"Where are Aunt Amanda and the others?" said the Little Boy.
"Wait just a minute, Freddie," said the old man. "Now, madam," he said to Queen Miranda, "if you will be kind enough to lift me up and toss me away--"
Queen Miranda looked at him doubtfully. He was a solid-looking person, and it seemed absurd to think of lifting him. But she did as he directed, and placing her hands under his arms she found that he weighed no more than a baby. She held him up off the floor.
"Now cast me off," said he.
She tossed him away with an easy gesture, and he alighted on his feet with a bound.
"Aunt Amanda!" cried Freddie, and rushed into her arms.
"Land sakes!" said she. "I thought you were never coming. Where are all the others? I"m glad there"s n.o.body but this old man to see me in this bedraggled bonnet. Why don"t that Toby Littleback come? Now ain"t it like him to keep me waiting here all night? I never see such an exasperatin"--"
"Wait just one moment, Aunt Amanda," said the old man. "I"ll have him here immediately."
He stood before Toby, and directed him what to do. Toby seized him in his strong hands and lifted him up over his head like a feather pillow; and such a toss did Toby give him as sent him flying across the room almost to the wall. The old man came down on his feet with a bound.
"You Toby Littleback!" said Aunt Amanda. "Ain"t it just like you to keep me and Freddie waiting here all night, while--And where"s Mr. Punch and all the rest of "em?"
Toby stood before her, with his hands in his pockets. His hump was on his back in its rightful place, and he looked exactly as he had looked the first time Freddie had seen him, standing in the doorway of the Old Tobacco Shop.
"I ain"t been nowhere, Aunt Amanda," said Toby. "And I don"t know where Mr. Punch is, neither. I ain"t his guardian, anyway. The last I seen of him, as far as I remember, was in Shiraz"s garden, lookin" round at the flowers. By crackey, if he can"t take care of himself, I ain"t a-going to do it for him. Maybe the old gentleman here can tell you, if you want to know."
"Wait just a moment," said the old man. "I"ll have him here immediately."
Mr. Punch laughed immoderately as he picked up his own father and tossed him in the air and hurled him across the room. The old man did not seem to mind it a bit, but joined in the laugh as he came down on his feet with a bounce. Mr. Punch was immediately himself again; his hump was on his back, his breast stuck out, his long-tailed coat and knee breeches were as before, and he looked as if he might just have stepped down from his wooden box beside the Tobacco Shop"s door.
"Wery glad," said he, "to myke you acquainted with me old parent; and a wery good parent too, hif----"
"That"s enough, Punch," said his father. "Now we"ll bring on the Churchwarden."
In another moment the thin and saintly-looking Thomas the Inferior was gone, and in his place was the fat and comfortable Churchwarden, blinking at his friends through his round spectacles.
"I have been considering," said he, "that it would be highly desirable, after all I have pa.s.sed through lately, to sit in my chair on the pavement against the wall of my church with a pipe and a newspaper; and I have concluded that----"
"We will now call Mr. Hanlon," said the old man.
From the time Mr. Hanlon placed his hands under the old man"s arms his tongue was rattling on at a prodigious speed; and as he tossed the old man lightly away like a doll he was saying, "And niver once did the s.p.a.cheless man and the deaf wife have anny worrds except once; and "twas then that----." But he spoke no more. He was himself again. He was dumb. Toby greeted him warmly, but he only nodded his head vigorously, and smiled his old-time cheerful smile.
"That"s all," said the old man.
"But the two Old Codgers----" began Toby.
"They will not be here," said the old man. "No use waiting. They made their choice some time ago. They are as much themselves now as they ever were, and they will remain where they are in perfect contentment. No need to bother about them. All that remains now is to bid you farewell, and wish you a pleasant journey."
"Have we far to go?" said Toby.
"You"ll see," said the old gentleman, going to the door, that was opposite the one by which they had entered, and throwing it open.
He stood aside as they pa.s.sed, and smiled upon each with a kind and fatherly smile. He placed his hand on Freddie"s head, and turned the Little Boy"s face up so that he could look down into his eyes.
"Remember!" he said. "Never carry the Old Man of the Mountain on your back. Carry him before you in your hands, and he will be as light as a feather. Now farewell."
He gently pushed them out and closed the door behind them, and they went slowly down a dark stair. Toby held Freddie"s hand, and Mr. Punch helped Aunt Amanda. They could see very little, and they knew very little where they were, until they found themselves after a time on a level floor, and feeling the wall with their hands came to a pair of swinging doors.
Through these doors they pa.s.sed, and Toby knocked his knee against something in the dark.
"It"s a long bench!" said Toby. "And here"s a sight of other long benches! Blamed if they don"t seem like pews in a church!"
A dim light as of tall windows was visible at some distance on their left.
The Churchwarden pushed forward and walked swiftly here and there with the step of one who knows the way. In a moment he returned.
"It"s a church," he said, calmly. "It"s _my_ church. This way, madam and gentlemen."
He led the way to the left. Under a great round window which could be dimly seen in the wall was a wide door, before which they all paused.
"As captain of this party," said Aunt Amanda, "my orders is that we open the door and see what will happen next."
"Ay, ay, ma"am," said the Churchwarden, and opened the door.
In a moment they were standing under the stars on a brick pavement before a church, and on the pavement against the church wall was an empty chair.
"Ah!" said the Churchwarden, and sat down in the chair.
"Mercy on us!" cried Aunt Amanda. "We"re _home_!"
"Blamed if we ain"t!" said Toby. "It"s our own street, and I can almost see the Tobacco Shop from here!"
"Harfter a life of adventure," said Mr. Punch, "one will find it wery pleasant to stand quietly on one"s little perch and rest one"s legs and see one"s old friends go in and hout at the Old Tobacco Shop once more, watching for the "ands of the clock to come together for a bit of relaxation with one"s----"
"All right, young feller!" cried Toby to Freddie. "Come with me. Mr.
Punch, take Aunt Amanda home. I"ll be with you as soon as I"ve got Freddie safe."
Aunt Amanda and Mr. Punch went off together towards the Old Tobacco Shop. Mr. Hanlon, after shaking hands all round, departed for the Gaunt Street Theatre, where he would be no longer troubled by the imps, who had long since been destroyed by the Odour of Sanct.i.ty. The Churchwarden preferred to enjoy for awhile the comfort of his old chair by the Church wall, and Toby and Freddie left him there, his hands folded placidly across his stomach.
Freddie and Toby crossed the street-car track, hand in hand together.
The horse had gone to bed for the night, and there was no danger. All the houses were dark. It was very late. No light was to be seen anywhere, except a gas-lamp at the next corner. The streets were silent and deserted. Freddie yawned.
Freddie"s house was dark, like all the rest. A narrow brick pa.s.sage-way followed a fence to the rear, between this house and the next, and a gate opened from the sidewalk into this pa.s.sage. Freddie and Toby went through this gate and crept quietly to the backyard of Freddie"s house.
The kitchen-door was locked, but Toby found a window which was unfastened. He raised it noiselessly, and helped Freddie to climb in.
With a whispered good-night the Little Boy left his friend and tiptoed into the house and up the back stairs in the dark to his own room.
His bed was there in its old place, and the covers were turned down. He did not stop to say his prayers. He yawned and stretched his arms. He wanted nothing now but to lie snug and safe under the cool sheets. He threw off his clothes and left them on the floor. He knew where his night-gown was. He crept into bed; he pulled the covers up to his ears; he nestled his head into the pillow, and breathed a deep sigh.
CHAPTER XXVIII