LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 564, 8 April 1876, Page 3

LITERATURE.

ROSE LODGE. (Continued ) ‘ Impudent wretches 1’ ejaculated Tod, ‘ To come here and asperse a man of honour like Copperas !’ That day passed off quietly, and to our thorough enjoyment; but the next one was fated to bring events. Some words of Tod’s, as I was pouring out the breakfast coffee, startled me, ‘Oh, by Jupiter! How have they found us out here ?’ Looking up I saw the postman entering the gate with a letter. The same thought struck us both. Tod went to the window and held out his hand. ‘ For Elizabeth, at Captain Copperas’s,’ read out the man as lie handed it to Tod. It was like a relief ; and Tod sent me with it to the grenadier. But in less than one minute afterwards she came into the room, bathed iu tears. The letter said that her mother was lying ill at their home, some unpronounceable place in Wales, and begging to see her. * I’m sorry to leave you at a pinch ; but I must go by the afternoon coach, ” sobbed the grenadier. * I can’t help myself. ’ Well, of course, there was nothing to be said against it. A mother was a mother. But it was awkward. The grenadier graciously offered to cook our luncheon before stai ting. We went off for a sail. Upon getting back at one o’clock, we found a huge meat pie upon the luncheon table, and the grenadier with her bonnet on. Tod paid her what was due. Presently was heard the bumping of boxes on the stairs. At the gate stood the boy with the truck, ready to wheel them to the coach office, as he had wheeled those of Miss Copperas. Tod wos helping himself to some more pie, when the grenadier threw open the door. ‘ My boxes arc here, gentlemen. Will you like to look at them ? ’ ‘ Look at them for what! asked Tod, after staring a minute. ‘ To see that I’m taking none of your property away inside them. At last Tod understood what she meant, and felt inclined to throw the dish at her head. ‘ Shut the door, and don’t be a fool,’ said he. ‘ \nd I hope you’ll find your mother better, ’ I called out after her. ‘ And now, Johnny, what are we to do ?’ ho cried, when the lunch was over and there was nobody to take it away. * This is like a second experience of Robinson Crusoe.’ We left it where it was, and went to the shops and Whistling Wind, asking if they knew of a servant. But servants seemed not to be forthcoming at a pinch ; and Ave told our troubles to old Druff. ‘ My missis shall come in and see a bit to thing for ye,’ said he. ‘ She can light the fire in the morning, anyhow, and boil the kettle. ’ And Avith the help of Mother Druff—an ancient dame Avho Avcnt about in clogs —avc got on till after breakfast in the morning, Avhen a young girl came after the place. She Avore a pink gauze bonnet, smart and taAvdry, and had a pert manner. ‘ Can yon cook ?’ asked Tod. The substance of her ans Aver Avas, that she could do everything under the sun, provided she were not ‘ tanked’ after. Her late misses Avas for ever a tanking. Would there be any Avasbing to do ? —because Avashing didn’t agree Avith her. And how often could she go out, and Avhat Avas the wages ? Tod looked at mo in doubt, and I slightly shook my head. It struck me that she Avould not do at any price. * I think you Avou’t suit,’ said he to her. ‘ Oh,’ returned she, all impertinence. ‘I can go, then, Avhere I shall suit : and so, good morning, gentlemen. There’s no call for you to be so uppish. I didn't come after your forks and spoons. ’ * The impudent young liussie ! ’ cried Tod, as she slammed the gate. ‘ But she might do better than nobody, Johnny.’ ‘ 1 don’t like her, Tod. If it rested Avith me, I’d rather live upon bread and cheese than take her.’ * Bread and cheese! ’ he echoed. * It is not a question of only bread and cheese. We must get our beds made and the knives cleaned. ’ It seemed rather a blue look out. Tod said he A\ r ould go up again to the Whistling Wind, and tell Mother Jones she must find us some one. Picking a rose as lie Avent down the path, he met a cleanly looking elderly woman, Avho was entering. She wore a dark apron, and old-fashioned Avhite cap, and said she had come after the place. ‘ What can you do ? ’ began Tod. ‘ Cook? ’ ‘ Cook and clean too, sir, ’ she answered. And I liked the Avomau the moment I saAV her. ‘Oh, I don’t knoAV that there’s much cleaning to do, beyond the knives, ’ remarked Tod. ‘ We want our dinners cooked, you know, and the beds made. That’s about all.’ The woman smiled at that, as if she thought he knew little about -it. * I’ve been living at the grocer’s, up yonder, sir, and they can give me a good character, though I say it. I’m not afraid of doing all you Avaut, and of giving satisfaction, if you’d please to try me. ’ ‘ You’ll do,’ said Tod. * Can you come in at once ?’ ‘ When yon like, sir.’ Would you please go for my character ?’ ‘ Oh, bother that,’ said he. ‘ I’ve no doubt you are all right. Carr you make pigeon pies ?’ ‘ That I can, sir. ’ ‘ You’ll do, then. What is your name ?’ ‘ Elizabeth Ho •’ ‘ Elizabeth !’ he interrupted, not giving her time to finish. * Why the one just gone was Elizabeth. A grenadier, six feet high.’ ‘ I’ve been mostly called Betty, sir, she remarked, saying that she’d go and come back with her aprons. Tod looked after her. ‘ You like her, don’t you, Johnny?’ ‘ That I do. She’s a good sort ; honest as honest can be. You did not ask her about Avages.’ ‘ Oh, time enough for that,’ said he. And Betty timred out to be as good as gold. Her history was a curious one ; she told it to me one evening in the kitchen ; in her small way she had been someAvhat of a martyr. But God had been Avith her ahvays, she said, through trouble and trial. We got a letter from Mrs Todhetley, redirected on from Sunbury. The chief piece of news it contained was, that the squire and

old Jacobson had gone off to Great Yarmouth for a fortnight. ‘That’s good,’ said Tod. ‘Johnny, ladJ yon may write home now.’ * And tell about Hose Lodge ?’ * Tell all you like. I don’t mind madami' She’ll have leisure to digest it against the pater returns.’ I wrote a long letter, and told everything, going into the minute details that she liked to hear, about the servants, and all else. Eose Lodge was the most wonderful bargain, I said, and we were both as happy as the days were long. The church was a little primitive edifice near the sands. Upon getting home from service on Sunday morning, we found the cloth not laid. As Tod had ordered dinner to be on the tabic, he sent me to the kitchen to blow up Betty. ‘lt is quite ready and waiting to be served ; but I can’t find a clean table cloth,’ said Betty. * Why, I told you where the table cloths were,’ shouted out Tod, who heard the answer. *ln that cupboard at the top of the stairs. ’ ‘ But there are no table cloths there, sir,’ cried she. ‘ Nor anything else either, except a towel or two. ’ Tod went up in a passion, bi iding her follow him, and filing the door open. He thought she had looked in the wrong place. But Betty was right. With the exception of two or three old towels and some stacks of newspapers, the cupboard was empty. ‘By Jove!’ cried Tod. ‘Johnny, that grenadier must have walked off with all the linen ! ’ Whether she had or not, none to speak of could be found now. Tod talked of sending the police after her, and wrote an account of her delinquencies to Captain Copperas, addressing the letter to the captain’s brokers in Liverpool. ‘ But,’ I debated, not quite making matters out to my own satisfaction, ‘ the grenadier wanted us to examine her boxes, you know.’ ‘All for a blind, Johnny.’ The next morning, Monday, upon looking from my window, something struck me as being the garden. What was it ? Why, all the roses were gone ! Down I rushed, half dressed, burst out at the back door, and gazed about me. It was a scene of desolation. The rose trees had been stripped ; every individual rose was clipped off from every tree. Two or three trees were left untouched before the front window ; all the rest were rifled. ‘ What the mischief is the matter, Johnny ?’ called out Tod, as I was hastily questioning Betty. ‘ You are making enough noise.’ ‘ We have had robbers here, Tod. Thieves. All the roses are stolen.’ Down he came, full rush, and stamped about the garden like anybody wild. Old Druff and his wife saw hhn, and came up to the palings. Betty, busy in the kitchen, had not noticed the disaster. ‘ I see Tasker’s people here betimes this morning, ’ observed Druff. ‘ A lot of ’em came. ’Twas a pity, I thought, to slice off all them nice big blows.’ ‘ (Saw who ? saw what ?’ roared Tod, turning his anger upon Druff. ‘ You mean to confess to me that you saw these rose-trees rifled, and did not stop it ?’ * Nay, master, how could I interfere with Tasker’s people ?’ ‘ Who are Tasker’s people ?’ foamed Tod. ‘ Who is Tasker f ‘ Tasker ? Oh, Tasker’s that there man at the white cottage on t’other side of the village. Got a big garden round it. ’ ‘lsho a poacher ? Is he a robber ?’ ‘Bless ye, master ; Tasker’s no robber.’ * And yet you saw him take my roses ?’ ‘ 1 see him for certain. I see him busy with the baskets as the men filled ’em.’ Dragging me after him, Tod went striding off to Tasker’s. We knew the man by sight; he was a kind of nurseryman. Tasker was standing near his greenhouse. * Why did I come and steal your roses ! ’ he quietly repeated, when he could understand Tod’s fierce demands. ‘ I did’nt steal ’em, sir ; I picked ’em.’ * And how dared you do it ?—who gavt you leave to do it ? ’ foamed Tod, turning purple with rage. ‘ I did it because they were mine.’ * Yours ! Are you mad ? ’ ‘ Yes, sir, mine. I bought ’em and paid for ’em. I bought ’em of Captain Copperas. I had ’em from the garden last year and the year afore. Three pounds I gave for ’em this time. The captain sold ’em to me a month ago, and I was to take my own time for gathering them. ’ ‘ I don’t think Tod had ever felt so floored in all his life. He stood back against the pales and stared. A mouth ago we had not known Captain Copperas. ‘ I might have took all the lot: ’twas in the agreement; but I left ye a few afore the front winder,’ said Tasker in an injured tone. ‘ And you come and attack me like this ! ’ ‘ But what do you want with them ? What are they taken for ?’ ‘To make attar of roses. I’ve sold ’em to the distillers.’ ‘At any rate, I would have taken them openly,’ snapped Tod. ‘Not come like a thief in the night.’ ‘ But then I had to get ’em afore the sun was powerful,’ reasoned Tasker. Tod was silent all the way home. Betty brought in the coffee. ‘Pour it out,’ said he to me. ‘But, Johnny,’ he presently added, as bestirred his cup slowly round, ‘ I can’t chink how it was that Copperas forgot to tell me he had sold the roses.’ I must say we were rather in the dumps that day, and went off fishing. I did wish I had not said so much about the roses to Mrs Todhetly. What I wrote was, that they were brighter and sweeter and better than those other roses by Bcudemeer’s Stream. I thought of the affair all day long. I thought of it when I was going to bed at night. Putting out the candle, I leaned from my window and looked down on the desolate garden. The roses had made its beauty. ‘ Johnny! Johnny, lad ! Are you in bed ? ’ The cautious whisper came from Tod. Bringing my head inside the room, I saw him at the door in his slippers and braces. (To be continued.)