CHAPTER SEVEN.
BEEBEE"S FATE IS SEALED.
It was a day or two after, that Shireen once more met her friends, but this time it was on the sunny lawn in front of Uncle Ben"s bungalow.
They were all there except Chammy the chameleon. No one knew for the present where he was. He had eaten an extra supply of mealworms and flies the day before, and forthwith disappeared. In a fortnight"s time perhaps, he might be found in the fold of a curtain, or behind the ventilator in the Colonel"s study, or he might be brought up from the cellar in a scuttle of coals, or tumble out of a bag of flour when the cook went to make a dumpling, for no one could ever say for certain where Chammy might or might not be.
But on this particular afternoon Colonel Clarkson and Uncle Ben were drinking iced sherbet, and smoking their pipes in peace at a little wicker table under the shadow of the great chestnut tree.
Warlock and Tabby had just come back from a long ramble in the woods, and thrown themselves down beside Shireen and her foster son, Vee-Vee, the Pomeranian, c.o.c.kie, and d.i.c.k, the starling, were bandying words together on the gowany lawn. [The gowan is the mountain daisy.]
It would have been very difficult indeed for a stranger to have told whether they were quarrelling or not.
One thing is certain, they were each of them trotting out all the words in their somewhat limited vocabulary for the other"s benefit, no matter whether they were relevant or not.
d.i.c.k was much more active than c.o.c.kie, and ran round and round him on the lawn, pausing occasionally to thrust his beak into the ground, and opening it out like a pair of compa.s.ses, peep into the hole to see if a worm were at home.
I have said that d.i.c.k kept running round and round c.o.c.kie. He certainly described a circle about two yards from the c.o.c.katoo--he knew better than to come any nearer, for the big bird had a punishing beak--but seeing that c.o.c.kie in the centre went wheeling about, and always faced d.i.c.k, it becomes a question whether d.i.c.k actually did go round him.
What do you think?
And all the while the two kept talking.
Not that their conversation was very edifying. I shall give you a sample.
_d.i.c.k_.--(After swallowing a worm six inches long.) "Tse, tse, tse, tse!
Pretty d.i.c.k! Pr-r-r-etty d.i.c.k!"
_c.o.c.kie_.--"Pretty c.o.c.kie!"
_d.i.c.k_.--"d.i.c.k"s a darling starling, master"s pretty pet."
_c.o.c.kie_.--"Poo-oor c.o.c.kie!"
_d.i.c.k_.--"Eh? Eh? What is it? What d"ye say? Tse, tse, tse! You rr-r-rascal!"
_c.o.c.kie_.--"c.o.c.kie wants to go to bed!"
_d.i.c.k_.--"You r-rascal! Sugar, snails, and sop! What is it, you r-rascal? Whew, whew, whew!" (whistling).
_c.o.c.kie_ (singing).--"Lal de lal, de dal, de dal."
_d.i.c.k_ (talking very fast).--"d.i.c.k"s a darling! d.i.c.k"s a starling!
d.i.c.k"s a master"s pretty pet, sugar, snails, and pretty sop; you r-r-rascal!"
d.i.c.k now hauls out an extra long worm. c.o.c.kie shrieks as if he had seen a snake. d.i.c.k, frightened out of his wits, lets go the worm, and flies off to perch on the tabby cat"s glossy back, and commences--a favourite trick of his--to go through the motions of having a bath.
"Well, Mother Shireen," says Warlock.
"Well, children, so you"ve got back?"
"Oh, Mother Shireen, what a day we"ve been having!" says Tabby.
"Yes," cries Warlock, "it"s been an out and outer."
"You haven"t been naughty, I hope?"
"Oh, no, that is not particularly. But I chased Mother Maver"s old grey cat, though I didn"t mean to have done so; but what does she always want to spit at me for I want to know? And I jumped at Farmer Dobbs" game c.o.c.k, and nearly had him by the tail. Oh, didn"t he skraigh just! and didn"t the chickens fly! And then old Farmer Dobbs flew at me with the garden rake. But I don"t care, for his c.o.c.k once struck me on the head with his foot and made a hole in it. Then Tab and I went to the woods.
It is fine fun being in the woods. We found a wild bees" hive. Honey is so nice, though Tab doesn"t care for it. But I soon had the combs out, and I"m afraid I killed all the bees. Twenty settled on my back, then I rolled over and over with my heels in the air, and that settled them. We went to the weasel"s nest, but the weasel must have seen us coming. Weasels are wily, you know. But Tab killed a wild pigeon, and I killed a mole. We tried to get a rabbit, but couldn"t. Then we spent a whole hour trying to catch a water rat, but they are wily like the weasels, and the door of their house is deep down under the water. Tab isn"t much good in the water, but you can"t beat her in a tree. Some day we are going to ask Cracker to come with us to the water-rat"s bank, and we"ll sink a mine, and then see if the rats can make fools of Tab and me. On our way back, we pa.s.sed old Farmer Dobbs" place again, and then we had it out."
"Had what out?" said Vee-Vee.
"Why the game c.o.c.k"s tail. He was in a field with his hens, and said something cheeky to us as we pa.s.sed, and I went for him. He flew up into a tree, but Tab soon had him down out of that. Tab is simply a treat in a tree. Then I grabbed him by the tail, and, oh, didn"t the feathers fly just! You _would_ have laughed. We left in rather a hurry, because old Farmer Dobbs went in to get his gun. We shan"t go Farmer Dobbs" way again for a whole fortnight. But come, Shireen, tell us a little more of your story. You left yourself at Beebee"s beautiful palace in Persia."
Yes, said Shireen, and soon after that ruby had been placed in my tooth, an event occurred that altered the whole course of my life, and of poor Beebee"s too.
I do not know how old Beebee was at this time, but I think she must have been about twelve, and she appeared to me to get more and more beautiful every day.
Now, never during all my lifetime had I seen Beebee"s father, and I was now over six months old; but one day great preparations were being made at the palace, slaves and servants were running about everywhere, and the lovely saloons were decorated with flowers, and hung round with many coloured lamps. I was not therefore surprised to be told by Beebee that her father was about to pay a visit to his home, previous to accompanying the Shah on a long journey to Europe, and over to England itself.
"Oh, how much I should like to go," she sighed, "and if I did, you too, my sweet Shireen, should accompany me."
Then one forenoon the father arrived in great state, with many camels and horses, and even accompanied by several elephants. With him came many other great men and dignitaries of the court, and they feasted for many days together. But all this time my poor little mistress was confined to her apartments.
One day--this was his only visit--Beebee"s father came to see her.
He was indeed a n.o.ble-looking man, and splendidly dressed in silken robes of many colours, and a cloak of camel"s hair, from under which peeped out a richly-jewelled sword-hilt. On his head was a gilded turban; on his feet were beautiful sandals.
Beebee ran to meet him, and stood before him with downcast eyes. She was prepared to rush into his arms and be embraced, but he only smiled and coldly took her hand.
Then he sank into an ottoman with graceful ease, whilst she remained standing by his side.
"My daughter grows taller, and she grows beautiful. She has a happy future before her. I have come to say farewell for a time. I have a long journey, and many long voyages before me. Beebee will see me when I return."
Then she dropped on her knees before him, and clasping her hands as if in prayer, held them up towards him.
"My father," she began.
He was frowning.
"My father is the most n.o.ble and handsome man in all the world. His sword is the sharpest sword in Persia. The arm that wields it is the strongest in all the wide dominions of the mighty Shah. If my father had enemies they would flee before him. But this is impossible, for all who see my father love him, and the Shah himself delights to bask in the sunshine of his smile."
"My daughter speaks truly," he said, relenting a little, "she speaks the white, pure truth; but what would she of me?"
"Oh, my father, you have but one little daughter, and she wants to love you dearly. She would be more in your presence. Beebee wants to see the world. Take her with you to Europe, to England. She would fain see England. She--"
"Bah!" he interrupted. "Who hath put such foolish notions in your head?
Have you not an English teacher? She can tell you all you desire to know. My daughter knows not what she asks."
"Oh, my father!"