The Old Castle and Other Stories | Page 2

fingers so that when uncle bade me hold out
my hand to my cousin, he was frightened to see it covered with blood,
and drew back with a shiver; and then I grew angry about that, too, and
called him 'proud,' and went and hid away every plaything I could find.
"Well, I won't have time to tell you every little thing, only that as
Bernard and I grew up together, I did not love him any better. He was
almost always kind and good."
"Now Dud, you must not say so," said Bernard, blushing. "I did
everything to tease you."
"You must not interrupt," cried Dudley. "This is my story, remember.
You never teased me much, but the great thing I couldn't forgive you
was that uncle loved you best."
"No, I'm sure he didn't," cried Bernard.
"No more interruptions," said all the children, and Dudley went on.

"Well, you see I was very suspicious and miserable, and I always
thought Bernard wanted to make fun of me. When he first began to call
me 'Dud,' for short, I thought he meant that I was like the old rags that
Joe used to clean the carriages with, for he always used to call them
'old duds.' And then sometimes when I came in from riding on
Lightfoot's bare back, with my hair blown every sort of a way, if he
said, 'Shall we have our lessons now, uncle? here comes Wylde,' I
always thought he was trying to make uncle think I was wild like those
horrid Indians we used to read about, while he, Bernard, was always
neat and smooth like a little gentleman. So you see there was nothing
that Bernard could do or say, that I did not twist around to make myself
miserable.
"One day, when I had been playing with my dog Sambo half the
morning, and riding Lightfoot the rest of the time, I was called on to
recite Latin to uncle, and didn't know one word. But Bernard recited
like a book, and when it was over, uncle did not scold me, he never did,
but just gave Bernard the pretty picture I had long been wanting, of the
boy climbing up over crag and ice, shouting 'Excelsior.'
"That very afternoon we had planned to take a walk together to an old
ruined castle, but I was so cross and sullen I wonder Bernard did not
slip away and go alone. I can't begin to tell you how envious and
unhappy I felt, and I quarrelled so with him about every little thing, that
at last he scarcely opened his mouth."
"I don't believe this story is true," said Flaxy indignantly. "I'm sure the
Dudley Wylde we know was never so bad and quarrelsome."
Dudley smiled, while Bettine whispered softly, "But he's different now,
Flaxy. Do you know his uncle says he is trying to be a Christian?"
Flaxy looked up with a bright tear of sympathy, as Dudley continued.
"At last we reached the castle, where we had often been before, and for
a while I was more good-natured, for there was nothing I liked better
than climbing up and down the broken stairway, which wound round
and round like a great screw, or looking into every queer little room hid

away in the thick walls, or climbing to the turrets to wave my
handkerchief like the flag of a conquering hero.
"But this afternoon there was something new to see. In the great hall
just under the stairs, the floor had lately caved away, and you could see
down into a deep vault. Bernard and I lay down with our faces just over
the edge, and tried to see the bottom, but it was dark as pitch, and we
couldn't make out anything.
"'I shouldn't wonder if they buried dead people there, a great while ago,'
said Bernard, with a little shiver; and when we both got up, feeling very
sober, he said, just to raise our spirits,--
"'Let's have a race up the steps, and see which will get to the roof first.'
"Off we started. I could generally climb like a wild cat, but in some
way I stumbled and hurt my knee, and Bernard gained very fast. I felt
my quick temper rising again. 'Shall he beat me in everything?' I said to
myself, and with a great spring I caught up to him, and seized his jacket.
Then began a struggle. Bernard cried 'Fair play,' and tried to throw me
off; but I was very angry, and strong as a young tiger, and all of a
sudden--for I didn't know what I was about--I just flung him with all
my might right over the edge, where the railing was half broken down!"
"Oh dear! oh dear!" cried little