"If he"s thy bairn, mester," cried the virago-like woman who had helped Mrs Gentles, "thou ought to be proud of him."
"And so I am," cried Uncle Jack, laying his hand upon my shoulder.
Here there was a loud "hurrah!" set up by the men, and the women joined in shrilly, while a couple of men with big mugs elbowed their way towards us.
"Here, lay holt, mester," said one to Uncle Jack; "drink that--it"ll keep out the cold."
At the same moment a mug was forced into my hand, and in response to a nod from Uncle Jack I took a hearty draught of some strong mixture which I believe was gin and beer.
"How is the child?" said Uncle Jack.
"Doctor says he can"t tell yet, but hopes he"ll pull bairn through."
"Now, my lads," said Uncle Jack, "you don"t want us to catch cold?"
"No.--Hurray!"
"Nor you neither, my good women?"
"Nay, G.o.d bless thee, no!" was chorused.
"Then good-bye! And if one of you will run down to our place and tell us how the little child is by and by, I"ll be glad."
"Nay, thou"llt shake han"s wi" me first," said the big virago-like woman, whose drenched clothes clung to her from top to toe.
"That I will," cried Uncle Jack, suiting the action to the word by holding out his; but to his surprise the woman laid her hands upon his shoulders, the tears streaming down her cheeks, and kissed him in simple north-country fashion.
"G.o.d bless thee, my mahn!" she said with a sob. "Thou may"st be a Lunnoner, but thou"rt a true un, and thou"st saved to-day as good a wife and mother as ever stepped."
Here there was another tremendous cheer; and to avoid fresh demonstrations I s.n.a.t.c.hed my clothes from the woman who held them, and we hurried off to get back to Mrs Stephenson"s as quickly and quietly as we could.
Quickly! Quietly! We were mad to expect it; for we had to go home in the midst of a rapidly-increasing crowd, who kept up volley after volley of cheers, and pressed to our sides to shake hands.
That latter display of friendliness we escaped during the finish of our journey; for in spite of all Uncle Jack could do to prevent it, big as he was, they hoisted him on the shoulders of a couple of great furnacemen, a couple more carrying me, and so we were taken home.
I never felt so much ashamed in my life, but there was nothing for it but to be patient; and, like most of such scenes, it came to an end by our reaching Mrs Stephenson"s and nearly frightening her to death.
"Bless my heart!" she cried, "I thought there"d been some accident, and you was both brought home half-killed. Just hark at "em! The street"s full, and the carts can hardly get by."
And so it was; for whenever, as I towelled myself into a glow, I peeped round the blind, there was the great crowd shouting and hurrahing with all their might.
For the greater part they were workmen and boys, all in their shirt-sleeves and without caps; but there was a large sprinkling of big motherly women there; and the more I looked the more abashed I felt, for first one and then another seemed to be telling the story to a listening knot, as I could see by the motion of her hands imitating swimming.
Two hours after we were cheered by the news that my efforts had not been in vain, for after a long fight the doctor had brought the child to; and that night, when we thought all the fuss was over, there came six great booms from a big drum, and a powerful bra.s.s band struck up, "See, the Conquering Hero comes!" Then the mob that had gathered cheered and shouted till we went to the window and thanked them; and then they cheered again, growing quite mad with excitement as a big strapping woman, in a black silk bonnet and a scarlet shawl, came up to the door and was admitted and brought into the parlour.
I was horrified, for it was big Mrs Gentles, and I had a dread of another scene.
I need not have been alarmed, for there was a sweet natural quietness in the woman that surprised us all, as she said with the tears running down her cheeks:
"I"m only a poor common sort of woman, gentlemen, but I think a deal o"
my bairns, and I"ve come to say I"ll never forget a prayer for the bonny boy who saved my little laddie, nor for the true brave gentleman who saved me to keep them still."
Uncle Jack shook hands with her, insisting upon her having a gla.s.s of wine, but she would not sit down, and after she had drunk her wine she turned to me.
I put out my hand, but she threw her arms round my neck, kissed me quickly on each cheek, and ran sobbing out of the room, and nearly oversetting Mr Tomplin, who was coming up.
"Hallo, my hero!" he cried, shaking hands with me.
"Please, please don"t, Mr Tomplin," I cried. "I feel as if I"d never do such a thing again as long as I live."
"Don"t say that, my boy," he cried. "Say it if you like, though. You don"t mean it. I say, though, you folks have done it now."
We had done more than we thought, for the next morning when we walked down to the office and Uncle Jack was saying that we must not be done out of our holiday, who should be waiting at the gate but Gentles.
"Ugh!" said Uncle Jack; "there"s that scoundrel. I hate that man. I wish it had been someone else"s child you had saved, Cob. Well, my man," he cried roughly, "what is it?"
Gentles had taken off his cap, a piece of politeness very rare among his set, and he looked down on the ground for a minute or two, and then ended a painful silence by saying:
"I"ve been a reg"lar bad un to you and yours, mester; but it was the traade as made me do it."
"Well, that"s all over now, Gentles, and you"ve come to apologise?"
"Yes, mester, that"s it. I"m down sorry, I am, and if you"ll tek me on again I"ll sarve you like a man--ay, and I"ll feight for thee like a man agen the traade."
"Are you out of work?"
"Nay, mester, I can always get plenty if I like to wuck."
"Do you mean what you say, Gentles?"
"Why, mester, wouldn"t I hev been going to club to-day for money to bury a bairn and best wife a man ivver hed if it hadn"t been for you two.
Mester, I"d do owt for you now."
"I believe you, Gentles," said Uncle Jack in his firm way. "Go back to your stone."
Gentles smiled all over his face, and ran in before us whistling loudly with his fingers, and the men all turned out and cheered us over and over again, looking as delighted as so many boys.
"Mr Tomplin"s right," said Uncle d.i.c.k; "we"ve done it at last."
"No, not yet," said Uncle Jack; "we"ve won the men to our side and all who know us will take our part, but there is that ugly demon to exorcise yet that they call the traade."
That night I was going back alone when my heart gave a sort of leap, for just before me, and apparently waylaying me, were two of the boys who had been foremost in hunting me that day. My temper rose and my cheeks flushed; but they had come upon no inimical errand, for they both laughed in a tone that bespoke them the sons of Gentles, and the bigger one spoke in a bashful sort of way.
"Moother said we was to come and ax your pardon, mester. It were on"y meant for a game, and she leathered us both for it."
"And will you hev this?" said the other, holding out something in a piece of brown-paper.
"I sha"n"t take any more notice of it," I said quietly; "but I don"t want any present."