CHAPTER FOUR.
A READY-MADE MAN.
"What's the meaning of this?" cried Sir John angrily, as he stoodstaring in astonishment at his son's anger-distorted, flushed face, thenat the footman, and back at his son.
"I--I--this fellow--this man--Edward was insolent, and--and--I--father--I--ordered him--to leave the room--and--and he would not go."
"Oh, I beg pardon, Master Jack, sir," said Edward reproachfully. "Isaid I'd go, and I was going."
"Silence, sir!" cried Sir John, frowning. "Now, Jack, he would not go?"
"I was angry, father--and--and--"
"And you threw this book at him, and broke the pane of glass?"
"Yes, father," said the boy, who was now scarlet, as he stood tremblingwith excitement and mortification.
"Humph!" ejaculated Sir John, crossing to raise the very short skirt ofhis brown velveteen Norfolk jacket, and stand with his hands behind himin front of the fire. "Pick up that book, Edward."
"Yes, Sir John."
"And tell one of the housemaids to come and sweep up the pieces."
"Yes, Sir John," said the man, moving toward the door.
"Stop! What does that signal to Mr Jack mean?"
"Well, Sir John, I--"
"Wait a minute. Now, Jack, in what way was Edward insolent to you?"
"Only laughed, Sir John."
"Be silent, sir! Now, Jack!"
"He irritated me, father," said the lad hastily. "He came to worry mewith an absurd request, and--and when I ridiculed it, he burst outlaughing in a rude, insolent way."
"Beg pardon, Sir John," said the man respectfully.--"Not insolent,Master Jack."
"Say Mr Jack."
"Certn'y, Sir John. _Mister_ Jack actually made a joke,--it wasn't agood one, Sir John, but it seemed so rum for him to make a joke, andthen get in a passion, that I bust out larfin, Sir John, and I couldn'thelp it really."
Sir John looked wonderingly at his son for an explanation.
"It was only a bit of petulant nonsense, father," stammered the lad."I'm very sorry."
"And pray what was the request Edward made?"
"Well, father, it was about this dreadful business."
"What dreadful business?"
Jack was silent for a few moments, but his father's stern eyes werefixed upon him, and he stammered out--
"This going abroad."
"Oh!--Well?"
"He came to beg me to ask you to take him with you."
"With _us_," said Sir John.
"Ye-es, father, if we went."
"There is no _if_ about it, Jack," said Sir John quietly; "we are going.Humph! and you wanted to go, Edward?"
"Yes, sir, please, Sir John," cried the man earnestly. "I'd giveanything to go."
Sir John looked at the man searchingly.
"Humph!" he said at last. "Well, I suppose it would sound attractive toa young man of your age."
"Attractive ain't the word for it, Sir John," cried the man.
Sir John smiled.
"Some people differ in their opinions, my lad," he said, with a meaningglance at his son.
"Yes, Sir John, meaning Master--Mister Jack; but he don't halfunderstand what it means yet."
"You are quite right, Edward. In his delicate state he does not quitegrasp what it means."
"Oh, father," cried the lad reproachfully; "don't speak like that. Oncemore, indeed I am not ill."
"Humph!" said Sir John, smiling, "not ill? What do you think, Edward?"
"No, Sir John, not ill, cert'nly," said the man.
"There, father!" cried Jack excitedly, and with a grateful look at theirservant, but it faded out directly.
"He ain't no more ill than I am, Sir John, if I may make so bold. It'sonly that he wants stirring up. He reads and reads over the fire tillhe can't hardly see for the headache, and it's what I told him just now,he's all mopey like for want of change."
"Humph! You told him that?" said Sir John sharply.
"Yes, Sir John," faltered the man. "I know it was not my place, and Ibeg pardon. It slipped out quite promiskus like. I know now Ioughtn't. It made Master--Mister Jack angry, and he chucked the book atme. Not as I minded the act, for I was glad to see he'd got so muchspirit in him."
"And so you would like to go with us?"
"Oh yes, Sir John," cried the man, flushing with excitement. "But youwouldn't want me to go in livery, of course?"
"No," said Sir John quietly. "I should not want you to go in livery. Icannot consent to take you at all."
"Oh, sir!" cried the man appealingly.
"I am not sorry to hear you make the application, for it shows me thatyou are satisfied with your position as my servant. But the man Ishould select to take with us must be a strong active fellow."
"That's me, Sir John. I haven't been neither sick nor sorry all thefive years I've been with you, 'cept that time when I cut my hand withthe broken decanter."
"An outdoor servant," continued Sir John, rather sternly, passing overhis man's interruption--"a man with something of the gamekeeper abouthim--a man who can tramp through woods, carry rifles and guns, and cleanthem; use a fishing-net or line; row, chop wood and make a fire; set upa tent or a hut of boughs; cook, and very likely skin birds and beasts.In short, make himself generally useful."
"And valet you and Mr Jack, Sir John," interposed the man.
"Certainly not, Edward; we shall leave all those civilised luxuriesbehind. You see I want a thorough outdoor servant, not such a man asyou."
"Beg pardon, Sir John," cried the man promptly; "but it's me you dowant, I'm just the sort you said."
"You?" said Sir John, smiling rather contemptuously.
"Yes, Sir John. I was meant for an outdoor man, only one can't get tobe what one likes, and so I had to take to indoor."
Sir John shook his head.
"You are a very excellent servant, Edward," he said, "and I shall havegreat pleasure in giving you a very strong recommendation forcleanliness and thorough attention to your duties. I cannot recall everhaving to find fault with you."
"Never did, Sir John, I will say that; and do you think I'm going toleave such a master as you and Mr Jack here, though he does chuck bigbooks at me!" he said with a grin. "Not me."
"I thank you for all this, Edward, but--"
"Don't, don't say no, Sir John--in a hurry," cried the man imploringly."You only know what I can do from what you've seen; and you know thathaving a willing heart and 'and 's half-way to doing anything."
"Yes," said his master with a smile; "I know too that you're a veryhandy person."
"Hope so, Sir John; but I'm obliged to stick up for myself, as there'sno one here to do it for me. There ain't nothing you want done that Ican't do. Father was a gamekeeper and bailiff and woodman, and when Iwas a boy I used to help him, cutting hop-poles with a bill-hook,felling trees with an axe, and I've helped him to make faggots, hurdles,and stacks, and tents, and thatched. I've helped him many a time usethe drag and the cast-net, fishing. I can set night lines, and I had agun to use for shooting rabbits and varmint, and I learned to skin andstuff 'em. We've got cases and cases at home. I used to wash out themaster's guns, and dry and oil them; and as for lighting fires andcooking, why, I beg your pardon for laughing, Sir John, but my motherwas ill for years before she died, and I always did all the cooking.Then I've had a turn at gardening and stable work; and as for the water,I can row, punt, or sail any small boat. I don't say as I could tacklea ship, but if there was no one else to do it, I'd have a try; and--begpardon, Sir John, there's the front-door bell."
"Go and answer it," said Sir John quietly.
"And if you would think it over, Sir John--"
"Go and answer the bell."
The man darted out, and Sir John turned to his son to gaze at him for atime.
"You're a pretty good scholar for your age, Jack," he said; "but I wishyou possessed some of Edward's accomplishments."
"Oh, father!" cried the boy
hastily.
"But you have more strength in your arm than I thought for. That isplate glass."
"Doctor Instow," said Edward; and the doctor entered like a breeze.
"Morning!" he cried boisterously.
"Don't go, Edward," said Sir John; and the man stayed by the door,looking white with excitement.
"I was obliged to run in," said the doctor. "Well, Jack. Why, hulloa!You've got a bit more colour in your cheeks this morning, and your eyesare brighter. Come, that's good. You're beginning to take then to theidea?"
"No," said Jack firmly.
"Stop a moment, doctor," cried Sir John. "Here is some one of adifferent opinion. This foolish fellow has been laying before us hispetition."
"Who? Edward?"
"Yes; he wants to go."
"Well," said the doctor; "we shall want a good smart handy man."
Edward's cheeks began to colour again.
"Yes; but what do you think? We want a strong fellow, not a firesideservant."
"Quite right, but--Here, take off your coat, my man."
Edward's livery coat seemed to fly off, and displayed his white armswith the shirt-sleeves rolled right above the elbows, spotted a littlewith rouge from plate-cleaning.
"Hum! ha!" said the doctor, taking one arm and doubling it up so thatthe biceps rose in a big lump. "Hard.--Stand still."
He laid one hand upon the man's chest and thumped it in differentplaces; laid his ear to it and pressed it close.
"Now breathe.--Again.--Now harder.--Hold your breath."
Then he rose and twisted the man round, and listened at his back betweenthe shoulder-blades before making him open his mouth, and ended bylooking into his eyes, while the father and son watched him.
"Ha! that will do," said the doctor dryly. "Sleep well, I suppose?"
"Oh yes, sir."
"And you can eat and drink well?"
The man's face expanded in a broad smile.
"Goes without saying. There, put on your coat."
Edward began to put it on.
"Sound as a bell," said the doctor. "Strong as a horse."
"Yes, but we want something besides a healthy man."
"Of course: a good handy, willing fellow, who would not want to comehome as soon as he had to rough it and do everything."
"There ain't anything I wouldn't do, gentlemen," cried Edward. "If youtake me, Sir John, I'll serve you faithful, and you shan't repent it.May I tell the doctor, Sir John, what I can do?"
"There is no need. He boasts, Instow."
"Beg pardon, Sir John, it ain't boasting, it's honest truth."
"Yes, Edward, I believe you feel that it is. Well, Instow, he says hehas been accustomed to outdoor life with his father from boyhood. Hisfather was a gamekeeper and woodman. That he can shoot, fish, cleanguns, manage nets, ride, sail boats, punt and row. Do everything,including building huts and cooking."
"Don't want any cooking. I shall do that myself."
"In addition, he can skin birds and beasts."
"Ha!" ejaculated the doctor. "Well, if we engage a stranger, we don'tknow how he'll turn out, and it would be very awkward to have a man whowould turn tail at the first bit of discomfort. Look here, sir, it willbe a rough life."
"If you only knew, doctor, how hungry I am for a bit of rough outdoortime, you'd put in a word for me," cried the man excitedly.
"And suppose we get in a hot corner, and have to fight for our livesagainst black fellows?"
There was a grim look in the man's face at once--a regular Britishbull-dog aspect, as he tightened his lips, and made wrinkles at thecorners, as if putting his mouth in a parenthesis, and then he began totuck up his cuffs and double his fists.
"That will do, Edward," said the doctor quietly. "We know him, Meadows,for a steady, straightforward fellow, sound in wind and limb, who hasnever given me a job since he tried to cut his hand off with a bit ofglass. What he don't know he'd soon learn; and I should say that we arenot likely to get a more suitable fellow if we tried for six months."
Edward's face was a study, as he glanced at Jack, and then turned togaze imploringly at his master as if he were a judge about to utterwords upon which his life depended.
"That will do, Edward, you may leave the room."
A look of despair came across the man's face, as in true servant fashionhe turned to obey orders, and went straight to the door.
"Stop," said Sir John. "That way of obeying orders has quite convincedme that you will be our man. You shall see about your outfit at once."
"And go, Sir John?" faltered the man, as if he could not believe hisluck.
"Yes."
"Hoo--"
He was going to add "ray!" but he recollected himself, and went quicklyand promptly out of the room.
"The very fellow, Meadows," said the doctor.
"Yes," said Sir John. "He'll do."
"Then one knot is solved," cried the doctor. "I had come in to consultyou upon that very point."
"A man?"
"Yes; and here he is ready-made and proved."
"Not yet."
"Oh," said the doctor, "I'll answer for that."