X.
_AUTUMN DAYS._
"What an idea, papa talking about Christmas!" Alick said, when we cameto the end of the letter; and it did seem funny that hot autumnafternoon, when all the leaves were in a glow, looking as if they hadbeen burnt up so long they couldn't and wouldn't bear it any longer!Perhaps they meant to come down. But I suppose, now I come to think ofit, that months don't seem so never-ending to grown-up people as they doto children; they are more prepared to see the time fly, you don't knowhow, so they are not surprised when they find it gone. Besides, you see,they don't get taller and taller as the months pass, so, of course, thetime must seem to run past very quickly, they standing still all thewhile! How odd it must be! I heard a little boy remonstrating lastnight--
"Well, but, uncle, if you keep your clothes till next year they'll beever so much too small for you!"
Everybody laughed, and told him that uncle, being six feet high, didn'texpect to grow any more; and, of course, as I said before, if Alick'spapa stood still, the time _would_ seem to go very quickly.
And so, I suppose, when the end of October came, he didn't cry out as wedid all of a sudden: "I do declare it is not quite two months toChristmas!"
It was one damp, misty afternoon, and Lottie, and Alick, and I werelearning our lessons all alone in the school-room. We were trying to getthe last glimmer of daylight at the window, but it was hardly enough tosee what six times nine might be, and that was my great difficulty.
You know, don't you? how the things that "you do so want to say" willcome into your head just when you ought to be very silent and busy! It's_very_ odd; but even now that I am old enough to know better, I neverwant so much to talk as just when I ought to be quiet. I wonder how itis? Anyhow, it seemed quite impossible to hold one's tongue thatafternoon. Alick was as busy and quiet as could be, working out a hardsum on his slate, but even he looked up when Lottie started thatwonderful idea about Christmas; and then we all joined in wondering howthe time had gone, and what lots of fun Christmas would bring with it. Ihad my own particular share of delight, for was there not a certainprospect of papa and mamma coming to the Park to take me home? My littlecousins, too, were looking forward to home directly after Christmas; buttheir mamma could not come and fetch them. She had been well enough totravel, and would be in England very soon now; that is, in the littleisland down in the south, you know, where the invalids go. She wouldget a nice home ready for them there and then, as she said in herletters, "have the delight of calling back all the chicks under herwings again!"
Well, it was just all these things that we were talking about over ourlesson-books at the school-room, when our attention was caught by twofigures coming up the drive in the mist. Such a foggy afternoon as itwas, all the dead leaves hanging yellow and dripping from the trees! Itwas not till they got quite up to the house that we saw that the two menwere going to give us some music. One had some bagpipes and the other akind of horn, and, of course, all thought of lessons went out of ourheads when we heard them begin. What fun it was to listen, and to watchtheir queer grimaces and antics, as they danced about to their ownmusic!
But we had not been enjoying this long when a terrible thing happened.Oh, little reader, it makes me shudder now!
You must understand that our school-room was on the ground-floor, butraised a good way from the ground; a separate room built out from thehouse, the roof sloping out under the windows of the day-nursery.
GIVE US A COPPER!]
The first thing we thought of was calling the little ones to hear themusic; but when I proposed it, Alick said he was sure they knew allabout it, he could hear their voices. Lottie declared that that wasimpossible; we never heard anything from the nursery unless the windowwas open. Just then the men began to beg, and Alick ran off to get somepence. Grandmamma said they were to have a cup of the servants' tea, andAlick went to the kitchen to ask for it. When he came back, he told usthat Susette was down there getting baby's supper, and that Jane wasteazing her about her "brothers the players!"
"Oh, Alick!" cried Lottie, "then that's it! Murray and Bertie have gotthe window open to hear better, and in all this fog and wet!"
Alick was just going to laugh at her for being such an "old fidget,"when we were startled by a loud cry, and the sound of something fallingdown the roof. At the same moment we saw Harry rushing up to thehouse--he was just home from his lessons at the curate's--throwing hisarms about in the most excited way.
"Oh, it's Murray tumbled out of window?" cried Lottie. And away we allrushed to the front door, feeling sick with fear.
Now, up the side of the wall grew a very thick, bushy fig-tree, the stemof which was very big of its kind. When we rushed out into the foggyair, there was Harry clambering so cleverly up among the large, wetleaves; and on the edge of the roof, caught by his clothes in some waythat we could not see, was poor little Murray! Susette covered her facewith her hands, and most of us turned away too frightened to look. Iremember hiding my face in Jane's gown, and feeling her stroking myhair; and I never looked up till there was a cry that it was all right,and Harry and Murray were both safe on the ground again.
How glad we all were, and how we all talked at once, and said how we hadfelt, and how Murray cried though he wasn't hurt, only frightened--allthis I mustn't stop to tell you. By and by it came to be one of thosethings that are always nice to talk about with shudders, and sighs, andlaughter. Many and many a tea-time the same wonder and thankfulness wererepeated, always beginning with, "Don't you remember that dreadful day?"and so on.
Meanwhile Christmas was coming, and Christmas weather came sooner still.Then the snow collected outside the nursery window, and the morningswere very dark, and bed the only comfortable place; and Gus's hands gotblue, and his face thin and pinched, and he wished himself away with the"Capitaine" in the warm South Seas.
LOOK AT ME!]
But there was fun, too, about that cold weather; fun with the snow-manin the Park; fun in learning to skate on the frozen pond, shut in sonicely with the fir-trees; and fun in the real Christmas treats,Christmas-trees, and Christmas games.
And so it was a very bright time that came to finish up those happyBeecham days. The end of it all was saying "good-bye" to grandmamma andcousins one fine, frosty morning, just the other side of New Year's Day,and driving off between papa and mamma.
When you think of my first evening in that drawing-room, perhaps youwill wonder at the doubtful look which I know there was on my face, andwhich made papa look right into my eyes, questioning, as he said,
"Whether I wanted to go home or not."