Read Ebook: The Squire's young folk by Stooke Eleanora H

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Ebook has 316 lines and 14264 words, and 7 pages

"Yes. When his father's regiment was ordered to South Africa, he was placed in a school, and there he remained till Colonel Wills was invalided home from the war."

On reaching Westhill, they were informed that the farmer was out, and that Master Bob was in the orchard. Mr. Coker went into the house to have a chat with Mrs. Wills, after having suggested that Nellie and Rupert should find Bob and make themselves known to him, with which proposition they readily agreed.

Crossing the yard, therefore, the children passed into the orchard beyond, and looked around in search of Bob. He was not visible, however, and they were retracing their footsteps when an apple, flung not over gently hit Rupert on the shoulder; and the next moment there was a rustling overhead, and a blue-eyed, fair-haired boy dropped from the lower branch of a tree into the long orchard grass.

"Fancy you not seeing me!" he cried. "And most of the leaves are down too!"

Then as neither of the others spoke, he continued, laughing merrily: "That was a good shot of mine, wasn't it?"

"Did you mean to hit me?" Rupert inquired, rubbing his shoulder.

"Rather! Did it hurt you?"

"It did," was the answer, given in a dignified manner.

"Oh, sorry, then! You were looking for someone, weren't you?"

"Yes, for you. We--my sister Nellie and I--have come to see you. Father says you're going to spend Saturday with us at Haldon Hall."

"Oh, yes! He asked me, and I said I would, I like your father, he's so jolly."

There was a slight pause. Bob Wills stood with his hands thrust in his trousers pockets, in an attitude of unstudied carelessness. Though only the age of Rupert, he had an assured manner, and appeared older than his years. He had grieved deeply at the loss of his father, and there was still a very sore spot in this heart; but the kindness of his aunt and uncle had done much to assuage his sorrow, and already he was beginning to take an interest in his new surroundings. He was the one to break the silence.

"I say, how you two stared at me the day I arrived!" he remarked. "Did you think me a wild animal?"

"No, we knew who you were," Nellie replied, a smile breaking over her countenance; "we'd just been hearing about you, and--and I'm afraid we were rather rude, but not so rude as you. I never saw any one make such faces!"

Bob laughed, and drew his face into a most hideous grimace. He appeared quite proud of this capability of distorting his visage, which he evidently considered a great accomplishment, and explained that he had learnt it at school.

"You were very young to be sent to school," Nellie remarked; "how did you like it?"

"Oh, pretty well. I wasn't the youngest there. It was a school for kids whose mothers and fathers were abroad--in India, and different places. But I was glad when father came home. He said we should have such good times together, but--but--" The bright blue eyes grew misty for a moment, the clear voice choked; then, with a struggle for self-control, he continued: "Father was wounded, you know, but he was getting better, only, he caught a cold, and--he died."

"We are so sorry for you," Nellie said gently. "I hope you'll be friends with us--will you?"

Bob nodded. His heart warmed towards his companions, and he replied heartily, "Of course we'll be friends. I'm looking forward to Saturday. Are there only you two? I mean, are you Mr. Coker's only children?"

"Oh, no! There's Lilian," Rupert answered; "she's eleven years old, but she doesn't go about with Nellie and me much."

"Is she a stuck-up sort of girl, then?" inquired Bob.

"Oh, no, no! You mustn't think that. But she can't do just as we do, because she is blind."

"Blind!"

"Yes, she has been blind all her life, but you'd never think it to see her. She's very clever, plays the piano beautifully, and--"

"But isn't she dreadfully unhappy?" Bob interposed. "I should think she must be."

"Oh, no, indeed!" Rupert assured him. "She's such a merry girl--you should hear her laugh!"

"But never to be able to see anything or any one! It must be awful. And you say she has always been blind? Couldn't a doctor make her see?"

"No. Father and mother have taken her to several very clever doctors, and they all say the same, that she will always be blind," Nellie replied.

Bob looked inexpressibly shocked. He asked several more questions about Lilian, and finally said:

"Well, I should think you must always be trying to do things to please her to make up for her being blind."

His companions greeted this remark in silence, both being conscious that, on the contrary, it was generally Lilian who tried to please them. Then, by way of changing the conversation, Rupert spoke of the preparations which were being made for Christmas, to all of which Bob listened with great interest, wondering if he would be allowed a sight of the Christmas tree.

By-and-by Bob suggested that they should go into the house, and have some lunch; so they left the orchard, strolled through the farm-yard, and entered the large kitchen with its red-tiled floor. Only Sally was there, so they made their way to the dairy, where they found Mr. Coker in conversation with the mistress of the establishment, who was packing butter and eggs for market.

"Well, young people, have you made friends, eh?" Mr. Coker asked, as the children entered.

"Yes," assented Bob. "I was in an apple-tree in the orchard, and they didn't see me at first; but I let them know where I was by shying an apple at him," he said, indicating Rupert with a nod. "It was a true shot. You would have laughed to have seen how silly he looked, and how astonished!"

Rupert coloured and was vexed, for he was unaccustomed to being ridiculed. He had intended to be very kind to Bob; but, all the same, he had meant to give him to understand that he did not desire to be on too familiar terms with him immediately.

The children were regaled with bread and cream by Mrs. Wills. She, good soul, was delighted that her landlord evinced such interest in her little nephew, and thought it very kind of him to invite the boy to Haldon Hall. After her visitors had left, she asked Bob how he liked his new acquaintances.

"Oh, pretty well, Aunt Mary," he replied carelessly; "the girl seems rather nice, but I think the boy is a bit of a prig. If he shows any stuck-up airs to me, I shall soon let him see I won't stand them."

"Bob!" exclaimed Mrs. Wills. "I hope you'll behave well when you go to Haldon Hall."

"I shall show him he can't have his own way in everything," Bob said, with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. "If he'd been to school as I have, he'd have been taught that before."

BOB'S FIRST VISIT TO HALDON HALL.

WHEN Bob Wills marched up to the front door of Haldon Hall on the following Saturday, it was opened by Nellie and Rupert.

"We expected you before," the latter informed him. "Why didn't you come directly after breakfast?"

"I wanted to," he responded truthfully, "but Aunt Mary wouldn't let me."

"Well, come and speak to mother--she's in the dining-room with Miss Long."

The next minute Bob was shaking hands with Mrs. Coker, who greeted him very kindly. And then he was introduced to Miss Long, after which Rupert espied Lilian in the garden, and going to the open window called to her:

"Come in, Lilian! Bob Wills is here!" he shouted. "No-wait! We'll come to you," he added on second thoughts.

Bob regarded Lilian with mingled curiosity and sympathy when they joined her in the garden. If he had not been told she was blind, he would never have guessed the fact.

"I'm so glad you've come at last," she said, as she shook hands with him. "What would you like to do?"

"We thought we'd take him round the gardens and stables this morning," Rupert interposed. "It seems as though it might rain later on."

The gardens were well worth seeing. Bob, who loved flowers, was delighted; whilst Nellie and Rupert, who cared much less about them, grew a little impatient, as their visitor lingered over a bed of autumn violets.

"How sweet they are!" Bob cried, sniffing appreciatively.

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