CHAPTER IX
"MY PUPILS"
That summer was a very, very lovely one. It scarcely rained, and when itdid, it was generally in the night. If it is "an ill wind that bringsnobody any good," on the other hand I suppose that few winds are so goodthat they bring nobody any harm, so possibly in some parts of thecountry people _may_ have suffered that year for want of water; but thiswas not the case at Evercombe, where there were plenty of mostwell-behaved springs, which--or some of which at least--had never beenknown to run dry.
So the little brooks danced along their way as happily as ever, enjoyingthe sunshine, and with no murmurs from the little fishes to sadden theirpretty songs, no fears for themselves of their full bright life runningshort. Every living thing seemed bubbling over with content; the flowersand blossoms were as fresh in July as in May; never had the birds beenquite so busy and merry; and as for the butterflies, there was nocounting their number or variety. Some new kinds _must_ have come thisyear from butterflyland, Ferdy said to Christine one afternoon when hewas lying out on his new couch on the lawn. Christine laughed, and sodid Miss Lilly, and asked him to tell them where that country was, andFerdy looked very wise and said it lay on the edge of fairyland, thefairies looked after it, that much he _did_ know, and some day perhapshe would find out more.
And then he went on to tell them, in his half-joking, half-serious way,that he really thought the swallows were considering whether it wasworth while to go away over the sea again next autumn. He had heard themhaving _such_ a talk early that morning, and as far as he could makeout, that was what they were saying.
"The spring came so early this year, and the summer looks as if it weregoing to last for always," he said. "I don't wonder at the swallows. Doyou, Miss Lilly?"
Eva smiled, but shook her head.
"It is very nice of them to be considering about it," she replied,"for, no doubt, they will be sorry to leave you and the oriel window,Ferdy--sorrier than ever before." For she understood the little boy sowell, that she knew it did him no harm to join him in his harmlessfancies sometimes. "But they are wiser than we are in certain ways. Theycan feel the first faint whiff of Jack Frost's breath long before wehave begun to think of cold at all."
"Like the Fairy Fine-Ear," said Ferdy, "who could hear the grassgrowing. I always like to think of that--there's something so--so _neat_about it."
"What a funny word to use about a fairy thing," said Christine,laughing. "Ah, well, any way we needn't think about Jack Frost or coldor winter just yet, and a day like this makes one feel, as Ferdy says,as if the summer must last for always."
It had been a great, an unspeakable comfort to the family at the WatchHouse, all thinking so constantly about their dear little man, to havethis lovely weather for him. It had made it possible for him to enjoymuch that would otherwise have been out of the question--above all, thebeing several hours of the day out of doors.
The big doctor had come again, not long after the day I told you of--theday of Miss Lilly's grandfather's visit, and of the presentation of the"old Jerry stick," as it came to be called. And he gave leave at lastfor Ferdy to be carried out of doors and to spend some hours on thelawn, provided they waited till a special kind of couch, or "garden-bed"in Ferdy's words, was ordered and sent from London. It was a very cleversort of couch, as it could be lifted off its stand, so to say, and usedfor carrying the little fellow up and down stairs without the slightestjar or jerk.
And Ferdy did not feel as if he were deserting his dear oriel window,for the nicest spot in the whole garden for the daily camping-out was onthe lawn just below the swallows' home. And watching their quaintdoings, their flyings out and in, their "conversations," and now andthen even a tiny-bird quarrel among the youngsters, came to be afavourite amusement at the times, which must come in every such life asFerdy had to lead, when he felt too tired to read or to be read to, tootired for his dearly loved "cutting-out" even, clever as he was gettingto be at it.
Miss Lilly's hopes were fulfilled. Ferdy was having real lessons incarving two or three times a week. Dr. Lilly had arranged all about it,with the young man he had thought of, before he went away. His goingaway had turned into a much longer absence than was at first expected,but out of this came one very pleasant thing--Miss Lilly was livingaltogether at the Watch House.
This was a most happy plan for Ferdy, and for everybody, especially sofar as the carving lessons were concerned, for Mr. Brock could only comein the evening, and but for Miss Lilly's presence there might have beendifficulties in the way, Mrs. Ross was so terribly afraid of overtiringFerdy, and nervous about his straining himself or doing too much in anyway.
But she knew she could trust Eva, who really seemed to have, as hergrandfather said, "an old head on young shoulders." She was the first tosee if Ferdy was getting too eager over his work, or tiring himself, andthen too, though she had not actual artist talent herself, she had avery quick and correct eye. She understood Mr. Brock's directionssometimes even better than Ferdy himself, and was often able to help himout of a difficulty or give him a hint to set him in a right way when hewas working by himself in the day-time.
And another person was much the gainer by Miss Lilly's stay at the WatchHouse. I feel sure, dear children, you will quickly guess who that was.
Jesse Piggot?
Yes, poor Jesse.
But for Eva I doubt if he would have been allowed to share Ferdy'slessons. Mrs. Ross had grown nervous since that sad birthday morning,though at the time she seemed so calm and strong.
But she was now too anxious, and I am afraid Flowers was a little toblame for her mistress's fears that Jesse would in some way or otherharm little Ferdy. Flowers did not like Jesse. Indeed, a good manypeople besides the Watch House servants had no love for the boy. It waspartly Jesse's own fault, partly a case of giving a dog a bad name.
"He came of such a rough lot," they would say. "Those Draymoor folk wereall a bad lot, and Piggot's set about the worst. Jesse was idle, and'mischeevious,' and impudent," and besides all these opinions of him,which Flowers repeated to Ferdy's mother, there was always "some illnessabout at Draymoor--at least there was bound to be--scarlet fever ormeasles or something, in a place where there were such swarms of rough,ill-kept children."
This was really not the case, for Draymoor was an extraordinarilyhealthy place, and when Mrs. Ross spoke to Dr. Lilly before he left ofher fears of infection being brought to her boy, he was able to set hermind more at rest on this point, and Eva took care to remind her fromtime to time of what "grandfather had said." And Jesse's luck seemed tohave turned. To begin with, he was now regularly employed at the farm,and a week or two after Mrs. Ross had consented to his sharing Ferdy'slessons, the Draymoor difficulty came to an end, for Farmer Meare gavehim a little room over the cow-houses, and told him he might spend hisSundays there too if he liked, so that there was really no need for himto go backwards and forwards to the neighbourhood Ferdy's mother dreadedso, at all.
He was not overworked, for he was a very strong boy, but he had plentyto do, and there might have been some excuse for him if he had said hefelt too tired "of an evening" to do anything but loiter about or go tobed before the sun did.
No fear of anything of the kind, however. Jesse was a good example ofthe saying that it is the busiest people who have the most time. Thebusier he was in the day, the more eager he seemed that nothing shouldkeep him from making his appearance at the door of the oriel room a fewminutes before the time at which the wood-carver from Whittingham wasdue.
And he was sure to be heartily welcomed by Ferdy and his governess, andChristine too, if she happened to be there.
The first time or two Miss Lilly had found it necessary to give him alittle hint.
"Have you washed your hands, Jesse?" she said, and as Jesse looked athis long brown fingers rather doubtfully, she opened the door again andcalled to good-natured Thomas, who had just brought the boy upstairs."Jesse must wash his hands, please," she said.
And from that evening the b
rown hands were always quite clean. Thenanother hint or two got his curly black hair cropped and his bootsbrushed, so that it was quite a tidy-looking Jesse who sat at the tableon Mr. Brock's other side, listening with all his ears and watching withall his eyes.
And he learnt with wonderful quickness. The teacher had been interestedin him from the first. Old Jerry's head had shown him almost at oncethat the boy had unusual talent, and the next few weeks made him moreand more sure of this.
"We must not let it drop," he said to Eva one day when he was able tospeak to her out of hearing of the boys. "When Dr. Lilly returns I musttell him about Jesse. He must not go on working as a farm-labourer muchlonger. His touch is improving every day, and he will soon be able togroup things better than I can do myself--much better than I could do athis age," with a little sigh, for poor Mr. Brock was not at allconceited. He was clever enough to know pretty exactly what he could doand what he could not, and he felt that he could never rise very muchhigher in his art.
Miss Lilly listened with great pleasure to his opinion of Jesse, but, ofcourse, she said any change in the boy's life was a serious matter, andmust wait to be talked over by her grandfather and Mr. Ross when Dr.Lilly came home.
And in her own heart she did not feel sure that they would wish him togive up his regular work, not at any rate for a good while to come, andtill it was more certain that he could make his livelihood in adifferent way; for what Dr. Lilly cared most about was to give pleasantand interesting employment for leisure hours--to bring some idea ofbeauty and gracefulness into dull home lives.
She said something of this kind one evening after Jesse had gone, andshe saw by the bright look in Ferdy's face that he understood what shemeant, better even than Mr. Brock himself did perhaps.
"It sounds all very nice, miss," said the wood-carver, "but I doubt ifthere's any good to be done in that sort of way unless when there's realtalent such as I feel sure this Piggot lad has. The run of those roughfolk have no idea beyond loafing about in their idle hours; and, afterall, if they're pretty sober--and some few are that--what can oneexpect? The taste isn't in them, and if it's not there, you can't putit."
Eva hesitated.
"Are you so sure of that?" she said doubtfully.
"Well, miss, it looks like it. With Jesse now, there was noencouragement--it came out because it was there."
"Yes, but I think Jesse is an exception. He _has_ unusual talent, and ina case like his I daresay it will come to his choosing a line of his ownaltogether. But even for those who have no talent, and to begin with,even no taste, I do think _something_ might be done," she said.
"Thomas has taken to making whistles," said Ferdy, "ever since he sawJesse's. He can't carve a bit--not prettily, I mean--but he cuts outletters rather nicely, and he's been giving everybody presents ofwhistles with their--'relitions' on."
"_Initials_ you mean, dear," said Miss Lilly.
"_Initials_," repeated Ferdy, getting rather pink.
"Ah," said the wood-carver with a smile, "you can't quite take Thomas asan example, my boy. Why, compared to many of the even well-to-do peopleabout, his whole life is 'a thing of beauty.' Look at the rooms he livesin, the gardens, the ladies he sees. And as for those Draymoor folk,they'd rather have the bar of an inn than the finest picture gallery inthe world. No, miss, with all respect, you 'can't make a silk purse outof a sow's ear.'"
Ferdy laughed. He had never heard the quaint old saying before, and asit was time for Mr. Brock to go, no more was said.
But both Miss Lilly and Ferdy had their own thoughts and kept their ownopinion.
Ferdy's own work made him very happy, and of its kind it was very nice.His little mind was full of sweet and pretty fancies, but these, ofcourse, for such a mere child as he was, and especially as he could notsit up to do his carving, it was very difficult to put into actualshape.
But his happy cheeriness kept him from being discouraged.
"I shall never be as clever as Jesse," he told Miss Lilly and Christine,"but I don't mind. P'r'aps when we're big I'll _think_ of things forJesse to _do_."
"You can't tell yet what you may be able to do when you're big," saidhis governess. "I think it is wonderful to see all you can do already.Those animals for the poor little children at the hospital arebeautiful, Ferdy."
"They're _toys_," said Ferdy with some contempt, "only," morecheerfully, "I'm very glad if they'll please the poor little children.But oh, Miss Lilly dear, if I could make you see the beautiful things I_think_! The prettiest of all always comes something like the orielwindow--like an oriel window in fairyland."
"Was there a window like that in the house the little fairy had tobuild, do you think, Miss Lilly?" asked Christine.
"No, of course not," said Ferdy, before his governess had time toanswer. "My thinked window isn't built, it's cut out; it's all beautifulflowers and leaves, like the real window in summer, only far, farprettier. And there are birds' nests, with them _almost_ flying, theyare so light and feathery looking, and--" he stopped, and lay back withhis eyes closed and a dreamy smile on his face.
"When you are older," said Miss Lilly, "I hope you will travel a gooddeal and go to see some of the wonderful carvings there are in Italy andGermany, and indeed in England too. Not only wood-carving, butsculpture. Fancy, _stone_ worked so as to look as if a breath of airwould make it quiver!"
She spoke perhaps a little thoughtlessly, and in an instant she feltthat she had done so, for Ferdy opened his big blue eyes and gazed up ather with a strange wistful expression.
"Miss Lilly dear," he said, "you mustn't count on my doing anything likethat--travelling, I mean, or things well people can do. P'r'aps, youknow, I'll be all my life like this."
Eva turned her head aside. She did not want either Ferdy or his sisterto see that his quaint words made her feel very sad--that, indeed, theybrought the tears very near her eyes.
And in a minute or two Ferdy seemed to have forgotten his own sadwarning. He was laughing with Christine at the comical expression of apigling which he had mounted on the back of a rather eccentric-lookingdonkey--it was his first donkey, and he had found it more difficult thanold Jerrys.
That evening a pleasant and very unexpected thing happened.
It was a lesson evening, but a few minutes before the time a message wasbrought to the oriel room by good-natured Thomas. It was from Jesse toask if he might come up, though he knew it was too early, as he wanted"pertickler" to see Master Ferdy before "the gentleman came."
"He may, mayn't he, Miss Lilly?" asked the little invalid.
"Oh yes," Eva replied. She was careful to please Mrs. Ross by notletting Jesse ever forget to be quite polite and respectful, and never,as he would have called it himself, "to take freedoms," and there was asort of natural quickness about the boy which made it easy to do this.
And somehow, even the few hours he spent at the Watch House--perhaps toothe refining effect of his pretty work--had already made a great changein him. The old half-defiant, half-good-natured, reckless look had lefthim; he was quite as bright and merry as before, but no one now, noteven Flowers, could accuse him of being "impudent."
He came in now with an eager light in his eyes, his brown face ruddierthan usual; but he did not forget to stop an instant at the door whilehe made his usual bow or scrape--or a mixture of both.
"Good evening, Jesse," said Ferdy, holding out his hand. "Why, what haveyou got there?" as he caught sight of some odd-shaped packages ofvarious sizes, done up in newspaper, which Jesse was carrying.
"Please, Master Ferdy, I've brought 'em to show you. It's my pupils ashas done them. They're nothing much, I know, but still I'm a bit proudof 'em, and I wanted to show them to you and Miss here, first of all."
He hastened, with fingers almost trembling with eagerness, to unpack thequeer-looking parcels, Miss Lilly, at a glance from Ferdy, comingforward to help him. Ferdy's own cheeks flushed as the first contentscame to light.
"Oh," he exclaimed, "I _wish_ I could sit up!"
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sp; But in another moment he had forgotten his little cry of complaint, sointerested was he in the curious sight before him.
All sorts and shapes of wooden objects came to view. There were pigs'heads, evidently modelled on old Jerry, dogs, and horses, and cows, somenot to be mistaken, some which would, it must be confessed, have beenthe better for a label with "This is a--," whatever animal it was meantto be, written upon it; there were round plates with scalloped edges,some with a very simple wreath of leaves; boxes with neat little stiffdesigns on the lids--in fact, the funniest mixture of things you eversaw, but all with _attempt_ in them--attempt, and good-will, andpatience, and here and there a touch of something more--of real talent,however untrained--in them all, or almost all, signs of love of thework.
There came a moment or two of absolute silence--silence more pleasing toJesse than any words, for as his quick eyes glanced from one to anotherof his three friends, he saw that it was the silence of delight andsurprise.
At last said Ferdy, his words tumbling over each other in his eagerness,"Miss Lilly, Chrissie, isn't it wonderful? Do you hear what Jesse says?It's his _pupils_. He's been teaching what he's been learning. Tell usall about it, Jesse."
"Do, do," added Eva. "Yes, Ferdy, you're quite right--it's wonderful.Who are they all, Jesse?"
"WE WORKS IN A SHED THERE, IN A FIELD BY THE SMITHY ...AND WE'RE AS JOLLY AS SAND-BOYS."]
"There's about a dozen, altogether," began Jesse, with, for the firsttime, a sort of shyness. "It began with one or two at the farm; seein'me so busy of an evening, they thought it'd be better fun nor throwin'sticks into the water for the dogs to catch, or smokin' them rubbishin'sham cigars. We sat in the barn, and then one day I met Barney--BarneyColes, cousin's son to Uncle Bill at Draymoor. Barney's not a bad chap,and he's been ill and can't go in the mines. And we talked a bit, and heaxed how it was I never come their way, and I said how busy I was, andhe might see for hisself. So he comed, and he's got on one of thefastest--with plain work like," and Jesse picked out one or two neatlittle boxes and plates, with stiff unfanciful patterns, carefully done."He's lots of time just now, you see, and he's got a good eye formeasuring. And then he brought one or two more, but I was afraid masterwouldn't be best pleased at such a lot of us, so now I go two evenings aweek to Bollins, close by your place, miss," with a nod, not in theleast intended to be disrespectful, in Miss Lilly's direction, "and weworks in a shed there, in a field by the smithy. We got leave first,that's all right, and we fixed up a plank table and some benches, andwe're as jolly as sand-boys. I've often had it in my mind to tell you,but I thought I'd better wait a bit till I had somethin' to show."
"You will tell Mr. Brock about it?" said Miss Lilly. "He will be_nearly_ as pleased as we are--he can't be _quite_. I don't think I haveever been more pleased in my life, Jesse."
It was "wonderful," as Ferdy had said. Jesse Piggot, the ringleader inevery sort of mischief, the "cheeky young rascal" out of one scrape intoanother, to have started a class for "art work" among the rough collieryboys of Draymoor!
"Oh, I do wish grandfather were back again," Eva went on. "_He_ willhelp you, Jesse, in every way he possibly can, I know."
"We should be proud if the old doctor'd look at what we're doing," saidJesse. "And there's several things I'd like to ask about. Some of theboys don't take to the carving, but they're that quick at drawin' thingsto do, or fancy-like patterns that couldn't be done in wood, but'd makebeautiful soft things--couldn't they be taught better? And Barney sayshe's heard tell of brass work. I've never seen it, but he says it's doneat some of the Institutes, Whittingham way, and he'd like that betterthan wood work."
He stopped, half out of breath with the rush of ideas that were takingshape in his mind.
"I know what you mean," said Miss Lilly. "I have seen it. I think it isan ancient art revived again. Yes, I don't see why it would not bepossible to get teaching in it. And then there's basket work, that isanother thing that can be quite done at home, and very pretty things canbe made in it. It might suit some of the lads who are not much good atcarving."
"Them moss baskets of Master Ferdy's are right-down pretty," said Jesse."And you can twist withies about, beautiful."
His eyes sparkled--his ideas came much quicker than his power of puttingthem into words.
"There's no want of pretty things to copy," he said after a littlesilence.
"No indeed," said Miss Lilly.
But at that moment the door opened to admit Mr. Brock. A start ofsurprise came over the wood-carver as he caught sight of the tablecovered with Jesse's exhibition. And then it had all to be explained tohim, in his turn. He was interested and pleased, but scarcely in thesame way as Eva and Ferdy.
"We must look them all over," he said, "and carefully separate any workthat gives signs of taste or talent. It is no use encouraging lads whohave neither."
Jesse's face fell. He had somehow known that Mr. Brock would not feelquite as his other friends did about his "pupils."
"Yes," said Miss Lilly, "it will no doubt be a good thing to classifythe work to some extent. But I would not discourage _any_, Mr. Brock.Taste may grow, if not talent; and if there are only one or two boyswith skill enough to do real work, surely the pleasure and interest ofmaking _something_ in their idle hours must be good for all?"
The wood-carver smiled indulgently. He thought the young lady ratherfanciful, but still he could go along with her to a certain extent.
"Well, yes," he agreed. "At worst it is harmless. When the doctorreturns, Miss Lilly, we must talk it all over with him; I am anxious toconsult him about--" he glanced in Jesse's direction meaningly, withoutthe boy's noticing it. For Jesse and Ferdy were eagerly picking out fortheir teacher's approval some of the bits of carving which their owninstinct had already told them showed promise of better things.