CHAPTER XIII

OUR DREADFUL DAY

AND now I've got to write about a dreadful day. And I'll begin at the very beginning of it. It was rather near the end of our holidays. We had got our saddle by this time, and we all used to ride Andy anywhere; he was a very good donkey on the whole, and he galloped awfully well. We were just talking over our plans for the day at breakfast when Emma came in with a telegram for father. He often got telegrams about meetings, so we didn't take any notice, until we heard him give a kind of groan, and hand it to Aunt C. And then she began to cry, and we knew it must be something bad. It was to say that granny had been taken dangerously ill, and father must go at once.

Aunt C. gasped out:

"She's dying, John; I must come with you."

"There's no train till ten-thirty. We must catch that."

Aunt C. rushed out of the room; then father turned to us:

"Children, can I trust you alone? It would be a sad thing for your aunt if she did not come with me. Will you try to prove yourselves trustworthy? Denys, you are getting a big boy, and know the difference between right and wrong. I look to you in my absence to take care of your brothers and sisters. Grisel, keep Lynette with you, and do not get into mischief. I will go and have a talk with cook. There is no time to be lost."

We promised faithfully to be as good as gold. We were very sorry about granny, but we couldn't help feeling a little tiny bit glad that we were to be left to take care of ourselves. We never have been before, and it's a delicious feeling to be quite, quite alone in the holidays, and to manage ourselves. I don't think there could be a nicer thing happen. Then I ran upstairs and helped Aunt C. to pack up her portmanteau. She was very upset, and Emma and cook were so excited, they kept running up and down stairs the whole time asking her questions.

At last they were off; and Denys drove their small luggage in the donkey-cart to the station. Father said he would be sure to come home in time for Sunday, as this was only Tuesday. Aunt C. kissed me very hard, and said she knew I would do my best to be good and to keep the others good, as I had been a great comfort to her lately. I was so pleased when she said this that I nearly cried, but I put both my arms round her neck instead, and gave her a good hug.

When Denys came back, we all went out into the garden to the summer-house to talk about it.

"Granny was quite well two days ago," I said. "She wrote to Aunt C. and said she had just been for a drive. I didn't know people could die without being ill."

"But she is ill," said Aylwin.

"Yes, but she couldn't get very ill all at once, could she?"

"Lots of people do," said Denys.

"Could we?" asked Lynette, with a frightened look. "I shouldn't like to. Aunt C. said she was sure granny was dead, and that was how Aunt Mildred broke the news."

"Anyhow, granny won't mind dying," I said. "She is like the knight, 'semper paratus.' And you ought to be too, Lynette."

"I'm not," she said; "are you?"

"Oh, do stop talking rot!" said Aylwin. "Now, what shall we do with ourselves?"

"A picnic would be nice," I suggested, "down by the river."

"And we might take Andy with us, and give him a good tubbing in the water. He must be dreadfully dirty; he never has a bath."

Lynette said this. If there's one thing she is fonder of than another, it is water, and washing something.

"And we'll boil a kettle, and pretend we're gipsies," said Aylwin.

"All right; let's go to cook and see if she's got any raw meat we can cook ourselves—that's half the fun."

So Denys and I went off to the kitchen, and cook seemed only too delighted to have us out for the day. She gave us some sausages, and a frying-pan with some fat in to fry them, and a bit of rabbit-pie, and some cold potatoes, and some apples, and half a loaf of bread, and a bottle of milk, and a small tin of sugar, and an envelope filled with salt, and another with tea in it. And then we all bustled about and got some cups and plates and the kettle, and then we packed ourselves in the donkey-cart, and away we drove, and we were all feeling so jolly that we had to keep reminding ourselves that granny was dying. And for a few minutes we tried to keep sad and have dismal faces. At last Denys said:

"Look here, we can't go on like this. We'll hope she has turned the corner and is getting well fast. Lots of people do, you know. And doctors always say, 'While there is life there is hope.' So we'll be as jolly as we like, because she's getting better."

We were all quite relieved. It was so much nicer having cheerful thoughts about granny than sad ones. And I'm afraid we didn't think much about her again, for we got very busy when we got down to the river. And then Denys said to Lynette:

"I say, if you want to wash anything, you can wash yourself—your hands would be all the better for it—and you can wash our dinner-plates, but don't you try it on Andy, or I'll duck you in the river head first. Donkeys aren't made to be washed."

Lynette was awfully disappointed, but she was rather afraid of Denys.

We had the most lovely time cooking our dinner. We first made the fire, and then we boiled the kettle, for we were all going to have cups of tea, and then we got the frying-pan and put the sausages in and the bit of rabbit-pie and the cold potatoes, and they smelt delicious. Denys and I were cook by turns, because Aylwin would taste so often that we were afraid there would not be enough to go round, and Lynette said the fire scorched her face. I don't expect grown-ups would have liked our fry, because it was rather smoky, and once the frying-pan tipped right over, and we lost some of the potatoes in the fire. But we all liked it immensely, and then we made tea, and we felt as if we were having a thorough good kitchen dinner—Emma and cook always have tea with their dinner. Then we tried to roast our apples, but it was too much bother, and we were tired of cooking by that time, so we just ate them raw.

Lynette and Puff and I washed up our plates and cups, and then we packed them away, and then we began having a game of hide-and-seek. There was a small wood close to us, so we had great fun. And now the first thing began to go wrong with us. We had unharnessed Andy and let him munch about on the grass, but when we were playing we forgot all about him, and suddenly we found out that he had gone off. We all hunted for him, and called and shouted, but there was no sign of him. And then we felt angry with him. Lynette said he must have remembered running off with Puff the other day, and the river must have reminded him of it.

"It will be no joke if we spend the rest of the day in hunting for the old beast!" said Aylwin sulkily. "I vote we go home, and let him find his way back!"

"But we can't leave the cart here," said Denys.

"Harness Aylwin to it, and let me drive him," said Lynette, dancing up and down in delight at the thought.

The boys wouldn't listen to her. We spent nearly an hour looking for Andy.

We were quite three miles from home, and we didn't know what to do. Then the boys said we must all help to drag the cart home. We cheered up then, because we thought it would be great fun. There was a great deal of talking, of course, before we settled it. I said we ought to draw it tandem, and Lynette could be leader, because she was the youngest, and I believed it was the easiest place, but Denys said we must be a four-in-hand, and Puff could-drive, because he was tired out already, and would have to be in the cart. So then we settled that Lynette and I should be front horses, and Denys and Aylwin back ones. We had some rope which we had brought to tie our hamper with, and after some time we got ourselves arranged, and started.

"Let us think Puff is member for the county," Denys said, "and he's just elected, and we've taken out his horses and are pulling him round the town."

So we all yelled out, "Three cheers for Puff, M.P., the labourer's friend!"

For we had seen plenty of elections before we came into Lincolnshire. But, oh dear! It was hard work pulling that cart. It was easier pulling it on the high road, but we all got very tired, and had to rest pretty often. Puff was the only one who enjoyed it, only we had to take the whip away from him, because he got so excited that he forgot we hadn't donkeys' skins, and really hurt us with it. And then, as we were all pulling our very hardest, who should come by but Lady Laura in her grand carriage and pair, and Beatrice and Clarice were with her.

"We've lost our donkey!" we shouted out to them. "And we're a four-in-hand."

We were trying to gallop past, for it was a little down-hill when we met them, only Lady Laura made us stop.

"Oh, you madcaps!" she said. "I am so glad you don't belong to me."

We thought that was rather nasty of her, because we really didn't want to draw our cart home; we were only doing it because it was our duty. So Denys took off his cap to her and tried to explain, and asked her if she saw Andy anywhere to let us know, and she laughed and promised she would, and Beatrice and Clarice called out that they would love to get out and be a six-in-hand, only they had their best clothes on.

We got on pretty well after that, until we came to a steep hill before we came to our village. We thought we would have a regular gallop down it, and come through the village in style. I suppose we went a little too fast, because just before we came to the bottom the cart seemed to come on the top of us, and Denys and Aylwin couldn't hold it back. Lynette tumbled, and then I hardly know what happened, but the next thing we were all in a confused heap in the ditch, and Puff was yelling as if he was being murdered. The hamper tumbled out, and nearly all the plates and cups were broken. I suppose we hadn't packed them very well. Denys picked himself up first. He was all right—only a few bruises, he said. Lynette had a great bump on her forehead almost as big as a small egg, and Aylwin had hurt one of his legs most dreadfully; he said he was sure it was broken, but Denys felt it all over and said there were no bones sticking out anywhere. Puff had only grazed his knees; one was bleeding rather—I tied my handkerchief over it. I had cut one of my elbows with a stone and felt rather bruised, but that was all.

[Illustration: THE NEXT THING WE WERE ALL IN A CONFUSED HEAP IN THE DITCH.]

We all sat down in the hedge to rest, after we had examined ourselves. And then, as no one came by who could help us, we left our cart in the hedge, and Denys carried Aylwin on his back all the way home, which was very good of him. Lynette's frock was all torn, and my hat was covered with ditch mud. When we came in, Emma shrieked at the sight of us. She told Baldwin to go and get the cart, and Aylwin got on the sofa, and cook came in to look at his leg. She said she thought it would be all right if she put a cold-water bandage on. It was rather swollen and bruised, but she said she was sure nothing was broken.

We were all rather disgusted with ourselves for coming home in such a state, but of course it was all Andy's fault, not ours.

Just after we had had our tea, a boy came to the Rectory. He had found Andy tearing about in a farmer's field, with some young colts, ever so far away. How he got there we don't know. He must have broken through the hedge somewhere. We were very glad to see him, but Denys nearly gave him a good beating. Emma said it was a regular hospital with all of us so scratched and bruised, and she said we might have all killed ourselves.

I wish I could say our day ended there, but the worst is still to come.

I was sitting in the garden reading a story-book. Puff had already gone to bed, and Lynette was playing a game of Halma with Aylwin indoors, when Denys came to me in great excitement.

"I say! There's a fire at a farm half a mile out of the village. It is Mr. Gaythorpe's. I'm off to it!"

"Oh, I must come too!" I said.

I suppose it is a dreadful thing to like, but we all love seeing a fire. We saw one or two in the place we were in before we came here, and we always went to them if we could. If it was at night, the boys would steal out of their beds and go off just the same. And, of course, a fire is much more exciting in the country.

I put on my hat and ran off with Denys. We saw volumes of smoke going up into the sky. Denys said some hayricks must have caught fire. We ran as hard as we could, and at last we came to it. It was a rick, we found, but it had caught on to the stables, and the stables were close to the house. There were a lot of men and boys throwing buckets of water over it. There was no fire-engine nearer them than Lemworth, so of course that was no good at all.

Denys at once began helping the farmer's wife to bring her furniture out of the house; it had a thatched roof, so there didn't seem the slightest chance of saving it. I stood a little distance off and watched the flames curl and lick up to the sky. It sent a little thrill through me as I saw them. Only I was glad that all the horses had been brought out and all the farmer's children. There was no one in the house at all. The farmer did his very best to save his house. One of the men got a ladder and began cutting away the thatch on the roof, and they soaked it with water, but the ladder actually caught on fire, and the man had to get down as quick as he could. His hands were quite burnt, and he was taken away by his wife at once.

All the time the farmer's wife, and her two servants, and Denys, were bringing out everything into the field which was close to the house. I wanted to help too, but Denys wouldn't let me; he said it wasn't girls' work. I felt quite sorry that Aylwin and Lynette knew nothing about it; they would so have enjoyed seeing it.

Then I heard something about oil in the back kitchen; the farmer was afraid the fire would get to it. And just then we heard the most awful howl, and we looked up, and there at one of the top windows which was open stood a dear little terrier.

"It's Foxy!" screamed Mrs. Gaythorpe. "I must have shut him in when I got the children out!"

"I'll get him!" shouted Denys, and he dashed into the house and up the stairs. I never thought he would be in danger, until, a minute after, there was an awful flare coming out of the kitchen windows, and Mr. Gaythorpe said it was the cask of oil. Then we saw Denys at the top window holding out the dog.

"Shall I throw him out?"

"Come down yourself!" shouted out the farmer. "The oil has caught downstairs!"

Denys disappeared. I still didn't think he was in danger until I saw him back at the window, and heard him shout out:

"The staircase is on fire. I can't come down!"

Then I felt quite sick. It was an awful moment.

"Hold out a blanket," said Denys, "if you've got one, and I'll throw you Foxy."

Two men held out a blanket, and Foxy was thrown out and caught. Meanwhile, Mr. Gaythorpe had gone for the ladder. It was broken and was too short to reach Denys. They tried another, but it was too short; then they began to splice them together, and I was in perfect agony.

Denys was awfully calm.

"Hurry up!" he said. "The fire is coming into the room."

Then we saw an awful volume of smoke behind him. The old house was burning like tinder.

"Oh, Denys! Denys!" I screamed, hardly knowing what I said. "Won't somebody save him?"

I heard afterwards that the ladders had been so badly burnt that they were quite rotten. And still Denys never lost his courage.

"Throw me up a coil of rope," he shouted. "I must get out of this; the floor is burning under me!"

He was standing on the sill as he spoke. I felt awful, as if I longed to be there instead of him. And then they got hold of a mattress, and four men held it at each corner.

"Jump!" they cried. "We'll catch you. 'Tis your only chance!"

For one moment Denys hesitated; he looked down. He was up such a long way, for it was a high house. Then he looked behind him, and then he sprang forward. I hid my eyes in terror. I suppose he must have jumped too strongly—he was always a splendid jumper—for I heard a sickening crashing thud, and they hadn't caught him! They said after, he jumped beyond them. I don't think I shall ever forget that moment all my life long. There was a loud groan from the whole crowd, and then dead silence. I dashed forward, but Mrs. Gaythorpe caught me by the arm.

"Stay with me, my pretty; 'tis no sight for you! Ah, the poor, poor boy!"

I have never done such a thing before, and I hope I never shall again, but I fainted. I seemed to know that they were taking up Denys's dead body, all crushed and still.

When I came round, I was in a cottage near, and a woman was tickling my nose with burnt feathers. I sat up, and remembered it all.

"Where's Denys?" I cried.

"The doctor's with him, missy. Such a chance; he were riding home from Farmer Turts, who have been to bed with the gout, and he saw the fire and comed straight up. They've taken him in next door."

"Oh, is he dead?" I cried. "He can't be dead, he can't be dead!"

"There now, my dear, we'll hope for the best!"

I dashed her arm away from me, and rushed out of her cottage. I hardly knew what I was doing, but I found myself saying, "I don't want to hope, I want to be sure!"

And then outside Mrs. Blatch's cottage next door I met cook and Baldwin. Some one had run off and told them.

Cook was wringing her hands and crying:

"The master is away, and who will tell him? Oh, never will I be left again in charge of these children!"

And her screaming and crying made me feel quiet. I walked into the cottage through a crowd of people.

"Is he dead?" I kept saying, and no one answered me.

And then the woman the cottage belonged to came out of a back room, and I shall love her till the day of my death.

"There, dearie," she said; "take heart: he's only a few broken bones, and young bones mend fast, the doctors say. Alive! Bless your little heart, he'll be laughing in a day or two! And I'll keep him here and look after him. He mustn't be moved, the doctor says. I was nurse once in the Lemworth Infirmary, and I'll look after him right well, I promise you!"

Then she told everybody to go away except cook and Baldwin and me, and we sat down in her front parlour and waited till the doctor came out.