CHAPTER XIV.
THE UNEXPECTED EVENT.
His shout may ring upon the hill, His voice be echoed in the hall, His merry laugh like music trill, I scarcely notice such things now.
Willis.
Some weeks after Frank had left home, while lady Harriet and MajorGraham were absent at Holiday House, Harry and Laura felt surprised toobserve, that Mrs. Crabtree suddenly became very grave and silent,--hervoice seemed to have lost half its loudness,--her countenance lookedrather pale,--and they both escaped being scolded on several occasions,when Harry himself could not but think he deserved it. Once or twice heventured to do things that at other times he dared not have attempted,"merely as an experiment," he said, "like that man in the menagerie, whoput his head into the lion's mouth, without feeling quite sure whetherit would be bit off the next moment or not;" but though Mrs. Crabtreeevidently saw all that passed, she turned away with a look of sadness,and said not a word.
What could be the matter? Harry almost wished she would fly into a goodpassion and scold him, it became so extraordinary and unnatural to seeMrs. Crabtree sitting all day in a corner of the room, sewing insilence, and scarcely looking up from her work; but still the wondergrew, for she seemed to become worse and worse every day. Harry dressedup the cat in an old cap and frock of Laura's,--he terrified old Jowlerby putting him into the shower-bath,--and let off a few crackers at thenursery window,--but it seemed as if he might have fired a cannonwithout being scolded by Mrs. Crabtree, who merely turned her head roundfor a minute, and then silently resumed her work. Laura even fanciedthat Mrs. Crabtree was once in tears, but that seemed quite impossible,so she thought no more about it, till one morning, when they had begunto despair of ever hearing more about the business, and were whisperingtogether in a corner of the room, observing that she looked duller thanever, they were surprised to hear Mrs. Crabtree calling them both tocome near her. She looked very pale, and was beginning to say something,when her voice suddenly became so husky and indistinct, that she seemedunable to proceed; therefore, motioning with her hand for them to goaway, she began sewing very rapidly, as she had done before, breakingher threads, and pricking her fingers, at every stitch.
Laura and Harry silently looked at each other with some apprehension,and the nursery now became so perfectly still, that a feather falling onthe ground would have been heard. This had continued for some time, whenat last Laura upon tiptoe stole quietly up to where Mrs. Crabtree wassitting, and said to her, in a very kind and anxious voice, "I am afraidyou are not well, Mrs. Crabtree! Grandmama will send for a doctor whenshe comes home. Shall I ask her?"
"You are very kind, Miss Laura!--never mind me! Your grandmama knowswhat is the matter. It will be all one a hundred years hence," answeredMrs. Crabtree, in a low husky voice. "This is a thing you will be veryglad to hear!--you must prepare to be told some good news!" added she,forcing a laugh, but such a laugh as Harry and Laura never heardbefore, for it sounded so much more like sorrow than joy. They waited ingreat suspense to hear what would follow, but Mrs. Crabtree, afterstruggling to speak again with composure, suddenly started off her seat,and hurried rapidly out of the room. She appeared no more in the nurserythat day, but next morning when they were at breakfast, she entered theroom with her face very much covered up in her bonnet, and evidentlytried to speak in her usual loud bustling voice, though somehow it stillsounded perfectly different from common. "Well, children! Lady Harrietwas so kind as to promise that my secret should be kept till I pleased,and that no one should mention it to you but myself. I am going away!"
"You!" exclaimed Harry, looking earnestly in Mrs. Crabtree's face. "Areyou going away?"
"Yes, Master Harry,--I leave this house to-day! Now, don't pretend tolook sorry! I know you are not! I can't bear children to tell stories.Who would ever be sorry for a cross old woman like me?"
"But perhaps I am sorry! Are you in real earnest going away?" askedHarry again, with renewed astonishment. "Oh no! it is only a joke!"
"Do I look as if this were a joke?" asked Mrs. Crabtree, turning roundher face, which was bathed with tears. "No, no! I am come to bid youboth a long farewell. A fine mess you will get into now! All your thingsgoing to rack and ruin, with nobody fit to look after them!"
"But, Mrs. Crabtree! we do not like you to go away," said Laura, kindly."Why are you leaving us all on a sudden? it is very odd! I never was sosurprised in my life!"
"Your papa's orders are come. He wrote me a line some weeks ago, to saythat I have been too severe. Perhaps that is all true. I meant it well,and we are poor creatures, who can only act for the best. However, itcan't be helped now! There's no use in lamenting over spilt cream.You'll be the better behaved afterwards. If ever you think of me again,children, let it be as kindly as possible. Many and many a time I shallremember you both. I never cared for any young people but yourselves,and I shall never take charge of any others. Master Frank was the bestboy in the world, and you would both have been as good under mycare,--but it is no matter now!"
"But it does matter a very great deal," cried Harry, eagerly. "You muststay here, Mrs. Crabtree, as long as you live, and a great deal longer!I shall write a letter to papa all about it. We were very troublesome,and it was our own faults if we were punished. Never mind, Mrs.Crabtree, but take off your bonnet and sit down! I am going to do somedreadful mischief to-night, so you will be wanted to keep me in order."
Mrs. Crabtree laid her hand upon Harry's head in silence, and there wassomething so solemn and serious in her manner, that he saw it would beuseless to remonstrate any more. She then held out her hand to Laura,endeavouring to smile as she did so, but it was a vain attempt, for herlip quivered, and she turned away, saying, "Who would ever believe Ishould make such a fool of myself! Farewell to you both! and let nobodyspeak ill of me after I am gone, if you can help it!"
Without looking round, Mrs. Crabtree hurried out of the nursery andclosed the door, leaving Harry and Laura perfectly bewildered withastonishment at this sudden event, which seemed more like a dream than areality. They both felt exceedingly melancholy, hardly able to believethat she had formerly been at all cross, while they stood at the windowwith tears in their eyes, watching the departure of her well-known bluechest, on a wheel-barrow, and taking a last look of her red gown andscarlet shawl as she hastily followed it.
For several weeks to come, whenever the door opened, Harry and Lauraalmost expected her to enter, but month after month elapsed, and Mrs.Crabtree appeared no more, till one day, at their earnest entreaty, LadyHarriet took them a drive of some miles into the country, to see theneat little lodging by the sea-side where she lived, and maintainedherself by sewing, and by going out occasionally as a sick-nurse. A moredelightful surprise certainly never could have been given than whenHarry and Laura tapped at the cottage door, which was opened by Mrs.Crabtree herself, who started back with an exclamation of joyfulamazement, and looked as if she could scarcely believe her eyes onbeholding them, while they laughed at the joke till tears were runningdown their cheeks. "Is Mrs. Crabtree at home?" said Harry, trying tolook very grave.
"Grandmama says we may stay here for an hour, while she drives along theshore," added Laura, stepping into the house with a very merry face."And how do you do, Mrs. Crabtree?"
"Very well, Miss Laura, and very happy to see you. What a tall girl youare become! and Master Harry too! looking quite over his own shoulders!"
After sitting some time, Mrs. Crabtree insisted on their having somedinner in her cottage; so making Harry and Laura sit down on each sideof a large blazing fire, she cooked some most delicious pancakes forthem in rapid succession, as fast as they could eat, tossing them highin the air first, and then rolling up each as it was fried, with a largespoonful of jam in the centre, till Harry and Laura at last said, thatunless Mrs. Crabtree supplied fresh appetites, she need make no morepancakes, for they thought even Peter Grey himself could scarcely havefinished all she provided.
Harry had now been
several months constantly attending school, where hebecame a great favourite with the boys, and a great torment to themasters, while, for his own part, he liked it twenty times better thanhe had expected, because the lessons were tolerably easy to a cleverboy, as he really was, and the games at cricket and foot-ball in theplay-ground put him perfectly wild with joy. Every boy at school seemedto be his particular friend, and many called him "the holiday-maker,"because, if ever a holiday was wished for, Harry always became leader inthe scheme. The last morning of Peter Grey's appearing at school, he gotthe name of "the copper captain," because Mr. Lexicon having fined himhalf-a-crown, for not knowing one of his lessons, he brought the wholesum in half-pence, carrying them in his hat, and gravely counting themall out, with such a pains-taking, good-boy look, that any one, to seehim, would have supposed he was quite penitent and sorry for hismisconduct; but no sooner had he finished the task and ranged all thehalf-pence neatly in rows along Mr. Lexicon's desk, than he was desired,in a voice of thunder, to leave the room instantly, and never to return,which accordingly he never did, having started next day on the top ofthe coach for Portsmouth, and the last peep Harry got of him, he wasbuying a perfect mountain of gingerbread out of an old man's basket, toeat by the way.
Meantime Laura had lessons from a regular day-governess, who came everymorning at seven, and never disappeared till four in the afternoon, so,as Mrs. Crabtree remarked, "the puir thing was perfectly deaved wi'edication," but she made such rapid progress, that uncle David said itwould be difficult to decide whether she was growing fastest in body orin mind. Laura seemed born to be under the tuition of none butill-tempered people, and Madame Pirouette appeared in a constant stateof irritability. During the music-lessons, she sat close to the piano,with a pair of sharp-pointed scissors in her hand, and whenever Lauraplayed a wrong note, she stuck their points into the offending finger,saying sometimes in an angry foreign accent, "put your toe upon 'disnote! I tell you, put your toe upon 'dis note!"
"My finger, I suppose you mean?" asked Laura, trying not to laugh.
"Ah! fingare and toe! dat is all one! Speak not a word! take hold ofyour tongue."
"Laura!" said Major Graham, one day, "I would as soon hear a gongsounded at my ear for half an hour, as most of the fine pieces youperform now. Taste and expression are quite out of date, but the chiefobject of ambition is, to seem as if you had four hands instead of two,from the torrent of notes produced at once. If ever you wish to pleasemy old-fashioned ears, give me melody,--something that touches the heartand dwells in the memory,--then years afterwards, when we hear it again,the language seems familiar to our feelings, and we listen with deepdelight to sounds recalling a thousand recollections of former days,which are brought back by music (real music) with distinctness andinterest which nothing else can equal."
During more than two years, while Harry and Laura were rapidly advancingin education, they received many interesting letters from Frank,expressing the most affectionate anxiety to hear of their being well andhappy, while his paper was filled with amusing accounts of the variouswonderful countries he visited; and at the bottom of the paper, healways very kindly remembered to send them an order on his banker, as hecalled uncle David, drawn up in proper form, saying, "Please to payMaster Harry and Miss Laura Graham the sum of five shillings on myaccount. Francis Arthur Graham."
In Frank's gay, merry epistles, he kept all his little annoyances orvexations to himself, and invariably took up the pen with such a desireto send cheerfulness into his own beloved home, that his letters mighthave been written with a sun-beam, they were so full of warmth andvivacity. It seemed always a fair wind to Frank, for he looked upon thebest side of every thing, and never teazed his absent friends withcomplaints of distresses they could not remedy, except when hefrequently mentioned his sorrow at being separated from them, adding,that he often wished it were possible to meet them during one day inevery year, to tell all his thoughts, and to hear theirs in return, forsometimes now, during the night watches, when all other resourcesfailed, he entertained himself, by imagining the circle of home allgathered around him, and by inventing what each individual would sayupon any subjects he liked, while all his adventures acquired a doubleinterest, from considering that the recital would one day amuse his dearfriends when their happy meeting at last took place. Frank was not soover-anxious about his own comfort, as to feel very much irritated anddiscomposed at any privations that fell in his way, and once sitting upin the middle of a dark night, with the rain pouring in torrents, andthe wind blowing a perfect hurricane, he drew his watch-coat round him,saying good humouredly to his grumbling companions, "This is by no meansso bad! and whatever change takes place now, will probably be for thebetter. Sunshine is as sure to come as Christmas, if you only wait forit, and in the meantime we are all more comfortably off than St.Patrick, when he had to swim across a stormy sea, with his head underhis arm."
Frank often amused his messmates with stories which he had heard fromuncle David, and soon became the greatest favourite imaginable with themall, while he frequently endeavoured to lead their minds to the samesure foundation of happiness which he always found the best security ofhis own. He had long been taught to know that a vessel might as well besteered without rudder or compass, as any individual be brought into ahaven of peace, unless directed by the Holy Scriptures; and his delightwas frequently to study such passages as these: "When thou passestthrough the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, theyshall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shaltnot be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am theLord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour."