Title: The Squire's young folk : A Christmas story
Author: Stooke, Eleanora H.
Language: English
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[Illustration: He fell and went right through the ice into the water.]



                         The Squire's Young
                                Folk.

                         A Christmas Story.


                                 BY

                         ELEANORA H. STOOKE


                             Author of

             "Uncle Jo's Old Coat," "The Enemy Next Door,"
         "Dick Deane's Adventures," "Tom Tufton's Loyalty,"
                                etc.



                     WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS



                              London
                       S. W. Partridge & Co.
                     8 and 9 Paternoster Row



                     Made in Great Britain



                            CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

   I. THE COKER CHILDREN

  II. BOB WILLS

 III. BOB'S FIRST VISIT TO HALDON HALL

  IV. THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

   V. AN AFTERNOON'S EXPERIENCES

  VI. A CHRISTMAS EVE ADVENTURE

 VII. CHRISTMAS DAY



                            The
                    Squire's Young Folk.

CHAPTER I.

THE COKER CHILDREN.

"NELLIE, let's go in and see Mrs. Wills. Perhaps she'll give us some
bread and cream."

"No, Rupert, we have the dogs with us. I think we'd better not stop
to-day."

"Oh, nonsense! We can easily shut the dogs outside the door. Come
along."

The speakers were Nellie and Rupert Coker, children of Mr. Coker, of
Haldon Hall. They were returning from the village of Haldon, about a
quarter of a mile from, which their home was situated, and were now
passing Westhill, a picturesque old farmhouse built close to the high
road.

Westhill was the property of Mr. Coker, and was in the occupation of
Farmer Wills and his wife, a capable, hard-working, middle-aged couple.

As Nellie was evidently reluctant to make a call at the farm, Rupert
decided that he would stop, for the sake of having his own way. He
was eight years old, a year younger than his sister, and he never
allowed her, on the strength of seniority, to dictate to him. So he
marched up to the door and rapped upon it sharply with his knuckles.
To his disappointment, the rosy-cheeked servant—Sally—who answered his
somewhat imperative summons, informed him that Mrs. Wills was not at
home. She had driven to the nearest railway station, two miles distant,
to meet her husband.

"I did not know Farmer Wills was away," Rupert remarked.

Whilst Nellie, who had been standing at a little distance with the
dogs—a spaniel and a terrier, fearful lest they should dash into the
house and bespatter the spotless kitchen floor with their muddy feet,
drew nearer, her face suddenly becoming full of interest. Like most
children brought up in the country, they were vastly curious about
their neighbours' affairs.

"Master's been away for several days," Sally informed them, "in London."

"In London!" they echoed.

Had Sally mentioned Timbuctoo instead of the metropolis, they could not
have looked more surprised.

"I never heard of Farmer Wills going to London before," Nellie said
reflectively. "He told me once, he hadn't slept out of his own bed for
nearly thirty years. I suppose he went for a holiday, Sally?"

"He went to see his brother—Colonel Wills. The poor gentleman died a
few hours after master reached him."

"Oh, how very sad!" cried Nellie, much shocked. "I have heard father
speak of Colonel Wills."

"Yes," chimed in Rupert, "he was a soldier—a splendid fellow! He fought
in the South African War, and won the Victoria Cross."

"He died nearly a week ago of pneumonia," Sally explained, "and he was
buried yesterday; and this afternoon, master's bringing home his little
son—about your age he must be, Master Rupert—to live here at Westhill.
The poor child has no mother—she died when he was a baby."

"What's his name?" Nellie asked, looking sympathetic.

"Robert; but I'm told they call him Bob."

As Sally had apparently no more information to give, the children bade
her good-afternoon, and proceeded homewards. Their way along the high
road was thickly strewn with withered leaves, for the time was late
autumn, and the trees on either hedge were nearly bare; but the weather
was dry and mild still, and the sun shone in a sky of cloudless blue.
Every now and again the young folks paused to give Tim, the terrier,
opportunities of digging in rabbit holes, whilst Crack, the spaniel,
watched him with anxious eyes. And on one of these occasions carriage
wheels were heard, and a few minutes later, Farmer Wills' dog-cart
appeared round a turn of the road, driven by the farmer himself, his
wife by his side, and their visitor on the back seat of the vehicle.

Nellie nodded and smiled, and Rupert took off his cap to Mrs. Wills;
then as the dog-cart passed by they were able to have a good look at
the stranger—a blue-eyed, fair-haired boy, who returned their curious
stares by distorting his face into the most hideous grimace possible.

Rupert laughed; but Nellie reddened angrily.

"He doesn't know who we are," said Rupert, who, as the son and heir of
the largest landowner in the district, had no slight opinion of his
own importance, "but Farmer Wills will tell him that father is his
landlord."

The children soon reached the entrance to the grounds which surrounded
their home. They flung open the heavy gate, and ran up the long
carriage drive to the house.

"You had better take the dogs round to the yard," said Nellie.

"No—you," Rupert promptly replied; "it's as much your place to do so as
mine."

"We'll both go; it won't do to let them into the house, because they're
dreadfully dirty."

Accordingly the dogs were coaxed round to the yard, and shut into
a stable to clean themselves in a bed of straw, whilst their young
mistress and master went into the house and upstairs to the schoolroom,
where their sister Lilian, and their governess, Miss Long, were busily
engaged, the former with some knitting, the latter making clothing for
a doll. Lilian Coker was a pretty little girl of eleven years of age,
with wavy brown hair, and a face which wore a singularly bright and
happy expression. She turned a pair of large grey eyes in the direction
of the door as her sister and brother entered the room. No one seeing
her at the moment would have guessed the truth—that she was blind.

"Where have you been all the afternoon?" she asked. "Miss Long and I
have been getting on with the things for the Christmas tree. Of course
there are six weeks yet to Christmas, but time does fly so fast."

"It does indeed," agreed Miss Long, glancing a trifle reproachfully at
Nellie, who coloured and looked confused.

Every Christmas Eve Mr. Coker was in the habit of giving an
entertainment in the village schoolroom to the working people of the
parish. It generally consisted of a substantial tea, followed by a
magic-lantern and Christmas tree for the children; and weeks beforehand
preparations were being made for the all-important night. Nearly every
member of the household at Haldon Hall was making some article to be
hung on the Christmas tree. Nellie, who had commenced knitting cuffs
with great zeal some weeks previously, had grown tired of her task, and
had not touched her self-chosen work for days.

"It seems a shame to sit indoors on such a lovely afternoon as this,"
she said excusingly, "and Rupert and I have had such fun. And, oh, what
do you think? That brave brother of Farmer Wills is dead. Isn't it sad?"

"Do you mean Colonel Wills, who distinguished himself in the South
African War?" inquired Miss Long. "Your mother told me all about
him—that he entered the army as a private, obtained a commission, and
rose to be a colonel."

"Farmer Wills went to London to see him," Nellie proceeded, "and this
afternoon, he has come home and brought Colonel Wills' little boy with
him. We met Mr. and Mrs. Wills driving back from the station in their
dog-cart, and the little boy was on the back seat. He made faces at us."

Miss Long smiled. She was a good-tempered young woman, and, though she
was their governess, the children found her very companionable.

"I expect he'll be taken aback when he finds out we live here, and that
his uncle is father's tenant," said Rupert; "he'll soon learn to know
his place."

"You had better not speak like that before your father," Miss Long told
him reprovingly.

Rupert made no answer. He was rather an important person in his own
estimation.

The Squire, as Mr. Coker was generally called, and his wife were very
proud of their only son, for he was a handsome little fellow with
engaging manners, and really had many excellent qualities. He was
affectionate and kind-hearted, and had never been known to tell a lie.
But he was wayward and domineering, and, though he loved Nellie very
dearly, he always tried to take the lead with her. And she, being
a spirited child and a year older than her brother, would not be
mastered. And the result was frequent quarrels, which, however, were
generally followed by speedy reconciliations.

Though Rupert made no response to his governess, he had the grace to
feel a little ashamed of himself; but at the same time, he made up his
mind that Colonel Wills' son must be taught to know his place.



CHAPTER II.

BOB WILLS.

"MISS LONG, I want you to give Rupert a holiday, if you please,"
said Mr. Coker one morning a few days later, as the family at Haldon
Hall, having finished breakfast, rose from the table. "I am going to
Westhill, and I should like Rupert to make the acquaintance of Colonel
Wills' little son. I saw him with his uncle yesterday, and asked him to
come and spend Saturday here."

"Oh, father, do let me go to Westhill with you, too!" exclaimed Nellie.
"You know," she added coaxingly, "we're not likely to have this fine
weather long."

Mr. Coker laughed, and, turning to his wife, said:

"What do you say, my dear? Shall all three children have a holiday?
Nellie and Rupert can accompany me to the farm, and you might order the
carriage and go for a drive with Miss Long and Lilian."

Mrs. Coker agreed to this. So an hour later saw Mr. Coker start for
Westhill with his two younger children, who plied him with questions
about the stranger all the way.

"He has come to stay," Mr. Coker told them, "for Farmer Wills is now
his guardian. Poor little orphan! You must be very kind to him. He is
only eight years old, and he has been at a boarding school for two
years."

"At boarding school!" the children echoed in amazement.

"Yes. When his father's regiment was ordered to South Africa, he was
placed in a school, and there he remained till Colonel Wills was
invalided home from the war."

On reaching Westhill, they were informed that the farmer was out, and
that Master Bob was in the orchard. Mr. Coker went into the house to
have a chat with Mrs. Wills, after having suggested that Nellie and
Rupert should find Bob and make themselves known to him, with which
proposition they readily agreed.

Crossing the yard, therefore, the children passed into the orchard
beyond, and looked around in search of Bob. He was not visible,
however, and they were retracing their footsteps when an apple, flung
not over gently hit Rupert on the shoulder; and the next moment there
was a rustling overhead, and a blue-eyed, fair-haired boy dropped from
the lower branch of a tree into the long orchard grass.

"Fancy you not seeing me!" he cried. "And most of the leaves are down
too!"

Then as neither of the others spoke, he continued, laughing merrily:
"That was a good shot of mine, wasn't it?"

"Did you mean to hit me?" Rupert inquired, rubbing his shoulder.

"Rather! Did it hurt you?"

"It did," was the answer, given in a dignified manner.

"Oh, sorry, then! You were looking for someone, weren't you?"

"Yes, for you. We—my sister Nellie and I—have come to see you. Father
says you're going to spend Saturday with us at Haldon Hall."

"Oh, yes! He asked me, and I said I would, I like your father, he's so
jolly."

There was a slight pause. Bob Wills stood with his hands thrust in his
trousers pockets, in an attitude of unstudied carelessness. Though
only the age of Rupert, he had an assured manner, and appeared older
than his years. He had grieved deeply at the loss of his father, and
there was still a very sore spot in this heart; but the kindness of his
aunt and uncle had done much to assuage his sorrow, and already he was
beginning to take an interest in his new surroundings. He was the one
to break the silence.

"I say, how you two stared at me the day I arrived!" he remarked. "Did
you think me a wild animal?"

"No, we knew who you were," Nellie replied, a smile breaking over her
countenance; "we'd just been hearing about you, and—and I'm afraid we
were rather rude, but not so rude as you. I never saw any one make such
faces!"

[Illustration: The next moment ... a fair-haired boy dropped from the
lower branch of a tree.]

Bob laughed, and drew his face into a most hideous grimace. He appeared
quite proud of this capability of distorting his visage, which he
evidently considered a great accomplishment, and explained that he had
learnt it at school.

"You were very young to be sent to school," Nellie remarked; "how did
you like it?"

"Oh, pretty well. I wasn't the youngest there. It was a school for kids
whose mothers and fathers were abroad—in India, and different places.
But I was glad when father came home. He said we should have such good
times together, but—but—" The bright blue eyes grew misty for a moment,
the clear voice choked; then, with a struggle for self-control, he
continued: "Father was wounded, you know, but he was getting better,
only, he caught a cold, and—he died."

"We are so sorry for you," Nellie said gently. "I hope you'll be
friends with us—will you?"

Bob nodded. His heart warmed towards his companions, and he replied
heartily, "Of course we'll be friends. I'm looking forward to Saturday.
Are there only you two? I mean, are you Mr. Coker's only children?"

"Oh, no! There's Lilian," Rupert answered; "she's eleven years old, but
she doesn't go about with Nellie and me much."

"Is she a stuck-up sort of girl, then?" inquired Bob.

"Oh, no, no! You mustn't think that. But she can't do just as we do,
because she is blind."

"Blind!"

"Yes, she has been blind all her life, but you'd never think it to see
her. She's very clever, plays the piano beautifully, and—"

"But isn't she dreadfully unhappy?" Bob interposed. "I should think she
must be."

"Oh, no, indeed!" Rupert assured him. "She's such a merry girl—you
should hear her laugh!"

"But never to be able to see anything or any one! It must be awful. And
you say she has always been blind? Couldn't a doctor make her see?"

"No. Father and mother have taken her to several very clever doctors,
and they all say the same, that she will always be blind," Nellie
replied.

Bob looked inexpressibly shocked. He asked several more questions about
Lilian, and finally said:

"Well, I should think you must always be trying to do things to please
her to make up for her being blind."

His companions greeted this remark in silence, both being conscious
that, on the contrary, it was generally Lilian who tried to please
them. Then, by way of changing the conversation, Rupert spoke of the
preparations which were being made for Christmas, to all of which Bob
listened with great interest, wondering if he would be allowed a sight
of the Christmas tree.

By-and-by Bob suggested that they should go into the house, and have
some lunch; so they left the orchard, strolled through the farm-yard,
and entered the large kitchen with its red-tiled floor. Only Sally was
there, so they made their way to the dairy, where they found Mr. Coker
in conversation with the mistress of the establishment, who was packing
butter and eggs for market.

"Well, young people, have you made friends, eh?" Mr. Coker asked, as
the children entered.

"Yes," assented Bob. "I was in an apple-tree in the orchard, and they
didn't see me at first; but I let them know where I was by shying an
apple at him," he said, indicating Rupert with a nod. "It was a true
shot. You would have laughed to have seen how silly he looked, and how
astonished!"

Rupert coloured and was vexed, for he was unaccustomed to being
ridiculed. He had intended to be very kind to Bob; but, all the same,
he had meant to give him to understand that he did not desire to be on
too familiar terms with him immediately.

The children were regaled with bread and cream by Mrs. Wills. She, good
soul, was delighted that her landlord evinced such interest in her
little nephew, and thought it very kind of him to invite the boy to
Haldon Hall. After her visitors had left, she asked Bob how he liked
his new acquaintances.

"Oh, pretty well, Aunt Mary," he replied carelessly; "the girl seems
rather nice, but I think the boy is a bit of a prig. If he shows any
stuck-up airs to me, I shall soon let him see I won't stand them."

"Bob!" exclaimed Mrs. Wills. "I hope you'll behave well when you go to
Haldon Hall."

"I shall show him he can't have his own way in everything," Bob said,
with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. "If he'd been to school as I
have, he'd have been taught that before."



CHAPTER III.

BOB'S FIRST VISIT TO HALDON HALL.

WHEN Bob Wills marched up to the front door of Haldon Hall on the
following Saturday, it was opened by Nellie and Rupert.

"We expected you before," the latter informed him. "Why didn't you come
directly after breakfast?"

"I wanted to," he responded truthfully, "but Aunt Mary wouldn't let me."

"Well, come and speak to mother—she's in the dining-room with Miss
Long."

The next minute Bob was shaking hands with Mrs. Coker, who greeted
him very kindly. And then he was introduced to Miss Long, after which
Rupert espied Lilian in the garden, and going to the open window called
to her:

"Come in, Lilian! Bob Wills is here!" he shouted. "No-wait! We'll come
to you," he added on second thoughts.

Bob regarded Lilian with mingled curiosity and sympathy when they
joined her in the garden. If he had not been told she was blind, he
would never have guessed the fact.

"I'm so glad you've come at last," she said, as she shook hands with
him. "What would you like to do?"

"We thought we'd take him round the gardens and stables this morning,"
Rupert interposed. "It seems as though it might rain later on."

The gardens were well worth seeing. Bob, who loved flowers, was
delighted; whilst Nellie and Rupert, who cared much less about them,
grew a little impatient, as their visitor lingered over a bed of autumn
violets.

"How sweet they are!" Bob cried, sniffing appreciatively.

Then, to his amazement, Lilian stooped over the bed, and gathered a
bunch which she presented to him.

"Oh, thank you," he said, "but how could you pick them when you cannot
see?"

"I can feel though," she replied, with a smile.

That was not the only time Lilian surprised him that day. She
appeared absolutely fearless, and when they visited the stables, even
climbed after the others up the steep ladder which led to the loft.
The children sat down on bundles of sweet-scented hay, and became
exceedingly confidential and sociable.

Bob recounted many of his school experiences, all of which, it must
be confessed, went to show that Master Robert Wills must have been
rather a troublesome pupil. And, not to be beaten, Rupert told how he
and Nellie had defied Miss Long on more than one occasion. Lilian grew
somewhat silent and grave as she listened; and at last Nellie said:

"Lilian thinks it's wrong to worry Miss Long—don't you, Lil?"

"Yes, I do," was the frank reply. "Mother and father expect us to obey
her, so of course we ought. And she's so kind! See how hard she's
working for the Christmas tree, and she knitted several rows to your
cuffs yesterday, to help you on, Nellie. You'll come to the Christmas
tree, won't you?" she asked, turning to Bob.

"Shall I be invited?" he inquired eagerly.

"Oh, yes! There'll be an entertainment in the village schoolroom, and
Mr. and Mrs. Wills will be certain to bring you. It's only five weeks
to Christmas; one doesn't realise it is so near because the weather is
so fine and mild."

After the mid-day meal, the visitor was taken all over the house.
Several hours passed in playing an entrancing game of hide-and-seek, in
which Lilian joined with as much zest as the rest. They had tea with
Miss Long in the schoolroom; and afterwards the boys went off together,
whilst the girls settled down quietly to their work for the Christmas
tree. As was natural, the conversation presently turned upon their
visitor.

"It is a pity he put on his best suit of clothes to-day," said Nellie
seriously, "because he got so dusty in the attics; but he said Mrs.
Wills would not let him wear his old things, although he told her how
much more comfortable he feels in them. Father says he may come and
play with us every Saturday if he likes, and he's coming. I do hope
he'll agree with Rupert," she added as an afterthought.

"Why should he not?" Miss Long inquired.

"They got nasty with each other more than once this afternoon," Lilian
said, "I noticed that. You know Rupert is rather selfish. He likes
hiding better than finding—we all do—and when it came to my turn to
hide, he wanted to take my place, and Bob wouldn't hear of it. I should
not have minded much, but Bob said we must play the game properly, and
Rupert grew quite angry with him."

"Well?" Miss Long questioned.

"Then Bob made fun of Rupert, and laughed at him. I thought they were
going to quarrel; but fortunately the tea-bell rang just then."

"Oh, dear!" sighed Nellie, "I shall never make these cuffs. My fingers
are so stiff and slow, and I keep on dropping stitches. I do wish you'd
finish them for me, you dear old Lil, and then I could have a doll to
dress instead."

"Very well," Lilian responded good-naturedly. "Miss Long, don't you
think Bob Wills seems more than eight years old?"

"Yes, he certainly does, perhaps because he has been to school. He
has an independent way with him which I remarked at once. Dear me,
something has happened!"

Well might the governess say so, for at that moment the schoolroom
door was flung violently open, and Rupert, holding a handkerchief
to one eye, entered, followed by his visitor, whose countenance was
exceedingly red.

"I hit him," Bob explained hastily, "and I'm afraid I've given him a
black eye. Yes," he continued, as Rupert removed the handkerchief from
his face, "I see I have. Oh, dear!"

"Was it an accident?" Miss Long inquired, as she examined her pupil's
injury.

"No, he did it on purpose," Rupert informed her, his voice quivering
with anger.

"Oh!" cried the little girls, whilst Bob hung his head guiltily.

"But why? What made him do it?" Miss Long questioned.

"We fell out," Bob commenced to explain, lifting his blue eyes to her
face. "He said he believed he could run faster than I could, and I said
he couldn't. So we had a race and I beat him, and then I laughed at
him for being so sure he'd win, and he got mad and pushed me against a
stone wall and hurt my hand; and then I hit him harder than I meant to.
I've told him I'm sorry, but he won't speak to me." And Bob regarded
Rupert in a somewhat disgusted manner.

"Look how his hand is scarred!" exclaimed Nellie, turning her attention
from Rupert to Bob. "Oh, do let me get some warm water and bathe it for
him!"

This she accordingly did, whilst Miss Long bathed Rupert's eye, which
was already beginning to discolour. Lilian slipped quietly away to
acquaint her parents with what had happened, and to beg them not to
blame one boy more than the other. Mr. and Mrs. Coker wisely decided to
treat the matter lightly and to have little to say about it; and when
Bob said good-bye to them a short while later, to his intense relief,
he found that his invitation for the following Saturday still held good.

It was Lilian who coaxed her brother into a better temper, and
prevailed upon him to shake hands with Bob and make friends.

"I'm really very sorry." Bob said, "but you know you hurt me first."

"You had no right to laugh at me," Rupert murmured ungraciously, "but
since you're sorry—"

"I'm not sorry I laughed at you," the other interrupted candidly, "I
should do the same again; but I'm sorry I've given you such a dreadful
black eye."

"Well, say no more about it," Lilian advised. "It's so stupid to fall
out about a trifling matter like this, and you were getting such good
friends, weren't you? You know, Rupert, you are always complaining that
you've only girls to play with; you'll be as badly off as ever if you
keep up a quarrel with Bob."

Rupert recognised the truth of his sister's words, so he threw off
his fit of sulks, and graciously requested Bob to come early on the
following Saturday.

Bob returned to the farm in high spirits, and enjoyed the sensation he
caused there, when, after having given a glowing description of his
day's pleasure, he brought his tale to a close by an account of how he
had given Rupert Coker a black eye.

"And yet you are invited there again next Saturday?" Mrs. Wills said
wonderingly.

"Yes," nodded Bob, "and I'm going earlier next time; and oh, Aunt Mary,
need I wear my best clothes?"

Mrs. Wills put on her spectacles and surveyed her nephew's dusty suit
of black in silence for a moment, then she replied that perhaps, all
things considered, his every-day clothes might do.



CHAPTER IV.

THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

"THERE! No more work for a month!" And the speaker, Nellie Coker,
jumped from her seat at the schoolroom table as the clock struck
twelve, and was making for the door, when her governess called her back.

"Not so fast, my dear. Put away your lesson books, and help to clear
the table. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Mother and cook are making the Christmas puddings, Miss Long; and I
don't want to miss my stir."

"You are not in the least likely to do so. We will all go down to the
kitchen presently."

It was only a week to Christmas now; and the young people at Haldon
Hall were to have a month's holiday from to-day. The weather, which had
been remarkably mild during the early winter, had suddenly changed; the
soft west wind had given place to a north-eastern one. And that morning
at breakfast, Mr. Coker had declared there was a probability of a real
old-fashioned Christmas.

Miss Long was going to her home in London on the morrow, so she was
quite naturally as lighthearted and elated at the prospect of the
holidays as were her pupils, and helped them to pack their books and
papers away in the cupboard retained for that purpose, after which
she accompanied them to the kitchen. Preparing the Christmas puddings
was always a business of importance at Haldon Hall. A row of buttered
moulds of various sizes stood on the big table in the centre of the
kitchen, whilst the mistress of the house at a side table weighed out
the ingredients which cook was mixing in a big pan.

"We are nearly ready for you," Mrs. Coker said, as the governess and
the children appeared upon the scene. "Rupert, run and fetch your
father. Miss Long, will you have the first stir?"

"Mind you wish hard," instructed Nellie, as the governess took the
spoon.

After the governess, the little girls each had a stir, then Rupert
returned with his father, and they had their turns, followed by the
servants. And finally the moulds were filled and tied down with cloths,
and the business was finished.

The preparations for Christmas at Haldon Hall were nearly completed
now. All the various articles, useful and ornamental, for decorating
the Christmas tree were finished, and Mr. Coker had decided which of
the young firs in one of his plantations should be cut down. And, in
short, little else was talked of but the coming festive season.

[Illustration: They were obliged to walk fast . . . to keep themselves
warm.]

"I should like to go and say good-bye to Mrs. Wills this afternoon,"
said Miss Long to her young charges after the mid-day meal. "I daresay
you will all accompany me?"

"Oh, yes!" cried Rupert. "I haven't seen Bob Wills for days."

The governess, with a little girl on either side and Rupert hurrying on
ahead, started for the farm about three o'clock. The wind was so keen
that they were obliged to walk fast in order to keep themselves warm.

"I wish you were going to spend Christmas with us, Miss Long, but I
suppose you would rather be with your own people," Lilian remarked.
"Yes, of course," she went on as the governess assented, "but you'll
think of us all on Christmas Day, won't you? We'll be sure to think of
you."

"Indeed, I shall think of you," Miss Long responded earnestly. "I shall
want you to write and tell me all about the entertainment on Christmas
Eve, and you must please remember to say who gets the top doll from the
Christmas tree."

"Oh, yes! Mother was saying to father yesterday how good it had been of
you to take so much trouble and work so hard for the Christmas tree,
when you won't have any enjoyment from it," said Nellie.

"But I have had a lot of enjoyment in making the things," the governess
declared. "And I shall tell my little sisters and brothers of your
plans for Christmas, and they will be so interested."

"How shall you spend Christmas, Miss Long?" inquired Rupert, waiting to
allow the others to come up to him.

"Very quietly, I expect—but very happily, I have little doubt. I
shall not be going to any parties or entertainments, I daresay; but,
you know, the joy of Christmas doesn't depend upon festivities and
gaieties, but upon whether or not the angels' message of peace and
goodwill finds an echo in our hearts. We shall all of us spend a happy
Christmas, if we try to make those around us happy for Jesus' sake."

The children knew all about Miss Long's home, for she had often talked
to them about it. She had told them it was situated in a thickly
populated London suburb; but they understood it was the dearest spot in
the world in her sight, for it held a wealth of love within its narrow
limits not to be bought with gold.

Arrived at Westhill, Miss Long and the two little girls went into the
house to see Mrs. Wills; whilst Rupert, having been informed that Bob
was in the yard, joined him there.

Bob had lately become the proud possessor of a young ferret, a pretty,
pink-eyed creature as white as snow, which he was taking great pains to
tame. He showed the little animal to Rupert, who looked and admired,
but was timid about touching it.

"You're afraid of it!" Bob exclaimed. "You need not be. I don't think
it will bite."

"I never thought of keeping a ferret as a pet," remarked Rupert. "I
believe it knows you, Bob."

"Of course it does. Did you say Miss Long had come to say good-bye?"

"Yes, she's going home to-morrow. Father will drive her to the station
to catch the fast train to London. We're to have a month's holiday."

"Jolly! We'll see each other every day. Uncle says if the wind goes
down to-night—and he thinks it will—we shall have frost. I hope it's
going to be fine Christmassy weather; I don't mind how cold it is."

"The colder the better, for then the pond in the lower meadow will
freeze, and we shall have skating."

"I can't skate, but I can slide."

"There's Nellie calling," said Rupert. "I suppose they're ready to
leave. Why, how the light is going! You may as well walk a little way
with us—that is, if you don't mind the dusk?"

"Rather not!"

Bob accompanied his friends some distance on their homeward road. And
then, having wished the governess a very happy Christmas, he hurried
back to the farm to be in readiness for tea.

That night Farmer Wills' prediction came true; the wind died away and
it began to freeze. In the morning, the faint beams of the December sun
fell on a world white and beautiful under the touch of the frost king,
and everyone declared the expected spell of severe weather had set in
at last.

Miss Long, well wrapped up in anticipation of a cold journey, took her
departure from Haldon Hall soon after breakfast, bearing with her the
heart-felt good wishes of the whole household, and the substantial gift
of a big hamper, laden with good things, to enrich her mother's larder
at home.

"Now we can do as we please for a whole month," said Rupert, capering
with delight as the gig, driven by Mr. Coker with Miss Long at his
side, disappeared from sight; "the holidays have really begun."

"One would think you are glad she is gone," Lilian told him
reproachfully.

"Well, so I am!" he replied, with a laugh. "Oh, you needn't look at me
like that, Nellie. I'm as fond of Miss Long as you are; but think what
a whole month without lessons means, with no one to say 'You mustn't do
this,' or 'You mustn't do that'! What a splendid time we'll have! The
Christmas tree is to be cut afternoon. Bob and I are going to see it
felled, and you girls can come too, if you like."

"I am going to the village with mother," said Lilian; "but I daresay
Nellie will like to see the tree cut down."

"Oh, yes!" cried Nellie eagerly, "I'd far rather go with the boys."



CHAPTER V.

AN AFTERNOON'S EXPERIENCES.

HALDON village consisted of about a score of thatched cottages, dotted
around a large square of waste ground always spoken of as Haldon Green.
At one side of the Green was the parish church. Close by, between the
churchyard and the vicarage, was the schoolroom, a modern red brick
building where the entertainment for the villagers was to be held on
Christmas Eve.

As Mrs. Coker's well-known pony-carriage, drawn by the no less
well-known brown pony, Bess, drew up before the post office, which
was also the one shop of the place where groceries and household
commodities could be obtained, heads appeared at the cottage windows;
and a group of children, who had been playing a game of "last-touch"
on the Green, drew near in anticipation of being spoken to by the
occupants of the carriage—Mrs. Coker and Miss Lilian.

"Will one of you hold Bess, please?" Mrs. Coker asked with a smile. And
immediately a roguish-looking urchin stepped forward and took up his
post at the pony's head.

Mrs. Coker and Lilian alighted. The former had a word for each of the
children; and the latter, though she only smiled upon them, left behind
her a pleasant impression of sweetness and goodwill as she followed her
mother into the post office.

"My! Don't I wish I was Miss Lilian to have such grand clothes to
wear!" exclaimed one little maiden, who had been struck with admiration
by Lilian's fur-trimmed jacket and cap to match.

"Oh, you forget!" cried another. "For my part, I'd rather be without
the grand clothes, and be able to see. She has been blind all her life,
as we all know, and always will be—my mother does charing at the Hall,
and the servants there told her so."

A hush fell upon the little group, and no one spoke further of envying
the blind child. And when she appeared again, they regarded her with
a kind of reverence, wondering how, when God had laid such a heavy
affliction upon her, she could appear so bright and happy.

The children watched with the greatest interest as Mrs. Coker and her
little daughter went from cottage to cottage, the latter running to and
from the pony-carriage with the various parcels she herself had helped
to pack.

In the last cottage they visited was a very old woman, who sat by the
fireside, bent nearly double with rheumatism. Her name was Nannie
Davey. She lived by herself, and had the unenviable reputation of being
the worst-tempered person in the parish. For her there was a small
Christmas pudding, and some warm garments which Mrs. Coker had made.

"Are you coming to the entertainment in the schoolroom on Christmas
Eve, Nannie?" inquired Mrs. Coker, after Nannie had thanked her with
real gratitude for her kindness.

"I'm too old, ma'am," Nannie responded, as she felt the comfortable new
clothing she held on her lap. "A poor, helpless body like me is best at
home."

"Oh, no!" cried Lilian eagerly. "You must come, Nannie, if you possibly
can, indeed you must! It will quite spoil my pleasure to know that you
are spending Christmas Eve alone!"

"Oh, my pretty dear, it's good of you to care about me," said the old
woman, "but—"

"I want you to be happy," Lilian interposed, "especially at Christmas
time! Oh, I hope you'll make up your mind to come!"

"I'll come missie," Nannie replied—"that is, if I'm well enough; but I
never can tell one day how I may be the next."

The old woman hobbled out to the door of her cottage after her
visitors, and saw them take their seats in the pony-carriage and drive
off. Lilian smiled and waved her hand to the children, who watched
their departure, and called out to them in her bright clear voice:

"Good-bye! Mind you're all at the schoolroom in good time for tea on
Christmas Eve! Don't forget!"

"No fear of that," remarked the little girl whose mother did charing at
the Hall. "As though we should be likely to forget, indeed!"

Then her eyes fell upon Nannie Davey standing in the doorway of her
cottage, with a gentler expression upon her face than it usually wore,
and she said to her: "Miss Lilian doesn't look blind, does she? And yet
they say she will never see as long as she lives!"

"Poor dear," murmured the old woman; "but there, she doesn't need
pity—she's one of the happiest children I ever knew, and so thoughtful
for other folks, too!"

Meanwhile Mrs. Coker and Lilian were homeward bound, and Bess, being
fully conscious of the fact, trotted over the ground as fast as she
could go—not so fast as she would have liked, perhaps, for the roads
were slippery with frost, and the driver had to keep a tight hand on
the reins, especially going downhill.

"Shall we stop and see Mrs. Wills?" inquired the little girl, as they
approached Westhill.

"No, not this afternoon, my dear. I should like to be home before dark,
and the light is fading fast."

So they drove past Westhill, to the disappointment of Lilian, who
had looked forward to a chat with Mrs. Wills. But, just beyond, Mrs.
Coker pulled up to speak to an aged man, who, accompanied by a large,
fierce-looking sheep-dog, was making his way slowly-towards the farm.

"It's Jeffry," she said to Lilian. "How are you, Jeffry?" she inquired.

"Quite well, thank you, ma'am," he replied. "I hope you and Miss Lilian
are the same?"

"Yes, thank you," Mrs. Coker answered. "You are not to be at the
entertainment on Christmas Eve, I understand," she proceeded. "Mrs.
Wills told me, when I last saw her, that you had kindly offered to
remain at home in order that the rest of the household may be at the
schoolroom. You will not be forgotten, however; Mrs. Wills will bring
you a present from the Christmas tree."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Jeffry. "Yes, I've promised to keep house
during the others' absence," he went on; "the farmer doesn't like to
lock up."

"You will have Wolf for company," remarked Lilian. "Is Wolf here?" she
asked.

"Yes, missie," the old man replied. "Ah, he heard you mention his name!
There he is, close to you, hoping you'll give him a word."

The dog had approached Lilian's side of the carriage, and was waiting
with an expectant expression on his face for her to notice him. The
little girl put out her hand and patted his rough head, speaking to him
in endearing terms, whereupon, he licked the bare patch of skin between
her glove and the sleeve of her jacket.

"You wouldn't think he was savage, would you, ma'am?" said Jeffrey.

"No, indeed!" responded Mrs. Coker. She was watching the child and the
dog with smiling eyes.

"Savage?" cried Lilian. "Why, he's a dear quiet old fellow!"

Jeffry chuckled. "He may be to you, missie—I see he is—but he's not to
everyone. He won't allow a stranger in the yard after dusk, and folks
about here are mostly in fear of him. He's been keeping guard over my
coat all the afternoon, and if any one had dared touch it, he'd have
flown at that body in a minute."

Jeffry was a faithful old servant who lived at the farm. Age prevented
his doing hard labour now; but he was a much-valued dependent, for
he was thoroughly trustworthy, and Mr. Wills found him light jobs of
work about the place. This afternoon he had been trimming hedges, and
carried a reaping-hook in one hand.

"I'm sure he is a faithful doggie," said Lilian; and Wolf raised his
eyes to her face and beamed at her.

"Oh, yes, he's faithful," Jeffry agreed, "and he can be very gentle
and sweet-tempered on occasions; but he looks just like a wild animal
when he shows his teeth and snarls. Why, here's Miss Nellie!" he cried
with an abrupt change of tone, as a small figure came flying round the
corner. "Where's she running at such a rate, I wonder!"

"Something has happened, I fear!" exclaimed Mrs. Coker, in accents
of alarm. "What is it, Nellie?" she inquired anxiously, as the child
approached them.

Nellie was breathless and her cheeks were nearly as red as the
"tam-o'-shanter," she wore, which had slipped far back on her curly
head.

"Oh," she gasped, as she stopped by the side of the pony-carriage, "I
mustn't stay a minute, I must get on! I'm going to Westhill to tell
Mrs. Wills—we're afraid she'll be dreadfully angry, and it was really
my fault—"

"What was your fault?" interposed her mother. "What has happened?
Explain, Nellie."

"Bob Wills has met with an accident, mother. He might have been
drowned, but he wasn't; he's all right, except that he's soaking wet,
and all of a shiver. Oh. I do hope he'll hurry and not catch his death
of cold! If he does, I-I shall never get over it!" And Nellie finished
her sentence with an excited sob.

"You have been to the pond in the lower meadow, and Bob has fallen into
the water?" questioned Mrs. Coker.

"I pushed him in," admitted Nellie. "Oh, mother, I didn't think the ice
would give way."

"What took you to the pond? I quite thought you had gone with your
father this afternoon!"

"Yes, mother. Father took us to see the Christmas tree cut down, and
Bob was there and Farmer Wills too. We selected the tree—such a pretty
shape it is, not too tall, but with nice thick branches. And, after it
had been cut down, father and Farmer Wills went off together and told
us to go home—father had asked Bob back to tea with us. Then Bob said
there was a coating of ice on the pond in the lower meadow, and we
thought we'd go and have a look at it; so we did. It looked quite firm,
and the stones we threw at it just slid along and didn't go through;
but I remembered that father had said it wouldn't bear properly for a
few days, so I wouldn't go on it, though the boys did. They laughed
at me and said I was afraid, but I think they were a bit afraid
themselves, for they kept close to the edge. I didn't say anything,
but I was vexed, and by-and-by, when Bob came up close to where I was
standing, I gave him a push—just a very little push—and he fell and
went right through the ice into the water!"

"Oh, Nellie!" cried Lilian. "If it had been a deep part, he might have
been drowned!"

"Yes, I know," said Nellie, her eyes drooping beneath her mother's
reproachful gaze. "But he clutched hold of a clump of grass at the edge
of the pond, and Rupert and I managed to pull him out. They told me to
hurry on and tell Mrs. Wills; they're coming behind."

Even as she spoke, the boys appeared round the corner of the road. Bob
was in a pitiable condition. He was soaked to the skin, his teeth were
chattering, and he was shivering with cold. His eyes flashed wrathfully
as they encountered Nellie's.

"Oh, mother, it was not Bob's fault," Rupert was commencing, as they
neared the pony-carriage, but his mother cut him short.

"I know all about it, Rupert," she said. "I will go with Bob to the
farm and you can go home with Lilian—that is, if Jeffry will be so
obliging as to drive you home?"

"Certainly, ma'am," replied Jeffry.

"Thank you, Jeffry. You can bring back the pony-carriage to Westhill;
Miss Nellie and I will wait there till you come."

Mrs. Coker now got out of the pony-carriage, and Jeffry took her place,
whilst Rupert jumped into the seat opposite, secretly much relieved at
the turn matters were taking. Two minutes later, the pony-carriage had
disappeared from sight, with Wolf following behind.

Bob felt he had just cause for anger against Nellie; but when she
apologised to him very humbly for the rude action which had been the
cause of his accident, he could not but be magnanimous and forgive her,
especially as her mother, too, seemed very upset. So he told her not
to worry, that he was sure he would not catch cold, and that the only
thing he was vexed about was that he feared his aunt would not allow
him, after he had changed his clothes, to return with them to Haldon
Hall to tea.

"You shall come another day," said Mrs. Coker. "Mrs. Wills will be sure
to put you to bed as soon as you get home."

This proved to be the case. When Westhill was reached and Mrs. Wills
caught sight of her nephew, without waiting for explanations, she
ordered him to bed. The copper warming-pan, which hung against the
kitchen wall, was taken down and filled with wood coals from the
hearth, and in a very short while Bob was lying between hot blankets, a
glow of pleasant warmth creeping through his chilled frame.

"I think he'll be all right—don't you, mother?" Nellie questioned, a
half-hour later, as she and her mother were driving home.

Mrs. Coker assented. "I hope this will be a lesson to you, Nellie,"
she said, "and that you will not let your temper get the better of you
another time."

"It was such a little push I gave him, mother."

"I daresay, my dear, but great consequence spring from little causes
sometimes. In this case, I don't imagine much harm has been done; and,
as you say, I think Bob will be all right."

It cheered Nellie to hear this, but she remained somewhat depressed in
spirit till the next day, when, accompanied by her brother, she went
to inquire for their friend and found him in his usual health. He had
never felt better in his life, he assured her, and her sense of relief
was intense.



CHAPTER VI.

A CHRISTMAS EVE ADVENTURE.

MUCH to the satisfaction of everyone, the dry, cold weather continued
for several days. After three nights' frost, the ice on the pond in
the lower meadow was pronounced really firm enough to skate upon, and
the village lads made a splendid slide from one side to the other. Bob
Wills, who had never felt any ill effects from his accident, proved an
adept in the art of sliding, and under his instructions, Rupert soon
became as proficient as himself. Nellie would have liked to join the
boys and learn to slide, too, but she was torn two ways, as there were
the church and the schoolroom to be decorated; and finally she decided
in favour of her mother and sister's society, and spent long hours in
making paper roses, and twining festoons of holly and evergreens.

Great excitement reigned in the village as twilight gathered on the
afternoon previous to Christmas Day. And five o'clock found the
schoolroom a scene of festivity, full as it was of men, women, and
children seated at the long, narrow tables which intersected the room,
partaking of a substantial tea. Nearly every one in the parish was
there, including the Vicar, a middle-aged bachelor, who, with the
family from Haldon Hall, busied himself in waiting on Mr. Coker's
guests. The meal was nearly over when it suddenly dawned upon Lilian
that she had not come across Nannie Davey, and she inquired of her
mother if the old woman was present.

"I have not seen her," was the reply. "No, I do not think she is here;
perhaps she has changed her mind about coming."

"Nannie meant to come, ma'am," said a girl who had overheard Lilian's
question and Mrs. Coker's answer, "but her rheumatism is that bad
to-day she daren't stir outdoors. She's very disappointed, she told me
so herself; I live next door to her, ma'am."

"Oh, how sorry I am she cannot come!" Lilian cried. "Mother, don't you
think I might take her some bread and cream, and plum cake? Oh, do let
me!"

"You will miss the magic-lantern—" Mrs. Coker was commencing, when the
little girl interposed eagerly:

"Oh, mother, I shall not mind that! It is not as if I could see!"

"You shall do as you wish, my dear; but get either Rupert or Bob Wills
to go with you."

Mrs. Coker packed a basket full of good things, and handed it
to Lilian. Then the little girl, basket in hand, passed between
the crowded tables in the direction of the door. On her way she
encountered, in turn, Rupert and Bob, to each of whom she explained
where she was going, and asked his escort to Nannie's door, but Rupert
said: "Oh, Bob will go with you!" And Bob said: "I wouldn't bother
about the old woman, if I were you. I don't want to miss the fun."

"How selfish they are!" she thought. "Never mind, I'll go by myself."

A minute later, she was crossing the Green. It was quite dark now, for
great banks of heavy snow-clouds were gathering overhead; but darkness
and light were alike to Lilian, and she made her way straight to Nannie
Davey's cottage, which was at the far end of the waste ground. On
knocking at the door, Nannie's voice, querulous in tone, bade her come
in.

The old woman was surprised and delighted at the sight of her visitor.

"And you've left them all in the midst of their festivity to bring
these dainties to me!" she exclaimed, as the little girl placed the
contents of her basket on the table.

"I wanted to come," Lilian answered earnestly. "It seemed so hard that
you should be spending Christmas Eve by yourself. They are going to
have the magic-lantern now, and you know that will be no loss to me.
I'm so sorry you cannot join us to-night."

"I meant to be with you, dearie, but I'm dreadful bad; the rheumatism
is like red-hot needles running into all my joints, and 'tis agony to
move."

"Oh, poor soul!" said the child sympathetically. "I am so very sorry
you suffer so much. You'll try to eat some of these nice things I've
brought you, won't you? The cake is very good; our cook made it."

"It looks delicious," said the old woman, stretching out a knotted
hand and helping herself to a slice. "Yes, it's the best cake I ever
tasted," she declared, smacking her lips approvingly.

Pitying Nannie's lonely, suffering condition, Lilian remained talking
to her longer than she had intended, and when at last she said good-bye
to her and left the cottage, she found it was snowing fast.

However, she set out in the direction of the schoolroom; but she had
taken only a few steps across the green when a sudden gust of wind
caught her, and it was all she could do to keep her feet; and when the
gust had passed, she felt so confused that she could not tell which
way she had been going. She walked on, and at last came to a full stop
as she realised she had left the Green for the road, and had actually
turned her back on the village.

"How stupid of me!" she thought in vexation. "The wind must have
twisted me round. Well, all I've to do now is to go back. Why, here's
the gateway leading to the pathfields! How Nellie and Rupert will laugh
when I tell them how far I wandered out of my way."

Suddenly she heard men's footsteps coming towards her, and unknown
voices. To whom could they belong? she wondered. She was not in the
least timid, but she was rather shy, and it occurred to her that
she might be asked to account for her presence there alone in the
snowstorm; so she crept under the shelter of the hedge, and waited for
the strangers to pass, shivering as she drew her shawl close around her
shoulders.

"You're sure there'll only be the old fellow to deal with?" questioned
a man's voice, in a hoarse whisper, as the footsteps drew near.

"Quite sure," was the answer. "The farmer and all his household are
in the schoolroom with the rest of the parish. There'll be no one to
interfere with our little game after we've settled with the old chap;
he's feeble with age, and won't give us any trouble. We'll knock at the
door, and old Jeffry—as I've learnt he's called—will open it, then I'll
manage him, whilst you set to work and—"

Lilian lost the end of the sentence; but a second later the first voice
remarked:

"There's a surly brute of a sheep-dog about the place, so we must be
cautious. The farmer's considered stocky; I wonder if he keeps much
money in the house."

The footsteps and voices died away as their owners, having passed
Lilian unnoticed in the blinding snow, proceeded in the direction of
Westhill.

The little girl was horrified at what she had overheard. She shuddered
at the thought that the unsuspecting caretaker would most probably open
the door to two desperate characters, and, it might be, meet his death
at their hands. What should she do? If she returned to the schoolroom
with her tale, perhaps Jeffry would be dead before help could be sent
to him. No, she must save him herself. She knew the short cut to
Westhill, through the fields, and could reach the farm long before any
one could do so by road.

To think was to act with Lilian; so, without waiting to consider the
matter further, she scrambled over the gate into the field beyond, and
ran as fast as she possibly could along the path, heedless alike of
the driving snow and the cutting wind. Panting and almost exhausted,
ten minutes later, she was hurrying through the orchard into the yard
at Westhill. A low growl greeted her ears as she neared the house, and
she called softly: "Wolf, Wolf," whereupon the sheep-dog, recognising
her voice, changed his tone to a whine of pleasure, and, coming to her
side, licked her hand.

Lilian rang the door-bell violently, and almost immediately she
heard shuffling footsteps inside the door; and her heart beat with
thankfulness as a voice inquired who was there.

"It is I—Lilian Coker. Let me in at once. Be quick, oh, please be
quick!"

The door was opened then, and Lilian, followed by the sheep-dog,
stumbled, almost done up with running so fast, across the threshold.

"Shut the door again, Jeffry!" she cried, as the old man began to
utter exclamations of amazement. "Bolt it! Mind you bolt it! There are
thieves about—coming here! Have you put up the chain? Yes. Oh, Jeffry,
thank God I am in time!" And she burst into a flood of tears.

When she was somewhat more composed, she repeated to the old man the
scraps of conversation she had overheard, and explained how she had
run all the way to Westhill through the pathfields on his account. He
listened with growing wonderment; and when the little girl had finished
her tale, he made her sit down by the kitchen fire and take off her wet
shoes, whilst he bustled about and lit all the lamps and candles he
could lay hands on, placing them in the various rooms.

"They won't find us in darkness now," he chuckled. "It'll be a bit of
a disappointment to them to see the house lit up—they'll hardly dare
break in. You're a brave little maid, Miss Lilian!"

[Illustration: Lilian, followed by the sheep-dog, stumbled . . . across
the threshold.]

"Oh, no, I'm not!" she replied. She was shaking like an aspen leaf now,
and straining her ears, listening for the faintest sound out-of-doors.
Wolf seated himself by her side, and rested his rough head on her knee.
"I'm afraid mother will be anxious about me," she said, with a sigh,
"but there only seemed one thing for me to do, to come here and warn
you, Jeffry."

"And I am very grateful to you, Miss Lilian," said the old man
fervently. "I wonder you weren't too timid to come through the
pathfields in such a snowstorm alone. What's that?" he asked, lowering
his voice to a whisper, as she lifted a warning hand.

"They're in the yard," Lilian whispered. "I heard them."

Wolf raised his head from her knee as she spoke, then, with a fierce
growl, he sprang snarling towards the door. Presently his excitement
died away, and he returned to his previous position beside the fire.

"They've made off, you may depend," said Old Jeffrey, drawing a deep
sigh of relief, "they fancy they've made a mistake, and that there's
something going on in the house. We shall have no robbers breaking in
here to-night now. How I should like to know who the rogues are! You
didn't recognise their voices, Miss Lilian?"

"No, I'm certain I never heard them in my life before."

The old man warmed some milk, which he insisted upon Lilian's drinking.
She was troubled in mind at the thought of the anxiety which her
absence from the schoolroom was doubtless causing her parents; but, at
the same time, she was conscious she had done what was right under the
circumstances. By-and-by, a feeling of intense lassitude crept over
her, and, worn out with excitement and fatigue, she fell asleep.



CHAPTER VII.

CHRISTMAS DAY.

THE lights had been lowered in the schoolroom for the magic-lantern, so
that no one had missed Lilian during that part of the entertainment.
But when the lights were turned up again, and the screen was removed
which had hidden the Christmas tree in one corner of the room, her
mother noticed she had not returned. Rupert and Bob were obliged to
admit, on being questioned, that as far as they knew, Lilian had gone
to Nannie Davey's cottage alone.

It was then discovered that it was snowing fast; and Mr. Coker
suggested that Lilian was probably waiting for some one to fetch
her. Accordingly, he went in search of his little daughter, only to
find that she had left the old woman more than an hour before. With
a sensation of chill dismay at his heart, Mr. Coker returned to the
schoolroom, and, beckoning to Mr. Wills and a couple of men to join him
outside, he hastily explained the situation to them.

"She cannot be far away," he said, "and I don't wish my wife or anyone
to be needlessly alarmed, so we must try to keep the fact that she is
missing a secret. Perhaps she has fallen and hurt herself."

Five minutes later a lantern had been procured, and a careful search
was made all over the village Green. The falling snow had obliterated
the traces of Lilian's footsteps, and no clue to her whereabouts could
be discovered. Mr. Coker was in despair, when a brilliant idea struck
Farmer Wills, and he exclaimed:

"I'll fetch Wolf! Never was there such a dog as that for sharpness.
Many a lost sheep has he found for me before now. He'll find Miss
Lilian right enough, if she's anywhere near. If I go by the pathfields,
I shall soon reach Westhill, and I shall be back with Wolf in no time."

Mr. Coker and the others continued their search during the farmer's
absence. To the anxious father, the minutes dragged away slowly and
seemed like hours, but it was actually only little over half-an-hour
later when the footsteps of a horse were heard, and Mr. Wills flung
himself from the back of his mount in front of the schoolroom door.

"She's safe!" he cried joyfully. "I found her asleep by the kitchen
fire at Westhill."

"At Westhill!" echoed Mr. Coker, scarcely able to believe he had heard
aright.

"Yes, I never knew such a plucky little soul," Mr. Wills proceeded
admiringly, and he forthwith poured the story of Lilian's adventure
into his listeners' ears. "She's pretty nigh tired out," he explained;
"she said she'd stay with old Jeffry, and you must please call for her
on your way home. I don't think I'd mention the thieves to any one
to-night, sir, or folks will be nervous."

Mr. Coker agreed that it would be wiser not to do so. He re-entered
the schoolroom, and assured his wife, who had been anxiously on the
look-out for him, that Lilian was safe, at the same time telling her
he would explain matters later on. So the entertainment was brought to
a close, without anything having happened to mar the happiness of the
evening as far as Mr. Coker's visitors were concerned; and it was not
until the following day that it became generally known that, but for
Lilian, Westhill would have been robbed, and poor old Jeffry perhaps
murdered.

After a good night's rest, Lilian was quite herself again, and went to
church on Christmas morning with the others of the family from Haldon
Hall.

The snowstorm was over, and the sun was shining in a sky of cloudless
blue. It was an ideal Christmas Day.

Many were the questions Lilian had to answer, concerning her adventure
of the previous night, as she stood in the churchyard after the glad
service was over. And she grew quite embarrassed, as she listened to
the complimentary speeches made to her upon her bravery and presence of
mind.

"I only wish the thieves could be found," said Bob Wills, who had run
ahead of his aunt and uncle and caught up his young friends on their
way home. "I hear two tramping sort of men were seen loafing about the
village yesterday; you may depend those were the ones you overheard
talking."

"Very likely," Lilian agreed, "for I'm sure they were strangers."

"I ought to have gone across the Green with you last night," Bob
confessed.

"No, Bob, it was I who ought to have gone with her," Rupert was
constrained to admit; "but I only thought of myself and missing the
magic-lantern. And poor Lilian was done out of everything—even the
Christmas tree—"

"Oh, never mind that!" Lilian interposed hastily. "You and Nellie have
told me all about it, and how pleased the children were with their
presents, so I shall be able to write and tell Miss Long all she wants
to know just as though I had been there."

"And I shall write and tell her how brave you were last night," Nellie
declared, for she felt exceedingly proud of her sister. "If I had been
in your place, Lilian, I should have been frightened to death. And I
wouldn't have gone through the pathfields by myself after dark in a
snowstorm for anything, and I don't believe the boys would have either!"

"You see there is one advantage in being blind," said Lilian brightly,
"one can get about by night as well as by day."

"You'll come up to our place this afternoon, won't you?" Rupert
inquired of Bob ere they parted outside Westhill. "I heard father
asking you. Be sure you come."

"Oh, yes, I will," Bob answered. "I don't know what I should have done
this last two months without you three!" he cried in a sudden burst
of confidence. "You can't imagine how unhappy I was when I first came
to Westhill; and I am sure when I saw you, Nellie, and you, Rupert,
staring at me that day I arrived, I never guessed we should be friends.
Why, here's old Jeffry coming across the yard. How excited he looks!
Well, Jeffry," he said, as the old man came up, "what has happened?"

"The thieves have been caught, Master Bob," was the unexpected
response, "leastways two men have been arrested, who, it seems
probable, are the ones that meant to rob Westhill last night. They were
caught at Halwick by the police, in the small hours of the morning,
breaking into a house. By this time, they're safe under lock and key."

Halwick was the nearest town. Jeffry hastened to explain that he had
learnt the news from the village constable, who, as soon as he had
heard of the attempted burglary, had concluded the captured thieves
must be the men whose plans Lilian had frustrated, and had gone to the
farm with the story of their arrest. Whilst the old man was telling all
this, Mr. and Mrs. Coker and the farmer and his wife joined the little
group, and Jeffry, swelling with importance, had to recount his story
again.

"I am satisfied now the rogues are caught," the old man declared. "But
to think of their breaking into a house—real burglars they must be! Ah,
Miss Lilian, what would have become of me, but for you!"

"If Lilian had not been so concerned for another's happiness, she would
not have been in the way of hearing the plans of those desperate men,"
Mrs. Coker said, with an affectionate glance at her elder daughter. "I
think Providence guided her footsteps last night."

"I am sure of it," Mrs. Wills replied earnestly. "We shall be able to
rest in our beds in peace, now we know the thieves have been caught. I
confess I did not sleep for thinking of them last night, though we kept
Wolf in the house, and my common sense told me there was nothing to
fear."

Goad-byes were now exchanged between the two families; and the Cokers
proceeded on their way homewards, Bob shouting after them that he would
join them during the afternoon.

"You almost live at Haldon Hall," Mrs. Wills remarked to her nephew
with a smile. "I'm very glad you're friendly with the Squire's young
folk. I don't think you find Master Rupert such a prig as you fancied
him at first, do you?"

"No, he's all right now we've got to know each other better," Bob
responded with a laugh. "By the way, he's going to the Vicarage next
term to be taught by the Vicar, and he wants me to go with him." He
looked at his uncle as he spoke.

"Mr. Coker has been speaking to me about it, and I think it would be
a very good plan, if the Vicar agrees to it, and I believe he will,"
put in the farmer; "but that's a matter to be discussed later on. It's
fully dinner time now, and we mustn't let the turkey be spoilt."



THE NORMAN DAVY PRINTING CO., LTD., LONDON AND LOUTH.




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