Chapter V.
NOBBLES' MISFORTUNE.
Bobby was soon up and about again, but he had a great disappointmentwhen one day his friend, Lady Isobel, came to him to wish him good-bye.
'I am going back to India,' she told him; and though her face was graveher eyes were glad.
'Oh!' cried Bobby, clasping her round the neck. 'Take me with you, andthen I'll look for my father. Don't go away and leave me, youunderstand so!'
'If I had not met you I don't believe I should be going,' said LadyIsobel with a smile and a sigh. 'We have helped each other, Bobby. Ihave discovered that I was fast getting a very selfish woman, and soI'm going to join an old friend of mine in India who has a school forlittle black children and women, and I'm going to try to make themhappy by telling them about your picture of the beautiful golden gates.Do you think I will be able to explain it properly?'
'Yes,' said Bobby, interested at once; 'same as you did to Nobbles andme. They've got black bodies as well as black hearts, haven't they?Nurse's brother tells me about black peoples. But, oh! I don't wantyou to go. Everybodies I like goes away; and my father is such a'normous time coming!'
'Poor little Bobby!'
She caressed his curly head with her hand, and added:
'I will keep a sharp look-out for this father of yours, and send himhome to you when I find him.'
'That's what Master Mortimer said; but he's never sent him.'
'Never mind! He'll come back one day,' and with that rather doubtfulconsolation Lady Isobel kissed him and said good-bye.
Bobby felt very unhappy for a few days after she left, then began tomake the best of it, and turned more than ever to his belovedcompanion, Nobbles. One afternoon he sat up in his favouriteapple-tree watching the white high-road. Presently two boys came alongchasing a poor miserable-looking little dog whose tail was tied to anold saucepan. The boys were pelting the saucepan with stones, and moreoften than not the stones hit the dog, and a yelp of pain was theresult.
Bobby's eyes blazed. He forgot his smallness; he only thought of thetortured dog.
Shaking Nobbles furiously at them, he leant over the wall and shouted:
'Stop it, you cowards! I tells you to stop! If you don't, I'll comeand make you!'
The boys looked up and laughed at the irate little figure.
'Come on!' they cried. 'We're ready for you, little 'un!'
The dog had fled into a ditch now, and cowered beneath some bramblebushes. The boys began to pelt him with stones to make him come out,and Bobby scrambled down from his tree.
'Come on, Nobbles,' he said; 'we'll drive them off, me and youtogether!'
He ran to the orchard gate, clambered over it (for it was locked), andwas soon standing over the dog protectingly.
'You shan't touch him. I'll hit you if you do!'
The biggest of the boys laughed at him, and advanced to seize thecrouching dog.
Bobby was so angry that he sprang forward and hit him sharply on theshoulder. In an instant the boy, who was a bully by nature, hadwrenched his precious stick away from him, and began to belabour him sounmercifully with it that in a moment poor Nobbles was snapped in two.
And at this juncture Bobby's aunt came upon the scene. She wasreturning from the village, and hastened to stop what she believed wasa village fight. Her astonishment was great when she saw her smallnephew. The village lads at once took to their heels. Bobby, in anagony of fright and woe, stooped to pick up the two pieces of his stickwhich had been flung upon the ground, and the wretched little dog creptout of his hiding-place.
'Bobby, what is the meaning of this? You fighting with boys on thehigh-road! Where is your nurse?'
Bobby was beside himself with passion and grief. He held out hisbroken stick.
They've killed mine Nobbles! I hate them! I wish I could kill themdead! They was teasing the poor little dog, and me and Nobbles ran outto make them stop, and he took Nobbles away, and he beat me withNobbles, and broked him dead! And I hate him!'
Bobby literally was beside himself with grief. He flung himself downon the grass by the roadside, clasping the remains of Nobbles in hisarms, and sobbed in the most bitter and heart-broken fashion.
Miss Egerton occupied herself with releasing the dog from the saucepan.It seemed to know who had befriended it, for it crept up to Bobby andbegan to lick his curly head with a little whine of sympathy. ThenMiss Egerton spoke very sharply:
'Get up at once, Bobby, and don't be such a baby! Come indoors with meto Nurse. No, little dog, you are not to follow us; go home, and keepout of the way of boys in future.'
Bobby was too overwhelmed with the fate of Nobbles to think of the doghe had rescued, so he followed his aunt through the orchard and garden,and flung himself into the arms of his nurse, who, hearing his sobs,came to meet him.
'He's dead! He's broken in two! Oh, mine Nobbles! mine Nobbles!'
'Here, Nurse, take him up to the nursery. He has been trying to act aschampion to an ill-used dog, and come off rather the worse in theencounter. You must not let him stray into the road by himself. Idon't know what his grandmother would say if she had seen him just now.'
Nurse picked up Bobby as if he were a baby and carried him upstairs.
'Hush! now, Master Bobby. Tell me what you've been doing. Let me seeNobbles; I expect he can be mended.'
Hope leaped into Bobby's heart; he put the two pieces of stick upon thetable. Nurse, seeing his grief, pointed triumphantly to Nobble'slittle smiling face, which was quite uninjured.
'Nobbles is all right,' she said. 'We can have a new stick put intohim, and he will be better than ever. Look! he's smiling at you totell you not to cry. Boys of your age ought never to cry; you don'twant to be a baby.'
Nurse got her work-basket out, and very cleverly tied Nobbles togetherwith a bit of tape.
'There!' she said, laying him in Bobby's arms. 'Be gentle with him,and he'll last like that till we get him mended; and now tell me allabout it.'
The story was told; and Nurse was proud of her charge's pluck. Whenshe undressed him that evening and found marks across his back andlegs, which told of the beating he received, she declared she wouldfind out the names of the cowardly bullies who had done it, and getthem richly punished. But Bobby made light of his own hurt; he gotinto bed and clasped Nobbles to him, and after a long whisperedconversation he suddenly called for Nurse.
'How does a heart get broken, Nurse? Jane said her mother died of abroken heart.'
''Tis sorrow that does it generally,' replied Nurse. 'Now you go tosleep, like a good boy.'
But Bobby's brown eyes were very wide awake, and shining with a greatlight behind them.
'Nobbles isn't dead, Nurse; he's very, very hurt; but he's told me justhow it was. That wicked boy took hold of him and made him hit me, andthat just broked his heart in two. He couldn't bear to hurt me, so hebroke his heart and snapped in two, because he wanted to stop it. Itwas sorrow that did it!'
'Oh! I see,' said Nurse, smiling. 'Now don't talk any more, like agood boy.'
Bobby drew Nobbles' ugly smiling little head close to his. 'I lovesyou, Nobbles, darling, I loves you; and we'll make you quite bettersoon; it is only your body, you see. Oh, I loves you for breakingyourself in two, so that you couldn't hurt me!' And then, tired andexhausted by his emotions, Bobby fell asleep, and Nobbles lay andsmiled by his side.
The next morning Nurse informed him that she was going to drive intothe neighbouring town to do some shopping for his grandmother, and hewas to go with her.
This was a great treat to the small boy, and it only happened on veryrare occasions.
'And if you bring your stick with you we'll see if we can get itmended.'
So Bobby climbed into the dogcart with his nurse in the greatestdelight, and John, the groom, drove them the five miles to the town.
When they arrived there, Nurse good-naturedly took him first to alittle old man who mended umbrellas, and Nobbles was produced
for hisinspection. Bobby stood by trembling for his verdict, and Nurse saidto the man, Jim Black by name, 'He's so terrible set upon his stickthat we thought perhaps you might mend it. 'Tis the head he values;it's his favourite toy.'
Jim Black turned Nobbles' little head round in his hand with a smileupon his lips.
'Be this here a Chinyman?' he asked Bobby.
'Oh no,' said Bobby gravely, shaking his head. 'He came from over thesea; but he understands my English. He's dreadfully hurt; and hedoesn't want to have a new body, it will feel so strange to him.'
The old man winked at Nurse. 'Ah, well, we'll see whether we can mendhis old body first.'
He was untying Nobbles' bandages, and when he came in two, he inspectedboth pieces with great solemnity.
'What be you going to do with him? Keep him in a glass case?'
'Oh no; he always lives with me, and comes with me everywheres.'
Bobby looked up at the umbrella-mender with serious alarm in his eyes.
'Then this here broken body be of no manner of use. You leave him withme and I'll give him a good stout stick, and he'll be better'n new.'
'You won't hurt him doing it?'
'Bless your heart, he be proper enjoyin' the thought of it. Look athis smile! Ah, well! If so be that we could get new bodies so easywhen ours be smashed up it would be a foine thing--eh, Nurse?'
Nurse assented with a smile; then telling the old man they would callagain, she took Bobby out into the street and began her shopping. Andthe shops and the people were so full of interest to Bobby that after ashort time he dismissed Nobbles from his mind and began to enjoyhimself. His crowning treat was lunch at a confectioner's, and thensoon afterwards the groom appeared with the cart, and they called forNobbles on their way home. Bobby's hand shook with excitement as heheld it out for his treasure. And certainly Jim Black had been verysuccessful over his task. Nobbles' head was firmly fixed upon a verystout brown cane, and he looked very pleased with himself. But it wassome time before Bobby could get accustomed to the change in him, andmore than once he asked his nurse doubtfully if she thought he was justthe same Nobbles as he used to be.
'I does hope Nobbles isn't very uncomf'able. I was telling him lastnight he must be very kind to his poor new body, for it must be alittle shy of him at first. And he said' (here the twinkle came intoBobby's eyes as they stole a look at Nurse's impassive face), 'Nobblestelled me he'd soon make him mind him; and the first thing he wants himto do is to lick that big boy who hit me.'
'Oh, you mustn't talk of fighting; it's only wicked boys who do that.The Bible says, "Forgive your enemies."'
Bobby looked thoughtful.
'Shall I get my white robe dirty if I fight? My friend who read thetex' to me said wicked things made white dresses dirty.'
'Of course they do. Good boys never fight.'
'I don't think I'm a good boy,' said Bobby, shaking his head. 'Me andNobbles would love to knock that boy down; but I don't want to dirty mydress--I reely don't.'
The very next day after this conversation, whilst he was sitting in hisapple-tree, Bobby saw the big bully coming down the road. He hastilyhad a whispered consultation with Nobbles, and then, leaning over thewall, shouted to him to stop. Feeling secure in his position, he shookNobbles threateningly at him.
'Do you see my stick? We wants 'normously to come down and lick you,but we aren't going to; but if you dare to touch me ever again I'lltell my father when he comes home, and he'll punish you well.'
'Yah, baby!' yelled the bully, taking up a stone to fling at him.
Bobby hastily scrambled down from his perch and ran indoors.
Somehow or other the mention of his father brought a forlorn longing tohis small heart He saw his grandmother go off for her daily drive, andcrept silently into the big hall. Sitting down at the foot of thestairs he heaved a big sigh.
'Oh, I wish he'd come! I can't do without him no longer! I'm sure,certain sure, I could find him if I went to look for him.'
For a long time this idea had been simmering in his head. Thisafternoon it took shape and form.
''Sposing, Nobbles, my father has forgotten the house? Why, one day hemay drive right past it; and if I was out there to stop him, how lovelyit would be!'
Bobby leapt to his feet. The front door was open; down the drive hesped to the big iron gate which led out to the high-road. And then theimpulse seized him to go up the road himself and ask anyone comingalong if they had seen his father drive by.
'Just fink, Nobbles, we shall see him coming along in a grand carriagewith lots of horses; and he'll stop, and the horses will stop, and thecoachmens; and he'll open his arms, and me and you will run straightinto them; and we'll go right away, galloping on the road to abeautiful big house, and every room--_every_ one, Nobbles--me and youwill have for our own, and we'll never, never go back to the Houseagain, never till I'm a very old man with a white beard, and have tolean very heavy on you, dear Nobbles; and then we'll come to make avisit, and we'll come in the big front door, and sleep in the bestspare room, and I'll say, "This is where me and Nobbles lived when wewas waiting for father."'
Talking rather breathlessly in this fashion, Bobby trotted along theroad, perfectly oblivious of the fact that he was not allowed to wanderout on the high-road alone. His little heart was bent upon bringinghis long waiting to an end. There was no reason to his childish mindwhy his father should not appear any day. Every day he expected him,and it seemed a delightful and natural thing for him to be runningalong to meet him. From a trot he soon subsided into a walk. It was ahot day, the road was dusty, and few vehicles passed him. At length hepaused to rest, and it was at this juncture that some drovers, takingsome refractory cattle to market, came along behind him.
Bobby was in the act of picking a bracken fern from the hedge withwhich to fan his face when he heard an alarmed shout. Turning his headhe saw that a young bull had broken loose from his captors and wasmaking a dash along the road towards him.
For an instant he did not realise his danger, then another shout fromthe men, 'Get out of his way!' made him step aside. The bull hadcaught sight of him and lowered his head with an angry bellow.
And then, to the horror and amazement of the drovers, they saw thesmall child turn and walk into the middle of the road, where he stoodconfronting the animal with upraised stick.
At this identical moment the hoot of a horn and whiz of a motor washeard coming down the road. It slackened speed behind Bobby; then thelittle fellow never quite knew what happened, but it swerved past himand literally charged into the enraged bull, driving him into thehedge. For an instant the car seemed as if it was going to overturn,then it righted itself, and came to a standstill. Bobby was soonsurrounded by a good many people, and for a moment he was a littledazed.
A gentleman was stooping over him, a tall man with very bright eyes, abronzed skin and short curly golden hair. He was the owner of themotor; and the three cattle-drovers were all eagerly talking andexplaining.
'Why didn't you run away, little chap?' the gentleman said; 'don't youknow that you were just on the point of being tossed by the horns ofthat bull?'
'Oh no,' Bobby said in a confident tone, recovering himself; 'I wasgoing to whack him 'cross the nose--least Nobbles was. Nobbles cankill bulls if he likes!'
He held out his stick with pride, then looked pityingly at the fallenbull, whose master was surveying it with some dismay.
'Is the poor cow quite dead? I was awful 'fraid when I saw you knockhim over.'
The gentleman looked at Bobby very strangely, then turned back to hiscar.
'True!' he called, 'come and speak to this little boy. I've never seensuch pluck before. Tell him he needn't waste his pity on the bull,which would have killed him had we not prevented it!'
A little girl, with a mop of unruly brown hair escaping from a quaintsun-bonnet, was still sitting in the car and regarding the scene withbig awestruck eyes. In a moment she jumped out and approached Bobby
.She was only half a head taller than he was, and now gazed at him withsoft, sweet grey eyes.
'Poor little boy!' she said. 'What's your name?'
'I'm not a poor boy,' said Bobby with head erect; 'me and Nobbles willbe walking on, for we're in a partic'lar hurry.'
A sudden panic had seized him that this gentleman might take him homeagain; he had a great dislike to be the centre of a crowd, and thecattle-drovers were all surrounding him now, gesticulating and talkingloudly. And Bobby was rather shy of other children; he generally feltstrangely antagonistic towards them. This little girl's gentle pity,and her desire to know his name, frightened and annoyed him.
He turned his back upon her and hurried off, with very little idea ofthe danger from which he had been saved. But he had not gone a hundredyards before, to his consternation, he met John, the groom, drivingback from the town in the dogcart. He pulled up instantly.
'Why, Master Bobby, you ain't by yourself all this way from home?'
'Me and Nobbles are here,' said the small boy with dignity.
It did not take John long to get out and lift the little runaway up tothe seat beside him, and Bobby was soon being driven home with acrestfallen unhappy face.
'Everybodies always stops me when I want to do fings!' he complained toNurse when she took him to task for being so naughty.
And Nurse was so angry with him that she made him stand in the cornertill teatime.
'For you're not a bit sorry, and will be sure to run away againdirectly you get a chance,' she said.
Bobby turned his face to the wall with heaving chest.
'I wants to find my father,' he said.
He little knew how very close he had been to the end of that search.