Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald (desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

choking?'

The words offended me. I got up and walked out of the room. As I went round the table I saw that my uncle and aunt were staring at each other very much as I had been staring at the sword. I soon felt ashamed of myself, and returned, hoping that my behaviour might be attributed to some passing indisposition. Mechanically I raised my eyes to the wall. Could I believe them? The sword was gone-absolutely gone! My heart seemed to swell up into my throat; I felt my cheeks burning. The passion grew within me, and might have broken out in some form or other, had I not felt that would at once betray my secret. I sat still with a fierce effort, consoling and strengthening myself with the resolution that I would hesitate no longer, but take the first chance of a private interview with grannie. I tried hard to look as if nothing had happened, and when breakfast was over, went to my own room. It was there I carried on my pasting operations. There also at this time I drank deep in the 'Pilgrim's Progress;' there were swords, and armour, and giants, and demons there: but I had no inclination for either employment now.

My uncle left for the farm as usual, and to my delight I soon discovered that my aunt had gone with him. The ways of the house were as regular as those of a bee-hive. Sitting in my own room I knew precisely where any one must be at any given moment; for although the only clock we had was oftener standing than going, a perfect instinct of time was common to the household, Nannie included. At that moment she was sweeping up the hearth and putting on the kettle. In half an hour she would have tidied up the kitchen, and would have gone to prepare the vegetables for cooking: I must wait. But the sudden fear struck me that my aunt might have taken the sword with her-might be going to make away with it altogether. I started up, and rushed about the room in an agony. What could I do? At length I heard Nannie's pattens clatter out of the kitchen to a small outhouse where she pared the potatoes. I instantly descended, crossed the kitchen, and went up the winding stone stair. I opened grannie's door, and went in.

She was seated in her usual place. Never till now had I felt how old she was. She looked up when I entered, for although she had grown very deaf, she could feel the floor shake. I saw by her eyes, which looked higher than my head, that she had expected a taller figure to follow me. When I turned from shutting the door, I saw her arms extended with an eager look, and could see her hands trembling ere she folded them about me, and pressed my head to her bosom.

'O Lord!' she said, 'I thank thee. I will try to be good now. O Lord, I have waited, and thou hast heard me. I will believe in thee again!'

From that moment I loved my grannie, and felt I owed her something as well as my uncle. I had never had this feeling about my aunt.

'Grannie!' I said, trembling from a conflict of emotions; but before I could utter my complaint, I had burst out crying.

'What have they been doing to you, child?' she asked, almost fiercely, and sat up straight in her chair. Her voice, although feeble and quavering, was determined in tone. She pushed me back from her and sought the face I was ashamed to show. 'What have they done to you, my boy?' she repeated, ere I could conquer my sobs sufficiently to speak.

'They have taken away the sword that-'

'What sword?' she asked quickly. 'Not the sword that your great-grandfather wore when he followed Sir Marmaduke?'

'I don't know, grannie.'

'Don't know, boy? The only thing your father took when he-. Not the sword with the broken sheath? Never! They daren't do it! I will go down myself. I must see about it at once.'

'Oh, grannie, don't!' I cried in terror, as she rose from her chair. 'They'll not let me ever come near you again, if you do.'

She sat down again. After seeming to ponder for a while in silence, she said:-

'Well, Willie, my dear, you're more to me than the old sword. But I wouldn't have had it handled with disrespect for all that the place is worth. However, I don't suppose they can-. What made them do it, child? They've not taken it down from the wall?'

'Yes, grannie. I think it was because I was staring at it too much, grannie. Perhaps they were afraid I would take it down and hurt myself with it. But I was only going to ask you about it. Tell me a story about it, grannie.'

All my notion was some story, I did not think whether true or false, like one of Nannie's stories.

'That I will, my child-all about it-all about it. Let me see.'

Her eyes went wandering a little, and she looked perplexed.

'And they took it from you, did they? Poor child! Poor child!'

'They didn't take it from me, grannie. I never had it in my hands.'

'Wouldn't give it you then? Oh dear! Oh dear!'

I began to feel uncomfortable-grannie looked so strange and lost. The old feeling that she ought to be buried because she was dead returned upon me; but I overcame it so far as to be able to say:

'Won't you tell me about it then, grannie? I want so much to hear about the battle.'

'What battle, child? Oh yes! I'll tell you all about it some day, but I've forgot now, I've forgot it all now.'

She pressed her hand to her forehead, and sat thus for some time, while I grew very frightened. I would gladly have left the room and crept down-stairs, but I stood fascinated, gazing at the withered face half-hidden by the withered hand. I longed to be anywhere else, but my will had deserted me, and there I must remain. At length grannie took her hand from her eyes, and seeing me, started.

'Ah, my dear!' she said,' I had forgotten you. You wanted me to do something for you: what was it?'

'I wanted you to tell me about the sword, grannie.'

'Oh yes, the sword!' she returned, putting her hand again to her forehead. 'They took it away from you, did they? Well, never mind. I will give you something else-though I don't say it's as good as the sword.'

She rose, and taking an ivory-headed stick which leaned against the side of the chimney-piece, walked with tottering steps towards the bureau. There she took from her pocket a small bunch of keys, and having, with some difficulty from the trembling of her hands, chosen one and unlocked the sloping cover, she opened a little drawer inside, and took out a gold watch with a bunch of seals hanging from it. Never shall I forget the thrill that went through my frame. Did she mean to let me hold it in my own hand? Might I have it as often as I came to see her? Imagine my ecstasy when she put it carefully in the two hands I held up to receive it, and said:

'There, my dear! You must take good care of it, and never give it away for love or money. Don't you open it-there's a good boy, till you're a man like your father. He was a man! He gave it to me the day we were married, for he had nothing else, he said, to offer me. But I would not take it, my dear. I liked better to see him with it than have it myself. And when he left me, I kept it for you. But you must take care of it, you know.'

'Oh, thank you, grannie!' I cried, in an agony of pleasure. 'I will take care of it-indeed I will. Is it a real watch, grannie-as real as uncle's?'

'It's worth ten of your uncle's, my dear. Don't you show it him, though. He might take that away too. Your uncle's a very good man, my dear, but you mustn't mind everything he says to you. He forgets things. I never forget anything. I have plenty of time to think about things. I never forget.'

'Will it go, grannie?' I asked, for my uncle was a much less interesting subject than the watch.

'It won't go without being wound up; but you might break it. Besides, it may want cleaning. It's several years since it was cleaned last. Where will you put it now?'

'Oh! I know where to hide it safe enough, grannie,' I exclaimed. 'I'll take care of it. You needn't be afraid, grannie.'

The old lady turned, and with difficulty tottered to her seat. I remained where I was, fixed in contemplation of my treasure. She called me. I went and stood by her knee.

'My child, there is something I want very much to tell you, but you know old people forget things-'

'But you said just now that you never forgot anything, grannie.'

'No more I do, my dear; only I can't always lay my hands upon a thing when I want it.'

'It was about the sword, grannie,' I said, thinking to refresh her memory.

'No, my dear; I don't think it was about the sword exactly-though that had something to do with it. I shall remember it all by-and-by. It will come again. And so must you, my dear. Don't leave your old mother so long alone. It's weary, weary work, waiting.'

'Indeed I won't, grannie,' I said. 'I will come the very first time I can. Only I mustn't let auntie see me, you know.-You don't want to be buried now, do you, grannie?' I added; for I had begun to love her, and the love had cast out the fear, and I did not want her to wish to be buried.

'I am very, very old; much too old to live, my dear. But I must do you justice before I can go to my grave. Now I know what I wanted to say. It's gone again. Oh dear! Oh dear! If I had you in the middle of the night, when everything comes back as if it had been only yesterday, I could tell you all about it from beginning to end, with all the ins and outs of it. But I can't now-I can't now.'

She moaned and rocked herself to and fro.

'Never mind, grannie,' I said cheerfully, for I was happy enough for all eternity with my gold watch; 'I will come and see you again as soon as ever I can.' And I kissed her on the white cheek.

'Thank you, my dear. I think you had better go now. They may miss you, and then I should never see you again-to talk to, I mean.'

'Why won't they let me come, and see you, grannie?' I asked.

'That's what I wanted to tell you, if I could only see a little better,' she answered, once more putting her hand to her forehead. 'Perhaps I shall be able to tell you next time. Go now, my dear.'

I left the room, nothing loth, for I longed to be alone with my treasure. I could not get enough of it in grannie's presence even. Noiseless as