by M. R. James
IV
THE SMALL PEOPLE
You will have made sure that the next jar I meant to try was the one forthe tongue, in hopes that it would help me to speak to some of thecreatures. Though I looked forward to the experiment very much, and feltsomewhat restless until I had made it, I did get a good deal ofamusement out of what I saw and heard the next day. The small peoplewere not to be seen--at least not in the morning. No, I am wrong: Ifound a bunch of three of them--young ones--asleep in a hollow tree.They woke up and looked at me without much interest, and when I waswithdrawing my head they blew kisses to me. I am afraid there is nodoubt they did so in derision. But there were others. I passed acottage garden in which a little dog was barking most furiously. Itseemed to be barking at a clothes-line, on which, with a lot of otherthings, was a print dress with rather a staring pattern of flowers. Thedress caught my eye, and so did something red at the top which stuck upabove the line. I gave it another glance, and really I had a mostdreadful shock. It was a face. I gazed at it in horror, and was justgathering my wits to run and call for help or something, when I saw thatit was laughing. Then I realized that it could not be an ordinaryperson, hanging as it was on a thin bit of cord and blowing to and froin the breeze. I went nearer, staring at it with all my eyes, and madeout that it was the face of an old woman, very cheerful and ruddy, and,as I said, laughing and swinging to and fro. Suddenly she seemed tocatch my eye and to see that I saw her, and in a flash she was off theline and round the corner of the house, nearly tumbling over the dog asshe went. It rushed after her, still very angry, but soon came trottingback, rather out of breath, and _that_ incident was over.
I walked on. Among the village people I met, there were one or two whomI didn't think I had seen before--elderly, bright-eyed people theywere--who seemed very much surprised when I said "Good morning" to them,and stopped still, looking after me, when I passed on. At last, somelittle way outside the village, I saw in the distance the samebright-coloured dress that had been on the clothes-line. The person whowore it was going slowly, and looking in the grass and hedges, andsometimes stooping to pick a plant, as it seemed. I quickened my paceand came up with her, and when I was just behind her, I cleared mythroat rather loudly and said, "Fine day," or words to that effect.
You should have seen her jump! I was well paid for the fright she hadgiven me just before. However, the startled look cleared away from herface, and she drew herself up and looked at me very calmly.
"Yes," she said, "it's a fine day." Then she actually blushed and wenton: "I think I ought to beg your pardon for giving you such a turn justnow."
"Well," I said, "I certainly was a good deal startled, but no harm wasdone. The dog took it more to heart than I did."
She gave a short laugh. "Yes," she said. "I hardly know why I wasbehaving like that. I suppose we all of us feel skittish at times." Shepaused and said with some little hesitation, "You have them, I suppose?"and at the same time she rapidly touched her ears, eyes and mouth withher forefinger.
I looked at her in some doubt, for I thought, might not she be one ofthe unknown who wished to get hold of the Five Jars? But her eye washonest, and my instinct was to trust her: so I nodded, and put myfinger on my lips.
"Of course," she said. "Well, you are the first since I was a littlething, and that's fourteen hundred years ago." (You may think I openedmy eyes.) "Yes, Vitalis was the last, and he lived in the villa--theycalled it so--down by the stream. You'll find the place some of thesedays if you look. I heard talk yesterday that someone had got them, andI'm told the mist was about last night. Perhaps you saw it?"
"Yes," I said, "I did, and I guessed what it meant." And I told her allthat had happened, and ended by asking if she could kindly advise mewhat to do.
She thought for a moment, and then handed me a little bunch of theleaves she held in her hand. "Four-leaved clover," she said. "I knownothing better. Lay it on the box itself. You'll hear of them again, besure."
"Who are _they_?" I asked in a whisper.
She shook her head. "Not allowed," was all she would say. "I must begoing"; and she was gone, sure enough. You might suppose (as I did, whenI came to think of it) that my new sight ought to have been able to seewhat became of her. I think it would, if she had gone straight away fromme; but what I believe she did was to dart round behind me and then goaway in a straight line, so that I was left looking in front of me whileshe was travelling away behind me like a bullet from a gun. You needpractice with these things, and I had only been at it a couple of days.
I turned and walked rather quickly homewards, for I thought it would bewise to protect my box as soon as possible now that I had the means. Ithink it was fortunate that I did.
As I opened the garden gate I saw an old woman coming down the path--anold woman very unlike the last. "Old" was not the word for her face:she might have been born before the history-books begin. As to herexpression, if ever you saw a snake with red rims to its eyes and theexpression of a parrot, you might have some idea of it. She was hobblingalong with a stick, in quite the proper manner, but I felt certain thatall that was put on, and that she could have glided as swift as an adderif she pleased. I confess I was afraid of her. I had a feeling that sheknew everything and hated everybody.
"And what," I suddenly thought, "has she been up to? If she has got atthe box, where am I? and more than that, what mischief will she and hercompany work among the small people and the birds and beasts?" Therewould be no mercy for them; a glance at her eye told me that.
It was an immense relief to see that she could not possibly have got thebox about her, and another relief when my eye travelled to the door ofthe house and I saw no fewer than three horseshoes nailed above it. Ismiled to myself. Oh, how angry she looked! But she had to act her part,and with feeble curtseys and in a very small hoarse trembling voice shewished me a good day (though I noticed her pointing to the ground withher thumb as she said the words) and would be very obliged if I couldtell her the right time. I was going to pull out my watch (and if I had,she would have seen a certain key we know of), when something saidsuddenly and clearly to my brain, "Look out," and by good luck I heard aclock inside the house strike one before I could answer.
"Just struck one," was my reply accordingly, and I said it as innocentlyas I could. She drew her breath in hard and quivered all over, and hermouth remained open like a cat's when it is using its worst expressions,and when she eventually thanked me I leave it to you to imagine howgracefully she did it.
Well, she had no more cards to play at the moment, and no excuse forremaining. I stood my ground and watched her out of the gate. A path leddown the meadow, and, much against her will no doubt, she had to keep upthe pretence and toil painfully along it until she reached another hedgeand could reckon on being out of my sight. After that I neither saw norexpected to see anything more of her. I went up to my room and found allsafe, and laid the four-leaved clover on the box. At luncheon I tookoccasion to find out from the maid, without asking her in so many words,whether the old woman had been visible to her; evidently she had not:evidently also, the evil creatures were really on the track of the FiveJars, knew that I had them, and had a very fair idea of where they werekept.
However, if the maid had not seen her, the cat had, and murmured a gooddeal to herself, and was in a rather nervous state. She sat, with herears turned different ways, on the window-sill, looking out, andtwitching her back uncomfortably, like an old lady who feels a draught.When I was available, she came and sat on my knee (a very uncommonattention on her part) with an air half of wishing to be protected andhalf of undertaking to protect me.
"If there is fish to-night," I said, "you shall have some." But I wasnot yet in a position to make myself understood.
"Pussy's been sleepin' on your box all the afternoon, sir," said themaid when I came in to tea. "I couldn't get her to come off; and when Idid turn her out of the room, I do believe she climbed up and got inagain by the winder."
"I don't mind at all," I said; "l
et her be there if she likes." Andindeed I felt quite grateful to the cat. I don't know that she couldhave done much if there had been any attempt on the box, but I was sureher intentions were good.
There was fish that evening, and she had a good deal of it. She did notsay much that I could follow, but chiefly sang songs without words.
* * * * *
Not to go over the preliminaries again, I did, when the proper timecame, touch my tongue with the contents of the third jar. I found thatit worked in this way: I could not hear what I was saying myself, when Iwas talking to an animal: I only _thought_ the remark very clearly, andthen I felt my tongue and lips moving in an odd fashion, which I can'tdescribe. But with the small people in human shape it was different. Ispoke in the ordinary way to them, and though I dare say my voice wentup an octave or two, I can't say I perceived it.
The village was there again to-night, and the life going on in it seemedmuch the same. I was set upon making acquaintance in a natural sort ofway with the people, and as it would not do to run any risk ofstartling them, I just took my place near the window and made somepretence of playing Patience. I thought it likely that some of the youngpeople would come and watch me, in spite of the fright they had had thenight before. And it was not long before I heard a rustling in theshrubs under the window and voices saying:
"Is he in there? Can you see? Oh, I say, _do_ look out: you all but hadme over that time!"
They were suddenly quiet after this, and apparently one must have, verycautiously, climbed up and looked into the room. When he got down againthere was a great fuss.
"No, is he really?" "What d'you say he was doing?" "What sort of charm?""I say, d'you think we'd better get down?" "No, but what is he reallydoing?" "Laying out rows of flat things on the table, with marks onthem." "I don't believe it." "Well, you go and look yourself." "Allright, I shall." "Yes, but, I say, do look out: suppose you get shut inand we're late for the bell?" "Why, you fool, I shan't go into the room,only stop on the window-sill." "Well, I don't know, but I do believe hesaw us last night, and my father said he thought so too." "Oh, well, hecan't move very quick, anyway, and he's some way off the window. _I_shall go up."
I managed, without altering my position too much, to keep my eye on thewindow-sill, and, sure enough, in a second or two a small round headcame into sight. I went on with my game. At first I could see that thewatcher was ready to duck down at the slightest provocation, but as Itook no sort of notice, he gained confidence, leant his elbows on thesill, and then actually pulled himself up and sat down on it. He bentover and whispered to the others below, and it was not long before I sawa whole row of heads filling up the window-sill from end to end. Theremust have been a dozen of them. I thought the time was come, and withoutmoving, and in as careless a tone as I could, I said:
"Come in, gentlemen, come in; don't be shy." There was a rustle, and twoor three heads disappeared, but nobody said anything. "Come in, if youlike," I said again; "you can hear the bell quite well from here, and Ishan't shut the window."
"Promise!" said the one who was sitting on the sill.
"I promise, honour bright," I said, whereupon he made the plunge. Firsthe dropped on to the seat of a chair by the window, and from that to thefloor. Then he wandered about the room, keeping at a distance from me atfirst, and, I have no doubt, watching very anxiously to see whether Ihad any intention of pouncing on him. The others followed, first one byone and then two or three at a time. Some remained sitting on thewindow-sill, but most plucked up courage to get down on to the floor andexplore.
I had now my first good chance of seeing what they were like. They allwore the same fashion of clothes--a tunic and close-fitting hose andflat caps--seemingly very much what a boy would have worn in QueenElizabeth's time. The colours were sober--dark blue, dark red, grey,brown--and each one's clothes were of one colour all through. They hadsome white linen underneath; it showed a little at the neck. There wereboth fair and dark among them: all were clean and passably good-looking,one or two certainly handsome. The firstcomer was ruddy andauburn-haired and evidently a leader. They called him Wag.
I heard whispers from corners of the room, and appeals to Wag to explainwhat this and that unfamiliar object was, and noticed that he was neverat a loss for an answer of some kind, correct or not. The fireplace,which had its summer dressing, was, it appeared, a rock garden; an oldletter lying on the floor was a charm ("Better not touch it"); thewaste-paper basket (not unnaturally) a prison; the pattern on the carpetwas--"Oh, you wouldn't understand it if I was to tell you."
Soon a voice--Wag's voice--came from somewhere near my foot.
"I say, could I get up on the top?" I offered to lift him, but hedeclined rather hastily and said my leg would be all right if I didn'tmind putting it out a bit sloping: and he then ran up it on allfours--he was quite a perceptible weight--and got on to the table frommy knee without any difficulty.
Once there, there was a great deal to interest him--books, papers, ink,pens, pipes, matches and cards. He was full of questions about them, andhis being so much at his ease encouraged the others to follow him, sothat before very long the whole lot were perambulating the table andmaking me very nervous lest they should fall off, while Wag was standingclose up to me and putting me through a catechism.
"What do you have such _little_ spears for?" he wanted to know,brandishing a pen at me. "Is that blood on the end? whose blood? Wellthen, what do you do with it? Let's see--only that?" (when I wrote aword or two). "Well, you can tell me about it another time. Now I wantto know what these clubs in the chest are."
I said, "We make fire with them; if you like I'll show you--but it makesa little noise."
"Go on," said Wag; and I struck a match, rather expecting a stampede.But no, they were quite unmoved, and Wag said, "Beastly row andsmell--why don't you do the ordinary way?"
He brushed the palm of his left hand along the tips of the fingers onhis right hand, put them to his lips and then to his eyes, and behold!his eyes began to glow from behind with a light which would have beenquite bright enough for him to read by. "Quite simple," he said; "don'tyou know it?" Then he did the same thing in reverse order, touchingeyes, lips and hand, and the light was gone. I didn't like to confessthat this was beyond me.
"Yes, that's all very well," I said, "but how do you manage about yourhouses? I am sure I saw lights in the windows."
"Course," he said, "put as many as you want;" and he ran round the tabledabbing his hand here and there on the cloth, or on anything that lay onit, and at every place a little round bud or drop of very bright butalso soft light came out. "See?" he said, and darted round again,passing his hands over the lights and touching his lips; and they weregone. He came back and said, "It's a _much_ better way; it is _really_,"as if it were only my native stupidity that prevented me from using itmyself.
A smaller one, who looked to me rather a quieter sort than Wag, had comeup and was standing by him: he now said in a low voice:
"P'raps they can't."
It seemed a new idea to Wag: he made his eyes very round. "Can't? Oh,rot! it's quite simple."
The other shook his head and pointed to my hand which rested on thetable. Wag looked at it too, and then at my face.
"Could I see it spread out?" he said.
"Yes, if you'll promise not to spoil it."
He laughed slightly, and then both he and the other--whom he calledSlim--bent over and looked closely at the tips of my fingers. "Otherside, please," he said after a time, and they subjected my nails to alike examination. The others, who had been at the remoter parts of thetable, wandered up and looked over their shoulders. After tapping mynails and lifting up one or more fingers, Wag stood upright and said:
"Well, I s'pose it's true, and you can't. I thought your sort could doanything."
"I thought much the same about you," I said in self-defence. "I alwaysthought you could fly, but you----"
"So we can," said Wag very sharply, and his fac
e grew red.
"Oh," I said, "then why haven't you been doing it to-night?"
He kicked one foot with the other and looked quickly at Slim. The restsaid nothing and edged away, humming to themselves.
"Well, we _can_ fly perfectly well, only----"
"Only not to-night, I suppose," said I, rather unkindly.
"No, _not_ to-night," said Wag; "and you needn't laugh, either--we'llsoon show you."
"That _will_ be nice," I said; "and when will you show me?"
"Let's see" (he turned to Slim), "two nights more, isn't it? All rightthen (to me), in two nights more you'll see."
Just then a moth which flew in caused a welcome diversion--for I couldsee that somehow I had touched on a sore subject, and that he wasfeeling awkward--and he first jumped at it and then ran after it. Slimlingered. I raised my eyebrows and pointed at Wag. Slim nodded.
"The fact is," he said in a low voice, "he got us into rather a rowyesterday and we're all stopped flying for three nights."
"Oh," said I. "I _see_: you must tell him I am very sorry for being sostupid. May I ask who stopped you?"
"Oh, just the old man, not the owls."
"You do go to the owls for something, then?" I asked, trying to appearintelligent.
"Yes, history and geography."
"To be sure," I said; "of course they've seen a lot, haven't they?"
"So they say," said Slim, "but----"
Just then the low toll of the bell was wafted through the window andthere was an instant scurry to the edge of the table, then to the seatof the chair, and up to the window-sill; small arms waved caps at me,the shrubs rustled, and I was left alone.