Brownsmiths Boy | Page 9

her good? Glad to
see her any time. Here, what a fellow you are, dropping your
strawberries. Let it alone, Dick. Do for Shock."
I had let a great double strawberry roll off the top of my heap, and a
cat darted at it to give it a sniff; but old Brownsmith picked it up and
laid it on the top of a post formed of a cut-down tree.
"Now, then, let's get a basket. Look better for an invalid. One minute:
some leaves."
He stooped and picked some strawberry leaves, and one or two very
large ripe berries, which he told me were Myatt's.
Then taking me to a low cool shed that smelt strongly of cut flowers, he
took down a large open strawberry basket from a nail, and deftly
arranged the leaves and fruit therein, with the finest ripened fruit
pointing upwards.
"That's the way to manage it, my lad," he said, giving me a queer look;
"put all the bad ones at the bottom and the good ones at the top. That's
what you'd better do with your qualities, only never let the bad ones get
out."
"Now, your pinks and roses," he said; and, taking them, he shook them
out loosely on the bench beneath a window, arranged them all very
cleverly in a bunch, and tied it up with a piece of matting.

"I'm sure I'm very much obliged to you, sir," I said, warmly now, for it
seemed to me that I had been making a mistake about Mr Brownsmith,
and that he was a very good old fellow after all.
"That's right," he said, laughing. "So you ought to be. Good-bye. Come
again soon. My dooty to your mamma, and I hope she'll be better.
Shake hands."
I held out my hand and grasped his warmly as we reached the gate,
seeing Shock watching me all the time. Then as I stood outside old
Brownsmith laughed and nodded.
"Mind how you pack your strawberries," he said with a laugh; "bad
'uns at bottom, good 'uns at top. Good-bye, youngster, good-bye."
CHAPTER THREE.
OLD BROWNSMITH'S VISITOR.
The time glided on, but I did not go to the garden again, for my mother
felt that we must not put ourselves under so great an obligation to a
stranger. Neither did I take her over for a walk, but we sat at the
window a great deal after lesson time; and whenever I was alone and
Shock was within sight, he used to indulge in some monkey-like
gesture, all of which seemed meant to show me what a very little he
thought of me.
At the end of a fortnight, as I was sitting at the window talking to a boy
who went to a neighbouring school, and telling him why I did not go, a
great clod of earth came over the wall and hit the boy in the back.
"Who's that!" he cried sharply. "Did you shy that lump?"
"No," I said; and before I could say more, he cried:
"I know. It was Brownsmith's baboon shied that. Only let us get him
out in the fields, we'll give it him. You know him, don't you?"

"Do you mean Shock?" I said.
"Yes, that ragged old dirty chap," he cried. "You can see him out of
your window, can't you?"
"I can sometimes," I said; "but I can't now."
"That's because he's sneaking along under the wall. Never mind; we'll
pay him some day if he only comes out."
"Doesn't he come out then?"
"No. He's nobody's boy, and sleeps in the sheds over there. One of
Brownsmith's men picked him up in the road, and brought him home in
one of the market carts. Brownsmith sent him to the workhouse, but he
always runs away and comes back. He's just like a monkey, ain't he?
Here, I must go; but I say, why don't you ask your ma to let you come
and play with us; we have rare games down the meadows, bathing, and
wading, and catching dace?"
"I should like to come," I said dolefully.
"Ah, there's no end of things to see down there--water-rats and frogs;
and there's a swan's nest, with the old bird sitting; and don't the old
cock come after you savage if you go near! Oh, we do have rare games
there on half-holidays! I wish you'd come."
"I should like to," I said.
"Ain't too proud; are you?"
"Oh no!" I said, shaking my head.
"Because I was afraid you were. Well, I shall catch it if I stop any
longer. I say, is your ma better?"
I shook my head.
"Ain't going to die, is she?"

"Oh no!" I said sharply.
"That's all right. Well, you get her to let you come. What's your name?"
"Grant,"