Esther's Charge: A Story for Girls Read online

  CHAPTER IV.

  THE SWEETS OF FREEDOM.

  "You can do as you like, Milly; but I shall go!"

  Small Herbert set his foot to the ground with a gesture of immovablefirmness. Milly watched him with admiring eyes, still halting betweentwo opinions.

  "Oh, but, Bertie, isn't it naughty?"

  "I don't care if it is. I'm going."

  It was like hoisting the signal of revolt--revolt from the rule of theelder sister. They both knew that Prissy would never go, or let them goeither, if she knew of the plan. And to slip away unknown to her, thoughnot a difficult matter upon a Saturday afternoon, would mark an epoch inthe life of this pair of properly-brought-up children, as bothinstinctively felt, though they could not have expressed themselves uponthe subject.

  "It's our holiday afternoon," said Bertie stoutly, his square facelooking squarer than ever. "Nobody's told us never to go out of theorchard; we're allowed to know Pickle and Puck. They say they're goingout for a lark on Saturday afternoon, and I'm going with them."

  Milly's eyes were growing brighter and brighter; she looked with openadmiration upon Herbert. He was younger than herself, but at this momenthe seemed the older of the pair.

  "Bertie," she asked, in a voice that was little above a whisper, "what_is_ a lark?"

  Bertie hesitated a moment.

  "It's something we don't ever get here," he answered, with a note ofresentment in his voice; "but Pickle and Puck know all about it, and Imean to learn too."

  "O Bertie!--and so will I!"

  "That's right. I'd like you to come too. I don't see why you should be alittle cockney any more than I!"

  "O Bertie! what's that?"

  "Well, I don't just exactly know; but it's something I heard fathersay."

  "What did he say?"

  "Well, I'll tell you. I was in his study learning my Latin declension;and I was behind the curtain, and I think he'd forgotten I was there.Mother came in, and they talked, and I stopped my ears and was learningaway, when I heard them say something about Puck and Pickle. Then Ilistened."

  "What did they say?"

  "Mother was saying she was afraid they were naughty, rude boys, andwould teach us mischief; and then father laughed and said he didn't muchmind if they did."

  "O Bertie!"

  "He did, I tell you," answered Bertie, swelling himself out, as thoughhe felt his honor called in question. "They talked a good while, and Icouldn't understand it all; but I heard father say he'd rather I were abold Cornish boy, even if I did get into mischief sometimes, than growup a little timid cockney."

  "I wonder what he meant," said Milly in an awestruck tone; "I neverheard of a cockney before."

  "I think it must mean something like a girl," said Bertie, with a noteof perhaps unconscious contempt in his voice, "for mother saidsomething, and then father said, 'You see, you were brought up a cockneyyourself, my dear, and you can do as you like about the girls; but Iwant Herbert to be a true Cornish boy, and he doesn't seem to be oneyet.' That's what he said; and now I'm going to find out what it is tobe a Cornish boy, and I'm going to be one. You can go on being a cockneyif you like."

  "But I won't!" cried Milly rebelliously; "I'll be a Cornish boy too!"

  "You can't be a boy, but you can come along with us if you like," saidBertie patronizingly; "Pickle and Puck said you could, though Puck didsay he thought girls cried and spoiled things after a bit."

  "I don't cry!" answered Milly sturdily; and, indeed, she had most of herfather in her of the three Polperran children. They had been brought upunder the rule of a mother who had very strict ideas of training anddiscipline, and had lived the greater part of her life in towns, so thatcountry ways would always be more or less strange to her. They hadnever run wild, even now that they had returned to their father's nativecounty, and were in the midst of moors and crags, and almost withinsound of the sea. They still kept to their prim little walks along theroad, and if they played out of doors, it was always in theorchard--never on the open moorland, or by the rocks and pools of theshore.

  Prissy was really a little copy of her mother, and she had no taste foranything strange, and was rather afraid of solitude and of the boom ofthe sea. So she kept her younger pair well in hand, and they had neverseriously thought of rebellion until the arrival upon the scene ofPickle and Puck.

  From that moment the horizon of their lives seemed to widen. Here weretwo boys who actually dared to call their mother Mrs. Poll-parrot to herface, and their father the Reverend Poll! They habitually spoke of theirown father as Crump, and had dubbed the redoubtable Mr. Trelawny "OldBobby"!

  These were flights of boldness beyond the wildest dreams of the littlePolperrans. At first they had been almost overcome with fear, butfamiliarity had changed that feeling into one of growing wonder andadmiration. For these boys were not only bold in word--they were daringbeyond expression in deed. Already they had explored some of the hiddenmysteries of the Crag; they had been out lobster-catching with oldPollard; and they had tumbled into one of the deep pools in the rocks,and had been hauled out dripping by a fisherman who luckily chanced tobe near at hand. Now they were learning to swim, Mr. Trelawny havingdecided that that must be the next step in their education; and althoughthey had not had many lessons, Pickle could already keep himself afloatseveral strokes, and Puck was not far behind.

  And all this had been done in three weeks, as well as other minor acts,of which the heroes themselves thought simply nothing, though Bertie andMilly were filled with admiration.

  Prissy disapproved of them utterly and entirely; nor was this verydifficult to understand. She gave herself the sort of airs which Pickleand Puck openly ridiculed. They persisted in calling her "PrettyPolly," and she retaliated by calling them rude, ill-mannered boys, andopenly pitying Esther for the infliction of their company.

  "If Prissy would be nice to them, they would be nice to her," Millyremarked sagely once, "and then things would be better. But they alwaysget quarreling, and then it's no good trying to settle anything.Everything goes wrong."

  "That's because Prissy is such a cockney," cried Bertie, airing his newword with satisfaction; "Esther would never make half the fuss aboutevery little thing. Pickle and Puck like Esther, though they do laugh ather rather. But they won't have either Esther or Prissy with them whenwe have our lark on Saturday afternoon. They'll only take you and me."

  "Well, I'll go!" cried Milly, throwing to the winds all allegiance toPrissy; "I want to see what a lark is like. I'm tired of being acockney."

  "Hurrah!" cried Bertie, feeling all the glow that follows a bold standagainst domestic tyranny; "we'll all have a regular lark together, andwe'll tell father all about it afterwards. He won't scold, and thenmother can't."

  Saturday afternoon was the children's holiday. At the Hermitage lessonswent on regularly now on every morning of the week, and five afternoons;and it was the same at the rectory, where father and mother taught theirchildren, or superintended their lessons when not able to be with themthe whole time. But on Saturday afternoons all were free to do as theypleased.

  Prissy always went with her mother to give out the books at the lendinglibrary, of which she was practically librarian, and very proud of herposition. Esther was always busy at home with little household duties,which she had less time for now during the week. This left the youngerchildren quite free to follow out their own plans, and so far they hadspent their holiday afternoon together. Once they had played in theorchard, and once they had gone down to the shore, where the pair fromthe Hermitage had displayed to their admiring companions the progressthey had made in the art of swimming.

  "I mean to ask father to let me learn to swim too," said Herbert, whoseideas were soaring to untold heights. "I'm sure that would be one way ofgrowing to be a Cornish boy. All the boys and men here can swim."

  Pickle and Puck, however, had no intention of wasting all half-holidaysin such peaceful and unadventurous fashion, and they had given out verydecidedly that on the following Saturday th
ey should have "a lark." Theyhad not further specified what form this lark was to take, but hadmerely declared their willingness that Herbert and Milly should shareit, provided they wouldn't go and talk of it beforehand.

  "We don't want Miss Prig sticking her nose into our business anyhow,"said Pickle, using a second name they had recently evolved for Prissy."We'll go where we like, and do what we like, and when we get home we'lltell them all about it. That's what Puck and I always do, and it's muchthe best plan. Grown-ups are always worrying after you if you say aword. They'll be much happier if they think we are safe here in theorchard."

  It had been a moot point all the week with Bertie and Milly whether ornot they should dare to join in the projected "lark"; but Bertie'sresolution was now irrevocably taken, and Milly threw prudence andsubservience to the four winds, and swore adhesion to the new league ofliberty.

  They met in the rectory orchard, whither Pickle and Puck were supposedto be going to spend the Saturday afternoon. Esther was at ease aboutthem there, for she had a belief that in that house everything went byroutine, and that Herbert and Milly would restrain their comrades fromany overt acts of independence and daring. There were rabbits to bevisited, and cows to be driven in from the glebe pasture, and variousother mild delights which always seemed quite exciting to her. She lether charges go with an easy mind; and as for Prissy, it never so much asoccurred to her that after her admonition, "Mind you are very good!"Milly or Bertie would venture to dream of such a thing as leaving thepremises unknown to anybody in the house, and without obtaining leave.

  Pickle and Puck arrived, brimming over with excitement and the delightsof anticipation.

  "Where is everybody?" they asked at once.

  "They're all out," answered Milly, skipping about. "There's nobody tostop us or say 'don't.' What are we going to do? Have you decided?"

  "Of course we have. We're going to get a boat, and go out to that islandwhere those jolly rocks are, and where nobody lives. We've got somejolly cakes and things in this basket. We shall light a fire of driedseaweed, and be castaways from a wreck, and have a scrumptious time tillit's time to go home again."

  Bertie's eyes grew round with anticipation. Milly jumped into the airwith delight; but then suddenly looking grave, she exclaimed,--

  "But how shall we get there?"

  "In a boat, of course."

  "But then we shall have to have a man with us, and that costs such a lotof money."

  "Come along, silly-billy!" cried Pickle with good-humored scorn; "you'llsoon see how we do things, Puck and I. A man, indeed! As though we'dhave a great lumbering gowk to spoil all our fun, and have to pay himtoo! No fear!"

  Pickle took a short cut across country towards the shore. It was saferthan the road in many ways, and the path he selected did not lead to thefishing village, but to a little cove half a mile away to the right.Milly danced beside him chattering gleefully.

  "O Pickle, can you row yourself?"

  "Of course I can. Puck and I rowed old Pollard's boat about for him theother day amongst the lobster-pots. Anybody can row--at least anybodywith any sense. You only have to put the oar in the water and pull itout again. Even a girl could do that."

  "We've never been let try," said Milly. "We hardly ever go in a boat.Mother doesn't like it. Sometimes father takes us out on a fine evening,but not often. He's busy, and mother generally thinks it too cold ordamp or something."

  "I'm glad I wasn't brought up in a poll-parrot's cage," was Pickle'sremark; "your mother seems worse than Aunt Saint, and she's pretty sillyabout boys."

  "I believe mother was a cockney," said Milly gravely. "Perhaps that iswhy, though I don't quite know what a cockney is."

  Pickle laughed, but they were going too fast for much conversation. Itwas rough walking, but they did not want to lose time.

  "Here we are!" shouted Pickle, as they came suddenly upon a little cleftin the fringe of moorland they were skirting, and could see right downto the shining sea. "Here's the place, and here's the old boat. I'vesettled with the old fellow for it, and he promised to leave the oarsand things in all ready. Oh, jolly! jolly! jolly! Now we'll have alark!"

  This little creek was an offshoot of the bay, and a small tumble-downhut stood just beneath the overhanging crags. A boat lay rocking in thewater, moored to a ring in the rock, and the owner had been true to hispromise, and had left the oars and rudder and stretchers all in place.

  With shouts of ecstasy the children tumbled in. This was something likeindependence! Not a creature was there to say them nay. They were afloatin a boat of their very own, about to row over to that enchanted andenchanting island which Millie and Bertie had often gazed atwonderingly and wistfully, but had never dreamed of exploring in theirown persons.

  The boat was a safe old tub, heavy and cumbersome, but steady in thewater. The sea was very smooth, and the tide was falling, so that theefforts of the youthful rowers to get clear of the creek were crownedwith success, although Pickle and Puck had only very elementary ideas asto rowing.

  Bertie took the rudder, and as he had sometimes steered the boat whenhis father rowed them about the bay, he had some idea of keeping astraight course, and avoiding rocks and buoys. The island looked quitenear to shore from the cliffs above; but it seemed rather a long way offwhen the boat was on the water, slowly traveling out towards it. Pickleand Puck soon cast off their coats and waistcoats, and the drops stoodupon their brows; but they would not be beaten, and pulled on manfully,though they did feel as though the island must be behaving in a veryshabby manner, and retiring gradually from them as they approached.

  Still, the delight of being out in a boat by themselves made amends formuch, and Milly, who had taken her place in the bows, screamed aloudwith joy and excitement.

  She looked over the edge, and cried out that there were the loveliestthings to be seen along the bottom. She would have been happy enough onthe water the whole afternoon; but the two rowers were very glad when,after prolonged and gallant efforts on their part, they at last felt thekeel of the boat grating upon the longed-for shore.

  "I'm hot and thirsty, I know!" cried Pickle; "I shall have a swim firstthing. There's a jolly pool. I shall just swim about there, I can swimacross it, I believe, and it isn't deep anywhere."

  "I'll come too!" cried Puck; "I'm just sweating all over!"

  "Prissy says people oughtn't to bathe when they're hot," remarked Millydoubtfully; but Pickle only laughed and said,--

  "Pretty Polly talks an awful lot of rubbish. The hotter you are thejollier it is. You come along too, Bert."

  Bertie drew his breath hard. This was indeed freedom! Milly would haveloved to join the party, but desisted from motives of propriety. She hadnot brought her bathing dress, and, indeed, she was hardly ever allowedto use it at any time. So she went off to explore the wonders of theisland, leaving the boys to enjoy their bath and dry themselves in thehot sunshine afterwards.

  "I wish I were a boy too," she said to herself; "but anyhow I won't be alittle cockney, even if I am a girl."

  Certainly the island was a most entrancing place. There were pools wheresea-anemones displayed their flower-like beauty, and others lined withgreen seaweed that looked like moss, where little fishes swam about, andshrimps turned somersaults, and limpets stuck tight to the side, asthough a part of the solid rock. Then on the top of the island, wherethe water never came, a coarse kind of grass grew, and some littleflowers and sea-poppies; and Milly found many treasures in the way oftiny shells, which would make lovely decorations for the doll's house athome.

  She could have enjoyed herself for hours like this; but the boys turnedup before very long, rosy and wet-headed from their bath, and declaredthey must have something to eat quick, and that they must make a fireand boil their very tiny kettle, just for the sake of feeling that theyreally were castaways upon a desert island.

  "I've found some water that isn't salt!" cried Milly; "it's in a deeppool above high-water mark. It must be rain-water, I suppose; but it'squite nice, f
or I drank some." And Pickle gave a shout of joy, for theboys were terribly thirsty, and though they had provided themselves witha kettle and some tea, they had never thought of bringing water. Pucksaid that sea-water boiled would be sure to be quite nice, for boilingwas sure to take the salt out of it somehow.

  Milly, however, knew better, and was proud of her find; and she and Puckran off to fill the kettle, whilst Pickle and Bertie set to gatheringdry seaweed, and putting it in a hole in the rocks which was rather likea fire-grate, and over which they could easily put on the kettle toboil.

  It was tremendously exciting and interesting work--the sort of playthe rectory children had never indulged in before, though they hadsecretly longed after it.

  "Pickle soon had a merry little fire burning."--Page 95. _Esther's Charge._]

  "I'm the captain, and you're the bo'sun, Bertie," explained Pickle;"Puck's the cabin-boy, and Milly's a passenger. Everybody else has beendrowned dead, and we've been cast ashore on the island. So we have tolight a fire as a signal to any passing ship to come and take us off."

  "Oh, but we don't want to be taken off!" shrieked Milly; "we want tostay all the afternoon! If they see our fire perhaps they'll come toosoon. We don't want that."

  However, Pickle decreed that this risk must be run, as they must havetheir tea, and all castaways lighted a fire when they could. He hadmatches ready, and very soon the dry seaweed kindled, and a merry littlefire was soon burning in the hole. It was not long before the kettleboiled, and very proud was Milly of being permitted to put in the tea,and officiate at the dispensing of the liquid.

  They had only one mug, and some lumps of sugar, and no milk; but thatmattered very little. Castaways could not expect luxuries, and thecakes were excellent.

  Bertie was in rampant spirits. This was true liberty, and he was eagerfor remaining on the island permanently. There was a hole on the otherside where they could sleep upon a bed of dried seaweed; and then in themornings they could bathe in the pool, and he could learn to swim, andMilly could cook their food, and they would catch fish, and crabs, andshrimps, and live like princes.

  Puck was rather taken by the idea.

  "We shouldn't have any lessons then with the old Owl," he remarked. "Idon't like lessons. It's such a waste of time, when one might be havingfun. I can't see what good lessons are to anybody. I asked Crump once ifhe remembered the dates of all the kings and queens, and he said he wasafraid he didn't, though he could have said them off pat when he was myage. If one may forget everything as soon as one grows up, what's theuse of making such a fuss about learning them?"

  "Crump says it trains the mind to learn," said Pickle, jumping up; "butI should think living on an island and doing everything for oneselfwould train it much more. Let's go and see the hole, Bert. P'r'aps wewon't stay to-day--we've not brought quite enough things; but we mightcollect them here for a bit, and then when we've got enough we mightcome over, and let the boat go adrift, and live like cave-men as long aswe liked. It would do for our city of refuge, you know," and he lookedacross at Puck, who capered in great glee.

  "Of course, of course, of course!" he shouted; "we ought to have a cityof refuge!"

  "What's that?" asked Bertie eagerly.

  "Oh, it's all in the Bible," answered Puck. "We found it one day, andtold Crump; and we asked if we might have one, and he said yes, if wecould find it; and so we made it. It was out on the stable roof--such ajolly place!--no avenger of blood could ever get up there. Crump did tryonce; but he stuck fast, and we sat and roared at him. It was a finecity of refuge. We always went there when people were angry. Once wewere up there nearly all day; and if we'd had more gingerbread we'dnever have come down till they'd promised not to punish us. But MissMasters sat at the bottom of the ladder that time, and she whipped uswhen we had to come down. That was what I call being real mean. What'sthe good of a city of refuge if the avenger of blood sits waiting foryou at the bottom of the ladder? We asked Crump to tell her never to doit again, but I don't know if he ever did. Soon after that we came here,and the old Owl teaches us instead."

  "And you haven't got a city of refuge here?" asked the breathless Milly.

  "No; but I think we shall want one," said Pickle seriously. "There'ssomething about Old Bobby and the Owl that I don't quite like. They canbe very jolly; but they seem to think they're going to have it very muchtheir own way. I don't like giving in to a pair of old fogies like that.I think this island might come in very useful."

  "Prissy could never find us here!" cried Milly under her breath; "wecould do the loveliest things! Oh, do let us have a city of refuge!"

  They explored the island with breathless interest. It seemed anexcellent place for their design. There was no danger of its ever beingcovered at high tide; there was a rent in one side, not quite a cave,but a deep fissure, which would give protection from wind and someshelter from rain, and prove an excellent place of concealment. Therewas the big pool for bathing in, and little pools for keeping theirtreasures in the way of anemones and other sea-water creatures. Andthough the tides might wash away the old treasures, there would be newones deposited instead, and altogether it seemed a most desirable sortof place.

  "We'll collect things here," said Pickle with decision. "That was theworst of our other city of refuge; there was no place to keep anything.We had just to carry up with us what we wanted, and unless we could getdown into the house without being seen we couldn't get anything more.Once Jim, the stable-boy, brought us some apples; but he didn'tgenerally know when we were up there. We'll lay in a regular store ofthings, and then if they get cross we can come here and stop for aweek. They'll be so frightened by that time that they'll never think ofbeing angry when we get back, if we don't stay here always."

  "Are you sure?" asked Milly eagerly. "I feel as though mother would getangrier and angrier the longer we stayed away."

  But Pickle looked immensely wise.

  "No, it isn't like that," he said; "they begin by getting angrier andangrier, but then they get frightened, and when they're just asfrightened as they can be, then if you go back they don't scold--atleast hardly at all. They're only all in a tremble lest you've got wetor something like that--as if one were a cat. It's very stupid of them,but it's very convenient for us. You get more fun and less scolding thatway."

  "O Pickle! how do you know?"

  "Oh, we've tried it so often, and with different nurses and governesses,and with Granny and Crump. We know all about that sort of thing. Crumpwas the worst to reckon on. He would sometimes say very little that day,but take it out of you next. But then Crump was Crump, and one neverminded much what he did. I wish we had him here now."

  "Would he let you have a city of refuge out here?" asked Millywonderingly.

  "Of course he would. Crump isn't like a pack of silly women, who alwaysthink one is going to kill oneself. Crump likes boys to do things forthemselves, and not be always hanging round and asking other people totake care of them. I'm going to be a soldier when I grow up, andsoldiers have to learn how to do lots of things; and Puck will be eithera soldier or a sailor. Crump said we might choose for ourselves; andwhen we had chosen we must stick to it like bricks, and so we will."

  "I'm going to be a Cornish boy!" cried Bertie; "my father said so.Cornish boys can all swim, and row boats, and wrestle, and things likethat. We'll learn all about that at the city of refuge. It's the womenwho spoil everything. Let's pass a law that no woman shall ever beallowed to set foot on our island."

  "Then you mustn't count me a woman!" cried Milly appealingly.

  "Of course not!" answered all the boys at once; and Pickle went onjudicially--"We shan't count all girls as women--only the very stupidones like Pretty Polly. Tousle may come as a visitor sometimes; and youmay come always, Milly, if you'll be jolly and not tell secrets. I don'tcount people like you women. You have some sense."

  "And perhaps if you get regularly jolly, you won't ever be a woman,"added Puck consolingly. "I should think there must be some way ofstopping it. When
Old Bobby or the Owl are in good temper I'll ask themabout it. They have all sorts of funny things in bottles and tanks, andthey can do lots of queer things. I'll ask them if they can't dosomething to stop you always being a woman. You'd like that very much,wouldn't you?"

  "Oh yes!" cried Milly eagerly. "If I could be a Cornish boy I should bequite happy."

  But time was flying fast, and, unless the children wanted their secretto escape them too soon, they would have to be going back. They had hada fine time out on the island, and the tide had begun to flow again,and had floated their boat, which, for above an hour, had been lyingstranded amid the rocks.

  So in they all tumbled, and rowed back homewards, reaching the creek asthe clock in the village church chimed out the hour of six.

  "We shall just get home in time!" cried Milly, "and nobody will know wehaven't been playing about near home all the time.--Pickle, may we tellfather about the city of refuge--just as a secret? I'm sure he won'tmind; and if he doesn't tell mother it will be all right."

  "Well, I'll think about it," answered Pickle, in his capacity ofcaptain; "but don't you tell anything till I give you leave."