George Manville Fenn

“ Dick felt as if he had been respited after condemnation, and began to breathe freely.
“You heard him run his head against the door, of course?”
“Yes, sir.”
“But it wouldn’t break; everything else does. He’ll ruin me before he has done.—I have sent for you, Smithson,” said the lieutenant, “because I want you to give me some lessons on the flute.”
“Oh, with pleasure, sir,” began Dick. “I—I beg your pardon, sir. Of course, if you wish it.”
“I hope it will be with pleasure, Smithson,” said the lieutenant, smiling; “but I’m afraid it will not be; for, between ourselves, I am very dull over music.” ”

“ Havin’ all kinds of hard words chucked at you—‘fools’ and ‘idgits’ and ‘jackasses’—and when it comes to boots and hair-brushes, I says as it’s rough enough; but when it’s a soda-water bottle and a plate, I can’t stand it, and I won’t!”
“What had you been doing to annoy my cousin?”
“Nothin’, S’Richard. I just work for him same as I do for my other gentlemen, or for you, sir; and you never threw a bad word at me in your life—let alone boots!”
“Did the things hit you, Jerry?”
“No, S’Richard, I can’t say as they hit me; but they hurt me, all the same. Servants has feelings same as gents has.” ”

“ For the grey light was stealing in, and making the tall, blackened figure of the lieutenant look ghastly.
“Why not?”
“Because,” said the doctor, “the poor fellow is in such a state that I cannot answer for his life.”
“Then I’ll go and sit by him till he’s better!” said the lieutenant, resolutely.
The colonel followed him to the door, and laid his hand on the young man’s shoulder.
“Lacey, my boy,” he half-whispered, “take the doctor’s advice and mine—you are not yourself now.”
“He saved our lives, sir,” said the young officer. “One can’t do too much for a man like that.” ”

“ For Lacey looked black as thunder as he walked up and down.
“What have I done to offend him?” thought Dick, as he waited for the young officer to speak.
“Sit down!” growled Lacey; and Dick obeyed.
“It’s beyond bearing!” exclaimed the lieutenant. “I’ll clean my own boots, and brush my own clothes. I’m sick of it!”
“Nothing to do with me,” thought Dick; and he ventured a remark.
“Can I help you in any way, sir?”
“No—yes; play something soothing to me. I’m put out. No, don’t. It’s like making a fool of myself.” ”

“ Sir Richard Frayne sprang to his feet to save his model, but too late; it fell, shivered, to the carpet, and the new-comer burst into a roar of laughter.
“I don’t see anything to grin at,” said his cousin, indignantly.
“Not you!” said the other, letting himself down on to the keyboard of the piano with a loud musical crash, and laughing heartily all the time. “Why don’t you get on with your work? Anyone would think you were in training for a cat-gut scraper at a low theatre instead of for an officer and a gentleman.” ”

“ Some people are hard to impress, but they are few who do not feel a thrill of excitement on the passing-by of a well-drilled regiment whose band is playing some lively march, to which, and the heavy beat of the drum, the tramp, tramp of six or eight hundred men is heard, like the pulsation of Old England’s warlike heart. ”

“ The tutor shook his head.
“We must look troubles in the face, Frayne,” he said. “If matters come to the worst, there must be an inquest, and, whatever you may say, your fellow-pupils’ words will have weight.”
Richard literally staggered, and gazed wildly at the heavy face of his tutor, who went on slowly—
“It is a terrible business, Frayne, and a fearful blow for me. I cannot blame myself. I always treat those who study with me as gentlemen, and if the poor fellow upstairs does sink, the consequences must be crushing for you.”
“Never mind me, sir; let’s think of my cousin. He must get better! ”

“ He could not see them—and yet he could, inwardly, in his mind’s eye—the gilded metal helmet and the sabre.
Then, as if performing some solemn act, the lad took a couple of steps towards the wall, gently and reverently lifted down the helmet, pressed his lips to the front, and put it back, to take down the sword and hold the blade and scabbard to his breast as he kissed the hilt.
Saddened visions came trooping before his closed eyes in that darkness—of himself: a man, a soldier, as his father had been, an officer leading men against the enemies of his country ”

“ Dick glanced at the fine, handsome fellow, and the lieutenant caught his eye.
“Ah! now you’re going to laugh at me because I talked about being good-looking.”
“Why should I?” said Dick, honestly. “You are the best-looking fellow—I beg pardon, sir, the best-looking officer—in the regiment.”
“I am,” said the lieutenant, frankly, “and the biggest and strongest, as I’ve often proved; but what’s the good of that, Smithson, when you’re the greatest duffer? The colonel and the major both like me.”
“And there isn’t a man in the regiment who wouldn’t do anything for you, sir.” ”

“ Give him half a sovereign, sir, and you’ll hear no more about it.”
“That’s very good advice, Smithson. I wish I had your head.”
“You want a good, clever, smart servant, sir,” said Dick, who was breathless with excitement consequent upon his new idea.
“Yes, Smithson; but such a treasure seems to be unobtainable.”
“I don’t know—I think I could find you such a man, sir.”
“You could! Oh, no; I want a regular valet, Smithson. I have grown sadly indolent, and I often wish a war would break out to rouse me up.” ”

“ When once you take a dislike to a man, you see nothing but evil in him. You invent things.”
“Oh, do I!” cried Jerry. “Never mind. I couldn’t invent so much wickedness as he’s got in him, if I tried all night. Now, just let me ask you two or three questions.”
“Go on then,” said Dick, wearily.
“Here goes then. You know your cousin to be in the habit of going out grassing and taking walks up Constitootion Hill for training hisself?”
“Well, no, Jerry, I never did.” ”

“ The long morning’s evolutions were gone through, the band went to the front, and the regiment was marched back to barracks; and that same afternoon, as Dick sat alone in the reading-room, copying a band-part for Wilkins, there was a panting noise close behind him, and Brumpton’s thick, rich voice exclaimed:
“Oh, there you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. How are you, Smithson?”
“Quite well,” said Dick, smiling in the non-commissioned officer’s face.
“Don’t—don’t do that,” said Brumpton, sharply.
“Don’t do what, Mr Brumpton?”
“Laugh at a man.” ”

“ Keeping to the edge of the garden for a few yards, and passing alley after alley, till he came upon the end of one which looked fairly open, and which ran in the direction of the oast-house on the hill, Richard was about to plunge down this, when, all at once, there was a sharp, thin sound, followed by the loud whirr of wings, as an early covey of strongly-pinioned partridges, alarmed by the crack, sprang up, and flew over the tops of the poles, completely hidden by the vines. ”

“ Jerry stood looking at him piteously, rubbing his hands one over the other as if he were washing them.
“I know it goes agin’ you, sir, of course; but you ought, sir; indeed, you ought!”
“Tell me,” cried Richard, “who is with him?”
“The doctor, sir, and the nurse; and master’s always going up and down. I met him only just now that upset and white it gave me quite a turn. He shook his head at me. ‘A terrible business, Brigley, very!’ he says; ‘a terrible business! I wouldn’t have had it happen for a thousand pounds!’”
“There, go away now, Jerry! Pray, pray, don’t stop! Take all that down!” ”

“ Jerry shook his head in a weary, helpless way.
“Quick, then; do something, man!” cried Mr Draycott, wildly. “Run to the station and tell the inspector; they will take steps at once.”
“I—I thought you would want to hush it up, sir.”
“Hush it up, man!” cried the tutor, angrily. “You are crazy!”
“Yes, sir, pretty nigh,” said Jerry, pitifully. “My head feels as if it won’t go; and I don’t know what I’m saying half my time.”
“I beg your pardon, Brigley,” cried the tutor. “I spoke too hastily. I quite understand your feelings; but steps must be taken instantly. ”

“ Richard hurried down into the extensive grounds, and came plump upon Mr Draycott, the well-known military tutor and coach, tramping laboriously up and down one of the gravel paths, with his hands behind, giving a loud puff at every second step, for he was an enormously fat man, to whom walking was a severe trial, but a trial he persevered in from a wholesome dread that, if he neglected proper exercise, he would grow worse. ”

“ The colonel nodded his consent.
“What he says is true,” continued Lacey, flushing now. “It must be. There have been so many things to prove that Smithson—”
“S’Richard, sir,” cried Jerry.
“Well, that the young man we are going to see is a gentleman. I believe it all, Colonel; for, to my sorrow, I know Mark Frayne is little better than a sharper and a cheat.”
“Mind what you are saying, Mr Lacey,” cried the colonel sternly.
“I can prove my words, sir,” said Lacey firmly.
“Go on, and see what is the matter,” said the colonel. “Gentlemen, will you excuse me? Major, will you come to my quarters? ”

“ Then, pray, sir, what was the meaning of that hideous discord?”
“I don’t know, sir. I presume that someone’s instrument is not in tune.”
“Someone’s instrument not in tune!” cried the bandmaster. “Here, Jones, Morris, Bigham, run through half a dozen bars.”
He waved his wand, and the three musicians blew together without the bass and tenor instruments, with a worse effect than ever, and the listening brasses burst out into a fresh roar of laughter; while Dick had hard work, in his triumph, to suppress a smile.
“Then it’s you, Jones!”
“No, sir,” said the flute-player. “I’m all right!” ”

“ Been having a row with Draycott?”
“Draycott’s a bumptious, pedantic old fool. Fancies he knows everything. A brute!”
“Take a couple of pills, Mark; your liver’s out of order.”
“Put an angel’s liver out of order to be here! I won’t put up with much more of it, and so I’ll tell him. I shall dress as I like, and do as I like, even if I haven’t got a handle to my name. Sir Richard, indeed!—a pattern for me to follow! Next time the fat old idiot say’s that to me, I’ll throw the books at his head.”
“Oh, that’s it, is it?”
“Yes; that’s it, is it!” cried Mark Frayne in an angry tone. ”

“ There were other signs about of the occupant’s love of the sweet science; for there were a tuning-fork, a pitch-pipe, and a metronome on the chimney-piece, a large musical-box on the front of the book-case, some nondescript pipes, reeds, and objects of percussion; and, to show that other tastes were cultivated to some extent, there were, besides, several golf-clubs, fishing-rods, a cricket-bat, and a gun-case.
But the owner of all sat intent upon the contrivance before him upon the table, and Jerry scratched his nose now with the edge of the clothes-brush. ”

“ And then, and then only, in the midst of a roar of applause, Dick stood, piccolo in hand, as if he had been just woke up from a musical dream by a flannel-jacketed private, bearing a drawn bayonet, who said, savagely—
“Come out! You’ve no business here!”
“No, no, sentry; leave him alone!” said a loud voice; and Richard looked up, to see that the windows were full of officers, whose scarlet mess-vests, with their rows of tiny buttons, shone in the evening light. Higher up there were ladies looking down ”

“ Come to enlist, eh? Wouldn’t care to join our band, I suppose?”
“Yes, sir!” cried Dick, eagerly.
“Beg pardon, sir, we are quite full,” said the bandmaster, importantly.
“Of what, Mr Wilkins?” said the colonel, sternly. “Incompetents? I am not much of a judge, sir, but I know enough music to be able to say that ours is one of the worst bands in the army. I shall have inquiries made about this Richard or Dick Smithson, and, if the results are favourable, he had better stay. See that he is looked after for the night!” ”

“ The miller turned to look down the rushing river, and took off his white felt hat, drew out a red cotton handkerchief, and began to mop his wet brow.
“Then Heaven have mercy on him, poor lad! for he’ll never get to shore alive.”
“But he could swim,” said Jerry, feebly.
“Swim? Who’s to swim in water like that? Never! I saw a whole drove of sheep go down this morning, and a half a dozen bullocks. The river’s too much for them as can swim.” ”