Japhet, in Search of a Father | Page 6

as ever. He very often threatens me, but I have never had a blow yet, although Mr Brookes has complained once or twice."
"But surely Mr Brookes is not cross?"
"No, he is a very good gentleman; but sometimes I carry on my rigs a little too far, I must say that. For as Mr Brookes says, people may die for want of the medicines, because I put down my basket to play. It's very true; but I can't give up 'peg in the ring' on that account. But then I only get a box of the ear from Mr Brookes, and that goes for nothing. Mr Cophagus shakes his stick, and says, 'Bad boy--big stick--_um_--won't forget--next time--and so on,'" continued Timothy, laughing; "and it is so on, to the end of the chapter."
By this time Mr Cophagus and his assistant had finished their dinner, and came into the shop. The former looked at me, put his stick to his nose, "Little boys--always hungry--um--like good dinner--roast beef--Yorkshire pudding--and so on," and he pointed with the stick to the back parlour. Timothy and I understood him very well this time: we went into the parlour, when the housekeeper sat down with us and helped us. She was a terribly cross, little old woman, but as honest as she was cross, which is all that I shall say in her favour. Timothy was no favourite, because he had such a good appetite; and it appeared that I was not very likely to stand well in her good opinion, for I also ate a great deal, and every extra mouthful I took I sank in her estimation, till I was nearly at the zero, where Timothy had long been for the same offence; but Mr Cophagus would not allow her to stint him, saying, "Little boys must eat--or won't grow--and so on."
I soon found out that we were not only well fed, but in every other point well treated, and I was very comfortable and happy. Mr Brookes instructed me in the art of labelling and tying up, and in a very short time I was very expert; and as Timothy predicted, the rudiments were once more handed over to him. Mr Cophagus supplied me with good clothes, but never gave me any pocket-money, and Timothy and I often lamented that we had not even a halfpenny to spend.
Before I had been many months in the shop Mr Brookes was able to leave when any exigence required his immediate attendance. I made up the pills, but he weighed out the quantities in the prescriptions; if, therefore, any one came in for medicines, I desired them to wait the return of Mr Brookes, who would be in very soon. One day, when Mr Brookes was out, and I was sitting behind the counter, Timothy sitting on it, and swinging his legs to and fro, both lamenting that we had no pocket-money, Timothy said, "Japhet, I've been puzzling my brains how we can get some money, and I've hit it at last; let you and I turn doctors; we won't send all the people away who come when Mr Brookes is out, but we'll physic them ourselves."
I jumped at the idea, and he had hardly proposed it, when an old woman came in, and addressing Timothy, said, "That she wanted something for her poor grandchild's sore throat."
"I don't mix up the medicines, ma'am," replied Timothy; "you must apply to that gentleman, Mr Newland, who is behind the counter--he understands what is good for every body's complaints."
"Bless his handsome face--and so young too! Why, be you a doctor, sir?"
"I should hope so," replied I; "what is it you require--a lotion, or an embrocation?"
"I don't understand those hard words, but I want some doctor's stuff."
"Very well, my good woman; I know what is proper," replied I, assuming an important air. "Here, Timothy, wash out this vial very clean."
"Yes, sir," replied Timothy, very respectfully.
I took one of the measures, and putting in a little green, a little blue, and a little white liquid from the medicine bottles generally used by Mr Brookes, filled it up with water, poured the mixture into the vial, corked, and labelled it, haustus statim sumendus, and handed it over the counter to the old woman.
"Is the poor child to take it, or is it to rub outside?" inquired the old woman.
"The directions are on the label;--but you don't read Latin?"
"Deary me, no! Latin! and do you understand Latin? What a nice clever boy!"
"I should not be a good doctor if I did not," replied I. On second thoughts, I considered it advisable and safer, that the application should be external, so I translated the label to her--Haustus, rub it in--statim, on the throat--sumendus, with the palm of the hand.
"Deary me! and does it mean all