Bob Strongs Holidays | Page 6

the law as thus
presented to their view and the extent of the Captain's authority. "He
really did not mean any harm, poor fellow, I am sure he didn't!"
"Then what did he do it for?" asked the old gentleman snappishly,
though both could see, from the merry twinkle in his eyes, that he was
not in such a bad temper as he pretended to be. "What did he do it for?
That's what I'd like to know!"
But, even the stranger lad, who had so unceremoniously intruded into
the carriage, seemed to become aware as he confronted him that the
Captain's `bark was worse than his bite'; for, dropping his snivel and
looking his questioner manfully in the face, he at once went on to tell
who he was and explain the reasons for his unexpected appearance on
the scene--his earnest accents and honest outspokenness testifying to
the truth of his statement in the opinion, not only of Bob and Nellie, but
of the whilom grumpy old Captain as well.
The lad said that his name was Dick Allsop and that he belonged to
Guildford, the last station the train had passed, and the only one at
which it had stopped since leaving Waterloo. His father had died some
years before, but his mother had lately got married again to a regular
brute of a man, who behaved very badly to her and treated Dick, he
averred, so cruelly, that he could not stand it any longer. That very
morning, Dick stated; he had beaten him so unmercifully that he had
suddenly determined to run away to sea; and this was the reason why

he wanted to get to Portsmouth.
"But, you might have entered the carriage like a Christian!" interposed
the Captain at this point of the lad's story. "The train stopped long
enough at Guildford for you to get in through the doorway, like any
ordinary passenger, surely?"
"No, sir, I couldn't," answered the other. "I couldn't a-done it."
"But why not?"
"Because, sir," snivelled the lad, "I didn't have no money, sir."
"Humph! you had no money, eh?"
"No, sir; nothing but thrippence-a'penny, which mother gave me afore I
started, when she wished me good-bye. She was sorry as how she could
give me nothing more; and so I couldn't pay the fare, and had no
ticket."
"So, my joker, you got on the train without one at all!" said the Captain,
interrupting him. "Do you know that was really cheating the railway
company?"
"I knows it, sir," replied Dick Allsop, who had better now be called by
his own proper name, looking down as if ashamed of what he had done.
"I knows it's wrong; but, sir, I couldn't help it, as there was no other
way I seed of getting to Porchmouth."
"But, why didn't you jump into the carriage like a Christian, as I said
just now?" observed the Captain. "Eh?"
Dick seemed amused by this question.
"Does yer think, sir, the porters would ha' let me if they'd seed me a-
trying it on?" said he, with a radiant grin that lit up his face, quite
changing its expression. "Not if they, knowed it!"
"Perhaps not," agreed the Captain, nonplussed by the lad's logic and

knowledge of human nature. "No, I don't think they would."
"No, sir; that they wouldn't," exclaimed the runaway triumphantly, as if
he knew all about that matter at any rate. "So, sir, I waits down by the
side o' the line, where I lays hid, sir, without nobody a-seeing me; and
then, jist as the train was started and quite clear o' the station, a-going
into the tunnel as ain't fur off, as yer know, sir--?"
"Yes, I know the line, my lad," said Captain Dresser. "I ought to!"
"Well, sir, there I climbs on by the buffers and coupling-chain of the
guard's van to the step of the end carriage, and works myself along till I
reaches this; when, drawing myself up and looking in through the
windy, I thought I would get in here, not seeing nobody but young ma-
aster and little missis in the corner--"
"You didn't see me, eh?" questioned the Captain, with one of his
quizzical chuckles. "You didn't see me, I'll wager."
"No, sir, or I wouldn't have tried it on," confessed Dick, with the most
open candour. "I would a-been afeard like."
"Lucky for you that you did, though," said Captain Dresser, his little
black beady eyes blinking away furiously. "If you had got in anywhere
and not come across such a good-natured old donkey as myself, you
would have had the signal-bell rung to summon the guard, who would
have stopped the train and given you in custody at the next station for
travelling without a ticket! But what are