"Hark you, Master Alfred Burghe. Don"t you dare to take my name between your lips again! and don"t you dare to come near me as long as you live, or even to say to anybody that you were ever acquainted with me! If you do I will make my papa have you hanged! For I do not choose to know a thief, liar, and coward!"
"Claudia! Claudia! Claudia! You shock me beyond all measure, my dear!"
exclaimed the lady in a tone of real pain; and then lowering her voice she whispered--""Thief, liar, coward!" what shocking words to issue from a young lady"s lips."
"I know they are not nice words, Aunt Middleton, and if you will only teach me nicer ones I will use them instead. But are there any pretty words for ugly tricks?"
As this question was a "poser" that Mrs. Middleton did not attempt to answer, the little lady continued very demurely:
"I will look in "Webster" when I get home and see if there are."
"My boy," said Mr. Middleton, approaching our lad, "I have accused you wrongfully. I am sorry for it and beg your pardon."
Ishmael looked up in surprise and with an "Oh, sir, please don"t,"
blushed and hung his head. It seemed really dreadful to this poor boy that this grave and dignified gentleman should ask his pardon! And yet Mr. Middleton lost no dignity in this simple act, because it was right; he had wronged the poor lad, and owed an apology just as much as if he had wronged the greatest man in the country.
"And now, my boy," continued the gentleman, "be always as honest, as truthful, and as fearless as you have shown yourself to-day, and though your lot in life may be very humble--aye, of the very humblest--yet you will be respected in your lowly sphere." Here the speaker opened his portmonnaie and took from it a silver dollar, saying, "Take this, my boy, not as a reward for your integrity,--that, understand, is a matter of more worth than to be rewarded with money,--but simply as payment for your time and trouble in defending my property."
"Oh, sir, please don"t. I really don"t want the money," said Ishmael, shrinking from the offered coin.
"Oh, nonsense, my boy! You must be paid, you know," said Mr. Middleton, urging the dollar upon him.
"But I do not want pay for a mere act of civility," persisted Ishmael, drawing back.
"But your time and trouble, child; they are money to lads in your line of life."
"If you please, sir, it was a holiday, and I had nothing else to do."
"But take this to oblige me."
"Indeed, sir, I don"t want it. The professor is very freehearted and pays me well for my work."
"The professor? What professor, my boy? I thought I had the honor to be the only professor in the neighborhood," said the gentleman, smiling.
"I mean Professor Jim Morris, sir," replied Ishmael, in perfect good faith.
"Oh! yes, exactly; I have heard of that ingenious and useful individual, who seems to have served his time at all trades, and taken degrees in all arts and sciences; but I did not know he was called a professor. So you are a student in his college!" smiled Mr. Middleton.
"I help him, sir, and he pays me," answered the boy.
"And what is your name, my good little fellow?"
"Ishmael Worth, sir."
"Oh, yes, exactly; you are the son of the little weaver up on Hut Hill, just across the valley from Brudenell Heights?"
"I am her nephew, sir."
"Are your parents living?"
"No, sir; I have been an orphan from my birth."
"Poor boy! And you are depending on your aunt for a home, and on your own labor for a support?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, Ishmael, as you very rightly take pay from my brother professor, I do not know why you should refuse it from me."
Ishmael perhaps could not answer that question to his own satisfaction.
At all events, he hesitated a moment before he replied:
"Why, you see, sir, what I do for the other professor is all in the line of my business; but the small service I have done for you is only a little bit of civility that I am always so glad to show to any gentleman--I mean to anybody at all, sir; even a poor wagoner, I often hold horses for them, sir! And, bless you, they couldn"t pay me a penny."
"But I can, my boy! and besides you not only held my horse, and watered him, and rubbed him down, and watched my carriage, but you fought a stout battle in defense of my goods, and got yourself badly bruised by the thieves, and unjustly accused by me. Certainly, it is a poor offering I make in return for your services and sufferings in my interests. Here, my lad, I have thought better of it; here is a half eagle. Take it and buy something for yourself."
"Indeed, indeed, sir, I cannot. Please don"t keep on asking me,"
persisted Ishmael, drawing back with a look of distress and almost of reproach on his fine face.
Now, why could not the little fellow take the money that was pressed upon him? He wanted it badly enough, Heaven knows! His best clothes were all patches, and this five dollar gold piece would have bought him a new suit. And besides there was an "Ill.u.s.trated History of the United States" in that book-shop, that really and truly Ishmael would have been willing to give a finger off either of his hands to possess; and its price was just three dollars. Now, why didn"t the little wretch take the money and buy the beautiful book with which his whole soul was enamored?
The poor child did not know himself. But you and I know, reader, don"t we? We know that he could not take the money, with the arm of that black-eyed little lady around his neck!
Yes, the arm of Claudia was still most tenderly and protectingly encircling his neck, and every few minutes she would draw down his rough head caressingly to her own damask cheek.
Shocking, wasn"t it? And you wonder how her aunt and uncle could have stood by and permitted it. Because they couldn"t help it. Miss Claudia was a little lady, angel born, who had never been contradicted in her life. Her father was a crochety old fellow, with a "theory," one result of which was that he let his trees and his daughter grow up unpruned as they liked.
But do not mistake Miss Claudia, or think her any better or any worse than she really was. Her caresses of the peasant boy looked as if she was republican in her principles and "fast" in her manners. She was neither the one nor the other. So far from being republican, she was just the most ingrained little aristocrat that ever lived! She was an aristocrat from the crown of her little, black, ringletted head to the sole of her tiny, gaitered foot; from her heart"s core to her scarf-skin; so perfect an aristocrat that she was quite unconscious of being so. For instance, she looked upon herself as very little lower than the angels; and upon the working cla.s.ses as very little higher than the brutes; if in her heart she acknowledged that all in the human shape were human, that was about the utmost extent of her liberalism. She and they were both clay, to be sure, but she was of the finest porcelain clay and they of the coa.r.s.est potter"s earth. This theory had not been taught her, it was born in her, and so entirely natural and sincere that she was almost unconscious of its existence; certainly unsuspicious of its fallacy.
Thus, you see, she caressed Ishmael just exactly as she would have caressed her own Newfoundland dog; she defended his truth and honesty from false accusation just as she would have defended Fido"s from a similar charge; she praised his fidelity and courage just as she would have praised Fido"s; for, in very truth, she rated the peasant boy not one whit higher than the dog! Had she been a degree less proud, had she looked upon Ishmael as a human being with like pa.s.sions and emotions as her own, she might have been more reserved in her manner. But being as proud as she was, she caressed and protected the n.o.ble peasant boy as a kind-hearted little lady would have caressed and protected a n.o.ble specimen of the canine race! Therefore, what might have been considered very forward and lowering in another little lady, was perfectly graceful and dignified in Miss Merlin.
But, meanwhile, the poor, earnest, enthusiastic boy! He didn"t know that she rated him as low as any four-footed pet! He thought she appreciated him, very highly, too highly, as a human being! And his great little heart burned and glowed with joy and grat.i.tude! And he would no more have taken pay for doing her uncle a service than he would have picked a pocket or robbed a henroost! He just adored her lovely clemency, and he was even turning over in his mind the problem how he, a poor, poor boy, hardly able to afford himself a halfpenny candle to read by, after dark, could repay her kindness--what could he find, invent, or achieve to please her!
Of all this Miss Claudia only understood his grat.i.tude; and it pleased her as the grat.i.tude of Fido might have done.
And she left his side for a moment, and raised herself on tiptoe and whispered to her uncle:
"Uncle, he is a n.o.ble fellow--isn"t he, now? But he loves me better than he does you. So let me give him something."
Mr. Middleton placed the five dollar piece in her hand.
"No, no, no--not that! Don"t you see it hurts his feelings to offer him that?"
"Well--but what then?"
"I"ll tell you: When we drove up to Hamlin"s I saw him standing before the shop, with his hands in his pockets, staring at the books in the windows, just as I have seen hungry children stare at the tarts and cakes in a pastry cook"s. And I know he is hungry for a book! Now uncle, let me give him a book."
"Yes; but had not I better give it to him, Claudia?"
"Oh, if you like, and he"ll take it from you! But, you know, there"s Fido now, who sometimes gets contrary, and won"t take anything from your hand, but no matter how contrary he is, will always take anything from mine. But you may try, uncle--you may try!"