England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Short stories, English
"I desire that you will behave as gentlemen," said Captain Sanker, who
was behind with the Squire, and bid us halt. "Those poor boys are here,
I see; but they will not, I am sure, molest you, neither must you molest
them. Civility costs nothing, remember. What are you looking so cross
for, Dan?"
"Oh, well, papa, it's like their impudence, to come here to-day!"
muttered Dan.
The captain laughed. "They may say it's like yours, to come, Dan: they
were here first. Go on, lads, and don't forget yourselves."
Tod's whistle below was heard just then; and Dan, not caring to show his
nose to the enemy, responded, and galloped back. We went on. The paths
there are narrow, you know, and we expected to have all the string of
Frogs sweeping past us, their coats brushing our jackets. But--perhaps
not caring to meet us any more than we cared to meet them--most of them
broke off on a detour down the steep of the hill, and so avoided us.
About half-a-dozen came on. One of them was a big-shouldered, awkward,
red-faced boy, taller than the rest of them and not unlike a real frog;
he walked with his cap in his hand, and his brown hair stood on end like
a porcupine's. Indisputably ugly was he, with a mouth as wide as a
frying-pan; but it was a pleasant and honest face, for all that. King
suddenly darted to him as he was passing, and pulled him towards Captain
Sanker, in excitement.
"Papa, this is the one I told you of; the one who saved me and didn't
mind the blows he got in doing it. I should have been knocked down, and
my knee trampled on, but for him."
Out went Captain Sanker's hand to shake the boy's. He did it heartily.
As to the Frog, he blushed redder than before with modesty.
"You are a brave lad, and I thank you heartily," said the captain,
wringing his hand as though he'd wring it off. "You do honour to
yourself, whoever you may be. There was not one of his own companions to
think of him, and save him, and you did it in the midst of danger. Thank
you, my lad."
The captain slid half-a-crown into his hand, telling him to get some
Malvern cakes. The boy stood back for us to go by. I was the last, and
he spoke as if he knew me.
"Good-day, Master Johnny."
Why, who was he? And, now I came to look at his freckled face, it seemed
quite familiar. His great wide mouth brought me remembrance.
"Why, it's Mark Ferrar! I didn't know you at first, Mark."
"We've come over here for the day in two vans," said Mark, putting
his grey cap on. "Eighty of the biggest of us; the rest are to come
to-morrow. Some gent that's visiting at St. Peter's parsonage has given
us the treat, sir."
"All right, Mark. I'm glad you thought of King Sanker on Saturday."
Ferrar touched his cap, and went vaulting down after his comrades. He
was related to Daniel Ferrar, the Squire's bailiff, of whom you have
heard before, poor fellow, and also to the Batleys of South Crabb. He
used to come over to Crabb, that's where I had seen him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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