Soldiers of the Queen Part 16

"I wish you wouldn't talk like that."

"But it's a fact."

"You mean," she answered gently, "that you've said it so often that at last you're beginning to believe it's true."

A few mornings later, when the boys came down to breakfast, they were surprised, on looking out of the window, to see no less a personage than Joe Crouch weeding the garden path.

"I found he was out of work, and his parents wretchedly poor," said Queen Mab; "so I said he might come and help Jakes by doing a few odd jobs. You know the old maxim," she added, smiling--"the beet way to subdue an enemy is to turn him into a friend."

The two boys took considerable interest in Crouch, regarding him as their own particular protege. Joe, for his part, seemed to remember their early morning encounter with grat.i.tude, as having been the means of landing him in his present situation. He had apparently a great amount of respect for Jack, and seeing the latter cutting sticks with a blunt knife, asked leave to take it home with him, and brought it back next day with the blades s.h.i.+ning like silver, and as sharp as razors.

One afternoon, when the boys were lying reading in the tent, Barbara suddenly appeared in the open doorway, and stamping her foot, cried, "_Bother_!"

"What's up with you, Bar?"

"Why, that wretched Raymond Fosberton is in the house talking to Aunt Mab. He's walked over from Grenford; and he is going to stay the night."

Valentine groaned, and Jack administered a kick to an unoffending camp-stool.

"What does he want to come here for, I wonder?" continued Barbara.

"Silly monkey! you should just see him in his white waistcoat and s.h.i.+ny boots--faugh!" And she choked with wrath.

Raymond's presence certainly did not contribute very much to the happiness of the party. He monopolized the conversation at tea-time, was very high and mighty in his manner, and patronized everybody in turn. He lost his temper playing croquet, and broke one of the mallets; and later on in the evening he cheated at "word-making," and because he failed to win, p.r.o.nounced it a "stupid game, only fit for kids."

In Barbara, however, he found his match. She cared not two straws for all the Fosbertons alive or dead; and when the visitor, who had been teasing her for some time, went so far as to pull her hair, she promptly dealt him a vigorous box on the ear, a proceeding which so delighted the warlike Jack that he chuckled till bed-time.

Every one felt relieved when it came to tea-time on the following day.

Raymond had announced his intention of walking home in the cool of the evening, and Queen Mab proposed that his cousins should accompany him part of the way.

They had walked about a mile, Jack and Helen being a little in advance of the others, when the girl caught hold of her cousin's arm.

"Oh, look!" she said, "there's a man coming who's drunk."

"Never mind," answered Jack stoutly; "he won't interfere with us."

The man, who had reeled into the hedge, suddenly staggered back into the middle of the road, and stood there barring the way.

"'Ello! Misser Fenleigh," he began, "'ow're you to-night, sir?"

Jack stared at the speaker in astonishment, and then recognized him as the same man who had spoken to them in Melchester.

"Look here!" he said hotly. "I've told you twice I don't know you.

You just stand clear and let us pa.s.s."

By this time the remainder of the party had come up.

"Why, 'ere's Misser Fosbe'ton," continued the man, with a tipsy leer.

"Now I jus' ask you, sir, if these two gen'lemen don't owe me some money for a drink."

Raymond's face flushed crimson, and then turned white.

"You've had too much already, Hanks," he said sharply; "just shut up, and stand out of the road."

"Oh, no offence!" muttered the man, staggering aside to let the cousins pa.s.s; "'nother time'll do jus' the same."

"Look here, Raymond, who is that fellow?" asked Valentine, as soon as they had got out of earshot of the stranger, "Twice he's come up to us in the street at Melchester, saying he knows us, and wanting money; and the last time, old Westford saw us talking to him, and we got into a beastly row, and were gated for a fortnight. Who is he?"

"Oh, he's a lazy blackguard called Ned Hanks; he's always poaching and getting drunk. He never does any work, except now and then he collects rags and bones, and sells them in Melchester."

"How does he know you?"

"He lives close to Grenford, and every one knows me there."

"But how does he know _us_?"

"I can't say. Haven't you ever seen him at Brenlands?"

"No, never."

"Well, I suppose he must have found out your name somehow; and he's always cadging for money for a drink. Don't you trouble to come any further. By-the-bye, next year I'm going to set up in diggings at Melchester. I shall be articled to a solicitor there; and if you fellows are still at the school, we might go out together."

"Confound that man!" said Jack, on the following morning; "I should like to find out who he is, and why he always speaks to us. I wonder if Crouch knows anything about him."

Joe Crouch was questioned, and admitted that he knew the man Hanks well by sight, and had sometimes spoken to him.

Jack explained the reason of his inquiry. "The fellow's got us into one row already. Why should he always be bothering us for money?"

Joe Crouch stood thoughtfully scratching his head for a moment with the point of the gra.s.s clippers.

"I dunno, sir," he answered; "but maybe I might find out."

CHAPTER X.

"STORMS IN A TEA-CUP."

"'Are you not in a warm room, and in society from which you may learn something? But you are a chatterer, and your company is not very agreeable.'"--_The Ugly Duckling_.

At the commencement of the winter term, in addition to being in the same cla.s.s and dormitory, the two cousins were thrown still more together by occupying adjoining desks in the big schoolroom.

"Now I shall be able to keep an eye on you," said Valentine, "and see that you do some work."

"Shall you?"

"Yes; Helen gave me special instructions that I was to make you behave yourself. This is my last year; and the guv'nor says if I do well I shall go on then to an army coach to work up for Sandhurst."