The Adventures of Harry Richmond. Complete - George Meredith 11 стр.

She snapped her fingers: Mumpers! and walked on carelessly.

We were now on the great heaths. They brought the memory of my father vividly; the smell of the air half inclined me to turn my steps toward London, I grew so full of longing for him. Nevertheless I resolved to have one gaze at Riversley, my aunt Dorothy, and Sewis, the old grey-brown butler, and the lamb that had grown a sheep; wonderful contrasts to my grand kings of England career. My first clear recollection of Riversley was here, like an outline of a hill seen miles away. I might have shed a tear or two out of love for my father, had not the thought that I was a very queer boy displaced his image. I could not but be a very queer boy, such a lot of things happened to me. Suppose I joined the gipsies? My companion wished me to. She had brothers, horse-dealers, beautiful fiddlers. Suppose I learnt the fiddle? Suppose I learnt their language and went about with them and became king of the gipsies? My companion shook her head; she could not encourage this ambitious idea because she had never heard of a king of the gipsies or a queen either. We fool people, she said, and offended me, for our school believed in a gipsy king, and one fellow, Hackman, used to sing a song of a gipsy king; and it was as much as to say that my schoolfellows were fools, every one of them. I accused her of telling lies. She grinned angrily. I dont tell em to friends, she said. We had a quarrel. The truth was, I was enraged at the sweeping out of my prospects of rising to distinction among the gipsies. After breakfast at an inn, where a waiter laughed at us to our faces, and we fed scowling, shy, and hungry, we had another quarrel. I informed her of my opinion that gipsies could not tell fortunes.

They can, and you come to my mother and my aunt, and see if they cant tell your fortune, said she, in a fury.

Yes, and thats how they fool people, said I. I enjoyed seeing the flash of her teeth. But my daring of her to look me in the eyes and swear on her oath she believed the fortunes true ones, sent her into a fit of sullenness.

Go along, you nasty little fellow, your shadow isnt half a yard, she said, and I could smile at that; my shadow stretched half across the road. We had a quarrelsome day wherever we went; rarely walking close together till nightfall, when she edged up to my hand, with, I say, Ill keep you warm to-night, I will. She hugged me almost too tight, but it was warm and social, and helped to the triumph of a feeling I had that nothing made me regret running away from Rippengers school.

An adventure befell us in the night. A farmers wife, whom we asked for a drink of water after dark, lent us an old blanket to cover us in a dry ditch on receiving our promise not to rob the orchard. An old beggar came limping by us, and wanted to share our covering. My companion sank right under the blanket to peer at him through one of its holes. He stood enormous above me in the moonlight, like an apparition touching earth and sky.

Cold, cold, he whined: theres neer a worse off but theres a better off. Young un! His words dispersed the fancy that he was something horrible, or else my father in disguise going to throw off his rags, and shine, and say he had found me. Are ye one, or are ye two? he asked.

I replied that we were two.

Then Ill come and lie in the middle, said he.

You cant; theres no room, I sang out.

Lord, said he, theres room for any reckoning o empty stomachs in a ditch.

No, I prefer to be alone: good-night, said I.

Why! he exclaimed, where ha you been t learn language? Halloa!

Please, leave me alone; its my intention to go to sleep, I said, vexed at having to conciliate him; he had a big stick.

Oho! went the beggar. Then he recommenced:

Tell me youve stole nothing in your life! Youve stole a gentlemans tongue, I knows the ring o that. How comes you out here? Whos your mate there down below? Now, see, Im going to lift my stick.

At these menacing words the girl jumped out of the blanket, and I called to him that I would rouse the farmer.

Why because Im goin to knock down a apple or two on your head? he inquired, in a tone of reproach. Its a young woman youve got there, eh? Well, odd grows odder, like the man who turned three shillings into five. Now, you gi me a lie under your blanket, I ll knock down a apple apiece. If ever youve tasted gin, you ll say a apple at nights a cordial, though it dont intoxicate.

The girl whispered in my ear, Hes lame as ducks. Her meaning seized me at once; we both sprang out of the ditch and ran, dragging our blanket behind us. He pursued, but we eluded him, and dropped on a quiet sleeping-place among furzes. Next morning, when we took the blanket to the farm-house, we heard that the old wretch had traduced our characters, and got a breakfast through charging us with the robbery of the apple-tree. I proved our innocence to the farmers wife by putting down a shilling. The sight of it satisfied her. She combed my hair, brought me a bowl of water and a towel, and then gave us a bowl of milk and bread, and dismissed us, telling me I had a fair face and dare-devil written on it: as for the girl, she said of her that she knew gipsies at a glance, and what God Almighty made them for there was no guessing. This set me thinking all through the day, What can they have been made for? I bought a red scarf for the girl, and other things she fixed her eyes on, but I lost a great deal of my feeling of fellowship with her. I dare say they were made for fun, I thought, when people laughed at us now, and I laughed also.

I had a day of rollicking laughter, puzzling the girl, who could only grin two or three seconds at a time, and then stared like a dog that waits for his master to send him off again running, the corners of her mouth twitching for me to laugh or speak, exactly as a dog might wag his tail. I studied her in the light of a harmless sort of unaccountable creature; witness at any rate for the fact that I had escaped from school.

We loitered half the morning round a cricketers booth in a field, where there was moderately good cricketing. The people thought it of first-rate quality. I told them I knew a fellow who could bowl out either eleven in an hour and a half. One of the men frightened me by saying, By Gearge! Ill in with you into a gig, and off with you after that ther faller. He pretended to mean it, and started up. I watched him without flinching. He remarked that if I had not cut my lucky from school, and tossed my cap for a free life, he was whatever may be expressed by a slap on the thigh. We played a single-wicket side game, he giving me six runs, and crestfallen he was to find himself beaten; but, as I let him know, one who had bowled to Heriot for hours and stood against Saddlebanks bowling, was a tough customer, never mind his age.

This man offered me his friendship. He made me sit and eat beside him at the afternoon dinner of the elevens, and sent platefuls of food to the girl, where she was allowed to squat; and said he, You and Ill tie a knot, and be friends for life.

I replied, With pleasure.

We nodded over a glass of ale. In answer to his questions, I stated that I liked farms, I would come and see his farm, I would stay with him two or three days, I would give him my address if I had one, I was on my way to have a look at Riversley Grange.

Hey! says he, Riversley Grange! Well, to be sure now! Im a tenant of Squire Belthams, and a right sort of landlord, too.

Oh! says I, hes my grandfather, but I dont care much about him.

This man offered me his friendship. He made me sit and eat beside him at the afternoon dinner of the elevens, and sent platefuls of food to the girl, where she was allowed to squat; and said he, You and Ill tie a knot, and be friends for life.

I replied, With pleasure.

We nodded over a glass of ale. In answer to his questions, I stated that I liked farms, I would come and see his farm, I would stay with him two or three days, I would give him my address if I had one, I was on my way to have a look at Riversley Grange.

Hey! says he, Riversley Grange! Well, to be sure now! Im a tenant of Squire Belthams, and a right sort of landlord, too.

Oh! says I, hes my grandfather, but I dont care much about him.

Lord! says he. What! be you the little boy, why, Master Harry Richmond that was carried off in the night, and the old squire shut up doors for a fortnight, and made out you was gone in a hearse! Why, I know all about you, you see. And back you are, hurrah! The squire ll be hearty, that he will. Weve noticed a change in him ever since you left. Gouts been at his leg, off and on, a deal shrewder. But he rides to hounds, and dines his tenants still, that he does; hes one o th old style. Everything you eat and drinks off his estate, the day he dines his tenants. No humbug bout old Squire Beltham.

I asked him if Sewis was alive.

Why, old Sewis, says he, youre acquainted with old Sewis? Why, of course you are. Yes, old Sewis s alive, Master Harry. And you bet me at single-wicket! That ll be something to relate to em all. By Gearge, if I didnt think Id got a nettle in my fist when I saw you pitch into my stumps. Dash it! thinks I. But th old squire ll be proud of you, that he will. My farm lies three miles away. You look at a crow flying due South-east five minutes from Riversley, and hes over Throckham farm, and there I ll drive ye to-night, and to-morrow, clean and tidy out o my wifes soap and water, straight to Riversley. Done, eh? My names Eckerthy. No matter where you comes from, here you are, eh, Master Harry? And I see you last time in a donkey-basket, and here you come in breeches and defy me to singlewicket, and you bet me too!

He laughed for jollity. An extraordinary number of emotions had possession of me: the most intelligible one being a restless vexation at myself, as the principal person concerned, for not experiencing anything like the farmers happiness. I preferred a gipsy life to Riversley. Gipsies were on the road, and that road led to my father. I endeavoured to explain to Farmer Eckerthy that I was travelling in this direction merely to have a short look at Riversley; but it was impossible; he could not understand me. The more I tried, the more he pressed me to finish my glass of ale, which had nothing to do with it. I drank, nevertheless, and I suppose said many funny things in my anxiety that the farmer should know what I meant; he laughed enough.

While he was fielding against the opposite eleven, the tramp came into the booth, and we had a match of cunning.

Schoolmasters out after you, young gentleman, said he, advising me to hurry along the road if I sought to baffle pursuit.

I pretended alarm, and then said, Oh, youll stand by me, and treated him to ale.

He assured me I left as many tracks behind me as if I went spilling a box of lucifer-matches. He was always for my hastening on until I ordered fresh ale for him. The girl and he grimaced at one another in contempt. So we remained seeing the game out. By the time the game ended, the tramp had drunk numbers of glasses of ale.

A fine-flavoured fat goose, he counted his gains since the commencement of our acquaintance, bottles of ale and ginger-pop, two half-crowns, more ale, and more to follow, lets hope. You only stick to your friends, young gentleman, wont you, sir? Its a hard case for a poor man like me if you dont. We aint got such chances every morning of our lives. Do you perceive, sir? I request you to inform me, do you perceive, sir? Im muddled a bit, sir, but a man must look after his interests.

I perceived he was so muddled as to be unable to conceal that his interests were involved in my capture; but I was merry too. Farmer Eckerthy dealt the tramp a scattering slap on the back when he returned to the booth, elated at having beaten the enemy by a single run.

Master Harry Richmond go to Riversley to his grandfather in your company, you scoundrel! he cried in a rage, after listening to him. I mean to drive him over. It s a comfortable ten-mile, and no more. But I say, Master Harry, what do you say to a peck o supper?

He communicated to me confidentially that he did not like to seem to slink away from the others, who had made up their minds to stop and sup; so we would drive home by moonlight, singing songs. And so we did. I sat beside the farmer, the girl scrambled into the hinder part of the cart, and the tramp stood moaning, Oh dear! oh dear! you goes away to Riversley without your best friend.

I tossed him a shilling. We sang beginnings and ends of songs. The farmer looked at the moon, and said, Lord! she stares at us! Then he sang:

Where s the remainder? Theres the song!

Wheres the remainder? I heard it th only time I ever was in London town, never rested till Id learnt it, and now its clean gone. Whats come to me?

He sang to Mary of Ellingmere and another maid of some place, and a loud song of Britons.

It was startling to me to wake up to twilight in the open air and silence, for I was unaware that I had fallen asleep. The girl had roused me, and we crept down from the cart. Horse and farmer were quite motionless in a green hollow beside the roadway. Looking across fields and fir plantations, I beheld a house in the strange light of the hour, and my heart began beating; but I was overcome with shyness, and said to myself, No, no, thats not Riversley; Im sure it isnt; though the certainty of it was, in my teeth, refuting me. I ran down the fields to the park and the bright little river, and gazed. When I could say, Yes, it is Riversley! I turned away, hurt even to a sense of smarting pain, without knowing the cause. I dare say it is true, as the girl declared subsequently, that I behaved like one in a fit. I dropped, and I may have rolled my body and cried. An indefinite resentment at Riversley was the feeling I grew conscious of after very fast walking. I would not have accepted breakfast there.

About mid-day, crossing a stubble-field, the girl met a couple of her people-men. Near evening we entered one of their tents. The women set up a cry, Kiomi! Kiomi! like a rising rookery. Their eyes and teeth made such a flashing as when you dabble a hand in a dark waterpool. The strange tongue they talked, with a kind of peck of the voice at a word, rapid, never high or low, and then a slide of similar tones all round,not musical, but catching and incessant,gave me an idea that I had fallen upon a society of birds, exceedingly curious ones. They welcomed me kindly, each of them looking me in the face a bright second or so. I had two helps from a splendid pot of broth that hung over a fire in the middle of the tent.