George Manville Fenn

“ For a moment the lad thought he was asleep, but the next he had sprung out of bed and run to the window to thrust out his head and listen.
It was unmistakable: the big bell was going as he had never heard it before—not being rung, but as if someone had hold of the clapper and were beating it against the side—Dang, dang, dang, dang—stroke following stroke rapidly; and, half-confused by the sleep from which he had been awakened, Vane was trying to make out what it meant, when faintly, but plainly heard on the still night air, came that most startling of cries—
“Fire! Fire! Fire!” ”

“ It was not long in coming—a low, soft, booming buzz of some beetle, which sailed here and there, now close by, now so distant that its hum was almost inaudible, but soon came nearer again till it was right over his head, when there was a dull flip, then a tap on the dry beech-mast.
“Cockchafer,” said Vane softly, and he knew that it had blundered up against some twig and fallen to earth, where, though he could not see it, he knew that it was lying upon its back sprawling about with its awkward-looking legs, vainly trying to get on to them again and start upon another flight. ”

“ Come along, my dear. Now, Vane, your face wants washing horribly, my boy. Hannah, my dear, you understand now the tremendous force of steam.”
“Yes, my dear,” said Aunt Hannah, sorrowfully. “I do indeed.”
“And if ever in the future you see anyone sitting upon the safety valve to get up speed, don’t hesitate for a moment, go and knock him off.”
“My dear Thomas,” said Aunt Hannah, dolefully, “this is no subject for mirth.”
“Eh? Isn’t it? I think it is. Why, some of us might have been scalded to death, and we have all escaped. Don’t you call that a cause for rejoicing? ”

“ An easy enough task at another time, for it only meant a swim of some fifty yards, but with the inert body of Distin, and Vane so utterly helpless that he could barely keep himself afloat, Gilmore had hard work, and, swim his best, he could scarcely gain a yard toward the shore. Very soon he found that he was exhausting himself by his efforts and that it would be far better to go down the stream, and trust to getting ashore far lower down, though, at the same time, a chilly feeling of despair began to dull his energies, and it seemed hopeless to think of getting his comrade ashore alive. ”

“ Let someone else do the inventing.”
“All right, uncle,” said Vane, firmly; “I’ll give up all my wild ideas now about contriving things, and set to work.”
“That’s right, boy,” said the doctor. “I’m rather sick of hearing inventions named.”
“Don’t say that, dear,” said Aunt Hannah, quietly and firmly; “and I should not like all Vane’s aspirations to be damped because Mr Deering has failed. Some inventions succeed: the mistake seems to me to be when people take it for granted that everything must be a success.” ”

“ Strange coincidences often occur in everyday life. One thinks of writing to a friend, and a letter comes from that friend, or a person may have formed the subject of conversation, and that person appears.
Somehow, just as the doctor had assumed his sternest look, the door of Vane’s little atelier was darkened, and Mr Deering stood therein, looking bright, cheery of aspect, and, in appearance, ten years younger than on the night when he upset the table, and the Little Manor House was within an inch of being burned down. ”

“ And you, sir, think to yourself, like the blind young mole you are, what a great thing it is to be a man. There, come out into the open air, and let’s look at nature; I get very weary sometimes of art.”
Vane looked wonderingly at his new friend and did not feel so warmly toward him as he had a short time before, but this passed off when they were in the garden, where he admired the doctor’s fruit, waxed eloquent over the apples and pears, and ate one of the former with as much enjoyment as a boy. ”

“ The doctor uttered a sound like a low growl, and just then Aunt Hannah came back looking depressed, weary, and only half-convinced, to hear Deering’s words.
“There is not a doubt about it now, Mrs Lee,” he cried, joyfully. “Vane has saved your little fortune.”
“And his inheritance,” said the doctor, proudly.
“No,” cried Deering, clapping Vane on the shoulder, “he wants no inheritance, but the good education and training you have given him. Speak out, my lad, you mean to carve your own way through life?” ”

“ Vane sighed.
“I came from London, my boy, where all the air seems to be second-hand. Out here on this slope of the wolds, the breeze gives one life and strength. Take me for a walk, out in the woods, say, it will do me good, and make me forget the worries and cares of life.”
“Are you inventing something?”
Mr Deering gave the lad a sharp look, and nodded his head.
“May I ask what, sir?”
“No, my boy, you may not,” said Mr Deering, sadly. “Perhaps I am going straightway on the road to disappointment and failure; but I must go on now. Some day you will hear. Now take me where I can breathe. ”

“ Vane started off at such a rate that Macey had to cry out for respite as they struck out of the wood, and reached a lane where, to their surprise, they came plump upon the gipsies camped by the roadside, with a good fire burning, and their miserable horse cropping the grass in peace.
The first objects their eyes lit upon were the women who were busily cooking; and Vane advanced and offered his basket of vegetable treasures, but they all laughed and shook their heads, and the oldest woman of the party grunted out the word “poison.” ”

“ And somehow, perhaps from the brilliancy of the morning, and the delicious nature of the pure soft air, the lads’ spirits grew higher, and they had to work hard to keep their attention to the object they had in view, for nature seemed to be laying endless traps for them, especially for Macey, who certainly felt Vane’s disappearance most at heart, but was continually forgetting him on coming face to face with something fresh. ”

“ Then, flopping idly along in its clumsy flight, came a white butterfly, and directly after a bee—one of the great, dark, golden-banded fellows, with a soft, velvety coat.
“And all fly in a different way,” said Vane to himself, thoughtfully. “They all use wings, but all differently; and they have so much command over them, darting here and there, just as they please. I wonder whether I could make a pair of wings and a machine to work them. It doesn’t seem impossible. People float up in balloons, but that isn’t enough. ”

“ Vane watched them for a moment or two, and shook his head.
“Partridges beat them hollow. Wonder whether I can find uncle any truffles.”
He made for the shade of the beeches, passing at once on to a crackling carpet of old beech-mast and half rotten leaves, while all around him the great trees sent up their wonderfully clean, even-lined trunks, and boughs laden with dark green leaves, and the bronzy brown-red cases of the tiny triangular nuts, the former ready now to gape and drop their sweet contents where those of the past year had fallen before. ”

“ Mr Syme said one day that he always pitied a young man who had expectations from his elders, for, no matter how true-hearted the heir might be, it was always a painful position for him to occupy, that of waiting for prosperity till other people died. It was something like that, uncle, but I haven’t given it quite in his words.”
“Humph! Syme is a goose,” said the doctor, testily. “I’m sure you never wanted me dead, so as to get my money, Vane.”
“Why, of course not, uncle. I never thought about money except when I wanted to pay old Wrench or Dance for something he made for me.” ”

“ Anything less likely to form a fortnight’s amusement for a lad than the iron-pipes, crooks, bends, elbows, syphons and boiler delivered by waggon from the nearest railway, it would be hard to conceive. But to Vane they were a source of endless delight, and it thoroughly puzzled him to find Bruff, the gardener, muttering and grumbling about their weight. ”

“ Vane was so busy over the hot-water apparatus, and had so much to think about with regard to the damages in connection with the explosion, that he had forgotten all about the adventure in the lane just prior to meeting Macey, till one day, when out botanising with the doctor, they came through that very lane again, and in their sheltered corner, there were the gipsies, looking as if they had never stirred for weeks. There, too, were the women cooking by the fire, and the horses and ponies grazing on the strips of grass by the roadside. ”

“ You understand?”
“Oh, sir!”
“Come along, Vane. Good-morning, Mrs Bruff,” said the doctor, loud enough for his voice to be heard upstairs.
“I am only too glad to come and help when any one is ill; but I don’t like coming upon a fool’s errand.”
The doctor walked out into the road, looking very stern and leaving the gardener’s wife in tears, but he turned to Vane with a smile before they had gone far.
“Then you don’t think it was the fungi, uncle?” said the lad, eagerly.
“Yes, I do, boy, the produce of something connected with yeast fungi; not your chanterelles.” ”

“ I’m a rougher, coarser fellow than you are, and I dare say I’ve often said things that hurt you when I didn’t mean it.’”
“Come, he can’t get over that,” said Vane, half-aloud, and full of eagerness to get Distin alone, he turned up the rectory lane, and came at once upon Gilmore and Macey.
“Hullo, Weathercock,” cried the latter, “which way does the wind blow?”
“Due east.”
“That’s rectory way.”
“Yes; is Distie in?”
“No; what do you want with him. He doesn’t want you. Come along with us,” said Gilmore. ”

“ Come and see me sometimes.”
“I can’t, Vane, I can’t,” cried Distin, wildly. “Do you think I have no feeling?”
“Too much, I should say,” cried Vane. “There, why don’t you let it go? Uncle says life isn’t long enough for people to quarrel or make enemies. That’s all over; and, I say, I feel ever so much more comfortable now. Haven’t got such a thing as a tumbler in your pocket, have you?”
Distin looked in the bruised and battered face before him, wondering at the lad’s levity, as Vane continued:
“No, I suppose you haven’t, and my silver cup is on the sideboard. Never mind: here goes. ”

“ Vane felt as if a load had been lifted off his conscience.
“Very tiresome, too,” said the doctor, “for I wanted to have a chat with Bruff to-day about that greenhouse flue. He says it is quite useless, for the smoke and sulphur get out into the house and kill the plants. Now then, sir, you are such a genius at inventing, why can’t you contrive the way to heat the greenhouse without causing me so much expense in the way of fuel, eh? I mean the idea you talked about before. I told Mr Syme it was to be done.” ”

“ He let the basket swing down and just passed his right hand forward, seeming only to brush the assailant’s ankle—in fact it was the merest touch, but sufficient to upset the equilibrium of a kicker on one leg, and the next moment Lance Distin was lying on his back in a perfect tangle of brambles, out of which he scrambled, scratched and furious, amidst a roar of laughter from his companions.
“You beggar!” he cried, with his dark eyes flashing, and a red spot in each of his sallow cheeks.
“Keep off!” cried the mushroom bearer, backing away. “Lay hold of him, Gilmore—Aleck!” ”

“ Soon after, the lad was in the doctor’s study, going over some papers he had written, ready for his morning visit to the rectory; and this put him in mind of the encounter with his fellow-pupil, Distin, and made him thoughtful.
“He doesn’t like me,” the boy said to himself; “and somehow I feel as if I do not like him. I don’t want to quarrel, and it always seems as if one was getting into hot-water with him. He’s hot-blooded, I suppose, from being born in the West Indies. Well, if that’s it,” mused Vane, “he can’t help it any more than I can help being cool because I was born in England. ”

“ A cinder flew out of the fire on to the strip of carpet lying across the hearth, and a pungent odour of burning wool arose. But Bruff stooped down and using his hardened fingers as tongs, picked up the cinder and tossed it inside the fender.
Martha started as the cinder flew out and looked aghast at Eliza, her ruddy face growing mottled, while the housemaid’s cheeks were waxen as the maids gave themselves up to the silly superstition that, like many more, does not die hard but absolutely refuses to die at all. ”

“ The doctor frowned, and seeing that some business matters were imminent, Aunt Hannah rose to leave the room, and Vane followed her example.
“No, no, my dear Mrs Lee,” said Deering, “don’t leave us, and there is nothing to be said that the lad ought not to hear. It will be a lesson to him, as he is of a sanguine inventive temperament like myself, not to be too eager to place faith in his inventions.” ”

“ Feeling pretty certain that the others would not be far away, he stood peering about till he caught sight of another figure away to his right.
“Gilmore surely,” he muttered; and then his eyes wandered again till they lighted upon a figure seated at the foot of a tree close by the one he had settled to be Gilmore.
“Old Distie,” said Vane, with a laugh. “What an idle fellow he is. Never happy unless he is sitting or lying down somewhere. I suppose it’s from coming out of a hot country, where people do lie about a great deal.” ”

“ Then tic two or three times over, and there was no more sound.
“Didn’t start it hard enough, Mike,” cried Vane; and this time, to the sexton’s horror, he gave the pendulum a good swing, the regular tic—tac followed, grew feeble, stopped, and there was an outburst as if of uncanny laughter from overhead, so real that it was hard to think that it was only a flock of jackdaws just settled on the battlements of the tower.
“Oh, come, I’m not going to be beaten like this,” cried Vane, “I know I can put the old clock right.”
“Nay, nay, not you,” said the sexton firmly. ”

“ All at once the doctor rose and went into the hall, followed by Aunt Hannah, who looked at him wistfully as he put on a light overcoat, and took hat and stick.
“I’ll walk to the rectory,” he said, “and bring him back.”
Aunt Hannah laid her hand upon his arm, as he reached the door.
“Don’t be angry with him, my dear,” she whispered.
“Why not? Is that boy to do just as he pleases here? I’ll give him a good sound thrashing, that’s what I’ll do with him.” ”

“ Every now and then birds were startled by someone, to rise with a loud whirr if they were partridges, with a rapid beating of pinions and frightened quacking if wild-fowl; and for a few moments, more than once, both Macey and Gilmore forgot the serious nature of their mission in interest in the various objects they encountered. ”

“ Of course,” cried the rector; and he rang and sent up a message.
“I don’t suppose they are in bed,” he said. “They always have a good long gossip; and, as long as they are down in good time I don’t like to be too strict. But, my dear Lee. You don’t think there is anything serious?”
“I don’t know what to think, Syme,” cried the doctor, agitatedly.
“Is it an escapade—has he run off?”
“My dear sir, you know him almost as well as I do. Is he the sort of boy to play such a prank?” ”