Quicksilver: The Boy With No Skid to His Wheel

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER FORTY FIVE.

  A STARTLING DISCOVERY.

  The rough loft had been turned into a kind of dwelling-place, for therewas a bed close under the tiles, composed of hay, upon which, neatlyspread, were a couple of blankets. On the other side were a plate, aknife, a piece of bread, and a jam-pot, while in the centre were somerough boxes and an old cage, on the top of which sat the raggedsquirrel.

  "There," said Peter triumphantly, as he pointed to the squirrel.

  The doctor was looking eagerly round in search of the dweller in thisdismal loft, but there was no one visible.

  "Found him, sir?" came from below.

  "No, not yet," replied the doctor. "Here, Peter, go up that otherplace."

  There was no hesitation on the groom's part now. He sprang up thesecond ladder and went along under the roof, but only to come backshaking his head.

  "No one up there, sir."

  "Are you sure he did not come down!" cried the doctor, as Peter lifted arough trap at the side, through which, in bygone days, the horses' hayhad been thrust down.

  "Quite sure, sir," shouted back Dan'l. "I just see his legs comingdown, and he snatched 'em up again, and slammed the trap."

  "The young rascal!" said the doctor; "he's here somewhere. There mustbe some loose boards under which he is hidden."

  But there was not a loose board big enough to hide Bob Dimsted; andafter another search the doctor rubbed his head in a perplexed manner.

  "Shall I come up, sir, and have a look?" said Dan'l.

  "No, no. Stay where you are, and keep a sharp look-out," cried thedoctor. "Why, look here," he continued to Helen; "the young scoundrelhas been leading a nice life here, like a Robinson Crusoe in anuninhabited island. Ah! at last!" shouted the doctor, staring straightbefore him; "there he is. Here, Peter, hand me the gun!"

  Peter stared at his master, whose eyes twinkled with satisfaction, forhis feint had had the desired effect--that of startling the hidingintruder.

  As the doctor's words rang out there was a strange rustling soundoverhead; and, as they all looked up, there came a loud crack, thenanother and another, and right up, nearly to the ridge of the roof, aleg came through, and then its fellow, in company with a shower ofbroken tiles, which rattled upon the rough floor of the loft.

  The owner of the legs began to make a desperate effort to withdraw them,and they kicked about in a variety of peculiar evolutions; but beforethey could be extricated, Peter had climbed up to an oaken beam, whichformed one of the roof ties, and from there reached out and seized oneof the legs by the ankle.

  "I've got him," he cried gleefully. "Which shall we do, sir--pull himthrough, or get the ladder up to the roof and drag him out?"

  "Here, Daniel! Come up," said the doctor.

  The old gardener came up eagerly; and one of his cast-iron grinsexpanded his face as he grasped the situation.

  "Brayvo, Peter!" he cried. "That's the way to ketch a ghost. Hold himtight, lad!"

  The doctor smiled.

  "Don't let them hurt him, papa," whispered Helen.

  "Oh no; they shall not hurt him," said the doctor quietly. Then,raising his voice--"Now, sir, will you come down quietly, or shall Isend for the police to drag you out on to the roof?"

  An indistinct murmur came down, after a vigorous struggle to get free.

  "Woho! Woho, kicker!" cried Peter, speaking as if to a horse.

  "What does he say!" said the doctor.

  "Says he'll come down if I'll let go."

  "Don't you trust him, sir," cried Dan'l excitedly.

  "I do not mean to," said the doctor. "Will you come down quietly?" heshouted.

  There was another murmur.

  "Says `_yes_,' sir," cried Peter.

  "Then, look here," said the doctor, "you hold him tight, and you," hecontinued to the gardener, "climb up on that beam and push off a fewtiles. Then you can draw him down through there."

  "All right, sir," cried Dan'l; and as Peter held on to the leg, the oldgardener, after a good deal of grunting and grumbling, climbed to hisside, and began to let in daylight by thrusting off tile after tile,which slid rattling down the side of the roof into the leaden guttering.

  The opening let in so much daylight that the appearance of the old loftwas quite transformed, but the group on the worm-eaten beam was theprincipal object of attention till just as Dan'l thrust off the fourthtile, when there was a loud crack, a crash, and gardener, groom, andtheir prisoner lay in a heap on the floor of the loft, while pieces oflath and tile rattled about their heads.

  The old tie had given way, and they came down with a rush, to theintense astonishment of all; but the distance to fall was only aboutfive feet, and the wonder connected with the fall was as nothing to thatfelt by Helen and her father, as the smallest figure of the triostruggled to his feet, and revealed the dusty, soot-smeared face ofDexter, with his eyes staring wildly from the Doctor to Helen and backagain.

  "Dexter!" cried Helen.

  "You, sir!" cried the doctor.

  "Well, I _ham_!" ejaculated Peter, getting up and giving his thigh aslap.

  Dan'l sat on the floor rubbing his back, and he uttered a grunt as hisface expanded till he displayed all his front teeth--a dismal array offour, and not worth a bite.

  "Are you hurt?" cried Helen.

  Dexter shook his head.

  "Are either of you hurt?" said the doctor frowning.

  "Screwed my off fetlock a bit, sir," said Peter, stooping to feel hisright ankle.

  "Hurt?" growled Dan'l. "Well, sir, them's 'bout the hardest boards asever I felt."

  "Go and ask Mrs Millett to give you both some ale," said the doctor;and the two men smiled as they heard their master's prescription. "Thengo on and tell the builder to come and patch up this old roof. Here,Dexter, come in."

  Dexter gave Peter a reproachful look, and limped after the doctor.

  "Well, let's go and have that glass o' beer Peter," said Dan'l. "Talkabout pickles!"

  "My!" said Peter, slapping his leg again. "Why, it were him we seeevery night, and as swum across the river. Why, he must ha' swum backwhen I'd gone. I say, Dan'l, what a game!"

  "Hah!" ejaculated the old gardener, wiping his mouth in anticipation."It's my b'lief, Peter, as that there boy'll turn out either a reg'largood un, or 'bout the wust as ever stepped."

  "Now, sir!" said the doctor, as he closed the door of the library, andthen with a stern look at the grimy object before him took a seatopposite Helen. "What have you to say for yourself!"

  Dexter glanced at Helen, who would not meet his gaze.

  "Nothing, sir."

  "Oh, you have nothing to say! Let me see, now. You were sent to a goodschool to be taught by a gentleman, and treated as a special pupil. Youbehaved badly. You ran away. You came here and made yourself a den;you have been living by plunder ever since, and you have nothing tosay!"

  Dexter was silent, but his face was working, his lips quivering, and histhroat seemed to swell as his breath came thick and fast.

  At last his words came in a passionate appeal, but in a broken,disjointed way; and it seemed as if the memory of all he had sufferedroused his nature into a passionate fit of indignation against theauthor of all the trouble.

  "I--I couldn't bear it," he cried; "I tried so hard--so cruel--said hewas to break my spirit--that I was bad--he beat me--seven times--I didtry--you wanted me to--Miss Grayson wanted me to--I was always trying--punished me because--so stupid--but I tried--I took a bit of candle--Iwas trying to learn the piece--the other boys were asleep--he came up--he caned me till I--till I couldn't bear it--break my spirit--he saidhe'd break it--I dropped from the window--fell down and sprained myankle--but I walked--back here--then I was--afraid to tell you, and Ihid up there."

  There were no tears save in the boy's voice; but there was a ring ofpassionate agony and suffering in every tone and utterance; and, asHelen read in the gaunt figure, hollow eyes, and pallor of the cheekswhat the boy must have gone through,
she turned in her chair, laid herarm on the back, her face went down upon it, and the tears came fast.

  The doctor was silent as the boy went on; his lips were compressed andhis brow rugged; but he did not speak, till, with wondering eyes, he sawDexter turn, go painfully toward where Helen sat with averted face, lookat her as if he wanted to speak, but the words would not come, and, witha sigh, he limped toward the door.

  "Where are you going, sir!" said the doctor roughly.

  "Up there, sir," said Dexter, in a low-toned weary voice, which soundedas if all the spirit had gone.

  "Up there!" cried the doctor.

  "Yes," said Dexter feebly; and without turning round--"to Mr Hippetts,and to Mr Sibery, sir. To take me back. It's no good. I did try so--hard--so hard--but I never had--no mother--no father--not like--otherboys--and--and--"

  He looked wildly round, clutching at vacancy, and then reeled and fellheavily upon the carpet.

  For Mr Mastrum had done his work well. His system for breaking thespirit of unruly boys, and making them perfectly tame, seemed to havereached perfection.

  With a cry of horror Helen Grayson sprang from her seat, and sank uponher knees by Dexter's side, to catch his head to her breast, while thedoctor tore at the bell.

  "Bring brandy--water, quick!" he said; "the boy has fainted."

  It was quite true, and an hour elapsed before he looked wildly round atthose about him.

  He tried to rise, and struggled feebly. Then as they held him back hebegan to talk in a rapid disconnected way.

  "'Bliged to take it--so hungry--yes, sir--please, sir--I've come back,sir--come back, Mr Sibery, sir--if Mr Hippetts will let me stay--where's Mother Curdley--where's nurse!"

  "O father!" whispered Helen excitedly! "Poor, poor boy! what does thismean?"

  "Fever," said the doctor gently, as he laid his hand upon the boy'sburning forehead and looked down in his wild eyes. "Yes," he saidsoftly, "fever. He must have suffered terribly to have been brought tothis."