by L. T. Meade
CHAPTER II.
MORE TROUBLE.
Day after day passed, and month after month, and Tom Jones, the bully ofAylmer's Court, quite ceased to fear any assaults from a certain plucky andwiry little fellow, who used to fly at him when he knocked down the girls,and who made himself generally unpleasant to Tom, when Tom too violentlytransgressed the principle of right and justice.
Not that Billy Andersen knew anything of right and justice himself; he wasmostly guided by an instinct which taught him to dislike everything thatTom did, and perhaps he was also a wee bit influenced by a sentiment whichmade him dislike to see any thing weaker or smaller than himself bullied.Since that January morning, however, Billy's head and heart and hands wereall too full for him to have any time to waste upon Tom Jones.
The girls and the very little ones of the court crowded round Billy thefirst time he went out with his charge. One of the biggest of them, indeed,carried the little thing right up into her own home, followed by a noisycrowd eager to make friends with the little arrival. Billy was flattered bytheir attentions, but he preferred to keep his charge entirely to himself.
At first, it was his head and hands alone which were occupied over thebaby, but as she progressed under his small brotherly care, and wrinkled upher tiny features with an ugly attempt at a smile, and stretched out herlimbs and cooed at him, he began gradually to discover that the baby wasgetting into his heart. From the moment he became certain on this point,all the irksomeness of his duties faded out of sight, and he did not mindwhat care or trouble he expended over Sarah Ann.
Mrs. Andersen, true to her word, had given Billy the entire charge of thislast addition to her family. Her husband had deserted her some monthsbefore the birth of the baby, and the poor woman had about as much as shecould do, in earning bread to put into her own mouth and those of her twochildren.
Now, it is grievous to relate that notwithstanding all Billy's devotion andgood nature, Sarah Ann was by no means a nice baby. In the first place, shewas very ugly--not even Billy could see any beauty in her rather old andyellow face; in the next place, she had a temper, which the neighbors werefond of describing as "vicious." Sarah Ann seemed already to have studiedhuman nature for the purpose of annoying it. She cried at the wrongmoments, she cut her teeth at the most inopportune times, she slept by dayand stayed awake at night, in a manner enough to try the patience of anangel; she tyrannized over any one who had anything to do with her, and inparticular she tyrannized over Billy.
Night after night had Billy to pace up and down the attic, with Sarah Annin his arms, for nothing would induce the infant to spend her wakingmoments except in a state of perpetual motion.
In vain Billy tried darkness, and his mother tried scolding. Sarah Ann,when placed in her cot, screamed so loud that all the neighbors werearoused.
When once, however, this strange and wayward little child had got intoBilly's heart, he was wonderfully patient with all her caprices, andtreasured the rare and far-between smiles she gave him, as worth goingthrough a great deal to obtain.
On fine days Billy took Sarah Ann for a walk; and even once or twice hewent with her as far as Kensington Gardens, where they both enjoyedthemselves vastly, under the shadow of a huge elm tree.
It was on the last of these occasions, just before the second winter ofSarah Ann's existence, that that small adventure occurred which was to landpoor Billy in such hot water and such perplexity.
Sarah Ann was quite nice that afternoon; she cooed and smiled, and allowedher brother to stroke her face, and even to play tenderly with the tinyrings of soft flaxen hair which were beginning to show round her forehead.
Billy's heart and head were quite absorbed with her, when a harsh, mockinglaugh and a loud "Hulloa, you youngster," caused him to raise his head, andsee, to his unutterable aversion, the well-remembered form of Tom Jones.
"Well, I never; and so that's the reason you've bin a-shunnin' of melately; and so you've been obliged to go and turn nursemaid;well--well--and you call yourself a manly boy."
"So I be manly," retorted Billy, glaring angrily and defiantly at hisadversary. "I don't want none of your cheek, Tom Jones, and I'd a sightrayther be taking care of a cute little baby like this than idling andloafing about and getting into trouble all day long--like yourself."
"Oh! we has turned nice and good," said Tom Jones, trying to affect a finelady's accent; "ain't it edifying--ain't it delicious--to hear us speakingso well of ourselves? Now then, Billy, where's that punched head youpromised me a year ago now? I ain't forgot it, and I'd like to see you atit; you're afeard, that's wot you are; you're a coward, arter all, BillyAndersen."
"No, I ain't," said Billy, "and I'll give it yer this 'ere blessed minute,if you like. Yere, Sarah Ann darling, you set easy with yer back up agin'the tree, and I'll soon settle Tom Jones for him."
Sarah Ann strongly objected to being removed from Billy's lap to theground; all her sunshiny good temper deserted her on the spot; shescreamed, she wriggled, she made such violent contortions, and altogetherbehaved in such an excited and extraordinary manner, that Tom, who by nomeans in his heart wished to test Billy's powers, found a ready excuse forpostponing the moment when his head must be punched, in her remarkablebehavior.
"Well, I never did see such a baby," he began; "now, I likes that sort of ababy; why, she have a sperrit. No, no, Billy, I ain't going to punch you;now, I'd like to catch hold of that 'ere little one"--but here Billyfrustrated his intention.
"You shan't touch my baby; you shan't lay a hand on her," he exclaimed,snatching Sarah Ann up again in his arms, and covering her with kisses.
"Well, see if I don't some day," said Tom; "you dare me, do you? Well, allright, we'll see."
As Billy walked home that afternoon, he was a little troubled by Tom'swords; he knew how vindictive Tom could be, and there was an ugly light inhis green eyes when he, Billy, had refused to give him the baby.
Tom was capable of mischief, of playing such a practical joke as mightcause sad trouble and even danger to poor little Sarah Ann. Hitherto Billyhad kept all knowledge of the baby's existence from Tom Jones. What evilchance had brought him to Kensington Gardens that day? Troubles, however,were not to fall singly on poor Billy Andersen that day. He was greeted onhis return to his attic by eager words and excited ejaculations. It wassome time before his poor little dazed head could take in the fact that hismother had broken her leg, and was taken to the hospital. He must then forthe time being turn the baby's breadwinner as well as her caretaker.