CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
DUMMY TURNS STUNT.
Dummy Rugg caught the pony, after seeing that his young mistress wasunhurt at Master Rayburn's cottage; and, perfectly calm now, the girlinsisted upon remounting, the old man opposing her, until Dummy gave hima curious look or two, and a nod of the head.
"And there is no need whatever for you to go up home with me, MasterRayburn," she said. "It is all uphill now, and the pony will not runaway again."
"Very well, Mistress Obstinacy," said the old man, smiling and pattingher cheek, before helping her on the pony; "but I feel as if I ought tosee you home safely."
"There is no need, indeed," cried the girl. "Goodbye, and thank you.I'm afraid I frightened you."
"You did, my child, terribly. More than you frightened yourself. I wasafraid that the little girl who used to ask for rides on _my_ foot wouldbe killed."
"But it was only a gallop, Master Rayburn," said the girl, leaningforward to receive the old man's kiss. "Please, if you see Mark, don'tsay anything about it, or he will not lend me his pony again.--NowDummy, let go the rein."
"Come on!" growled the lad, leading the frisky little animal, and MasterRayburn chuckled a little, for the boy bent his head, rounded hisshoulders, and paid not the slightest heed to the order he had received.
"Do you hear, Dummy? Let go."
Dummy let go of the rein by passing his arm through, and thrust his handinto his pocket.
"Do you hear me, sir?" cried the girl imperiously. "Let go of that reindirectly."
"Have let go," grumbled the boy.
"Go away from his head, and walk behind."
"Run away agen if I do," said Dummy.
"He will not," cried the girl angrily. "I shall hold him in moretightly."
"Haven't got strength enough."
"I have, sir. How dare you! Let go."
"Nay: Master Mark would hit me if I did, and Sir Edward'd half-kill me."
"What nonsense, sir! Let go directly."
Dummy shook his big head, and trudged on by the pony.
"Oh!" cried the girl, with the tears of vexation rising in her eyes. "Iwill not be led, as if I were a little child. Go behind, sir,directly."
"Nay," growled Dummy.
"Let go, sir, or I'll beat you with the whip.--Ah! where is it?"
"Beat away," said Dummy.
"I really will, sir, if you don't let go."
Dummy laughed softly, and Mary Eden could not see his face, but she sawhis shoulders shaking; and in her anger she leaned forward and tried todrag the rein from the lad's arm.
"You'll have him off the path agen if you don't mind, Mistress Mary."
"Where is my whip? I've lost my whip," cried the girl.
"Good job--for me," said the boy, with a little laugh.
"If you don't let go of that rein, directly, sir, I'll make my brotherbeat you," cried Mary angrily.
"You won't tell him he ran away," said the boy, without turning hishead.
"Then my father shall, sirrah!"
"Won't tell him neither, mistress."
"Then I'll tell him you were rude and impertinent to me, sirrah, andhe'll have you horsewhipped for that."
"Master Mark's sister couldn't tell a lie with her pretty little lips,"said the boy quietly, and never once looking round. "Pony's too fresh,and I won't see my young mistress get into trouble again--so there!"
Mary Eden flushed with annoyance, and tried to stamp her foot, but onlyshook the stirrup, and sat still for a few moments, before tryingcajolery.
"The pony's quite quiet now, Dummy," she said gently. "Let him have hishead again--there's a good boy."
Dummy shook his own, and Mary bit her red lip, and made it scarlet.
"But I shouldn't like to be seen led up home like this, Dummy," she saidsoftly. "It looks as if I can't ride."
"Every one knows you can ride beautiful, mistress."
"But please let go now."
"Nay: won't."
"I'll give you some money, Dummy."
"Wouldn't for two donkey panniers full o' gold--there!" cried the lad."Come on."
This to the pony, and then the boy checked the cob.
"That your whip, mistress?" he said, turning and wagging his headsidewise towards where, half-a-dozen yards down the steep slope, thewhip lay, where Ralph had kicked it on to a clump of brambles.
"Yes, yes; get it for me, please," cried the girl eagerly.
Dummy drew his arm from the pony's rein, leaped off the shelf path, andlowered himself step by step toward the whip; and the girl, afterwaiting a few seconds, with her eyes flashing with satisfaction, shookthe rein, kicked at her steed's ribs, and did all she could to urge itforward.
"Go on--go on!" she whispered sharply. Then, as this was of no avail,she began to saw the bit to and fro in its mouth, but only made theanimal swing its head from side to side in response to each drag,keeping all four legs planted out firmly like a mule's, and obstinatelyrefusing to move.
"Oh, you wicked wretch!" cried the girl angrily; "go on--go on!"
At the first efforts she made to force the pony on and leave him behind,Dummy turned sharply, and made a bound to catch at the rein; but as soonas he grasped the stubborn creature's mood--knowing its nature byheart--he chuckled softly, and went on down to where the whip lay,recovered it as deliberately as he could, and began to climb the slopeagain.
"It aren't no good, Miss Mary," he said; "he won't go till I get back tohis head."
"Go on--go on, sir!" cried the girl angrily, as she saw her last chanceof escape dying away; and then, hardly able to restrain the tears ofvexation, for Dummy climbed back on to the track, went to his old placeby the pony's head, and handed her the whip.
Mary snatched it in an instant, and struck the pony a sharp blow, which,instead of making it leap forward, had the opposite effect; for itbacked, and but for Dummy seizing the rein once more, its hind-legswould have gone over the edge.
"Look at that, mistress," said the boy quietly; "see what you nearlydid;" and, slipping his arm through once more, he walked on, cheek byjowl with the pony, which seemed on the most friendly terms with him,swinging its nose round and making little playful bites at his stoutdoublet.
"Now, sir," cried Mary angrily, "I have my whip, and if you do not leavethe pony's head directly, and come round to the back, I'll beat you."
"Nay, not you," said the boy, without looking round. "Why, if I did,the pony would only turn about and follow me."
"He would not."
"There, then, see," said the boy; and slipping out his arm, he turnedand walked back, the pony pivoting round directly. "Told you so," saidDummy, and he resumed his old place, with his arm through the rein.
"You told him to turn round, sir."
"Nay, never spoke to him, Miss Mary.--There, it aren't no good to becross with me; I shan't leave you till you're safe home."
The girl, flushed with passion, leaned forward, and struck the ladsharply over the shoulders three times.
"There, sir," she cried; "what do you say to that?"
"Thank ye," replied the boy coolly. "Frighten away the flies."
Whish-whish-whish, came the whip through the air.
"Now then," cried Mary; "what do you say now?"
"Hit harder, mistress," said the boy, with a chuckle; "that onlytickles."
"Oh!" cried Mary, in a burst of passion. "I did like you, Dummy, butyou're a nasty, ugly old thing;" and she subsided in her saddle, sobbingwith vexation, while Dummy rounded his shoulders a little more, andplodded on in silence, with the pony's shoes tapping the stony path, asit playfully kept on making little bites at different parts of the boy'sclothes.
"'Taren't no use to be cross with me, mistress," said the boy at last."Can't help it. You don't know, and I do. S'pose he runs off again,and Master Mark says to me, `Why didn't you lead her home?' what am I tosay?"
Mary sat gazing straight before her, and had to ride ignominiously backto the zigzags leading up to
the top of the Black Tor, where shedismounted, and Dummy led the pony to its underground stable.
"I shan't tell Master Mark," said the boy to the pony, as he took offbridle and saddle; "and you can't, Ugly; and she won't neither, sonobody'll never know."
Black Tor: A Tale of the Reign of James the First Page 17