A minute or two later Ferdy and Chrissie, still looking out of thewindow in great anxiety lest Jesse should get tired of waiting and goaway before Miss Lilly could stop him, saw their governess hurry up thedrive. And Jesse, as he caught sight of her, came forward, a little shyand bashful now, as he tugged at his cap by way of a polite greeting.
Ferdy's face grew rosy with pleasure.
"They're coming in," he said to Dr. Lilly.
"Yes," said the old gentleman. "I will go over to the other side of theroom with the newspaper, so that the poor lad won't feel confused byseeing so many people."
But all the same from behind the shelter of his newspaper the oldgentleman kept a look-out on the little scene passing before him.
Miss Lilly came in quickly, but Jesse hung back for a moment or two atthe door. He was almost dazzled at first by the bright prettiness beforehim. For he had never seen such a charming room before, and though hewould not have understood it if it had been said to him, underneath hisrough outside Jesse had one of those natures that are much and quicklyalive to beauty of all kinds. And everything that love and good tastecould do to make the oriel room a pleasant prison for the little invalidboy, had been done.
It was a very prettily shaped room to begin with, and the creepingplants trained round the window outside were now almost in their fullsummer richness. Roses peeped in with their soft blushing faces;honeysuckle seemed climbing up by the help of its pink and scarletfingers; clematis, the dear old "traveller's joy," was there too, thoughkept in proper restraint. The oriel window looked a perfect bower, forinside, on the little table by Ferdy's couch, were flowers too--one ofhis own moss-baskets, filled with wild hyacinth, and a beautiful largepetalled begonia, one of old Ferguson's special pets, which he had beenproud to send in to adorn Master Ferdy's room, and two lovely fairy-likemaiden-hair ferns.
And the little group in the window seemed in keeping with the flowersand plants. There was the delicate face of the little invalid, andpretty Christine with her fluffy golden hair, and Miss Lilly, slight anddark-eyed, stooping over them, as she explained to Ferdy that Jesse waslonging to see him.
Altogether the poor boy, rude and rough as he was, felt as if he weregazing at some beautiful picture; he would have liked to stand therelonger--the feelings that came over him were so new and so fascinating.He did not see old Dr. Lilly behind his newspaper in the farther cornerof the room--he felt as if in a dream, and he quite started when MissLilly, glancing round, spoke to him by name.
"Come in, Jesse," she said, "I do want Master Ferdy to see--you knowwhat."
Jesse was clutching the little walking-stick tightly. He had almostforgotten about it. But he moved it from his right arm to his left, ashe caught sight of the small white hand stretched out to clasp his ownbig brown one--though, after all, as hands go, the boy's were neitherthick nor clumsy.
"I'm so glad you've come back, Jesse," said Ferdy in his clear, ratherweak tones. "You didn't care for being away, did you? At least, notmuch?"
"No, Master Ferdy, 'twas terrible rough," said the boy. "I'm glad to beback again, though I'd be still gladder if Mr. Meare'd take me onreg'lar like."
"I hope he will soon," said Ferdy. "I daresay papa wouldn't mind sayingsomething to him about it, if it would be any good. I'll ask him. Butwhat's that you've got wrapped up so tight, Jesse?"
Jesse reddened.
"Then the young lady didn't tell you?" he said, half turning to MissLilly.
"Of course not," she replied. "Don't you remember, Jesse, I said youshould give it to Master Ferdy yourself?"
Jesse fumbled away at the strips of newspaper he had wound round hisstick, till Ferdy's eyes, watching with keen interest, caught sight ofthe ears and the eyes and then the snout of the grotesque butunmistakable pig's head--"old Jerry--the biggest porker at the farm."
"Oh, Jesse," cried Ferdy, his face radiant with delight, "_how_ lovely!"and though the word was not quite exactly what one would have chosen, itsounded quite perfect to Jesse--it showed him that Master Ferdy "wereright down pleased."
"'Tis only a bit o' nonsense," he murmured as he stuffed the stick intothe little invalid's hands. "I thought it'd make you laugh, MasterFerdy. I took it off old Jerry--you know old Jerry--the fat old fellowas grunts so loud for his dinner."
"Of course I remember him," said Ferdy. "Don't you, Christine? We'veoften laughed at him when we've run in to look at the pigs. Isn't it_capital_? Do you really mean that you cut it out yourself, Jesse? Why,I'd _never_ be able to cut out like that! He really looks as if he wasjust going to open his mouth to gobble up his dinner, doesn't he, MissLilly?"
"He's very good--very good indeed," she replied. And then raising hervoice a little, "Grandfather," she said, "would you mind coming overhere to look at Jesse's carving?"
Dr. Lilly crossed the room willingly. Truth to tell, the newspaper hadnot been getting very much of his attention during the last few minutes.
In his own mind he had been prepared for some little kindly exaggerationon Eva's part of Jesse's skill, so that he was really surprised when hetook the stick in his own hands and examined it critically, to see theundoubted talent--to say the least--the work showed.
Rough and unfinished and entirely "untaught" work of course it was. Butthat is exactly the sort of thing to judge by. It was the _spirit_ of itthat was so good, though I daresay you will think that a curious word toapply to the rude carving of so very "unspiritual" a subject as an oldpig's head, by a peasant boy! All the same I think I am right in usingthe expression.
"Life-like and certainly original," murmured Dr. Lilly. "Grotesque, ofcourse--that is all right, that is always how they begin. But we must becareful--very careful," he went on to himself in a still lower tone ofvoice.
And aloud he only said, as he looked up with a smile, "Very good, myboy, very good. You could not have a better amusement for your idlehours than trying to copy what you see in the world about you. It is the_seeing_ that matters. You must have watched this old fellow prettyclosely to understand his look, have you not?"
Jesse, half pleased, half shy, answered rather gruffly. "He do be aqueer chap, to be sure. Master Ferdy, and Missie too, has often laughedat him when they've been up at the farm. And that's how I come to thinkof doing him on a stick. And many a time," he went on, as if halfashamed of the childishness of the occupation, "there's naught else Ican do to make the time pass, so to say."
"You could not have done better," said the old doctor kindly. "Don'tthink it is waste of time to try your hand at this sort of thing afteryour other work is done. I hope you may learn to carve much better. Alittle teaching would help you on a good deal, and proper tools andknowledge of the different kinds of wood."
Jesse's face expressed great interest, but then it clouded over alittle.
"Yes, sir," he agreed, "but I dunnot see how I could get the teaching.There's nothing like that about here--not like in big towns, where theysay there's teaching for nothing, or next to nothing--evenings at theInstitutes."
"Ah well, help comes to those who help themselves. Master Ferdy may beable to give you some hints if he learns carving himself. And he cantell you some stories of the poor country boys in Switzerland and someparts of Germany--how they work away all by themselves till they learnto make all sorts of beautiful things. Have you any other bits ofcarving by you that you could show me?"
Again
Jesse's brown face lighted up, and Ferdy listened eagerly.
"Oh lor, yes, sir, all manner of nonsense--whistles, sir, though there'ssome sense in whistles, to be sure," with a twinkle of fun.
"Then bring me a pocketful of nonsense this evening--no, to-morrowevening will be better--to my house at Bollins. You know it, of course?And we'll have a look over them together. Perhaps I may have a friendwith me, who knows more about carving than I do."
"And after Dr. Lilly has seen them, please bring some of them for me tosee too, Jesse," said Ferdy. "When can he come again, do you think, MissLilly?"
Miss Lilly considered.
"On Friday afternoon. Can you get off for half an hour on Friday aboutthis time, Jesse?"
"Oh yes, miss, no fear but I can," the boy replied.
"And thank you ever so many times--a great, great many times, for oldJerry," said Ferdy as he stretched out his little hand in farewell.
Jesse beamed with pleasure.
"I'll see if I can't do something better for you, Master Ferdy," hesaid.
And to himself he added, "It's a deal sensibler, after all, thanknocking up after mischief all the evening--a-shamming to smoke anda-settin' trees on fire." For this had been one of his worst misdeeds inthe village not many months before, when he and some other boys hadhidden their so-called "cigars" of rolled-up leaves, still smouldering,in the hollow of an old oak, and frightened everybody out of their witsin the night by the conflagration which ended the days of the poor treeand threatened to spread farther.
Still more pleased would he have been could he have overheard Ferdy'swords after he had gone.
"Isn't it really capital, Dr. Lilly? I don't believe I could _ever_ doanything so like _real_ as this old Jerry."