The New Forest Spy | Page 8

cautiously, and made his way into the great red-brick-floored kitchen, where from an opening to his left the thumping of the churn came louder still, accompanied by a dull humming sound, something like the buzz of a musical bee, but which was intended by the utterer to represent a tune.
Waller nodded his head with satisfaction, and went off to his right out of the kitchen into a cool stone passage, and then through a door into a stone-floored larder, whose wire-covered, ivy-shaded windows gave upon the north.
But Waller Froy had no thought for the situation of the larder. His attention was taken up by about three-quarters of a raised pork-pie, which he took off the dish, and, after a moment's hesitation, drew his big trout out of the creel and dabbed it in where the pie had stood, making the latter take the fish's place in the creel.
"Make it taste a bit," muttered the boy. "Can't stop to find a cloth, and he will be too hungry to notice. Now for some bread."
The larder was not his place, but the boy was quite at home there, due to surreptitious visits connected with fishing excursions and provisions for lunch.
Taking the great brown lid off a bread-pan, he placed it on the floor and pounced upon a loaf, which he broke in two and crammed into his fishing-creel. He then rose up and looked round, till his eyes lighted upon a big jug full of creamy-looking milk, which he annexed at once, and then made for the door, passed through the kitchen, where the thumping and musical buzz still went on, made his way back to the dining-room, and through the window again out into the garden, and then passed breathlessly into the dense forest once again, panting slightly from his exertions.
"I have as good a right to the things as anybody," he muttered, to quiet his uneasy conscience, "and if Martha asks me if I took the pie I shall say yes, of course. I am not going to enter into explanations. Let her think I was hungry and wanted some lunch; and if she does think it's my doing--oh!" he ejaculated, "she will know it was when she finds the fish; and there--if I didn't leave the great cover of the pan on the floor! Bother!" he ejaculated. "I am master when father's out, and I shall do as I like. Wish I could," he grumbled, as he hurried along, not so fast as he wished, for his way was rough and tangled, and the jug of milk was very full, besides being an awkward thing to carry steadily where brambles continually crossed the path and the thorny strands of the dog-rose hung down from on high as if fishing for everyone who passed. "I should like to think about what to do," mused Waller to himself, "but it only makes one so uncomfortable. This fellow must be one of the King's enemies, and if I am helping the King's enemies, shan't I be committing high treason? Oh, bother!" he cried aloud. "I am going to give a poor fellow who is starving something to eat, and, enemy or no, I am sure if King George saw him starving he'd do the same. There, I won't think about it any more."
He reached the spot where he had left his new acquaintance, in a state of repentance because he had not lowered the milk by taking a good draught, the consequence being that he had spilt a good deal.
All was perfectly still, and he began to wade through the ferns, and then stopped to look straight before him, and then sharply to right and left.
"Why, he isn't a gentleman, after all," muttered the boy. "He's gone. It was just in there that I told him to crawl, and--no, it was farther on, by that next beech--no--oh, I say, how much alike all these places are! I believe I must have passed it."
He stood still and whistled. There was no reply. Then he whistled again, and, after glancing about him, hazarded a call.
"Hi! Hullo! Where are you?--It's all right; no soldiers near."
There was a faint rustling then amongst the bracken, and the stranger's head was slowly raised some thirty yards away.
Waller hurried to him.
"What made you change your place?" he said, as he came up.
"Change my place? I have not moved."
"Never mind. There, sit down now. Here's something to take off the hunger. There, if I didn't forget a knife! Never mind; mine will do. It's quite clean. That's right. Nobody's likely to come by here. Take a good drink of this first."
He placed the jug in the lad's hand as he seated himself between the great buttress-like roots of a huge beech: and after that long, deep drink there was an