The Heir of Redclyffe | Page 7

quadrangle where the sun never shone, and full of echoes;
the large hall and black wainscoted rooms, which the candles never
would light up. It is a fit place to be haunted.'
'That poor boy alone there!' said Mrs. Edmonstone; 'I am glad you and
your uncle are going to him.'
'Tell us about him,' said Laura.
'He was the most incongruous thing there,' said Philip. 'There was a
calm, deep melancholy about the old man added to the grand courtesy
which showed he had been what old books call a fine gentleman, that
made him suit his house as a hermit does his cell, or a knight his castle;
but breaking in on this "penseroso" scene, there was Guy--'
'In what way?' asked Laura.
'Always in wild spirits, rushing about, playing antics, provoking the
solemn echoes with shouting, whooping, singing, whistling. There was
something in that whistle of his that always made me angry.'
'How did this suit old Sir Guy?'
'It was curious to see how Guy could rattle on to him, pour out the
whole history of his doings, laughing, rubbing his hands, springing

about with animation--all with as little answer as if he had been talking
to a statue.'
'Do you mean that Sir Guy did not like it?'
'He did in his own way. There was now and then a glance or a nod, to
show that he was attending; but it was such slight encouragement, that
any less buoyant spirits must have been checked.'
'Did you like him, on the whole?' asked Laura. 'I hope he has not this
tremendous Morville temper? Oh, you don't say so. What a grievous
thing.'
'He is a fine fellow,' said Philip; 'but I did not think Sir Guy managed
him well. Poor old man, he was quite wrapped up in him, and only
thought how to keep him out of harm's way. He would never let him be
with other boys, and kept him so fettered by rules, so strictly watched,
and so sternly called to account, that I cannot think how any boy could
stand it.'
'Yet, you say, he told everything freely to his grandfather,' said Amy.
'Yes,' added her mother, 'I was going to say that, as long as that went on,
I should think all safe.
'As I said before,' resumed Philip, 'he has a great deal of frankness,
much of the making of a fine character; but he is a thorough Morville. I
remember something that will show you his best and worst sides. You
know Redclyffe is a beautiful place, with magnificent cliffs
overhanging the sea, and fine woods crowning them. On one of the
most inaccessible of these crags there was a hawk's nest, about
half-way down, so that looking from the top of the precipice, we could
see the old birds fly in and out. Well, what does Master Guy do, but go
down this headlong descent after the nest. How he escaped alive no one
could guess; and his grandfather could not bear to look at the place
afterwards--but climb it he did, and came back with two young hawks,
buttoned up inside his jacket.'
'There's a regular brick for you!' cried Charles, delighted.
'His heart was set on training these birds. He turned the library upside
down in search of books on falconry, and spent every spare moment on
them. At last, a servant left some door open, and they escaped. I shall
never forget Guy's passion; I am sure I don't exaggerate when I say he
was perfectly beside himself with anger.'
'Poor boy!' said Mrs. Edmonstone.

'Served the rascal right,' said Charles.
'Nothing had any effect on him till his grandfather came out, and, at the
sight of him, he was tamed in an instant, hung his head, came up to his
grandfather, and said--"I am very sorry," Sir Guy answered, "My poor
boy!" and there was not another word. I saw Guy no more that day, and
all the next he was quiet and subdued. But the most remarkable part of
the story is to come. A couple of days afterwards we were walking in
the woods, when, at the sound of Guy's whistle, we heard a flapping
and rustling, and beheld, tumbling along, with their clipped wings,
these two identical hawks, very glad to be caught. They drew
themselves up proudly for him to stroke them, and their yellow eyes
looked at him with positive affection.'
'Pretty creatures!' said Amabel. 'That is a very nice end to the story.'
'It is not the end,' said Philip. 'I was surprised to see Guy so sober,
instead of going into one of his usual raptures. He took them home; but
the first thing I heard in the morning was, that he was gone to offer
them to