The Stokesley Secret Part 14

"And me a naval cadet!" said Hal. "He said he would, when he was here!"

"One of you, he said," put in Susan.

"I know it will be me!" said Hal. "He looked at the rigging of my frigate, and said I knew all the ropes quite well; and he told Papa he might be proud of such a son!"

"Oh! oh!" groaned the aggrieved mult.i.tude.

"Well--such a family; but he was looking at me; and I know he will give me the appointment; and I shall sail in his s.h.i.+p--you'll see.

And when I get to the Mediterranean, I'll tell you what I'll do--I shall kill a shark all my own self!"

"A shark in the Mediterranean!"

"Well, why shouldn't they get in by the Straits of Magellan? Oh! is that the other place? Well, never mind--I'll shoot the shark."

"Stuff, Hal!" said Sam rather gruffly.

Hal went off on another tack. "Well, at least he has set me down by this time; and Papa will have me up to London for my outfit."

"I hope you will have leave, and come and see us," said Annie.

"I'll try; but, you see, I shall be an officer on duty, and I dare say Admiral Penrose will hardly be able to spare me; but I'll send you all presents out of my pay."

"You'll spend all your pay on yourself," said David.

"Out of my prize-money then."

"You can't get prize-money without a war," said Elizabeth.

"Oh! don't let there be a war!" cried Susan.

"Yes, but there is!" said Harry in a tremendous tone; and as Miss Fosbrook held up her hands, "at least there was one in the Black Sea; and I know there was a battle in the newspaper--at least, Mr. Carey read about Palermo."

"I don't think Garibaldi in Sicily will put much prize-money into your pocket, Hal," said Miss Fosbrook.

"Oh! but there's sure to be a war! and I shall get promoted, and be a man before any of you. I shall go about, and see condors, and lions, and elephants, and wear a sword--at least, a dirk--while you are learning Latin and Greek at Uncle John's!"

"Don't make such a noise about it!" said Sam crossly.

"I don't know why you should be the one to go," said Elizabeth. "Sam is the eldest."

"Yes; but Sam is such a slow-coach. Papa said I was the only one fit to make a sailor of--at least, he said I was smart, and--Hollo! Sam, I won't have you kicking my legs!"

"Don't keep up such a row then!" growled Sam; but Hal was in too full swing to be reached by slight measures. He pushed his chair back, tucked up his feet like a tailor's, out of reach, and went on: "Then I shall come home in my c.o.c.ked hat, like Papa's--at least, my cap-- and come and ask for a holiday for you all at Uncle John's."

Uncle John was an under-master at one of the great public schools, and the children were all a good deal in awe of him.

"Uncle John won't give one for YOU!" said Sam.

"Come, boys, I can't have this bickering," said Miss Fosbrook. "I can't see you trying which can be most provoking. Stand up. Now, David, say grace. There, Annie, finish that bit of bread out of doors. Go out, and let us have no more of this."

She spoke now with much less fear of not being minded; and having seen one of the quarrelsome parties safe out of the school-room, she went to fetch from her own room a glove that wanted mending; and on her return found Sam alone there, curled up over his lesson-books on the locker, looking so gloomy, that she was afraid she had made him sulky, for which she would have been very sorry, since she had a respect for him.

"What is the matter?" she asked; and his "Nothing" did not at all a.s.sure her that he was in a right mood. She doubted whether to leave him alone; but presently thought he looked more unhappy than ill- tempered, and ventured to speak. "Have you a hard piece to learn?

Perhaps I could help you."

He let her come and look at his book; but, to her surprise, he had before him a very easy problem in Euclid.

"Indeed, if you only gave your mind to this," she said, "you would soon make it out."

"Stupid stuff!" exclaimed Sam. "It is all along of that, and the rest of it, that I have got to be a land-lubber!" and he threw the book to the other end of the room.

"Have you no chance?" said Miss Fosbrook, without taking notice of this rudeness, for she saw that the boy could hardly contain himself.

"No! The Admiral did take notice of Hal; and one day when I was slow at a proposition, my father said I was too block-headed to beat navigation into, and that Hal is a smart fellow, worth two of me. I know he is! I know that; only if he would not make such an intolerable crowing--"

"Then you wish it very much?"

"Wish it! Of course I do. Why, my father is a sailor; and I remember the Fury, and I saw the Calliope--his s.h.i.+p that he had in the war time. Before I was as big as little George I always thought I should be a sailor. And now if Papa goes out with Admiral Penrose, and Hal too--oh! it will be so horrid home!"

"But can't you both go?"

"No; my father said he couldn't ask to have two of us put down, unless perhaps some younger one had a chance by and by. And Hal is the sharpest, and does everything better than I can when he has a mind. My father says, among so many all can't choose; and if this place is to be mine, Hal may want to be in the navy more than I.

Yes, it is all right, and Hal must go. But--but--when my father is gone--"and Sam fairly burst out crying. "I didn't hardly know how different it is with him away till this month. I was such a little fellow when he went to the Black Sea; but now--never mind, though!"

and he stamped his foot on the floor. "Papa said it, and it must be.

Don't tell the others, Miss Fosbrook;" and he resolutely went and picked up his Euclid, and began finding the place.

"You will do your duty like a man, wherever you are, Sam," said Christabel heartily.

Sam looked as if he had rather that she had not said it, but it was comfortable to him for all that; and though she kept further compliments to herself, she could not but think that there was no fear but that he would be a man, in the best sense of the word, before Hal, when she saw him so manfully put his sore grievance out of his head, and turn to the present business of conquering his lesson. Nor did she hear another word from him about his disappointment.

It made her dislike Henry's boasts more than ever; and she used to cut them short as fast as she could, till the young chatterer decided that she was "cross," and reserved all his wonderful "at leasts" for his sisters, and his proofs of manliness for the Grevilles.

The Gibraltar man did not come on Sat.u.r.day; and Miss Fosbrook had been the saving of several stamps by sending some queer little letters in her own to Mrs. Merrifield, so that on Monday morning the h.o.a.rd was increased to seven-and-sixpence; although between fines and "couldn't helps," Henry's sixpence had melted down to a halfpenny, which "was not worth while."

On this day arrived a servant from the Park, bringing a delicate little lilac envelope, stamped with a tiny rose, and directed to Miss Merrifield. There was another rose on the top of the lilac paper; and the writing was in a very neat hand.

My dear Susan,

Mamma desires me to say that she hopes you and Bessie and Annie will come to dine early to-morrow, and play with me, and that Miss Fosbury will come with you. She hopes your Mamma is better, and would be glad to have her address in London.

I am your affectionate IDA ARABELLA GREVILLE.

"Oh! Miss Fosbrook, may we go?" cried the girls with sparkling eyes.

Mrs. Merrifield had written that one or two such invitations might be accepted, but she had rather it did not happen too often, as visits at the Park were unsettling to some of the children. So as this was the first, Christabel gladly consented, rather curious and rather shy on her own account.

Elizabeth begged for the rose, to copy it, and as there were no little ones present to seize it, she was allowed to have it; while Susan groaned and sighed over the misfortune of having to write a "horrible note" just at play-time; and the boys treated it as a sort of insult to the whole family that Ida should have mistaken their governess's name.