The Disasters of Impatience
On the day that Mr. Daleham removed from his town residence to his newhouse in the country there was much bustle and business in the family.The servants were all employed in unpacking and arranging chairs, tables,sofas, and sideboards in their proper places. Some men were putting upbeds, while others were hanging window-curtains and nailing down carpets.The only idle persons in the house were Arnold and Isabel, and they couldfind nothing to do but to skip from room to room, ask questions, admiretheir new dwelling-house, and talk of the pleasure they should receivein a visit their father was engaged to make that day to Mr. Morton, hisintimate friend, who lived about one mile and a half distant.
So desirous were Arnold and Isabel of seeing Morton Park, or ratherperhaps of eating some of the fine grapes and melons which they hadheard grew in Mr. Morton's hot-house, that the morning seemed to be thelength of the whole day. When people are without employment, time hangsheavily on their hands, and minutes will appear to be as long as hours.Half a dozen times in the course of the morning these children ran tothe door of the library, to ask their father when he would be ready togo, and though he was engaged sorting papers and arranging his books,they did not forbear their troublesome inquiries till he was quiteangry with them.
At length, however, the joyful tidings came to Arnold and Isabel thatthey were to dress directly, as their father would be ready to set outin half an hour. As the day was very fine, and the coachman's assistancewas useful to the other servants busied in disposing the furniture inthe various apartments, Mr. Daleham chose to walk to Morton Park; butafter he had dressed, and the half-hour had elapsed, he still had ordersto give that detained him.
Arnold and Isabel meanwhile were standing at the hall door, almost wildwith their impatience to be gone; and at last Arnold proposed to hissister that they should go on first, as their papa could soon overtakethem; and Isabel eagerly ran to ask the housekeeper whether they musttake the right or the left-hand road. The housekeeper was busy with abasket of china, some of which had been broken in the carriage; and asher thoughts were fixed on the fragments of the china, she scarcelyattended to the nature of Isabel's question, and said hastily that theright-hand road led to Morton Park; and so it did, but that was thecoach road, and Mr. Daleham meant to go a much nearer and cleaner way,upon a raised path across some pleasant meadows.
No sooner had Isabel received the housekeeper's reply than away theywent, and in their eagerness to reach Morton Park, they did not atfirst observe that the lane was very dirty; but at last some largesplashes of mud on Isabel's clean frock attracted Arnold's notice, andhe then perceived that his own white stockings and nankeen trousers werein the same dirty state. What was now to be done? They both felt that itwas highly improper to go to a gentleman's house in such a condition;but then Arnold said that his father must know that the road was dirtyafter so much rain as they had had lately, and as he meant to walk, hesupposed their getting a few splashes was of no consequence. Isabelagreed with this mode of reasoning, and on they went, expecting everymoment to hear their father's steps behind them.
The lane now became wider and more open to the beams of the sun, whichhad dried the pathway; but though they were somewhat out of the mud, theheat of the sun was so intense they knew not how to bear it, and theywalked as fast as they could in order to get to some shady place. Whilethey were panting with heat, they suddenly came to a stream that randirectly across the road, and it had no bridge over it, because footpassengers rarely came that way.
They were now in the greatest distress. To stand still in the fullburning sun was dreadful, and to go back was equally fatiguing. Therewas no place to sit down in that part of the road, but on the oppositeside of the stream three large oak trees were growing, and formed apleasant shade over a green bank. Isabel, greatly tired, and almostfainting with heat, wished she could get to the shady bank; so didArnold, and he said he could take off his shoes and stockings, and carryhis sister through the water on his back. This plan was settled; andthey agreed that, when they were over the stream, they would wait on thebank for their papa, and endeavour to rub off upon the grass the clotsof mud that stuck to their shoes. But either Arnold was not so strong ashe had supposed he was, or Isabel, having her brother's shoes andstockings to carry in her hand, did not hold fast round his neck, forjust as they were in the middle of the stream, his foot slipped, hestaggered, fell, and down went brother and sister at once into the pool.
Both scrambled up in a moment, and neither had suffered more injurythan being completely bathed in the water. With streaming hair anddripping garments they reached the bank; but when Isabel saw that theribbons of her new straw bonnet were spoiled, she began to cry andaccuse her brother of having thrown her down on purpose, which soprovoked the young gentleman, that he said it was all owing to herclumsiness, and at the same time he shook the sleeves of his jacket,from which he was wringing the wet, in her face. Isabel's angerincreasing at this, she rudely gave her brother a severe box on the ear.A scuffle now ensued, which caused a second tumble, and this fall beingon the rough gravel, Isabel's face was scratched by the sharp pebbles,and Arnold's elbow sadly cut by a large flint stone.
The smart of these wounds cooled their passions; they thought no moreof fighting, and were wiping away the blood, and looking with grief anddismay at their wet, dirty clothes, when a servant came up who had beensent in pursuit of them.
Mr. Daleham was not far behind. He had been told that Arnold and Isabelwere gone before him, and was much alarmed at not finding them in thefield-path. He had therefore returned the same way to search for them;he ordered the servant to conduct them home, and told them that theirsilly impatience had spoiled their pleasure, as it was not possible forthem now to appear at Morton Park.
Mr. Daleham then hastened on, for fear Mr. Morton's dinner should waitfor him; and Arnold and Isabel, forlorn, wet, draggled, and dirty, wereled back to their own house. They passed a dismal afternoon, lamentingtheir folly and imprudence; and next morning they heard that there werenot only plenty of grapes, melons, peaches, and filberts on Mr. Morton'stable, but that also a very merry party of children were assembledthere, who danced on the lawn till the dusk of evening approached, andthen played at blindman's buff in the great hall.