Norman Vallery Part 22

Robby soon got up, and felt more vexed at the way he had been treated by the young master, than hurt by his tumble. f.a.n.n.y had gone round into the garden, where she sat down on a bench in the shade, and planed her bird by her side, quite unaware of what had happened. The bird, which was unusually tame, seemed from the first to understand that she was to be its future mistress. It came at once to the bars of the cage, and put out its beak to receive the seed with which old Alec had provided her, that she might feed it. She would have liked to have taken it out of its cage that it might perch on her fingers, but she thought that would not be wise, in case it might take it into its head to fly off for an excursion, and perhaps not be willing to return to captivity.

"I wonder what name I shall give you," she said, talking to the bird.

"Old Alec did not tell me if you have got one. Shall I call you d.i.c.key, Flapsey, or Pecksy? I must have a name for you. Perhaps granny will help me to find one. What name would you like to be called by, pretty bird? I wonder what are the names of birds; I know that parrots are called Poll and Pretty Poll, and jackdaws and magpies Jack and Mag, but such names would not do for you. I want something that sounds soft and pretty just like yourself." Thus she ran on, and the time went by till at last old Alec returned to the cottage, and not finding her there, came into the garden to look for her.

"Why, Miss f.a.n.n.y, what has become of your little brother?" he inquired.

"Is not he playing with Robby on the other side of the house?" asked f.a.n.n.y, somewhat astonished.

"I can neither see him nor Robby," answered old Alec. He shouted out, "Robby! Robby!" but received no answer.

"It seems very strange," said f.a.n.n.y; "I heard them playing happily together not long ago."

At last old Alec went round the house and again shouted. A faint cry came from a distance, and he saw Robby running towards him.

"What is the matter?" asked old Alec, as soon as Robby got up to him.

"The young master went off with the carriage, and I ran after him to call him back, and instead of going towards home, he has taken the way to the peat bog. I called to him to stop, but he only went faster, and so I came back to get you, grandfather, to follow him, for if he once tumbled in I could not help him out again."

"You are a wise boy, Robby," answered his grandfather. "Miss f.a.n.n.y, if you will stay here I will go and look after the young gentleman, for if he tumbles into the bog he will not get out again without help. There is no danger, only we must not lose time."

Saying this, old Alec hurried off in the direction from which Robby had appeared.

f.a.n.n.y for a moment forgot all about her bird which she had put down in its cage on the window-sill, and ran after old Alec. He strode on at a rapid rate, so that she had a difficulty in overtaking him. After some time she heard him shouting, "Stop, boy, stop!" and saw him waving with his hand.

Again he went on even more eagerly than before.

f.a.n.n.y, who had just then reached a rise in the ground, caught sight of Norman, some way off in the hollow below her, floundering about and holding on to the cart, towards which Alec, yet at a little distance, was making his way. The old man had to do so cautiously, for as the ground was very soft, he sank at each step he made above his ankles; but Norman, being much lighter, had pa.s.sed over places which would not bear his weight.

As she got near she heard Norman crying l.u.s.tily for help, and she began to fear that before old Alec could reach him, he might sink below the soft yielding earth. Just then she heard a shout behind her, and, looking round, she observed little Robby approaching with a long thin pole on his shoulder. He was quickly up with her.

"Don't go farther, Miss," he said, "you will be sticking in the bog, too, if you do; we will soon get out the young master."

Robby quickly joined his grandfather, and by placing the long pole on the top of the hog, Robby was able to make his way over the peat with a rope.

"Here, young master!" he exclaimed, "catch hold of the pole and crawl along it as I do, and you will soon be out of the bog."

Norman, though at first too much frightened to do anything but shout and struggle, at last comprehended what Robby said, and following his advice, crawled along the pole. He soon got on firmer ground.

Robby then went back and fastened the rope to the carriage, which old Alec was thus able without much difficulty to drag out of the bog.

f.a.n.n.y soon recovered from her alarm.

"What made you run there?" she asked, as Norman, wet and muddy, came up to her, looking very foolish and very angry too.

"It was all your fault," he answered; "I wanted to go home, and I told you that I did not want to wait for the old man, or to play any more with the stupid little boy, and if you had come when I called you, I should not have got into this mess."

"If it had not been for the old man and the little boy you would have been suffocated in the bog," answered f.a.n.n.y; "you ought to be very grateful to them for saving you, and see what trouble they are taking to get the carriage out."

"I won't be lectured by you," answered Norman, "and I will go home as soon as I can get the carriage. The old man will be scolding me if I stop here, because I upset his little grandson, and I do not choose to submit to that."

"Nonsense, you foolish boy," answered f.a.n.n.y, "if you remain in your wet clothes you will catch cold, and mamma and granny will be much more angry with you than old Alec is likely to be."

"I daresay they will if you go and tell them that I ran away from you, and you always take pleasure in getting me into sc.r.a.pes."

"O Norman, how can you say that?" exclaimed f.a.n.n.y, "you know I am always anxious to prevent you from being punished. Here come old Alec and Robby with the carriage. I hope that you will thank them for pulling you out of the bog, and that you will go in (should old Alec ask you) to get your clothes dried before we set off. I am very thankful you have escaped, but I am afraid we shall not be allowed to come again by ourselves over the moor to visit the cottage. The first time I tumbled down and wetted my clothes, and now you are in a worse plight, for your clothes are all muddy and spoilt, and you might have lost your life if old Alec had not come to help you."

This Norman would not acknowledge, but declared that he could have got out very well by himself. Notwithstanding what f.a.n.n.y had said, he still insisted on returning home at once.

"Oh no, you must come back and have your clothes dried, as Mr Morrison wishes you," she said.

"As you, Miss f.a.n.n.y, think that your brother ought to go back, there is a very easy way of settling the matter," said Alec; and before Norman know what was going to happen, the old man tucked him under his arm and carried him along as a farmer sometimes carries a refractory pig, while Robby followed with the carriage. In vain Norman shrugged and grumbled, and squeaked out.

Alec soon had him seated on the bench before his kitchen fire, which he made blaze merrily up. He then quickly took off his clothes, and wrapped him up in a clean s.h.i.+rt, and his Sunday coat.

"The clothes won't take long drying, young gentleman, and you must have patience till they are dry," he observed; "the shoes, however, will be somewhat tight, even if they are at all fit to be put on again, but that won't matter, as you can sit in the carriage while I drag you."

Norman now sat quietly, for he hoped that if his clothes were clean, no one at home would hear of his misconduct.

"You will not go and tell them that I ran away, will you f.a.n.n.y?" he asked, looking round at her as she sat near the table with her bird.

"I cannot make any promise," she answered; "I am, however, very sure that you ought to tell them how Mr Morrison and little Robby pulled you out of the bog."

"I would not wish the young gentleman to say anything to get himself into trouble, but at the same time, I would wish him to speak the truth, whatever happens," observed old Alec.

Norman did not reply to her, but muttered to himself, "she cares more for her bird than she does for me, but I will take care she has not much pleasure from it."

f.a.n.n.y did not overhear this, and had no idea that her new little friend was in danger from the jealousy of her brother.

As it was already late, as soon as Norman's clothes were dried old Alec put them on him again, with f.a.n.n.y's a.s.sistance, and little Robby having in the meantime washed the carriage, they were ready to start. Robby, as before, had to take care of the house while old Alec insisted on accompanying his young visitors.

"You know, Miss f.a.n.n.y, you must carry the bird, and we shall be able to get over the ground faster if I drag the carriage."

f.a.n.n.y was very glad to agree to this arrangement, for as Norman was in a bad humour she could not tell how he might behave to her, but she knew that he would be quiet if old Alec was with her. They accordingly set off, Robby giving them a parting cheer. They went on pretty fast, Norman having to hold himself into the carriage as it b.u.mped and thumped over the rough ground.

As f.a.n.n.y had to carry the bird-cage, Alec went the whole way to the yard at the back of Glen Tulloch. Norman scarcely thanking him, jumped out, and ran into the house.

"Oh! do stop, Mr Morrison, till my mamma, and granny, and Mrs Maclean can see you," said f.a.n.n.y, "they will wish to thank you, as I do, and as Norman was much frightened, I hope that they will not think it necessary to punish him."

"But I did nothing worth speaking of," answered old Alec, "and so just give my respects to the ladies, and tell them that I would have been happy to have had a talk with them if they had wished, but I must go back to look after my little boy, for I never like to be away from him longer than I can help. Bless you, young lady! it does my heart good to see you, so pray come and pay me a visit whenever you can."

The old man hurried away, and f.a.n.n.y ran in to show her bird, hoping that no questions would be asked her about Norman's behaviour till she had persuaded him, as she wished to do, to tell his own story, so that old Alec and Robby might be properly thanked for the service they had rendered him.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

THE PET BIRD.

"O mamma! granny! Mrs Maclean! see what a beautiful bird old Alec has given me!" exclaimed f.a.n.n.y, as she ran into the drawing-room, and went round exhibiting the little prisoner, first to one and then to the other. "He has been so kind too, he showed us all his other birds, and gave us such an interesting account of the way he got one of them, but I would rather have this one than all the others."