"I smell a moral," murmured the said Richard.
"Your scent must be keen," said the story-teller, "for it is a long way off. Well, he had never felt them so objectionable as on one particular night, when the house being full of company, it was decided that the boys should sleep in "barracks," as they called it; that is, all in one large room."
"Thank goodness we have not come to that!" said the incorrigible Richard; but he was reduced to order by threats of being turned out, and contented himself with burning the soles of his boots against the bars of the grate in silence: and the friend continued:
"But this was not the worst. Not only was he, Melchior, to sleep in the same room with his brothers, but his bed being the longest and largest, his youngest brother was to sleep at the other end of it--foot to foot.
True, by this means he got another pillow, for of course that little Hop-o"-my-thumb could do without one, and so he took his; but in spite of this, he determined that, sooner than submit to such an indignity, he would sit up all night. Accordingly, when all the rest were fast asleep, Melchior, with his boots off and his waistcoat easily unb.u.t.toned, sat over the fire in the long lumber-room, which served that night as "barracks". He had refused to eat any supper down-stairs to mark his displeasure, and now repaid himself by a stolen meal according to his own taste. He had got a pork-pie, a little bread and cheese, some large onions to roast, a couple of raw apples, an orange, and papers of soda and tartaric acid to compound effervescing draughts. When these dainties were finished, he proceeded to warm some beer in a pan, with ginger, spice, and sugar, and then lay back in his chair and sipped it slowly, gazing before him, and thinking over his misfortunes.
"The night wore on, the fire got lower and lower; and still Melchior sat, with his eyes fixed on a dirty old print, that had hung above the mantel-piece for years, sipping his "brew," which was fast getting cold.
The print represented an old man in a light costume, with a scythe in one hand, and an hour-gla.s.s in the other; and underneath the picture in flourishing capitals was the word TIME.
""You"re a nice old beggar," said Melchior, dreamily. "You look like an old haymaker, who has come to work in his shirt-sleeves, and forgotten the rest of his clothes. Time! time you went to the tailor"s, I think."
"This was very irreverent: but Melchior was not in a respectful mood; and as for the old man, he was as calm as any philosopher.
"The night wore on, and the fire got lower and lower, and at last went out altogether.
""How stupid of me not to have mended it! said Melchior; but he had not mended it, and so there was nothing for it but to go to bed; and to bed he went accordingly.
""But I won"t go to sleep," he said; "no, no; I shall keep awake, and to-morrow they shall know that I have had a bad night."
"So he lay in bed with his eyes wide open, and staring still at the old print, which he could see from his bed by the light of the candle, which he had left alight on the mantel-piece to keep him awake. The flame waved up and down, for the room was draughty; and, as the lights and shadows pa.s.sed over the old man"s face, Melchior almost fancied that it nodded to him, so he nodded back again; and as that tired him he shut his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again there was no longer any doubt--the old man"s head was moving; and not only his head, but his legs, and his whole body. Finally, he put his feet out of the frame, and prepared to step right over the mantel-piece, candle, and all.
""Take care," Melchior tried to say, "you"ll set fire to your shirt." But he could not utter a sound; and the old man arrived safely on the floor, where he seemed to grow larger and larger, till he was fully the size of a man, but still with the same scythe and hour-gla.s.s, and the same airy costume. Then he came across the room, and sat down by Melchior"s bedside.
""Who are you?" said Melchior, feeling rather creepy.
""TIME," said his visitor, in a deep voice, which sounded as if it came from a distance.
""Oh, to be sure, yes! In copper plate capitals."
""What"s in copper-plate capitals?" inquired Time.
""Your name, under the print."
""Very likely," said Time.
"Melchior felt more and more uneasy. "You must be very cold," he said.
"Perhaps you would feel warmer if you went back into the picture."
""Not at all." said Time; "I have come on purpose to see you."
""I have not the pleasure of knowing you," said Melchior, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.
""There are not many people who have a personal acquaintance with me,"
said his visitor. "You have an advantage,--I am your G.o.dfather."
""Indeed," said Melchior; "I never heard of it."
""Yes," said his visitor; "and you will find it a great advantage."
""Would you like to put on my coat?" said Melchior, trying to be civil.
""No, thank you," was the answer. "You will want it yourself. We must be driving soon."
""Driving!" said Melchior.
""Yes," was the answer: "all the world is driving; and you must drive; and here come your brothers and sisters."
"Melchior sat up; and there they were, sure enough, all dressed, and climbing one after the other on to the bed--_his_ bed!
"There was that little minx of a sister with her curls. There was that clever brother, with his untidy hair and bent shoulders, who was just as bad the other way, and was forever moping and reading. There was that little Hop-o"-my-thumb, as lively as any of them, a young monkey, the worst of all; who was always in mischief, and consorting with the low boys in the village. There was the second brother, who was Melchior"s chief companion, and against whom he had no particular quarrel. And there was the little pale lame sister, whom he dearly loved; but whom, odd to say, he never tried to improve at all. There were others who were all tiresome in their respective ways; and one after the other they climbed up.
""What are you doing, getting on to my bed?" inquired the indignant brother, as soon as he could speak.
""Don"t you know the difference between a bed and a coach, G.o.dson?" said Time, sharply.
"Melchior was about to retort, but, on looking round, he saw that they were really in a large sort of coach with very wide windows. "I thought I was in bed," he muttered. "What can I have been dreaming of?"
""What, indeed!" said the G.o.dfather. "But be quick, and sit close, for you have all to get in; you are all brothers and sisters."
""Must families be together?" inquired Melchior, dolefully.
""Yes, at first," was the answer; "they get separated in time. In fact, every one has to cease driving sooner or later. I drop them on the road at different stages, according to my orders," and he showed a bundle of papers in his hands; "but as I favor you, I will tell you in confidence that I have to drop all your brothers and sisters before you. There, you four oldest sit on this side, you five others there, and the little one must stand or be nursed."
""Ugh!" said Melchior, "the coach would be well enough if one was alone; but what a squeeze with all these brats! I say, go pretty quick, will you?"
""I will," said Time, "if you wish it. But beware that you cannot change your mind. If I go quicker for your sake, I shall never go slow again; if slower, I shall not again go quick; and I only favor you so far, because you are my G.o.dson. Here, take the check-string; when you want me, pull it, and speak through the tube. Now we"re off."
"Whereupon the old man mounted the box, and took the reins. He had no whip; but when he wanted to start, he shook the hour-gla.s.s, and off they went. Then Melchior saw that the road where they were driving was very broad, and so filled with vehicles of all kinds that he could not see the hedges. The noise and crowd and dust were very great; and to Melchior all seemed delightfully exciting. There was every sort of conveyance, from the grandest coach to the humblest donkey-cart; and they seemed to have enough to do to escape being run over. Among all the gay people there were many whom he knew; and a very nice thing it seemed to be to drive among all the grandees, and to show his handsome face at the window, and bow and smile to his acquaintance. Then it appeared to be the fashion to wrap one"s self in a tiger-skin rug, and to look at life through an opera-gla.s.s, and old Time had kindly put one of each into the coach.
"But here again Melchior was much troubled by his brothers and sisters.
Just at the moment when he was wishing to look most fashionable and elegant, one or other of them would pull away the rug, or drop the gla.s.s, or quarrel, or romp, or do something that spoiled the effect. In fact, one and all, they "just spoilt everything;" and the more he scolded, the worse they became. The "minx" shook her curls, and flirted through the window with a handsome but ill-tempered looking man on a fine horse, who praised her "golden locks," as he called them; and oddly enough, when Melchior said that the man was a lout, and that the locks in question were corkscrewy carrot shavings, she only seemed to like the man and his compliments the more. Meanwhile, the untidy brother pored over his book, or if he came to the window, it was only to ridicule the fine ladies and gentlemen, so Melchior sent him to Coventry. Then Hop-o"-my-thumb had taken to make signs and exchange jokes with some disreputable-looking youths in a dog-cart; and when his brother would have put him to "sit still like a gentleman" at the bottom of the coach, he seemed positively to prefer his low companions; and the rest were little better.
"Poor Melchior! Surely there never was a clearer case of a young gentleman"s comfort destroyed solely by other people"s perverse determination to be happy in their own way instead of in his.
"At last he lost patience, and pulling the check-string, bade G.o.dfather Time drive as fast as he could.
"G.o.dfather Time frowned, but shook his gla.s.s all the same, and away they went at a famous pace. All at once they came to a stop.
""Now for it," said Melchior; "here goes one at any rate."
"Time called out the name of the second brother over his shoulder; and the boy stood up, and bade his brothers and sisters good-bye.
""It is time that I began to push my way in the world," said he, and pa.s.sed out of the coach and in among the crowd.
""You have taken the only quiet boy," said Melchior to the G.o.dfather, angrily. "Drive fast, now, for pity"s sake; and let us get rid of the tiresome ones."