第4章

’No，thankyou，miss，’hesaid;’it’smyfavouritewine，butitdoesn’tagreewithme;nottheleastbit。ButI’veanuncledrinksit。SupposeIorderedhimhalfadozenforaChristmaspresent？ Well，miss，here’stheshillingcommission，anyway，’andhepulledoutahandfulofmoneyandgavehertheshilling。 ’ButIthoughtthewinepeoplepaidthat，’Alicesaid。 Butthebutchersaidnotonhalf—dozenstheydidn’t。Thenhesaidhedidn’tthinkhe’dwaitanylongerforFather—butwouldAliceaskFathertowritehim？ Aliceofferedhimthesherryagain，buthesaidsomethingabout’Notforworlds！’—andthenshelethimoutandcamebacktouswiththeshilling，andsaid，’How’sthat？’ Andwesaid’Ai。’ Andalltheeveningwetalkedofourfortunethatwehadbeguntomake。 Nobodycamenextday，butthedayafteraladycametoaskformoneytobuildanorphanageforthechildrenofdeadsailors。Andwesawher。IwentinwithAlice。Andwhenwehadexplainedtoherthatwehadonlyashillingandwewanteditforsomethingelse，Alicesuddenlysaid，’Wouldyoulikesomewine？’ Andtheladysaid，’Thankyouverymuch，’butshelookedsurprised。 Shewasnotayounglady，andshehadamantlewithbeads，andthebeadshadcomeoffinplaces—leavingabrownybraidshowing，andshehadprintedpapersaboutthedeadsailorsinasealskinbag，andthesealhadcomeoffinplaces，leavingtheskinbare。 Wegaveheratablespoonfulofthewineinaproperwine—glassoutofthesideboard，becauseshewasalady。Andwhenshehadtasteditshegotupinaverygreathurry，andshookoutherdressandsnappedherbagshut，andsaid，’Younaughty，wickedchildren！ Whatdoyoumeanbyplayingatricklikethis？Yououghttobeashamedofyourselves！IshallwritetoyourMammaaboutit。Youdreadfullittlegirl！—youmighthavepoisonedme。ButyourMamma……’ ThenAlicesaid，’I’mverysorry;thebutcherlikedit，onlyhesaiditwassweet。Andpleasedon’twritetoMother。ItmakesFathersounhappywhenletterscomeforher！’—andAlicewasverynearcrying。 ’Whatdoyoumean，yousillychild？’saidthelady，lookingquitebrightandinterested。’Whydoesn’tyourFatherlikeyourMothertohaveletters—eh？’ AndAlicesaid，’Oh，you……！’andbegantocry，andboltedoutoftheroom。 ThenIsaid，’OurMotherisdead，andwillyoupleasegoawaynow？’ Theladylookedatmeaminute，andthenshelookedquitedifferent，andshesaid，’I’mverysorry。Ididn’tknow。Nevermindaboutthewine。Idaresayyourlittlesistermeantitkindly。’Andshelookedroundtheroomjustlikethebutcherhaddone。Thenshesaidagain，’Ididn’tknow—I’mverysorry……’ SoIsaid，’Don’tmentionit，’andshookhandswithher，andletherout。Ofcoursewecouldn’thaveaskedhertobuythewineafterwhatshe’dsaid。ButIthinkshewasnotabadsortofperson。Idolikeapersontosaythey’resorrywhentheyoughttobe—especiallyagrown—up。Theydoitsoseldom。Isupposethat’swhywethinksomuchofit。 ButAliceandIdidn’tfeeljollyforeversolongafterwards。AndwhenIwentbackintothedining—roomIsawhowdifferentitwasfromwhenMotherwashere，andwearedifferent，andFatherisdifferent，andnothingislikeitwas。IamgladIamnotmadetothinkaboutiteveryday。 IwentandfoundAlice，andtoldherwhattheladyhadsaid，andwhenshehadfinishedcryingweputawaythebottleandsaidwewouldnottrytosellanymoretopeoplewhocame。Andwedidnottelltheothers—weonlysaidtheladydidnotbuyany—butwewentupontheHeath，andsomesoldierswentbyandtherewasaPunch—and—judyshow，andwhenwecamebackwewerebetter。 Thebottlegotquitedustywherewehadputit，andperhapsthedustofageswouldhavelaidthickandheavyonit，onlyaclergymancalledwhenwewereallout。Hewasnotourownclergyman—MrBristowisourownclergyman，andwealllovehim，andwewouldnottrytosellsherrytopeoplewelike，andmaketwopoundsaweekoutoftheminoursparetime。Itwasanotherclergyman，justastrayone;andheaskedElizaifthedearchildrenwouldnotliketocometohislittleSundayschool。WealwaysspendSundayafternoonswithFather。ButashehadleftthenameofhisvicaragewithEliza，andaskedhertotellustocome，wethoughtwewouldgoandcallonhim，justtoexplainaboutSundayafternoons，andwethoughtwemightaswelltakethesherrywithus。 ’Iwon’tgounlessyouallgotoo，’Alicesaid，’andIwon’tdothetalking。’ Dorasaidshethoughtwehadmuchbetternotgo;butwesaid’Rot！’ anditendedinhercomingwithus，andIamgladshedid。 Oswaldsaidhewoulddothetalkingiftheothersliked，andhelearnedupwhattosayfromtheprintedpapers。 WewenttotheVicarageearlyonSaturdayafternoon，andrangatthebell。Itisanewredhousewithnotreesinthegarden，onlyveryyellowmouldandgravel。Itwasallveryneatanddry。Justbeforewerangthebellweheardsomeoneinsidecall’Jane！Jane！’ andwethoughtwewouldnotbeJaneforanything。Itwasthesoundofthevoicethatcalledthatmadeussorryforher。 Thedoorwasopenedbyaveryneatservantinblack，withawhiteapron;wesawhertyingthestringsasshecamealongthehall，throughthedifferent—colouredglassinthedoor。Herfacewasred，andIthinkshewasJane。WeaskedifwecouldseeMrMallow。 TheservantsaidMrMallowwasverybusywithhissermonjustthen，butshewouldsee。 ButOswaldsaid，’It’sallright。Heaskedustocome。’ Sosheletusallinandshutthefrontdoor，andshowedusintoaverytidyroomwithabookcasefullofalotofbookscoveredinblackcottonwithwhitelabels，andsomedullpictures，andaharmonium。AndMrMallowwaswritingatadeskwithdrawers，copyingsomethingoutofabook。Hewasstoutandshort，andworespectacles。 Hecoveredhiswritingupwhenwewentin—Ididn’tknowwhy。Helookedrathercross，andweheardJaneorsomebodybeingscoldedoutsidebythevoice。Ihopeitwasn’tforlettingusin，butI havehaddoubts。 ’Well，’saidtheclergyman，’whatisallthisabout？’ ’Youaskedustocall，’Dorasaid，’aboutyourlittleSundayschool。WearetheBastablesofLewishamRoad。’ ’Oh—ah，yes，’hesaid;’andshallIexpectyouallto—morrow？’ Hetookuphispenandfiddledwithit，andhedidnotaskustositdown。Butsomeofusdid。 ’WealwaysspendSundayafternoonwithFather，’saidDora;’butwewishedtothankyouforbeingsokindastoaskus。’ ’Andwewishedtoaskyousomethingelse！’saidOswald;andhemadeasigntoAlicetogetthesherryreadyintheglass。Shedid— behindOswald’sbackwhilehewasspeaking。 ’Mytimeislimited，’saidMrMallow，lookingathiswatch;’butstill—’Thenhemutteredsomethingaboutthefold，andwenton： ’Tellmewhatistroublingyou，mylittleman，andIwilltrytogiveyouanyhelpinmypower。Whatisityouwant？’ ThenOswaldquicklytooktheglassfromAlice，andhelditouttohim，andsaid，’Iwantyouropiniononthat。’ ’Onthat，’hesaid。’Whatisit？’ ’Itisashipment，’Oswaldsaid;’butit’squiteenoughforyoutotaste。’Alicehadfilledtheglasshalf—full;Isupposeshewastooexcitedtomeasureproperly。 ’Ashipment？’saidtheclergyman，takingtheglassinhishand。 ’Yes，’OswaldwentOn;’anexceptionalopportunity。Full—bodiedandnutty。’ ’ItreallydoestasteratherlikeonekindofBrazil—nut。’Aliceputheroarinasusual。 TheVicarlookedfromAlicetoOswald，andbackagain，andOswaldwentonwithwhathehadlearnedfromtheprinting。Theclergymanheldtheglassathalf—arm’s—length，stiffly，asifhehadcaughtcold。 ’Itisofaqualityneverbeforeofferedattheprice。OldDelicateAmoro—what’sitsname—’ ’Amorolio，’saidH。O。 ’Amoroso，’saidOswald。’H。O。，youjustshutup—CastilianAmoroso—it’satrueafter—dinnerwine，stimulatingandyet……’ ’Wine？’saidMrMallow，holdingtheglassfurtheroff。’Doyouknow，’hewenton，makinghisvoiceverythickandstrong（Iexpecthedoesitlikethatinchurch），’haveyouneverbeentaughtthatitisthedrinkingofwineandspirits—yes，andBEER，whichmakeshalfthehomesinEnglandfullofwretchedlittlechildren，anddegraded，MISERABLEparents？’ ’Notifyouputsugarinit，’saidAlicefirmly;’eightlumpsandshakethebottle。Wehaveeachhadmorethanateaspoonfulofit，andwewerenotillatall。ItwassomethingelsethatupsetH。O。 MostlikelyallthoseacornshegotoutofthePark。’ Theclergymanseemedtobespeechlesswithconflictingemotions，andjustthenthedooropenedandaladycamein。Shehadawhitecapwithlace，andanuglyvioletflowerinit，andshewastall，andlookedverystrong，thoughthin。AndIdobelieveshehadbeenlisteningatthedoor。 ’Butwhy，’theVicarwassaying，’whydidyoubringthisdreadfulfluid，thiscurseofourcountry，tometotaste？’ ’Becausewethoughtyoumightbuysome，’saidDora，whoneverseeswhenagameisup。’Inbookstheparsonloveshisbottleofoldport;andnewsherryisjustasgood—withsugar—forpeoplewholikesherry。Andifyouwouldorderadozenofthewine，thenweshouldgettwoshillings。’ Theladysaid（anditwasthevoice），’Goodgracious！Nasty，sordidlittlethings！Haven’ttheyanyonetoteachthembetter？’ AndDoragotupandsaid，’No，wearenotthosethingsyousay;butwearesorrywecameheretobecallednames。WewanttomakeourfortunejustasmuchasMrMallowdoes—onlynoonewouldlistentousifwepreached，soit’snouseourcopyingoutsermonslikehim。’ AndIthinkthatwassmartofDora，evenifitwasratherrude。 ThenIsaidperhapswehadbettergo，andtheladysaid，’Ishouldthinkso！’ Butwhenweweregoingtowrapupthebottleandglasstheclergymansaid，’No;youcanleavethat，’andweweresoupsetwedid，thoughitwasn’thisafterall。 Wewalkedhomeveryfastandnotsayingmuch，andthegirlswentuptotheirrooms。WhenIwenttotellthemteawasready，andtherewasateacake，DorawascryinglikeanythingandAlicehuggingher。 Iamafraidthereisagreatdealofcryinginthischapter，butI can’thelpit。Girlswillsometimes;Isupposeitistheirnature，andweoughttobesorryfortheiraffliction。 ’It’snogood，’Dorawassaying，’youallhateme，andyouthinkI’maprigandabusybody，butIdotrytodoright—oh，Ido！ Oswald，goaway;don’tcomeheremakingfunofme！’ SoIsaid，’I’mnotmakingfun，Sissy;don’tcry，oldgirl。’ MothertaughtmetocallherSissywhenwewereverylittleandbeforetheotherscame，butIdon’toftensomehow，nowweareold。 Ipattedherontheback，andsheputherheadagainstmysleeve，holdingontoAliceallthetime，andshewenton。Shewasinthatlaughy—cryeystatewhenpeoplesaythingstheywouldn’tsayatothertimes。 ’Ohdear，ohdear—Idotry，Ido。AndwhenMotherdiedshesaid，\"Dora，takecareoftheothers，andteachthemtobegood，andkeepthemoutoftroubleandmakethemhappy。\"Shesaid，\"Takecareofthemforme，Doradear。\"AndIhavetried，andallofyouhatemeforit;andto—dayIletyoudothis，thoughIknewallthetimeitwassilly。’ IhopeyouwillnotthinkIwasamuffbutIkissedDoraforsometime。Becausegirlslikeit。AndIwillneversayagainthatshecomesthegoodeldersistertoomuch。AndIhaveputallthisinthoughIdohatetellingaboutit，becauseIownIhavebeenhardonDora，butIneverwillbeagain。Sheisagoodoldsort;ofcourseweneverknewbeforeaboutwhatMothertoldher，orwewouldn’thaveraggedheraswedid。Wedidnottellthelittleones，butIgotAlicetospeaktoDicky，andwethreecansitontheothersifrequisite。 Thismadeusforgetallaboutthesherry;butabouteighto’clocktherewasaknock，andElizawent，andwesawitwaspoorJane，ifhernamewasJane，fromtheVicarage。Shehandedinabrown—paperparcelandaletter。AndthreeminuteslaterFathercalledusintohisstudy。 Onthetablewasthebrown—paperparcel，open，withourbottleandglassonit，andFatherhadaletterinhishand。HePointedtothebottleandsighed，andsaid，’Whathaveyoubeendoingnow？’ Theletterinhishandwascoveredwithlittleblackwriting，alloverthefourlargepages。 SoDickyspokeup，andhetoldFatherthewholething，asfarasheknewit，forAliceandIhadnottoldaboutthedeadsailors’lady。 Andwhenhehaddone，Alicesaid，’HasMrMallowwrittentoyoutosayhewillbuyadozenofthesherryafterall？Itisreallynothalfbadwithsugarinit。’ Fathersaidno，hedidn’tthinkclergymencouldaffordsuchexpensivewine;andhesaidhewouldliketotasteit。Sowegavehimwhattherewasleft，forwehaddecidedcominghomethatwewouldgiveuptryingforthetwopoundsaweekinoursparetime。 Fathertastedit，andthenheactedjustasH。O。haddonewhenhehadhisteaspoonful，butofcoursewedidnotsayanything。ThenhelaughedtillIthoughthewouldneverstop。 Ithinkitwasthesherry，becauseIamsureIhavereadsomewhereabout’winethatmakethgladtheheartofman’。Hehadonlyaverylittle，whichshowsthatitwasagoodafter—dinnerwine，stimulating，andyet……Iforgettherest。 Butwhenhehaddonelaughinghesaid，’It’sallright，kids。Onlydon’tdoitagain。Thewinetradeisovercrowded;andbesides，I thoughtyoupromisedtoconsultmebeforegoingintobusiness？’ ’BeforebuyingoneIthoughtyoumeant，’saidDicky。’Thiswasonlyoncommission。’AndFatherlaughedagain。IamgladwegottheCastilianAmoroso，becauseitdidreallycheerFatherup，andyoucannotalwaysdothat，howeverhardyoutry，evenifyoumakejokes，orgivehimacomicpaper。 CHAPTER12 THENOBLENESSOFOSWALD Thepartabouthisnoblenessonlycomesattheend，butyouwouldnotunderstanditunlessyouknewhowitbegan。Itbegan，likenearlyeverythingaboutthattime，withtreasure—seeking。 OfcourseassoonaswehadpromisedtoconsultmyFatheraboutbusinessmattersweallgaveupwantingtogointobusiness。I don’tknowhowitis，buthavingtoconsultaboutathingwithgrown—uppeople，eventhebravestandthebest，seemstomakethethingnotworthdoingafterwards。 Wedon’tmindAlbert’sunclechippinginsometimeswhenthething’sgoingon，butwearegladheneveraskedustopromisetoconsulthimaboutanything。YetOswaldsawthatmyFatherwasquiteright; andIdaresayifwehadhadthathundredpoundsweshouldhavespentitontheshareinthatlucrativebusinessforthesaleofusefulpatent，andthenfoundoutafterwardsthatweshouldhavedonebettertospendthemoneyinsomeotherway。MyFathersaysso，andheoughttoknow。Wehadseveralideasaboutthattime，buthavingsolittlechinkalwaysstoodintheway。 ThiswasthecasewithH。O。’sideaofsettingupacoconut—shyonthissideoftheHeath，wheretherearenonegenerally。Wehadnosticksorwoodenballs，andthegreengrocersaidhecouldnotbooksomanyastwelvedozencoconutswithoutMrBastable’swrittenorder。AndaswedidnotwishtoconsultmyFatheritwasdecidedtodropit。AndwhenAlicedressedupPincherinsomeofthedolls’clothesandwemadeupourmindstotakehimroundwithanorganassoonaswehadtaughthimtodance，wewerestoppedatoncebyDicky’srememberinghowhehadonceheardthatanorgancostsevenhundredpounds。Ofcoursethiswasthebigchurchkind，buteventheonesonthreelegscan’tbegotforone—and—sevenpence，whichwasallwehadwhenwefirstthoughtofit。Sowegavethatuptoo。 Itwasawetday，Iremember，andmuttonhashfordinner—verytoughwithpalegravywithlumpsinit。Ithinktheotherswouldhaveleftagooddealonthesidesoftheirplates，althoughtheyknowbetter，onlyOswaldsaiditwasasavourystewmadeofthereddeerthatEdwardshot。SothenweweretheChildrenoftheNewForest，andthemuttontastedmuchbetter。NooneintheNewForestmindsvenisonbeingtoughandthegravypale。 Thenafterdinnerweletthegirlshaveadolls’tea—party，onconditiontheydidn’texpectusboystowashup;anditwaswhenweweredrinkingthelastoftheliquoricewateroutofthelittlecupsthatDickysaid— ’Thisremindsme。’ Sowesaid，’Whatof？’ Dickyansweredusatonce，thoughhismouthwasfullofbreadwithliquoricestuckinittolooklikecake。Youshouldnotspeakwithyourmouthfull，eventoyourownrelations，andyoushouldn’twipeyourmouthonthebackofyourhand，butonyourhandkerchief，ifyouhaveone。Dickydidnotdothis。Hesaid— ’Why，yourememberwhenwefirstbeganabouttreasure—seeking，I saidIhadthoughtofsomething，onlyIcouldnottellyoubecauseIhadn’tfinishedthinkingaboutit。’ Wesaid’Yes。’ ’Well，thisliquoricewater—’ ’Tea，’saidAlicesoftly。 ’Well，teathen—mademethink。’Hewasgoingontosaywhatitmadehimthink，butNoelinterruptedandcriedout，’Isay;let’sfinishoffthisoldtea—partyandhaveacouncilofwar。’ Sowegotouttheflagsandthewoodenswordandthedrum，andOswaldbeatitwhilethegirlswashedup，tillElizacameuptosayshehadthejumpingtoothache，andthenoisewentthroughherlikeaknife。SoofcourseOswaldleftoffatonce。WhenyouarepolitetoOswaldheneverrefusestograntyourrequests。 Whenwewerealldressedupwesatdownroundthecampfire，andDickybeganagain。 ’Everyoneintheworldwantsmoney。Somepeoplegetit。Thepeoplewhogetitaretheoneswhoseethings。Ihaveseenonething。’ Dickystoppedandsmokedthepipeofpeace。Itisthepipewedidbubbleswithinthesummer，andsomehowithasnotgotbrokenyet。 Weputtea—leavesinitforthepipeofpeace，butthegirlsarenotallowedtohaveany。Itisnotrighttoletgirlssmoke。Theygettothinktoomuchofthemselvesifyouletthemdoeverythingthesameasmen。Oswaldsaid，’Outwithit。’ ’Iseethatglassbottlesonlycostapenny。H。O。，ifyoudaretosniggerI’llsendyouroundsellingoldbottles，andyoushan’thaveanysweetsexceptoutofthemoneyyougetforthem。Andthesamewithyou，Noel。’ ’NoElwasn’tsniggering，’saidAliceinahurry;’itisonlyhistakingsomuchinterestinwhatyouweresayingmakeshimlooklikethat。Bequiet，H。O。，anddon’tyoumakefaces，either。Dogoon，Dickydear。’ SoDickywenton。 ’Theremustbehundredsofmillionsofbottlesofmedicinessoldeveryyear。Becauseallthedifferentmedicinessay，\"Thousandsofcuresdaily，\"andifyouonlytakethatastwothousand，whichitmustbe，atleast，itmountsup。Andthepeoplewhosellthemmustmakeagreatdealofmoneybythembecausetheyarenearlyalwaystwo—and—ninepencethebottle，andthree—and—sixforonenearlydoublethesize。Nowthebottles，asIwassaying，don’tcostanythinglikethat。’ ’It’sthemedicinecoststhemoney，’saidDora;’lookhowexpensivejujubesareatthechemist’s，andpeppermintstoo。’ ’That’sonlybecausethey’renice，’Dickyexplained;’nastythingsarenotsodear。Lookwhatalotofbrimstoneyougetforapenny，andthesamewithalum。Wewouldnotputthenicekindsofchemist’sthingsinourmedicine。’ Thenhewentontotellusthatwhenwehadinventedourmedicinewewouldwriteandtelltheeditoraboutit，andhewouldputitinthepaper，andthenpeoplewouldsendtheirtwo—and—ninepenceandthree—and—sixforthebottlenearlydoublethesize，andthenwhenthemedicinehadcuredthemtheywouldwritetothepaperandtheirletterswouldbeprinted，sayinghowtheyhadbeensufferingforyears，andneverthoughttogetaboutagain，butthankstotheblessingofourointment—’ Dorainterruptedandsaid，’Notointment—it’ssomessy。’AndAlicethoughtsotoo。AndDickysaidhedidnotmeanit，hewasquitedecidedtoletitbeinbottles。Sonowitwasallsettled，andwedidnotseeatthetimethatthiswouldbeasortofgoingintobusiness，butafterwardswhenAlbert’suncleshoweduswesawit，andweweresorry。Weonlyhadtoinventthemedicine。Youmightthinkthatwaseasy，becauseofthenumberofthemyouseeeverydayinthepaper，butitismuchharderthanyouthink。 Firstwehadtodecidewhatsortofillnessweshouldliketocure，anda’heateddiscussionensued’，likeinParliament。 Dorawantedittobesomethingtomakethecomplexionofdazzlingfairness，butwerememberedhowherfacecameallredandroughwhensheusedtheRosabellasoapthatwasadvertisedtomakethedarkestcomplexionfairasthelily，andsheagreedthatperhapsitwasbetternot。Noelwantedtomakethemedicinefirstandthenfindoutwhatitwouldcure，butDickythoughtnot，becausetherearesomanymoremedicinesthantherearethingsthematterwithus，soitwouldbeeasiertochoosethediseasefirst。 Oswaldwouldhavelikedwounds。Istillthinkitwasagoodidea，butDickysaid，’Whohaswounds，especiallynowtherearen’tanywars？Weshouldn’tsellabottleaday！’SoOswaldgaveinbecauseheknowswhatmannersare，anditwasDicky’sidea。H。O。 wantedacurefortheuncomfortablefeelingthattheygiveyoupowdersfor，butweexplainedtohimthatgrown—uppeopledonothavethisfeeling，howevermuchtheyeat，andheagreed。Dickysaidhedidnotcareastrawwhattheloathsomediseasewas，aslongaswehurriedupandsettledonsomething。ThenAlicesaid— ’Itoughttobesomethingverycommon，andonlyonething。Notthepainsinthebackandallthehundredsofthingsthepeoplehaveinsomebody’ssyrup。What’sthecommonestthingofall？’ Andatoncewesaid，’Colds。’ Sothatwassettled。 Thenwewrotealabeltogoonthebottle。Whenitwaswrittenitwouldnotgoonthevinegarbottlethatwehadgot，butweknewitwouldgosmallwhenitwasprinted。Itwaslikethis： BASTABLE’S CERTAINCUREFORCOLDSCoughs，Asthma，ShortnessofBreath，andallinfectionsoftheChestOnedosegivesimmediatereliefItwillcureyourcoldinonebottleEspeciallythelargersizeat3s。6d。 OrderatonceoftheMakersTopreventdisappointmentMakers： D。，O。，R。，A。，N。，andH。O。BASTABLE 150LewishamRoad，S。E。 （Ahalfpennyforallbottlesreturned） Ofcoursethenextthingwasforoneofustocatchacoldandtrywhatcuredit;weallwantedtobetheone，butitwasDicky’sidea，andhesaidhewasnotgoingtobedoneoutofit，sowelethim。Itwasonlyfair。Heleftoffhisundershirtthatveryday，andnextmorninghestoodinadraughtinhisnightgownforquitealongtime。Andwedampedhisday—shirtwiththenail—brushbeforeheputiton。Butallwasvain。Theyalwaystellyouthatthesethingswillgiveyoucold，butwefounditwasnotso。 SothenweallwentovertothePark，andDickywentrightintothewaterwithhisbootson，andstoodthereaslongashecouldbearit，foritwasrathercold，andwestoodandcheeredhimon。Hewalkedhomeinhiswetclothes，whichtheysayisasurething，butitwasnogo，thoughhisbootswerequitespoiled。AndthreedaysafterNoelbegantocoughandsneeze。 SothenDickysaiditwasnotfair。 ’Ican’thelpit，’Noelsaid。’Youshouldhavecaughtityourself，thenitwouldn’thavecometome。 AndAlicesaidshehadknownallalongNoeloughtn’ttohavestoodaboutonthebankcheeringinthecold。 Noelhadtogotobed，andthenwebegantomakethemedicines;weweresorryhewasoutofit，buthehadthefunoftakingthethings。 Wemadeagreatmanymedicines。Alicemadeherbtea。Shegotsageandthymeandsavoryandmarjoramandboiledthemalluptogetherwithsaltandwater，butsheWOULDputparsleyintoo。Oswaldissureparsleyisnotaherb。Itisonlyputonthecoldmeatandyouarenotsupposedtoeatit。Itkillsparrotstoeatparsley，Ibelieve。IexpectitwastheparsleythatdisagreedsowithNoel。Themedicinedidnotseemtodothecoughanygood。 Oswaldgotapennyworthofalum，becauseitissocheap，andsometurpentinewhicheveryoneknowsisgoodforcolds，andalittlesugarandananiseedball。Theseweremixedinabottlewithwater，butElizathrewitawayandsaiditwasnastyrubbish，andIhadn’tanymoneytogetmorethingswith。 Doramadehimsomegruel，andhesaiditdidhischestgood;butofcoursethatwasnouse，becauseyoucannotputgruelinbottlesandsayitismedicine。Itwouldnotbehonest，andbesidesnobodywouldbelieveyou。 Dickmixeduplemon—juiceandsugarandalittleofthejuiceoftheredflannelthatNoel’sthroatwasdoneupin。Itcomesoutbeautifullyinhotwater。NoEltookthisandhelikedit。NoEl’sownideawasliquorice—water，andwelethimhaveit，butitistooplainandblacktosellinbottlesattheproperprice。 NoEllikedH。O。’smedicinethebest，whichwassillyofhim，becauseitwasonlypeppermintsmeltedinhotwater，andalittlecobalttomakeitlookblue。Itwasallright，becauseH。O。’spaint—boxistheFrenchkind，withCouleursnonVgngneusesonit。 Thismeansyoumaysuckyourbrushesifyouwantto，orevenyourpaintsifyouareaverylittleboy。 ItwasratherjollywhileNoelhadthatcold。HehadafireinhisbedroomwhichopensoutofDicky’sandOswald’s，andthegirlsusedtoreadaloudtoNoelallday;theywillnotreadaloudtoyouwhenyouarewell。FatherwasawayatLiverpoolonbusiness，andAlbert’sunclewasatHastings。Wewererathergladofthis，becausewewishedtogiveallthemedicinesafairtrial，andgrown—upsarebuttoofondofinterfering。Asifweshouldhavegivenhimanythingpoisonous！ Hiscoldwenton—itwasbadinhishead，butitwasnotoneofthekindwhenhehastohavepoulticesandcan’tsitupinbed。 Butwhenithadbeeninhisheadnearlyaweek，OswaldhappenedtotumbleoverAliceonthestairs。Whenwegotupshewascrying。 ’Don’tcrysilly！’saidOswald;’youknowIdidn’thurtyou。’I wasverysorryifIhadhurther，butyououghtnottositonthestairsinthedarkandletotherpeopletumbleoveryou。Yououghttorememberhowbeastlyitisforthemiftheydohurtyou。 ’Oh，it’snotthat，Oswald，’Alicesaid。’Don’tbeapig！Iamsomiserable。Dobekindtome。’ SoOswaldthumpedheronthebackandtoldhertoshutup。 ’It’saboutNoel，’shesaid。’I’msurehe’sveryill;andplayingaboutwithmedicinesisallverywell，butIknowhe’sill，andElizawon’tsendforthedoctor：shesaysit’sonlyacold。AndI knowthedoctor’sbillsareawful。IheardFathertellingAuntEmilysointhesummer。Buthewas，andperhapshe’lldieorsomething。’ Thenshebegantocryagain。Oswaldthumpedheragain，becauseheknowshowagoodbrotheroughttobehave，andsaid，’Cheerup。’IfwehadbeeninabookOswaldwouldhaveembracedhislittlesistertenderly，andmingledhistearswithhers。 ThenOswaldsaid，’WhynotwritetoFather？’ Andshecriedmoreandsaid，’I’velostthepaperwiththeaddress。 H。O。hadittodrawonthebackof，andIcan’tfinditnow;I’velookedeverywhere。I’lltellyouwhatI’mgoingtodo。NoI won’t。ButI’mgoingout。Don’ttelltheothers。AndIsay，Oswald，dopretendI’minifElizaasks。Promise。’ ’Tellmewhatyou’regoingtodo，’Isaid。Butshesaid’No’;andtherewasagoodreasonwhynot。SoIsaidIwouldn’tpromiseifitcametothat。OfcourseImeanttoallright。Butitdidseemmeanofhernottotellme。 SoAlicewentoutbythesidedoorwhileElizawassettingtea，andshewasalongtimegone;shewasnotintotea。WhenElizaaskedOswaldwhereshewashesaidhedidnotknow，butperhapsshewastidyinghercornerdrawer。Girlsoftendothis，andittakesalongtime。NoElcoughedagoodbitaftertea，andaskedforAlice。 Oswaldtoldhimshewasdoingsomethinganditwasasecret。 Oswalddidnottellanylieseventosavehissister。WhenAlicecamebackshewasveryquiet，butshewhisperedtoOswaldthatitwasallright。WhenitwasratherlateElizasaidshewasgoingouttopostaletter。Thisalwaystakesheranhour，becausesheWILLgotothepost—officeacrosstheHeathinsteadofthepillar—box，becauseonceaboydroppedfuseesinourpillar—boxandburnttheletters。Itwasnotanyofus;Elizatoldusaboutit。 AndwhentherewasaknockatthedooralongtimeafterwethoughtitwasElizacomeback，andthatshehadforgottentheback—doorkey。WemadeH。O。godowntoopenthedoor，becauseitishisplacetorunabout：hislegsareyoungerthanours。AndweheardbootsonthestairsbesidesH。O。’s，andwelistenedspellboundtillthedooropened，anditwasAlbert’suncle。Helookedverytired。 ’Iamgladyou’vecome，’Oswaldsaid。’AlicebegantothinkNoel—’ Alicestoppedme，andherfacewasveryred，hernosewasshinytoo，withhavingcriedsomuchbeforetea。 Shesaid，’IonlysaidIthoughtNoeloughttohavethedoctor。 Don’tyouthinkheought？’ShegotholdofAlbert’suncleandheldontohim。 ’Let’shavealookatyou，youngman，’saidAlbert’suncle，andhesatdownontheedgeofthebed。Itisarathershakybed，thebarthatkeepsitsteadyunderneathgotbrokenwhenwewereplayingburglarslastwinter。Itwasourcrowbar。HebegantofeelNoel’spulse，andwentontalking。 ’ItwasrevealedtotheArabphysicianashemademerryinhistentsonthewildplainsofHastingsthatthePresencehadacoldinitshead。Soheimmediatelyseatedhimselfonthemagiccarpet，andbadeitbearhimhither，onlypausingintheflighttopurchaseafewsweetmeatsinthebazaar。’ Hepulledoutajollylotofchocolateandsomebutterscotch，andgrapesforNoel。Whenwehadallsaidthankyou，hewenton。 ’Thephysician’sarethewordsofwisdom：it’shightimethiskidwasasleep。Ihavespoken。Yehavemyleavetodepart。’ Sowebunked，andDoraandAlbert’sunclemadeNoelcomfortableforthenight。 Thentheycametothenurserywhichwehadgonedownto，andhesatdownintheGuyFawkeschairandsaid，’Nowthen。’ Alicesaid，’YoumaytellthemwhatIdid。Idaresaythey’llallbeinawax，butIdon’tcare。’ ’Ithinkyouwereverywise，’saidAlbert’suncle，pullingherclosetohimtositonhisknee。’Iamverygladyoutelegraphed。’ SothenOswaldunderstoodwhatAlice’ssecretwas。ShehadgoneoutandsentatelegramtoAlbert’suncleatHastings。ButOswaldthoughtshemighthavetoldhim。Afterwardsshetoldmewhatshehadputinthetelegram。Itwas，’Comehome。WehavegivenNoelacold，andIthinkwearekillinghim。’Withtheaddressitcametotenpence—halfpenny。 ThenAlbert’sunclebegantoaskquestions，anditallcameout，howDickyhadtriedtocatchthecold，butthecoldhadgonetoNoelinstead，andaboutthemedicinesandall。Albert’sunclelookedveryserious。 ’Lookhere，’hesaid，’You’reoldenoughnottoplaythefoollikethis。Healthisthebestthingyou’vegot;yououghttoknowbetterthantoriskit。Youmighthavekilledyourlittlebrotherwithyourpreciousmedicines。You’vehadaluckyescape，certainly。ButpoorNoel！’ ’Oh，doyouthinkhe’sgoingtodie？’Aliceaskedthat，andshewascryingagain。 ’No，no，’saidAlbert’suncle;’butlookhere。Doyouseehowsillyyou’vebeen？AndIthoughtyoupromisedyourFather—’Andthenhegaveusalongtalking—to。HecanmakeyoufeelmostawfullySmall。Atlasthestopped，andwesaidwewereverysorry，andhesaid，’YouknowIpromisedtotakeyoualltothepantomime？’ Sowesaid，’Yes，’andknewbuttoowellthatnowhewasn’tgoingto。Thenhewenton— ’Well，Iwilltakeyouifyoulike，orIwilltakeNoeltotheseaforaweektocurehiscold。Whichisittobe？’ Ofcourseheknewweshouldsay，’TakeNoel’andwedid;butDickytoldmeafterwardshethoughtitwashardonH。O。 Albert’sunclestayedtillElizacamein，andthenhesaidgoodnightinawaythatshowedusthatallwasforgivenandforgotten。 Andwewenttobed。ItmusthavebeenthemiddleofthenightwhenOswaldwokeupsuddenly，andtherewasAlicewithherteethchattering，shakinghimtowakehim。 ’Oh，Oswald！’shesaid，’Iamsounhappy。SupposeIshoulddieinthenight！’ Oswaldtoldhertogotobedandnotgas。Butshesaid，’Imusttellyou;IwishI’dtoldAlbert’suncle。I’mathief，andifI dieto—nightIknowwherethievesgoto。’SoOswaldsawitwasnogoodandhesatupinbedandsaid—’Goahead。’SoAlicestoodshiveringandsaid—’Ihadn’tenoughmoneyforthetelegram，soI tookthebadsixpenceoutoftheexchequer。AndIpaidforitwiththatandthefivepenceIhad。AndIwouldn’ttellyou，becauseifyou’dstoppedmedoingitIcouldn’thaveborneit;andifyou’dhelpedmeyou’dhavebeenathieftoo。Oh，whatshallIdo？’ Oswaldthoughtaminute，andthenhesaid— ’You’dbetterhavetoldme。ButIthinkitwillbeallrightifwepayitback。Gotobed。Crosswithyou？No，stupid！Onlyanothertimeyou’dbetternotkeepsecrets。’ SoshekissedOswald，andhelether，andshewentbacktobed。 ThenextdayAlbert’suncletookNoelaway，beforeOswaldhadtimetopersuadeAlicethatweoughttotellhimaboutthesixpence。 Alicewasveryunhappy，butnotsomuchasinthenight：youcanbeverymiserableinthenightifyouhavedoneanythingwrongandyouhappentobeawake。Iknowthisforafact。 NoneofushadanymoneyexceptEliza，andshewouldn’tgiveusanyunlesswesaidwhatfor;andofcoursewecouldnotdothatbecauseofthehonourofthefamily。AndOswaldwasanxioustogetthesixpencetogivetothetelegraphpeoplebecausehefearedthatthebadnessofthatsixpencemighthavebeenfoundout，andthatthepolicemightcomeforAliceatanymoment。Idon’tthinkIeverhadsuchanunhappyday。OfcoursewecouldhavewrittentoAlbert’suncle，butitwouldhavetakenalongtime，andeverymomentofdelayaddedtoAlice’sdanger。Wethoughtandthought，butwecouldn’tthinkofanywaytogetthatsixpence。Itseemsasmallsum，butyouseeAlice’slibertydependedonit。ItwasquitelateintheafternoonwhenImetMrsLeslieontheParade。 Shehadabrownfurcoatandalotofyellowflowersinherhands。 Shestoppedtospeaktome，andaskedmehowthePoetwas。Itoldherhehadacold，andIwonderedwhethershewouldlendmesixpenceifIaskedher，butIcouldnotmakeupmymindhowtobegintosayit。Itisahardthingtosay—muchharderthanyouwouldthink。Shetalkedtomeforabit，andthenshesuddenlygotintoacab，andsaid— ’I’dnoideaitwassolate，’andtoldthemanwheretogo。Andjustasshestartedsheshovedtheyellowflowersthroughthewindowandsaid，’Forthesickpoet，withmylove，’andwasdrivenoff。 Gentlereader，IwillnotconcealfromyouwhatOswalddid。Heknewallaboutnotdisgracingthefamily，andhedidnotlikedoingwhatIamgoingtosay：andtheywerereallyNoel’sflowers，onlyhecouldnothavesentthemtoHastings，andOswaldknewhewouldsay’Yes’ifOswaldaskedhim。Oswaldsacrificedhisfamilypridebecauseofhislittlesister’sdanger。Idonotsayhewasanobleboy—Ijusttellyouwhathedid，andyoucandecideforyourselfaboutthenobleness。 Heputonhisoldestclothes—they’remucholderthananyyouwouldthinkhehadifyousawhimwhenhewastidy—andhetookthoseyellowchrysanthemumsandhewalkedwiththemtoGreenwichStationandwaitedforthetrainsbringingpeoplefromLondon。Hesoldthoseflowersinpennybunchesandgottenpence。ThenhewenttothetelegraphofficeatLewisham，andsaidtotheladythere： ’Alittlegirlgaveyouabadsixpenceyesterday。Herearesixgoodpennies。’ Theladysaidshehadnotnoticedit，andnevermind，butOswaldknewthat’HonestyisthebestPolicy’，andherefusedtotakebackthepennies。SoatlastshesaidsheshouldputthemintheplateonSunday。Sheisaverynicelady。Ilikethewayshedoesherhair。 ThenOswaldwenthometoAliceandtoldher，andshehuggedhim，andsaidhewasadear，good，kindboy，andhesaid’Oh，it’sallright。’ WeboughtpeppermintbullseyeswiththefourpenceIhadover，andtheotherswantedtoknowwherewegotthemoney，butwewouldnottell。 OnlyafterwardswhenNoelcamehomewetoldhim，becausetheywerehisflowers，andhesaiditwasquiteright。Hemadesomepoetryaboutit。Ionlyrememberonebitofit。 ThenobleyouthofhighdegreeConsentstoplayamenialpart，AllforhissisterAlice’ssake，Whowassodeartohisfaithfulheart。 ButOswaldhimselfhasneverbraggedaboutit。Wegotnotreasureoutofthis，unlessyoucountthepeppermintbullseyes。 CHAPTER13 THEROBBERANDTHEBURGLAR AdayortwoafterNoelcamebackfromHastingstherewassnow;itwasjolly。Andwecleareditoffthepath。Amantodoitissixpenceatleast，andyoushouldalwayssavewhenyoucan。A pennysavedisapennyearned。Andthenwethoughtitwouldbenicetoclearitoffthetopoftheportico，whereitliessothick，andtheedgesasiftheyhadbeencutwithaknife。Andjustaswehadgotoutofthelanding—windowontotheportico，theWaterRatescameupthepathwithhisbookthathetearsthethingoutofthatsayshowmuchyouhavegottopay，andthelittleink—bottlehungontohisbuttonholeincaseyoushouldpayhim。 FathersaystheWaterRatesisasensibleman，andknowsitisalwayswelltobepreparedforwhateverhappens，howeverunlikely。 AlicesaidafterwardsthatsheratherlikedtheWaterRates，really，andNoelsaidhehadafacelikeagoodvizier，orthemanwhorewardsthehonestboyforrestoringthepurse，butwedidnotthinkaboutthesethingsatthetime，andastheWaterRatescameupthesteps，weshovelleddownagreatsquareslabofsnowlikeanavalanche—anditfellrightonhishead。Twoofusthoughtofitatthesamemoment，soitwasquitealargeavalanche。AndwhentheWaterRateshadshakenhimselfherangthebell。ItwasSaturday，andFatherwasathome。WeknownowthatitisverywrongandungentlemanlytoshovelsnowoffporticoesontotheWaterRates，oranyotherperson，andwehopehedidnotcatchacold，andweareverysorry。WeapologizedtotheWaterRateswhenFathertoldusto。Wewereallsenttobedforit。 Wealldeservedthepunishment，becausetheotherswouldhaveshovelleddownsnowjustaswedidifthey’dthoughtofit—onlytheyarenotsoquickatthinkingofthingsasweare。Andevenquitewrongthingssometimesleadtoadventures;aseveryoneknowswhohaseverreadaboutpiratesorhighwaymen。 Elizahatesustobesenttobedearly，becauseitmeansherhavingtobringmealsup，anditmeanslightingthefireinNoel’sroomeversomuchearlierthanusual。Hehadtohaveafirebecausehestillhadabitofacold。ButthisparticulardaywegotElizaintoagoodtemperbygivingherahorridbroochwithpretendingamethystsinit，thatanauntoncegavetoAlice，soElizabroughtupanextrascuttleofcoals，andwhenthegreengrocercamewiththepotatoes（heisalwayslateonSaturdays）shegotsomechestnutsfromhim。SothatwhenweheardFathergooutafterhisdinner，therewasajollyfireinNoel’sroom，andwewereabletogoinandbeRedIndiansinblanketsmostcomfortably。Elizahadgoneout;shesaysshegetsthingscheaperonSaturdaynights。Shehasagreatfriend，whosellsfishatashop，andheisverygenerous，andletsherhaveherringsforlessthanhalfthenaturalprice。 Sowewereallaloneinthehouse;PincherwasoutwithEliza，andwetalkedaboutrobbers。AndDorathoughtitwouldbeadreadfultrade，butDickysaid— ’Ithinkitwouldbeveryinteresting。Andyouwouldonlyrobrichpeople，andbeverygeneroustothepoorandneedy，likeClaudeDuval。’ Dorasaid，’Itiswrongtobearobber。’ ’Yes，’saidAlice，’youwouldneverknowahappyhour。Thinkoftryingtosleepwiththestolenjewelsunderyourbed，andrememberingallthequantitiesofpolicemenanddetectivesthatthereareintheworld！’ ’Therearewaysofbeingrobbersthatarenotwrong，’saidNoel; ’ifyoucanrobarobberitisarightact。’ ’Butyoucan’t，’saidDora;’heistooclever，andbesides，it’swronganyway。’ ’Yesyoucan，anditisn’t;andmurderinghimwithboilingoilisarightact，too，sothere！’saidNoel。’WhataboutAliBaba？Nowthen！’AndwefeltitwasascoreforNoEl。 ’Whatwouldyoudoiftherewasarobber？’saidAlice。 H。O。saidhewouldkillhimwithboilingoil;butAliceexplainedthatshemeantarealrobber—now—thisminute—inthehouse。 OswaldandDickydidnotsay;butNoelsaidhethoughtitwouldonlybefairtoasktherobberquitepolitelyandquietlytogoaway，andthenifhedidn’tyoucoulddealwithhim。 NowwhatIamgoingtotellyouisaverystrangeandwonderfulthing，andIhopeyouwillbeabletobelieveit。Ishouldnot，ifaboytoldme，unlessIknewhimtobeamanofhonour，andperhapsnotthenunlesshegavehissacredword。Butitistrue，allthesame，anditonlyshowsthatthedaysofromanceanddaringdeedsarenotyetatanend。 AlicewasjustaskingNoelhowhewoulddealwiththerobberwhowouldn’tgoifhewasaskedpolitelyandquietly，whenweheardanoisedownstairs—quiteaplainnoise，notthekindofnoiseyoufancyyouhear。Itwaslikesomebodymovingachair。Weheldourbreathandlistenedandthencameanothernoise，likesomeonepokingafire。Now，youremembertherewasnoonetopokeafireormoveachairdownstairs，becauseElizaandFatherwerebothout。 Theycouldnothavecomeinwithoutourhearingthem，becausethefrontdoorisashardtoshutasthebackone，andwhicheveryougoinbyyouhavetogiveaslamthatyoucanhearalldownthestreet。 H。O。andAliceandDoracaughtholdofeachother’sblanketsandlookedatDickyandOswald，andeveryonewasquitepale。AndNoelwhispered— ’It’sghosts，Iknowitis’—andthenwelistenedagain，buttherewasnomorenoise。PresentlyDorasaidinawhisper— ’Whatevershallwedo？Oh，whatevershallwedo—whatshallwedo？’ Andshekeptonsayingittillwehadtotellhertoshutup。 Oreader，haveyoueverbeenplayingRedIndiansinblanketsroundabedroomfireinahousewhereyouthoughttherewasnoonebutyou—andthensuddenlyheardanoiselikeachair，andafirebeingpoked，downstairs？Unlessyouhaveyouwillnotbeabletoimagineatallwhatitfeelslike。Itwasnotlikeinbooks;ourhairdidnotstandonendatall，andweneversaid’Hist！’once，butourfeetgotverycold，thoughwewereinblanketsbythefire，andtheinsidesofOswald’shandsgotwarmandwet，andhisnosewascoldlikeadog’s，andhisearswereburninghot。 Thegirlssaidafterwardsthattheyshiveredwithterror，andtheirteethchattered，butwedidnotseeorhearthisatthetime。 ’Shallweopenthewindowandcallpolice？’saidDora;andthenOswaldsuddenlythoughtofsomething，andhebreathedmorefreelyandhesaid— ’Iknowit’snotghosts，andIdon’tbelieveit’srobbers。I expectit’sastraycatgotinwhenthecoalscamethismorning，andshe’sbeenhidinginthecellar，andnowshe’smovingabout。 Let’sgodownandsee。’ Thegirlswouldn’t，ofcourse;butIcouldseethattheybreathedmorefreelytoo。ButDickysaid，’Allright;Iwillifyouwill。’ H。O。said，’Doyouthinkit’sreallyacat？’Sowesaidhehadbetterstaywiththegirls。AndofcourseafterthatwehadtolethimandAlicebothcome。DorasaidifwetookNoeldownwithhiscold，shewouldscream’Fire！’and’Murder！’andshedidn’tmindifthewholestreetheard。 SoNoelagreedtobegettinghisclotheson，andtherestofussaidwewouldgodownandlookforthecat。 NowOswaldsaidthataboutthecat，anditmadeiteasiertogodown，butinhisinsidehedidnotfeelatallsurethatitmightnotberobbersafterall。Ofcourse，wehadoftentalkedaboutrobbersbefore，butitisverydifferentwhenyousitinaroomandlistenandlistenandlisten;andOswaldfeltsomehowthatitwouldbeeasiertogodownandseewhatitwas，thantowait，andlisten，andwait，andwait，andlisten，andwait，andthenperhapstohearIt，whateveritwas，comecreepingslowlyupthestairsassoftlyasItcouldwithItsbootsoff，andthestairscreaking，towardstheroomwherewewerewiththedooropenincaseofElizacomingbacksuddenly，andalldarkonthelandings。Andthenitwouldhavebeenjustasbad，anditwouldhavelastedlonger，andyouwouldhaveknownyouwereacowardbesides。 Dickysayshefeltallthesesamethings。Manypeoplewouldsaywewereyoungheroestogodownaswedid;soIhavetriedtoexplain，becausenoyoungherowishestohavemorecreditthanhedeserves。 Thelandinggaswasturneddownlow—justabluebead—andwefourwentoutverysoftly，wrappedinourblankets，andwestoodonthetopofthestairsagoodlongtimebeforewebegantogodown。 Andwelistenedandlistenedtillourearsbuzzed。 AndOswaldwhisperedtoDicky，andDickywentintoourroomandfetchedthelargetoypistolthatisafootlong，andthathasthetriggerbroken，andItookitbecauseIamtheeldest;andIdon’tthinkeitherofusthoughtitwasthecatnow。ButAliceandH。O。 did。DickygotthepokeroutofNoel’sroom，andtoldDoraitwastosettlethecatwithwhenwecaughther。 ThenOswaldwhispered，’Let’splayatburglars;DickyandIarearmedtotheteeth，wewillgofirst。Youkeepaflightbehindus，andbeareinforcementifweareattacked。Oryoucanretreatanddefendthewomenandchildreninthefortress，ifyou’drather。’ Buttheysaidtheywouldbeareinforcement。 Oswald’steethchatteredalittlewhenhespoke。Itwasnotwithanythingelseexceptcold。 SoDickyandOswaldcreptdown，andwhenwegottothebottomofthestairs，wesawFather’sstudydoorjustajar，andthecrackoflight。AndOswaldwassopleasedtoseethelight，knowingthatburglarspreferthedark，oratanyratethedarklantern，thathefeltreallysureitwasthecatafterall，andthenhethoughtitwouldbefuntomaketheothersupstairsthinkitwasreallyarobber。Sohecockedthepistol—youcancockit，butitdoesn’tgooff—andhesaid，’Comeon，Dick！’andherushedatthestudydoorandburstintotheroom，crying，’Surrender！youarediscovered！Surrender，orIfire！Throwupyourhands！’ And，ashefinishedsayingit，hesawbeforehim，standingonthestudyhearthrug，aRealRobber。Therewasnomistakeaboutit。 Oswaldwassureitwasarobber，becauseithadascrewdriverinitshands，andwasstandingnearthecupboarddoorthatH。O。brokethelockoff;andthereweregimletsandscrewsandthingsonthefloor。Thereisnothinginthatcupboardbutoldledgersandmagazinesandthetoolchest，butofcourse，arobbercouldnotknowthatbeforehand。 WhenOswaldsawthattherereallywasarobber，andthathewassoheavilyarmedwiththescrewdriver，hedidnotfeelcomfortable。 Buthekeptthepistolpointedattherobber，and—youwillhardlybelieveit，butitistrue—therobberthrewdownthescrewdriverclatteringontheothertools，andhedidthrowuphishands，andsaid— ’Isurrender;don’tshootme！Howmanyofyouarethere？’ SoDickysaid，’Youareoutnumbered。Areyouarmed？’ Andtherobbersaid，’No，notintheleast。’ AndOswaldsaid，stillpointingthepistol，andfeelingverystrongandbraveandasifhewasinabook，’Turnoutyourpockets。’ Therobberdid：andwhileheturnedthemOut，welookedathim。Hewasofthemiddleheight，andcladinablackfrock—coatandgreytrousers。Hisbootswerealittlegoneatthesides，andhisshirt—cuffswereabitfrayed，butotherwisehewasofgentlemanlydemeanour。Hehadathin，wrinkledface，withbig，lighteyesthatsparkled，andthenlookedsoftveryqueerly，andashortbeard。Inhisyouthitmusthavebeenofafairgoldencolour，butnowitwastingedwithgrey。Oswaldwassorryforhim，especiallywhenhesawthatoneofhispocketshadalargeholeinit，andthathehadnothinginhispocketsbutlettersandstringandthreeboxesofmatches，andapipeandahandkerchiefandathintobaccopouchandtwopennies。Wemadehimputallthethingsonthetable，andthenhesaid— ’Well，you’vecaughtme;whatareyougoingtodowithme？ Police？’ AliceandH。O。hadcomedowntobereinforcements，whentheyheardashout，andwhenAlicesawthatitwasaRealRobber，andthathehadsurrendered，sheclappedherhandsandsaid，’Bravo，boys！’andsodidH。O。Andnowshesaid，’Ifhegiveshiswordofhonournottoescape，Ishouldn’tcallthepolice：itseemsapity。WaittillFathercomeshome。’ Therobberagreedtothis，andgavehiswordofhonour，andaskedifhemightputonapipe，andwesaid’Yes，’andhesatinFather’sarmchairandwarmedhisboots，whichsteamed，andIsentH。O。andAlicetoputonsomeclothesandtelltheothers，andbringdownDicky’sandmyknickerbockers，andtherestofthechestnuts。 Andtheyallcame，andwesatroundthefire，anditwasjolly。 Therobberwasveryfriendly，andtalkedtousagreatdeal。 ’Iwasn’talwaysinthislowwayofbusiness，’hesaid，whenNoelsaidsomethingaboutthethingshehadturnedoutofhispockets。 ’It’sagreatcome—downtoamanlikeme。But，ifImustbecaught，it’ssomethingtobecaughtbybraveyoungheroeslikeyou。 Mystars！Howyoudidboltintotheroom，—\"Surrender，andupwithyourhands！\"Youmighthavebeenbornandbredtothethief—catching。’ Oswaldissorryifitwasmean，buthecouldnotownupjustthenthathedidnotthinktherewasanyoneinthestudywhenhedidthatbraveifrashact。Hehastoldsince。 ’Andwhatmadeyouthinktherewasanyoneinthehouse？’therobberasked，whenhehadthrownhisheadback，andlaughedforquitehalfaminute。Sowetoldhim。Andheapplaudedourvalour，andAliceandH。O。explainedthattheywouldhavesaid’Surrender，’too，onlytheywerereinforcements。 Therobberatesomeofthechestnuts—andwesatandwonderedwhenFatherwouldcomehome，andwhathewouldsaytousforourintrepidconduct。Andtherobbertoldusofallthethingshehaddonebeforehebegantobreakintohouses。Dickypickedupthetoolsfromthefloor，andsuddenlyhesaid— ’Why，thisisFather’sscrewdriverandhisgimlets，andall！Well，Idocallitjollycheektopickaman’slockswithhisowntools！’ ’True，true，’saidtherobber。’Itischeek，ofthejolliest！ButyouseeI’vecomedownintheworld。Iwasahighwayrobberonce，buthorsesaresoexpensivetohire—fiveshillingsanhour，youknow—andIcouldn’taffordtokeepthem。Thehighwaymanbusinessisn’twhatitwas。’ ’Whataboutabike？’saidH。O。 Buttherobberthoughtcycleswerelow—andbesidesyoucouldn’tgoacrosscountrywiththemwhenoccasionarose，asyoucouldwithatrustysteed。Andhetalkedofhighwaymenasifheknewjusthowwelikedhearingit。 Thenhetoldushowhehadbeenapiratecaptain—andhowhehadsailedoverwavesmountainshigh，andgainedrichprizes—andhowhedidbegintothinkthatherehehadfoundaprofessiontohismind。 ’Idon’tsaytherearenoupsanddownsinit，’hesaid，’especiallyinstormyweather。Butwhatatrade！Andaswordatyourside，andtheJollyRogerflyingatthepeak，andaprizeinsight。Andalltheblackmouthsofyourgunspointedattheladentrader—andthewindinyourfavour，andyourtrustycrewreadytoliveanddieforyou！Oh—butit’sagrandlife！’ Ididfeelsosorryforhim。Heusedsuchnicewords，andhehadagentleman’svoice。 ’I’msureyouweren’tbroughtuptobeapirate，’saidDora。Shehaddressedeventohercollar—andmadeNoeldoittoo—buttherestofuswereinblanketswithjustafewoddthingsputonanyhowunderneath。 Therobberfrownedandsighed。 ’No，’hesaid，’Iwasbroughtuptothelaw。IwasatBalliol，blessyourhearts，andthat’strueanyway。’Hesighedagain，andlookedhardatthefire。 ’ThatwasmyFather’scollege，’H。O。wasbeginning，butDickysaid—’Whydidyouleaveoffbeingapirate？’ ’Apirate？’hesaid，asifhehadnotbeenthinkingofsuchthings。 ’Oh，yes;whyIgaveitupbecause—becauseIcouldnotgetoverthedreadfulsea—sickness。’ ’Nelsonwassea—sick，’saidOswald。 ’Ah，’saidtherobber;’butIhadn’thisluckorhispluck，orsomething。HestucktoitandwonTrafalgar，didn’the？\"Kissme，Hardy\"—andallthat，eh？Icouldn’tsticktoit—Ihadtoresign。Andnobodykissedme。’ IsawbyhisunderstandingaboutNelsonthathewasreallyamanwhohadbeentoagoodschoolaswellastoBalliol。 Thenweaskedhim，’Andwhatdidyoudothen？’ AndAliceaskedifhewaseveracoiner，andwetoldhimhowwehadthoughtwe’dcaughtthedesperategangnextdoor，andhewasverymuchinterestedandsaidhewasgladhehadnevertakentocoining。 ’Besides，thecoinsaresouglynowadays，’hesaid，’noonecouldreallyfindanypleasureinmakingthem。Andit’sahole—and—cornerbusinessatthebest，isn’tit？—anditmustbeaverythirstyone—withthehotmetalandfurnacesandthings。’ Andagainhelookedatthefire。 Oswaldforgotforaminutethattheinterestingstrangerwasarobber，andaskedhimifhewouldn’thaveadrink。OswaldhasheardFatherdothistohisfriends，soheknowsitistherightthing。Therobbersaidhedidn’tmindifhedid。Andthatisright，too。 AndDorawentandgotabottleofFather’sale—theLightSparklingFamily—andaglass，andwegaveittotherobber。Dorasaidshewouldberesponsible。 Thenwhenhehadhadadrinkhetoldusaboutbandits，buthesaiditwassobadinwetweather。Bandits’caveswerehardlyeverproperlyweathertight。Andbush—rangingwasthesame。 ’Asamatteroffact，’hesaid，’Iwasbush—rangingthisafternoon，amongthefurze—bushesontheHeath，butIhadnoluck。IstoppedtheLordMayorinhisgiltcoach，withallhisfootmeninplushandgoldlace，smartascockatoos。Butitwasnogo。TheLordMayorhadn’tastiverinhispockets。Oneofthefootmenhadsixnewpennies：theLordMayoralwayspayshisservants’wagesinnewpennies。Ispentfourpenceofthatinbreadandcheese，thatonthetable’sthetuppence。Ah，it’sapoortrade！’Andthenhefilledhispipeagain。 Wehadturnedoutthegas，sothatFathershouldhaveajollygoodsurprisewhenhedidcomehome，andwesatandtalkedaspleasantascouldbe。IneverlikedanewmanbetterthanIlikedthatrobber。AndIfeltsosorryforhim。Hetoldushehadbeenawar—correspondentandaneditor，inhappierdays，aswellasahorse—stealerandacolonelofdragoons。 Andquitesuddenly，justasweweretellinghimaboutLordTottenhamandourbeinghighwaymenourselves，heputuphishandandsaid’Shish！’andwewerequietandlistened。 Therewasascrape，scrape，scrapingnoise;itcamefromdownstairs。