Friends, though divided: A Tale of the Civil WarHenty, G. A. (George Alfred)
History
Friends, though divided: A Tale of the Civil War
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649 -- Juvenile fiction
"I am fond of confections,", Harry said; "and my Aunt Marjory is famous
at them; and now, as I am very sleepy, I will go off. But methinks,
Jacob, that you take up hugely more than your share of the bed."
After a little grumbling on both sides the boys disposed themselves to
sleep, each wondering somewhat over the character of the other, and
determining to make a better acquaintance shortly.
CHAPTER VI.
A NARROW ESCAPE.
During the next few days Harry was kept hard at work delivering the
various minute documents which he had brought in the hollow of his
stick. Sometimes of an evening he attended his master to the houses
where he had taken such messages, and once or twice was called in to be
present at discussions, and asked to explain various matters connected
with the position of the king. During this time he saw but little of the
apprentice Jacob, except at his meals, and as the boy did not touch upon
his frequent absence, or make any allusion to political matters, when in
their bedroom alone at night, Harry hoped that his suspicions had been
allayed.
One morning, however, on waking up, he saw the boy sitting upright in
bed, staring fixedly at him.
"What is the matter; Jacob, and what are you doing?"
"I am wondering who and what you are!" the boy said.
"I am Roger, your fellow apprentice," Harry replied, laughing.
"I am not sure that you are Roger; I am not sure that you are an
apprentice," the boy said. "But if you were, that would not tell me who
you are. If you were merely Roger the apprentice, Dame Alice would not
pick out all the tit-bits at dinner, and put them on your plate, while I
and Master Hardwood have to put up with any scraps which may come. Nor
do I think that, even for the purpose of carrying his cloak, our master
would take you with him constantly of an evening. He seems mighty
anxious too, for you to learn your way about London. I do not remember
that he showed any such care as to my geographical knowledge. But, of
course, there is a mystery, and I want to get to the bottom of it, and
mean to do so if I can."
"Even supposing that there was a mystery," Harry said, "what good would
it do to you to learn it, and what use would you make of your
knowledge?"
"I do not know," the boy said carelessly. "But knowledge is power."
"You see," Harry said, "that supposing there were, as you say, a
mystery, the secret would not be mine to tell, and even were it so
before I told it, I should want to know whether you desired to know it
for the sake of aiding your master, if possible, or of doing him an
injury.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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