Esther's Charge: A Story for Girls Read online

  CHAPTER VII.

  DAYS OF SUNSHINE.

  Somehow after that Saturday at the Crag, and the Sunday following, onwhich some good resolutions had been made, Esther found that her lifebecame decidedly brighter and happier.

  Mr. Earle was particularly kind to her in study hours. He put aside fora time the lessons on arithmetic, which had often haunted her at night,for sums were rather a trouble to the little girl; and, instead, hebrought from the Crag some beautiful books on natural history, and gaveher chapters to read about the structure and habits of wild animals,which was very interesting; and then, when the boys had done theirtasks, he would tell them all delightful tales about these animals, someof which he had shot himself in different parts of the world.

  Mr. Earle was a capital hand at telling a story. They soon found thatout; and the boys began to understand that he was a tutor quite worthpleasing. On the days when they had been industrious and well-behaved,he never minded stopping for half an hour or more before time, to helpthem with some bit of work of their own, or to tell them excitingstories.

  But if they had been idle, or impertinent, or unruly, he just packedthem off to their own pursuits with a few cutting words; and if hestayed at all, it was to tell Esther something about the pictures in herbook, and the boys were not permitted to remain or to hear a word.

  "You're not fit for civilized society--be off with you!" Mr. Earle wouldsay in his quick, authoritative way; and it was no use their putting oncoaxing or defiant airs, as they had done to their father in old days.Mr. Earle would neither be coaxed nor defied. He sent them straight offwith an air of cutting contempt, which Pickle, at least, was old enoughto feel and to wince under.

  "If you can't behave yourselves like gentlemen, you're not fit companyfor a lady," was another of his maxims; and both Pickle and Puck beganrather to dread provoking these speeches from their inflexible tutor.

  And then Mr. Earle was well worth pleasing, as they soon began to find.Upon the Wednesday following that eventful Saturday, when he came downin the afternoon (for he always went back to the Crag between half-pasttwelve and two), he walked into the study and swept all the books backinto their places, and said, with a happy twinkle in his eye,--

  "Get your hats, and come along. We're going to have a lesson innavigation this afternoon."

  The boys gave a whoop of delight. They did not exactly know whatnavigation might be, but they scented something delightful; and as theyhad been remarkably good for the past days, it seemed to come like areward of virtue. Esther's face brightened with pleasure and curiosity.She wondered what was going to happen; but there was no delay in gettingoff, and soon they were all walking down to the shore, where they foundold Pollard waiting for them, not in his cranky old tub, but in thetight, trim boat belonging to the Crag, that was kept in order by theold fisherman, and had beautiful white sails curled up in readiness, twomasts, and a figurehead like a swan with a gracefully-arched neck.

  Esther knew the look of the boat, and had once been out in it with Mr.Trelawny, but had been too much afraid of him to enjoy her sail at all.Now, however, her eyes kindled and danced, for she dearly loved thewater, and was never the least seasick; and when the boys understoodthat they were going out for a sail, they yelled and danced and shoutedlike a pair of wild Indians.

  The old fisherman sat with the helm in his hand, but Mr. Earle managedthe sails, and he went about his business as though he were a sailorhimself, and talked in queer terms with the old man, whilst the boyslistened agape, and wished they knew what it meant.

  They soon found, however, that they had not come out simply to be idle.They were soon in the middle of a lecture upon ropes and rigging, sailsand spars, and began to understand that this sailing was not a meregame, but that there was a vast deal to learn about it, and that awhole new world of thoughts and ideas was opening before them.

  But it was very interesting, for Puck always meant to be a sailor, andhe was eager to learn as many new words as his little head could takein. It was interesting too because the things Mr. Earle told themexplained many mysteries which they had come across in story-books, andhad never understood. The boys did not lack for wits, and were cleverwith their fingers too, so it was not a difficult task to get them intothe way of furling or unfurling a sail, or learning to distinguishbetween the different ropes and spars.

  When they passed by other boats, Mr. Earle pointed out different partsof them, and expected them to remember the names; and, on the whole, hewas satisfied with the sharpness of his pupils, and he found themtolerably well-behaved too.

  "If you boys are thinking of the army and the navy for professions," heremarked once to them, with his rather grim yet not unkindly smile, "thesooner you get all this fooling out of your heads the better."

  "What fooling?" asked Pickle, with a little flush in his cheek, for theword did not quite please him.

  "I mean the foolish trick of treating all the world as though there wasperfect equality there--as though a little shaver like you had the samerights of speech and remark as grown-up people who have served theirapprenticeship, and gone through their training--as though your opinionswere of the least consequence to anybody, and you had any right to airthem when they are not wanted, and to have any say in the way in whichyour affairs are regulated. I mean all that, and a good deal more. Ifyou don't get the better of that stuff these next few years, you'll findyourself in some trouble when you're under discipline."

  Pickle flushed slowly. He had a fairly good understanding of theadmonition addressed to them; but Puck felt it rather beyond him.

  "I don't understand," he said.

  "Well, I'll explain. A soldier and a sailor have nothing in the world todo at first but just to obey orders. There is no answering back, noquestioning commands, no loitering, or any nonsense like that. Inold-fashioned days boys were trained like that at home--at least themajority were; a father or a mother gave the word, and there was an endof it. Then, when those boys went out into life they had learnedunquestioning obedience, and it had become second nature to them.Nowadays things are vastly changed--whether for the better or the worsetime will show, but I have my own opinions on the point."

  Pickle and Puck exchanged glances, and the elder boy said slowly,--

  "Cr--I mean father--sometimes told us we should have to have thenonsense licked out of us some day. But we did generally obey him. Ofcourse we didn't obey Miss Masters. I don't see how anybody could expectit. She was just an old frump, and her rules were all bosh. I don'tthink father thought much of her himself."

  "You may not think very much of your superior officer some day," saidMr. Earle grimly, "but you'll have to obey him, or he'll know the reasonwhy."

  "Ah! but a man is different."

  "Yes, a much harder nut to crack, as you will find to your cost. If youhad a spark of chivalry in your composition, you would know better thanto speak slightingly of women. No really brave or noble-minded man everdoes that."

  Mr. Earle did not spare his pupils; yet in spite of his sharp speechesPickle and Puck liked him better and better every day, and began to takegood care not to get into his black-books. They found that that did notpay at all.

  Navigation lessons were not all play, as the boys soon found; and therewas some pretty hard work in the way of sums bound up with it, as wellas a great deal to notice and remember. But it was the sort of thingthat they liked. And later on they were allowed to make rough models ofships themselves, and try to get the ropes and spars right; and this waslike a new game, and kept them busy and happy for hours together. Andthen they were taken up to the Crag to see certain models of shipsthere; and Mr. Trelawny put them through their paces, and seemed reallyquite pleased with them, and made them a present of a small modelyacht, which became the most prized of their possessions.

  Esther did not learn the navigation so thoroughly as the boys, thoughshe began to feel quite knowing on the subject of spars and rigging andnautical terms. She used to sit beside the old fisherman at the helmwhen the boa
t went out, and look at the clouds and the sea, and dreamher own dreams or get the old man to tell her some of his stories, whichhe was always ready to do.

  Her head hardly ever ached now; and Mr. Earle always seemed to know whenit did, and gave her the sort of lessons that did not make it any worse.The boys were very nice too--much more companionable than they had beenat first; and she was always ready to cut out and hem the sails forthem, and help them with her clever little fingers when they got intodifficulties over their rigging. And they soon found that her sharp eyessaw things quite as soon as theirs, and that she could often help themout of a difficulty; so instead of treating her with a sort of boyishcontempt, they came to look upon her as a valuable assistant, andincluded her in their games.

  Then about this time another great pleasure and interest came intoEsther's life.

  It was about a fortnight after the visit to the Crag, when her mothercalled her one day, and said, with a smiling face,--

  "Esther dear, do you think you remember how to drive?"

  Esther's face colored with surprise and pleasure. When she was quite alittle girl her father had taught her both to ride and drive, for theykept a little pony carriage for the mother, and she used to be allowedsometimes to drive the pony, though generally only when her father satbeside her. It seemed a long time now since she had done anything of thekind, but she fancied the power would soon come back, and answeredeagerly,--

  "O mama dear, I think I remember. Why do you ask?"

  "Because I have been talking things over with Mr. Trelawny, and he hasfound me a nice quiet little pony, and a little light carriage, and Mr.Earle is going to drive it down this evening, and give you a lesson indriving, for the pony has been used to children, and is said to bequite safe; but I should like you to have a few more lessons before youtake me out."

  Esther clasped her hands in ecstasy.

  "O mama! are you going to have a little carriage again?"

  "Yes, dear--at least it is to be like this; it will be my carriage, butit will be kept up at the Crag, where they have plenty of room, and agood coachman to look after things. And Mr. Earle is putting up atelephone from this house to the stables there, so that we can send forit when we want. And perhaps, by and by, if we like, we shall have ithere; but I am always afraid of things going wrong with live creatures."

  Esther's eyes were bright. She would have better liked, for some things,that the pony should live in their own little stable, where she couldvisit it with apples and sugar; and the thought of the telephone to theCrag was a little alarming to her--she hardly knew why. But she wasmaking a great effort to conquer her groundless fears, and had met Mr.Trelawny lately several times, almost without a tremor. And certainlythe pony would have added to her cares, for her mother would not havebeen able to tell her anything about it, and if the man had neglected itin any way it would have been so difficult to find out.

  "I see, mama," she said slowly. "Perhaps that is best. How nice it willbe for you to get drives again!"

  "Yes, we shall both enjoy that. Mr. Trelawny wants you to get out intothe fresh air as much as possible. We shall both get rosy cheeks, Ihope, when we have our daily drives."

  The boys were greatly excited by the news that a pony was coming, andthe three children stood together at the gate to watch the road leadingdownwards from the Crag to their house.

  "Here it comes! here it comes!" cried Puck, capering with excitement;"here is Mr. Earle driving along. Oh, what a jolly little pony! He's gota mane like yours before it was cut off, Essie--all in a tousle. Andlook how he tosses his head! I'm sure he's a jolly little beggar. Iwonder if we may ride him sometimes. We used to ride at home. There wasa pony there to mow the lawns, and we had him in turns in the fieldoften."

  Mr. Trelawny appeared at this moment from the direction of the pinewood.

  "Well," he said, on seeing the children, "and what are you all in such astate of jubilation about?"

  "Oh, the pony, the pony!" shouted Puck; "isn't he a jolly little fellow!Where did he come from, Uncle Bob? and why didn't you drive down withhim too?"

  "My legs are too long for that little affair," laughed Mr. Trelawny. "Itis only meant for fairies and ladies," and he laid his hand on Esther'shead, so that she looked up quickly with a blush and a smile. Mrs. St.Aiden appeared from the house, and Mr. Trelawny offered her his arm andled her down towards the gate. Mr. Earle had drawn up the littleequipage now, and the children were crowding round the pony, patting andpraising him--a state of affairs to which he seemed quite accustomed,and which appeared to suit him very well.

  "He is a darling!" cried Esther delightedly.

  "'He is a darling!' cried Esther delightedly."--Page 168. _Esther's Charge._]

  "What is his name?" asked Puck.

  "He was called Punch at his last home," answered Mr. Earle, "and he isused to little people.--Now, little Miss Esther, are you going to bebold, and see how well you can drive him? I have come to see what sortof a whip you make."

  Esther's face was in a glow. It was such a pretty little carriage, andeverything about the pony was charming--his flowing mane and tail, thebright, silver-mounted harness, the red-leather frontlet and saddle pad,and the bright brown of the reins where she would hold them. It was allso spick and span and well turned out--much better than anything she hadknown in past days.

  "I can drive," began Pickle with sudden eagerness, and then he clappedhis hand to his mouth and turned away.

  "I'll run and get a bit of sugar for Punch," he cried; and he dashedoff, pulling Puck after him.

  "Look here," he said, when they were a little way off; "I was just goingto ask to have the first drive myself; but it's Esther's pony, and shemust go. Don't you go and say anything; and if she offers, don't youtake it. She's always doing things for us. We won't go and be pigs nowshe's got something nice herself."

  "All right," answered Puck, whose mouth was watering for a ride on thepony, or a drive behind him; "she shall go first. But I suppose when shecomes back we might have a turn?"

  "Well, we will if they offer it us; but don't let's ask. We mustn't begreedy, you know; and we mustn't pretend we've ever done such a mightylot of driving and riding, because you know we haven't--only just alittle now and then. Crump was always saying we must have ponies andlearn properly; but we never did."

  Puck colored up a little, for he had been rehearsing in his head some ofthe things he meant to tell Esther about his prowess in the saddle andas a whip. But he remembered that he had resolved not to romance somuch, just as Pickle was keeping in mind that he must not always expectto be the leader, and have the best place in everything. So they ranaway to the house together to get the sugar; and Esther, after lookinground a little uncertainly, let herself be handed into the carriage byMr. Earle.

  "I thought perhaps the boys would like the first turn," she said.

  "Ladies first is the right motto," said Mr. Trelawny. "Now let us seehow you hold your reins and whip. You won't want much whip for thisfellow, so you can leave that in its socket for the present.--Now,Earle, in with you, and let us see how the little lady can driveyou.--You are not afraid, my dear?"

  Esther looked up with candid eyes.

  "No--at least, hardly at all. I'm not afraid, now Mr. Earle is here tohelp me. I like it very much, but I haven't driven for a very long time.I might do something wrong if there was nobody here to help me."

  Then she drew up her reins and chirruped to Punch, who threw up his headand started at a brisk trot; and Esther felt her heart beating withexcitement and delight, just dashed with a nervous tremor, for Punchwent very fast, and there were several corners to turn in the windingroad.

  But the pony was a well-trained little fellow, and knew his business,and there was nothing in his way. He dashed along in fine style, Mr.Earle encouraging both him and his driver; and then Esther had thedelight of drawing up at the rectory gate to show her new accomplishmentto the little Polperrans, who came flocking out to admire and exclaim.

  It was a very
enchanting half-hour that Esther spent taking her firstlesson; but she was in rather a hurry to get back, for she wanted theboys to enjoy the new pleasure also.

  So Mr. Earle took them each a turn, looking rather sharp after them; butthey had a very fair notion of driving, and were perfectly fearless, yetat the same time they were fond of animals, and had no desire to use thewhip unreasonably, or otherwise to harass the pony.

  Punch gave the greatest satisfaction to all, and was declared to be a"perfect darling" by Esther, and "a jolly little brick" by the boys.

  "Mr. Earle will take you out every day for a week, Esther," said hermother, when the carriage had gone, "and after that he thinks you willbe able to drive me out."

  Esther's face glowed with pleasure, and Pickle cried out,--

  "We can drive you too, Aunt Saint!"

  But to his surprise his aunt shook her head, smiling the while, andsaid,--

  "I think, dear, I should feel safer with Esther, thank you."

  "Well, that's funny," said Puck; "I thought women always felt so muchsafer when they had a man driving them."

  Then Mrs. St. Aiden laughed and kissed him, and said he should drive herout some day, when he was a man.

  Nice things seemed to happen often now. For after the pony and carriagehad been a few weeks in use, and Esther had grown to be quite anexperienced little whip, the children heard that Mr. Trelawny was goingto keep his birthday, and that it was to be celebrated by an excursionto an old ruin, and that little people as well as their parents were tobe allowed to go.

  Esther clasped her hands in ecstasy when she heard this. She had neverseen a ruin yet, though she had so often heard of them; and as herknowledge of history had greatly enlarged during the past few months,she was quite delighted to think of seeing any place which had played apart in the strange doings of olden times.

  Mr. Trelawny's house had done that; but Esther could never quite conquerher fears of that place. She did not go very often even now, though theboys scrambled up the steep path as often as they dared, when she wasout driving.

  But a real old castle would be delightful; and Mr. Earle gave them awhole history of the things that had happened there, and showed thempictures of the kind of old windows and arches they would see, andtaught Esther the names of the different moldings, so that she mightknow them when she saw them.

  She was to drive herself in the pony carriage, and have one companion,either grown-up or not as she liked, and Puck had leave to go in thetiny back seat, which had been added in order that the three childrenmight go out together.

  "Of course you'll take me," cried Pickle, dancing round Esther in hisexcited fashion.

  She hesitated a little, and then said,--

  "Pickle dear, I should like you best; but I feel as though I ought toask Prissy Polperran. I'm afraid she sometimes thinks I am unkind toher. We used to be a good deal together, but I haven't time now that Ihave so many more things to do."

  "Oh, bother that young poll-parrot!" cried Pickle; "I don't see why youshould be bothered by her. She's a regular kill-joy. You know she is."

  "It would be kind," said Esther gently; "she would like it very much.But you may drive her, Pickle, if mama and Mr. Earle don't mind."

  "Not I, thank you!" answered Pickle scornfully. "I can't abide thestuck-up minx. She's a little prig. She's----"

  Pickle suddenly stopped short. The Sunday class in the arbor still wenton, and the children discussed with interest each week how they were"getting on with their sins," and how many dragons they had killed. Theyalso had a little book now, and Esther wrote down in it what goodresolutions they made week by week. It was rather like a "Sunday game"to the little people; nevertheless it was not without its effect uponthem. Pickle's sudden stop was due to the remembrance that they had lastSunday resolved to try and be kind to other people, and always do asthey would be done by; so that saying all these things about Prissy wasnot quite according to their rule.

  "Oh, bother!" he said, and looked at Esther, and then began to laugh. Ina minute he spoke again,--

  "All right, Ess. Take Pretty Polly. I suppose she will like it, and theydon't have half the fun we do. I'll try to be civil to her all day too,if I can; but she is such a precious----"

  Another stop and another laugh.

  "I say, Essie, I think we make too many resolutions. I'm always trippingover some of them. Don't let's have any new ones till we've learned howto keep these."

  "I'll let Bertie have the dicky behind," said Puck suddenly--"he'd likeit; and I don't care so very much, if Pretty Polly is going instead ofPickle."

  "Thank you, boys," said Esther; "it is very nice of you. I should liketo have you best, but I think we ought to try and be kind."

  The young folks did not enjoy themselves any the less for the smallsacrifice they had made. The delight of the Polperrans at being drivenin Esther's little carriage made amends to her for the loss of the boys;and Prissy was quite nice and merry, and never once put on her grown-upairs of superiority.

  Pickle and Puck occupied the box seat of a big wagonette, and werepermitted by the driver to hold the reins now and then up the hill, oralong the level, so they had nothing left to wish for; and it was a verymerry and happy party that arrived by midday at the old ruined castleperched commandingly on the summit of a crag, not so very unlike the onewhere Mr. Trelawny lived.

  Prissy had been there once before, and showed Esther a great many of thewonders it contained--the great banqueting hall, with a part of itsbeautiful vaulted roof still standing; the old chapel, where the traceryof the windows was wonderful in its graceful beauty; and the ancientkeep, with the thick walls, in which little passages could run withoutinterfering with them.

  Mr. Trelawny was a capital host, and knew how to make people enjoythemselves. There was plenty to eat, and plenty to do; but he seemedfondest of getting all the little people about him, and telling them thewonderful stories of battles and sieges and escapes which had takenplace around these very walls.

  "Show us the prisons!" cried Pickle. "Aren't there some dungeonsunderneath? And isn't there a block or an ax or something like that? Ilike those jolly old underground places. I'd soon have got out though,if I'd been a prisoner."

  "I'll show you one prison, anyhow," answered Mr. Trelawny; "but I thinkyou'd be puzzled how to get out of it, if once you were shut in."

  Esther felt her breath coming and going. She did so hope there were nounderground places here. The old feeling of horror came back directlyshe heard this talk. She felt as though everything had suddenly beenspoiled.

  She didn't want to think about poor wretched prisoners, shut out fromthe light of day, lying in chains down in those terrible places. Shecouldn't think how all the children seemed to want to go and look. Itmade her feel sick and miserable; and yet she did not like to hang backwhen everybody else was moving.

  She thought of her resolution not to be frightened of fancied terrors;but this was not fancy. These were real prisons, and real people hadbeen shut up there; and perhaps she would hear of horrid things thatwere done to them, which would make her feel all creepy at night, andnot let her go to sleep.

  Her feet lagged more and more as the party trooped on after Mr.Trelawny, laughing and asking questions; and then Esther suddenly foundthat she could not make up her mind to go with the rest. She turnedtail, and ran in the opposite direction, and threw herself down on thewarm grass, shaking all over.

  "What is the matter?" asked a voice close beside her. She gave a greatjump, and looked round with scared eyes. There was Mr. Earle sittingvery near indeed to her, with a sketch-book in his hand. She wished thenshe had not come, or had seen him in time to run somewhere else.

  "What is the matter?" he asked again quite kindly.

  "I--I don't know. They were going down to the dungeons. I didn't want togo--that's all."

  "There is nothing very pretty down there; come and look at my drawing,and tell me how you like it. Isn't that a fine bit of molding there? Doyou know people come from all o
ver the country to see it. It's one ofthe best bits that exist in the world--or at least in this country."

  "How nicely you draw!" said Esther admiringly, feeling the cold tremorsabating. "What a lot of things you can do, Mr. Earle! It must be nice tobe clever."

  "Very, I should think," he answered with a smile. "Would you like tolearn to sketch some day?"

  "Oh, very much, only there are so many things to learn. There does notseem time for them all."

  "No, that's the worst of it; it is like picking up pebbles on theseashore. One can never get more than a few out of all the millionsthere. Still, if we make these few our own we have done something."

  Mr. Earle went on with his drawing, and Esther sat watching him, feelingsoothed and comforted, she did not know why. Her thoughts went off ontheir own wonderings, and presently she said suddenly,--

  "Mr. Earle, is it wrong to be afraid of things--I mean of things thatdon't hurt, like dark places and cellars?"

  "It is not wrong, but it is often inconvenient."

  "You don't mind them, I suppose?"

  "Not now. I used to be afraid of the dark once when I was a little boy."

  "How did you cure yourself?"

  "My mother asked me to try and get over it. So she taught me to say myprayers first, and then walk over the dark part of the house every nightalone. I used to make believe that an angel came with me. After that Isoon stopped being afraid."

  Esther sat very still for a little while, a light coming slowly into herface.

  "Do you think the angel was there really, Mr. Earle?"

  "I should not be very much surprised," he answered gravely, and they satin silence till the rest came back.