Chapter 23. I Start For A Walk

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_ CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. I START FOR A WALK

"Who's for a walk?" said Uncle Dick one morning. "I'm going up the hills to the millstone-grit quarry."

I started, and my heart gave a throb, but I did not look up.

"I can't go," said Uncle Jack.

"And I'm busy," said Uncle Bob.

"Then I shall have to put up with Cob," said Uncle Dick gloomily. "Will you come, my lad?"

"Will I come!" I cried, jumping and feeling as if I should like to shout for joy, so delightful seemed the idea of getting away into the hills, and having one of our old walks.

"Well, it must be at mid-day, and you will have to meet me out at Ranflitt."

"Two miles on the road?" I said.

"Yes; you be there, and if I'm not waiting I sha'n't be long, and we'll go on together."

"What time shall I start?" I asked.

"When the men go to their dinner will do. I have some business at the far end of the town, and it will not be worth while for me to come back. I'll take the other road."

So it was settled, and I took my big stick down to the office, and a net satchel that was handy for anything when slung from the right shoulder and under my left arm. Before now it had carried fish, partridges, fruits, herbs, roots of plants, and oftener than anything else, lunch.

That seemed to be a long morning, although I wrote hard all the time so as to get a good day's work over first; but at last the dinner-bell rang, and, saying good-bye to the others, I slipped the satchel into my pocket, took my stick, and started.

We had not thought of those who would be loitering about during their dinner-hour, but I soon found that they were thinking of me, for not only were our own men about the streets, but the men of the many other works around; and to my dismay I soon found that they all knew me by sight, and that they were ready to take notice of me in a very unpleasant way.

I was walking steadily on when a stone hit me in the leg, and instead of making haste and getting out of range, I stopped short and looked round angrily for my assailant.

I could see a dozen grinning faces, but it was of course impossible to tell who threw, and before I turned back an oyster-shell struck me in the back.

I turned round angrily and found myself the object of a tremendous shout of laughter.

Almost at the same moment I was struck by an old cabbage-stump and by a potato, while stones in plenty flew by my head.

"The cowards!" I said to myself as I strode on, looking to right and left, and seeing that on both sides of the way a number of rough boys were collecting, encouraged by the laughter and cheers of their elders.

We had not a single boy at our works, but I could see several of our men were joining in the sport, to them, of having me hunted.

To have a good hunt, though, it is necessary to have a good quarry, that is to say, the object hunted must be something that will run.

Now, in imagination I saw myself rushing away pursued by a mob of lads, hooting, yelling, and pelting me; but I felt not the slightest inclination to be hunted in this fashion, and hence it was that I walked steadily and watchfully on, stick in hand, and prepared to use it too, if the necessity arose.

Unfortunately I was in a road where missiles were plentiful, and these came flying about me, one every now and then giving me such a stinging blow that I winced with pain. The boys danced round me, too, coming nearer as they grew bolder from my non-resistance, and before long they began to make rushes, hooting and yelling to startle me, no doubt, into running away.

But so far they did not succeed; and as I continued my walking they changed their tactics, keeping out of reach of my stout stick, and taking to stones and anything that came to hand.

I could do nothing. To have turned round would only have been to receive the objects thrown in my face; and when at last, stung into action by a harder blow than usual, I did turn and make a rush at the boy I believed to have thrown, he gave way and the others opened out to let me pass, and then closed up and followed.

It was a foolish movement on my part, and I found I had lost ground, for to get on my way again I had to pass through a body of about a dozen lads, and the only way to do this as they gathered themselves ready to receive me, was by making a bold rush through them.

They were already whispering together, and one of them cried "Now!" when I made a rush at them, stick in hand, running as fast as I could.

They made a show of stopping me, but opened out directly, and as soon as I had passed yelled to their companions to come on, with the result that I found I could not stop unless I stood at bay, and that I was doing the very thing I had determined not to do--racing away from my pursuers, who, in a pack of about forty, were yelling, crying, and in full chase.

To stop now was impossible: all that was open to me was to run hard and get into the more open suburb, leaving them behind, while I had the satisfaction of knowing that before long the bells at the different works would be ringing, and the young vagabonds obliged to hurry back to their places, leaving me free to maintain my course.

So that, now I was involuntarily started, I determined to leave my pursuers behind, and I ran.

I don't think I ever ran so fast before, but fast as I ran I soon found that several of the lightly clothed old-looking lads were more than my equals, and they kept so close that some half a dozen were ready to rush in on me at any moment and seize me and drag me back.

I was determined, though, that they should not do that, and, grasping my stick, I ran on, more blindly, though, each moment. 'Tis true, I thought of making for the outskirts and tiring the boys out; but to my dismay I found that fresh lads kept joining in the chase, all eager and delighted to have something to run down and buffet, while my breath was coming thickly, my heart beat faster and faster, and there was a terrible burning sensation in my chest.

I looked to right for some means of escape, but there was none; to left was the same; behind me the tolling pack; while before me stretched the lanes, and mill after mill with great dams beyond them similar to ours.

I should have stopped at bay, hoping by facing the lads to keep them off; but I was streaming with perspiration, and so weak that I knew, in spite of my excitement, that I should hardly be able to lift my arm.

On and on, more and more blindly, feeling moment by moment as if my aching legs would give way beneath me. I gazed wildly at my pursuers to ask for a little mercy, but unfortunately for me they, excited and hot with their chase, were as cruel as boys can be, and men too at such a time.

There was nothing for it but to rush on at a pace that was fast degenerating into a staggering trot, and in imagination, as the boys pushed me and buffeted me with their caps, I saw myself tripped up, thrown down, kicked, and rolled in the dust, and so much exhausted that I could not help myself.

One chance gave me a little more energy. It must be nearly time for the bells to ring, and then they would be bound to give up the pursuit; but as I struggled I caught sight of a clock, and saw that it wanted a quarter of an hour yet.

There were some men lounging against a wall, and I cried out to them, but they hardly turned their heads, and as I was hurried and driven by I saw that they only laughed as if this were excellent sport.

Next we passed a couple of well-dressed ladies, but they fled into a gateway to avoid my pursuers, and the next minute I was hustled round a corner, the centre of the whooping, laughing crowd, and, to my horror, I found that we were in a narrow path with a row of stone cottages on one side, the wall of a dam like our own, and only a few inches above the water on the other.

I had felt dazed and confused before. Now I saw my danger clearly enough and the object of the lads.

I was streaming with perspiration, and so weak that I could hardly stand, but, to avoid being thrust in, and perhaps held under water and ducked and buffeted over and over again, I felt that I must make a plunge and try and swim to the other side.

But I dared not attempt it, even if I could have got clear; and blindly struggling on I had about reached the middle of the dam path when a foot was thrust out, and I fell.

Sobbing for my breath, beaten with fists, buffeted and blinded with the blows of the young savages' caps, I struggled to my feet once more, but only to be tripped and to fall again on the rough stony path.

I could do no more. I had no strength to move, but I could think acutely, and feel, as I longed for the strength of Uncle Jack, and to hold in my hand a good stout but limber cane.

Yes, I could feel plainly enough the young ruffians dragging at me, and in their eagerness and number fighting one against the other.

"In wi' him!"

"Dook him, lads!"

"Now, then, all together!"

I heard all these cries mingled together, and mixed up with the busy hands and faces, I seemed to see the row of houses, the clear sky, the waters of the dam, and Gentles the grinder leaning against a door and looking on.

I was being lifted amidst shouts and laughter, and I knew that the next moment I should be in the dam, when there was a tremendous splash, and some drops of water sprinkled my face.

Then there was the rattle of the handle of a bucket, and another splash heard above all the yelling and shouting of the boys. There was the hollow sound of a pail banged against something hard, and mingled with cries, shouts, laughter, and ejaculations of pain I felt myself fall upon the path, to be kicked and trampled on by someone contending, for there were slaps, and thuds, and blows, the panting and hissing of breath; and then the clanging of bells near and bells far, buzzing in ears, the rush and scuffling of feet, with shouts of derision, defiance, and laughter, and then, last of all, a curious cloud of mist seemed to close me in like the fog on the Dome Tor, and out of this a shrill angry voice cried:

"Ah, ye may shout, but some on ye got it. Go and dry yourselves at the furnace, you cowardly young shacks. Hey, bud I wish I'd hed holt o' yon stick!"

"Yon stick!" I felt must be mine; but my head was aching, and I seemed to go to sleep.

"I wish you'd be quiet," I remember saying. "Let me be."

"Fetch some more watter, mester," said a pleasant voice, and a rough hand was laid upon my forehead, but only to be taken away again, and that which had vexed and irritated we went on again, and in a dreamy way I knew it was a sponge that was being passed over my face.

"I fetched Mester Tom one wi' bottom o' the boocket, and I got one kick at Tom, and when the two boys come home to-night they'll get such a leathering as they never hed before."

"Nay, let 'em be," said a familiar voice.

"Let 'em be! D'ye think I'm going to hev my bairns grow up such shacks? Nay, that I wean't, so yo' may like it or no. I'd be shamed o' my sen to stand by and let that pack o' boys half kill the young gentleman like that."

"I warn't going to stop 'em."

"Not you, mester. Yow'd sooner set 'em on, like you do your mates, and nice things come on it wi' your strikes and powder, and your wife and bairns wi' empty cupboard. Yow on'y let me know o' next meeting, and if I don't come and give the men a bit o' my mind, my name arn't Jane Gentles."

"Yow'd best keep thy tongue still."

"Mebbe you think so, my man, but I don't."

My senses had come back, and I was staring about at the clean kitchen I was in, with carefully blackleaded grate and red-brick floor. Against the open door, looking out upon the dam, and smoking his pipe, stood-- there was no mistaking him--our late man, Gentles; while over me with a sponge in her hand, and a basin of water by her on a chair, was a big broad-shouldered woman with great bare arms and a pleasant homely face, whose dark hair was neatly kept and streaked with grey.

She saw that I was coming to, and smiled down at me, showing a set of very white teeth, and her plump face looked motherly and pleasant as she bent down and laid her hand upon my forehead.

"That's bonny," she said, nodding her head at me. "You lie still a bit and I'll mak you a cup o' tea, and yo'll be aw reight again. I'm glad I caught 'em at it. Some on 'em's going to hev sore bones for that job, and so I tell 'em."

I took her hand and held it in mine, feeling very weak and dreamy still, and I saw Gentles shift round and give me a hasty glance, and then twist himself more round with his back to me.

"Howd up a minute," she said, passing one strong arm under me and lifting me as if I had been a baby; and almost before I had realised it she slipped off my jacket and placed a cushion beneath my head.

"There, now, lie still," she said, dabbing my wet hair with a towel. "Go to sleep if you can."

By this time she was at the other end of the common print-covered couch on which I lay and unlacing my boots, which she drew off.

"There, now thou'lt be easy, my lad. What would thy poor moother say if she saw thee this how?"

I wanted to thank her, but I was too dreamy and exhausted to speak; but I had a strange feeling of dread, and that was, that if I were left alone with Gentles he would, out of revenge, lay hold of me and throw me into the dam, and to strengthen my fancy I saw him keep turning his head in a furtive way to glance at me.

"Here," exclaimed the woman sharply, "take these here boots out to the back, mester, and clean 'em while I brush his coat."

"Eh?" said Gentles.

"Tak them boots out and brush 'em. Are yo' deaf?"

"Nay, I'm not going to clean his boots," growled Gentles.

"Not going to clean the bairn's boots!" said the woman sharply; "but I think thou art."

She left me, went to the door, took Gentles' pipe from his mouth, and then thrust the boots under his arm, laying a great hand upon his shoulder directly after, and seeming to lead him to a door behind me, through which she pushed him, with an order to make haste.

"Yes," she said, tightening her lips, and smiling, as she nodded to me, "I'm mester here, and they hev to mind. Was it thou as set the big trap ketched my mester by the leg?"

I never felt more taken aback in my life; but I spoke out boldly, and said that it was I.

"And sarve him right. Be a lesson to him. Mixing himself up wi' such business. I towd him if he crep into people's places o' neets, when he owt to hev been fast asleep i' bed wi' his wife and bairns, he must reckon on being ketched like a rat. I'd like to knock some o' their heads together, I would. They're allus feitin' agen the mesters, and generally for nowt, and it's ooz as has to suffer."

Mrs Gentles had told me to try and sleep, and she meant well; but there were two things which, had I been so disposed, would thoroughly have prevented it, and they were the dread of Gentles doing something to be revenged upon me, and his wife's tongue.

For she went on chattering away to me in the most confidential manner, busying herself all the time in brushing my dusty jacket on a very white three-legged table, after giving the cloth a preliminary beating outside.

"There," she said, hanging it on a chair; "by and by you shall get up and brush your hair, and I'll give you a brush down, and then with clean boots you will not be so very much the worse."

She then sat down to some needlework, stitching away busily, and giving me all sorts of information about her family--how she had two boys out at work at Bandy's, taking it for granted that I knew who Bandy's were; that she had her eldest girl in service, and the next helping her aunt Betsey, and the other four were at school.

All of which was, no doubt, very interesting to her; but the only part that took my attention was about her two boys, who had, I knew, from what I overheard, been in the pack that had so cruelly hunted me down.

And all this while I could hear the slow _brush, brush_ at my boots, evidently outside the back-door, and I half expected to have them brought back ripped, or with something sharp inside to injure me when I put them on.

At last, after Mrs Gentles had made several allusions to how long "the mester" was "wi' they boots," he came in, limping slightly, and after closing the door dropped them on the brick floor.

"Why, Sam!" exclaimed Mrs Gentles, "I'd be ashamed o' mysen--that I would!"

But Gentles did not seem to be in the slightest degree ashamed of himself, but took his pipe from the shelf, where his wife had laid it, struck a match, relit it, and went off with his hands in his pockets.

Mrs Gentles rose and followed him to the door, and then returned, with her lips tightened and an angry look in her face.

"Now he's gone off to booblic," she said angrily, "to hatch up and mess about and contrive all sorts o' mischief wi' them as leads him on. Oh the times I've telled him as they might make up all the differ by spending the time in work that they do in striking again' a sixpence took off or to get one putt on! Ay, but we missuses have but a sorry time!"

The absence of Gentles' furtive look sent back at me from the door seemed to change the effect of his wife's voice, which by degrees grew soothing and soft, and soon after I dropped off asleep, and dreamed of a curious clinking going on, from which dream I awoke, with my head cooler, and Mrs Gentles bending over me and fanning my face with what looked like an old copy-book.

I looked at her wonderingly.

"That's better," she said. "Now set up and I'll help thee dress; and here's a nice cup of tea ready."

"Oh, thank you!" I said. "What time is it?"

"Close upon five, and I thowt you'd be better now after some tea."

She helped me on with my jacket, and I winced with pain, I was so stiff and sore. After this she insisted upon putting on my boots.

"Just as if I heven't done such things hundreds of times," she said cheerfully. "Why, I used to put on the mester's and tak 'em off all the time his leg was bad."

"I'm sorry I set that trap," I said, looking up at her rough, pleasant face, and wondering how such a sneaking, malignant fellow could have won so good a wife.

"I'm not," she said laughing. "It sarved him right, so say no more about it."

That tea was like nectar, and seemed to clear my head, so that I felt nearly recovered save when I tried to rise, and then I was in a good deal of pain. But I deemed myself equal to going, and was about to start when I missed my cap.

"Hey, but that'll be gone," she said. "Oh, they boys! Well, yow must hev Dick's."

Before I could protest she went upstairs, and returned with a decent-looking cap, which I promised to return, and then, bidding my Samaritan-like hostess good-bye, I walked firmly out of her sight, and then literally began to hobble, and was glad as soon as I could get into the main road to hail one of the town cabs and be driven home, not feeling strong enough to go to the works and tell of my mishap.

Mr Tomplin came in that evening after Uncle Dick had heard all my narrative and Uncle Bob had walked up and down the room, driving his fist into his hand every now and then with a loud _pat_.

We had had a long conversation, in which I had taken part with a terribly aching head, and I should have gone to bed only I would not show the white feather.

For they all three made this a reason why I should give up to them, and after all go back.

"You see the men are dead against us, Cob, and the boys follow suit, and are against you." So said Uncle Dick.

"All the men are not against you," I said. "Look at Pannell! He has come round, and," I added, with a laugh that hurt me horribly, "I shall have some of the boys come round and help me."

"The young scoundrels!" cried Uncle Bob. _Pat_--that was his fist coming down into his hand. "The young scoundrels!"

"Well, you've said that twenty times at least, Bob," said Uncle Jack.

"Enough to make me!" said Uncle Bob sharply. "The young scoundrels!" _Pat_.

"I only wish I'd been there with a good handy riding-whip," said Uncle Jack. "There would have been some wailing among them."

"Yes; and summonses for assault, and all that bother," said Uncle Dick. "We don't want to come to blows, Jack, if we can help it."

"They are beyond bearing," cried Uncle Bob, keeping up his walk; "the young scoundrels!" _Pat_.

"My dear Bob," cried Uncle Dick, who was very much out of temper; "if you would be kind enough to leave off that trot up and down."

"Like a hungry lion," said Uncle Jack.

"In the Zoo," cried Uncle Dick, "you would very much oblige me."

"I can't sit down," said Uncle Bob, thumping his hand. "I feel too much excited."

"Then bottle it up for future use," said Uncle Dick. "You really must."

"To attack and hurt the boy in that way! It's scandalous. The young ruffians--the young savages!"

Just then Mr Tomplin came in, looked sharply round, and saw there was something wrong.

"I beg your pardon," he said quickly; "I'll look in another time."

"No, no," said Uncle Bob. "Pray sit down. We want your advice. A cruel assault upon our nephew here"--and he related the whole affair.

"Humph!" ejaculated Mr Tomplin, looking hard at me.

"What should you advise--warrants against the ringleaders?"

"Summonses, Mr Robert, I presume," said Mr Tomplin. "But you don't know who they were?"

"Yes; oh, yes!" cried Uncle Bob eagerly. "Two young Gentles."

"But you said the mother saved our young friend here from the lads, dowsed them and trounced them with a pail, and made her husband clean his boots, while she nursed him and made him tea."

"Ye-es," said Uncle Bob.

"Well, my dear sir, when you get summonses out against boys--a practice to which I have a very great objection--it is the parents who suffer more than their offspring."

"And serve them right, sir, for bringing their boys up so badly."

"Yes, I suppose so; but boys will be boys," said Mr Tomplin.

"I don't mind their being boys," said Uncle Bob angrily; "what I do object to is their being young savages. Why, sir, they half-killed my nephew."

"But he has escaped, my dear sir, and, as I understand it, the mother has threatened to--er--er--leather the boys well, that was, I think, her term--"

"Yes," I said, rather gleefully, "leather them."

"And judging from the description I have heard of this Amazon-like lady, who makes her husband obey her like a sheep, the young gentlemen's skins will undergo rather a severe tanning process. Now, don't you think you had better let the matter stand as it is? And, speaking on the _lex talionis_ principle, our young friend Jacob here ought to be able to handle his fists, and on the first occasion when he met one of his enemies he might perhaps give him a thrashing. I don't advise it, for it is illegal, but he might perhaps by accident. It would have a good effect."

"But you are always for letting things drop, Mr Tomplin," said Uncle Bob peevishly.

"Yes; I don't like my friends to go to law--or appeal to the law, as one may say. I am a lawyer, and I lose by giving such advice, I know."

"Mr Tomplin's right, Bob," said Uncle Jack. "You think of that boy as if he were sugar. I'm sure he does not want to take any steps; do you, Cob?"

"No," I said; "if I may--"

I stopped short.

"May what?"

"Have a few lessons in boxing. I hate fighting; but I should like to thrash that big boy who kept hitting me most." _

Read next: Chapter 24. Uncle Jack And I Have A Run

Read previous: Chapter 22. Stevens Has A Word With Me

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