The Railway Children
trying to think of something as 'ud amuse him only this morning, and I
couldn't think of anything better than a guinea-pig. And a young chap I
know's going to fetch that over for him this tea-time.”
“How lovely! A real live guinea! He will be pleased. But he'd like the
Magazines as well.”
“That's just it,” said Perks. “I've just sent the pick of 'em to
Snigson's boy--him what's just getting over the pewmonia. But I've lots
of illustrated papers left.”
He turned to the pile of papers in the corner and took up a heap six
inches thick.
“There!” he said. “I'll just slip a bit of string and a bit of paper
round 'em.”
He pulled an old newspaper from the pile and spread it on the table, and
made a neat parcel of it.
“There,” said he, “there's lots of pictures, and if he likes to mess 'em
about with his paint-box, or coloured chalks or what not, why, let him.
_I_ don't want 'em.”
“You're a dear,” said Bobbie, took the parcel, and started. The papers
were heavy, and when she had to wait at the level-crossing while a train
went by, she rested the parcel on the top of the gate. And idly she
looked at the printing on the paper that the parcel was wrapped in.
Suddenly she clutched the parcel tighter and bent her head over it. It
seemed like some horrible dream. She read on--the bottom of the column
was torn off--she could read no farther.
She never remembered how she got home. But she went on tiptoe to her
room and locked the door. Then she undid the parcel and read that
printed column again, sitting on the edge of her bed, her hands and feet
icy cold and her face burning. When she had read all there was, she drew
a long, uneven breath.
“So now I know,” she said.
What she had read was headed, 'End of the Trial. Verdict. Sentence.'
The name of the man who had been tried was the name of her Father.
The verdict was 'Guilty.' And the sentence was 'Five years' Penal
Servitude.'
“Oh, Daddy,” she whispered, crushing the paper hard, “it's not true--I
don't believe it. You never did it! Never, never, never!”
There was a hammering on the door.
“What is it?” said Bobbie.
“It's me,” said the voice of Phyllis; “tea's ready, and a boy's brought
Peter a guinea-pig. Come along down.”
And Bobbie had to.
Chapter XI. The hound in the red jersey.
Bobbie knew the secret now. A sheet of old newspaper wrapped round a
parcel--just a little chance like that--had given the secret to her. And
she had to go down to tea and pretend that there was nothing the matter.
The pretence was bravely made, but it wasn't very successful.
For when she came in, everyone looked up from tea and saw her
pink-lidded eyes and her pale face with red tear-blotches on it.
“My darling,” cried Mother, jumping up from the tea-tray, “whatever IS
the matter?”
“My head aches, rather,” said Bobbie. And indeed it did.
“Has anything gone wrong?” Mother asked.
“I'm all right, really,” said Bobbie, and she telegraphed to her Mother
from her swollen eyes this brief, imploring message--“NOT before the
others!”
Tea was not a cheerful meal. Peter was so distressed by the obvious fact
that something horrid had happened to Bobbie that he limited his speech
to repeating, “More bread and butter, please,” at startlingly short
intervals. Phyllis stroked her sister's hand under the table to express
sympathy, and knocked her cup over as she did it. Fetching a cloth and
wiping up the spilt milk helped Bobbie a little. But she thought that
tea would never end. Yet at last it did end, as all things do at last,
and when Mother took out the tray, Bobbie followed her.
“She's gone to own up,” said Phyllis to Peter; “I wonder what she's
done.”
“Broken something, I suppose,” said Peter, “but she needn't be so silly
over it. Mother never rows for accidents. Listen! Yes, they're going
upstairs. She's taking Mother up to show her--the water-jug with storks
on it, I expect it is.”
Bobbie, in the kitchen, had caught hold of Mother's hand as she set down
the tea-things.
“What is it?” Mother asked.
But Bobbie only said, “Come upstairs, come up where nobody can hear us.”
When she had got Mother alone in her room she locked the door and then
stood quite still, and quite without words.
All through tea she had been thinking of what to say; she had decided
that “I know all,” or “All is known to me,” or “The terrible secret is
a secret no longer,” would be the proper thing. But now that she and
her Mother and that awful sheet of newspaper were alone in the room
together, she found that she could say nothing.
Suddenly she went to Mother and put her arms round her and began to cry
again. And still she could find no words, only, “Oh, Mammy, oh, Mammy,
oh, Mammy,” over and over again.
Mother held her very close and waited.
Suddenly Bobbie broke away from her and went to her bed. From under her
mattress she pulled out the paper she had hidden there, and held it out,
pointing to her Father's name with a finger that shook.
“Oh, Bobbie,” Mother cried, when one little quick look had shown her
what it was, “you don't BELIEVE it? You don't believe Daddy did it?”
“NO,” Bobbie almost shouted. She had stopped crying.
“That's all right,” said Mother. “It's not true. And they've shut him
up in prison, but he's done nothing wrong. He's good and noble and
honourable, and he belongs to us. We have to think of that, and be proud
of him, and wait.”
Again Bobbie clung to her Mother, and again only one word came to her,
but now that word was “Daddy,” and “Oh, Daddy, oh, Daddy, oh, Daddy!”
again and again.
“Why didn't you tell me, Mammy?” she asked presently.
“Are you going to tell the others?” Mother asked.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because--”
“Exactly,” said Mother; “so you understand why I didn't tell you. We two
must help each other to be brave.”
“Yes,” said Bobbie; “Mother, will it make you more unhappy if you tell
me all about it? I want to understand.”
So then, sitting cuddled up close to her Mother, Bobbie heard “all
about it.” She heard how those men, who had asked to see Father on that
remembered last night when the Engine was being mended, had come
to arrest him, charging him with selling State secrets to the
Russians--with being, in fact, a spy and a traitor. She heard about the
trial, and about the evidence--letters, found in Father's desk at the
office, letters that convinced the jury that Father was guilty.
“Oh, how could they look at him and believe it!” cried Bobbie; “and how
could ANY one do such a thing!”
“SOMEONE did it,” said Mother, “and all the evidence was against Father.
Those letters--”
“Yes. How did the letters get into his desk?”
“Someone put them there. And the person who put them there was the
person who was really guilty.”
“HE must be feeling pretty awful all this time,” said Bobbie,
thoughtfully.
“I don't believe he had any feelings,” Mother said hotly; “he couldn't
have done a thing like that if he had.”
“Perhaps he just shoved the letters into the desk to hide them when he
thought he was going to be found out. Why don't you tell the lawyers,
or someone, that it must have been that person? There wasn't anyone that
would have hurt Father on purpose, was there?”
“I don't know--I don't know. The man under him who got Daddy's place
when he--when the awful thing happened--he was always jealous of your
Father because Daddy was so clever and everyone thought such a lot of
him. And Daddy never quite trusted that man.”
“Couldn't we explain all that to someone?”
“Nobody will listen,” said Mother, very bitterly, “nobody at all. Do you
suppose I've not tried everything? No, my dearest, there's nothing to be
done. All we can do, you and I and Daddy, is to be brave, and patient,
and--” she spoke very softly--“to pray, Bobbie, dear.”
“Mother, you've got very thin,” said Bobbie, abruptly.
“A little, perhaps.”
“And oh,” said Bobbie, “I do think you're the bravest person in the
world as well as the nicest!”
“We won't talk of all this any more, will we, dear?” said Mother; “we
must bear it and be brave. And, darling, try not to think of it. Try to
be cheerful, and to amuse yourself and the others. It's much easier for
me if you can be a little bit happy and enjoy things. Wash your poor
little round face, and let's go out into the garden for a bit.”
The other two were very gentle and kind to Bobbie. And they did not
ask her what was the matter. This was Peter's idea, and he had drilled
Phyllis, who would have asked a hundred questions if she had been left
to herself.
A week later Bobbie managed to get away alone. And once more she wrote a
letter. And once more it was to the old gentleman.
“My dear Friend,” she said, “you see what is in this paper. It is
not true. Father never did it. Mother says someone put the papers in
Father's desk, and she says the man under him that got Father's place
afterwards was jealous of Father, and Father suspected him a long time.
But nobody listens to a word she says, but you are so good and clever,
and you found out about the Russian gentleman's wife directly. Can't you
find out who did the treason because he wasn't Father upon my honour;
he is an Englishman and uncapable to do such things, and then they would
let Father out of prison. It is dreadful, and Mother is getting so thin.
She told us once to pray for all prisoners and captives. I see now.
Oh, do help me--there is only just Mother and me know, and we can't do
anything. Peter and Phil don't know. I'll pray for you twice every day
as long as I live if you'll only try--just try to find out. Think if it
was YOUR Daddy, what you would feel. Oh, do, do, DO help me. With love
“I remain Your affectionately little friend
“Roberta.
P.S. Mother would send her kind regards if she knew I am writing--but
it is no use telling her I am, in case you can't do anything. But I know
you will. Bobbie with best love.”
She cut the account of her Father's trial out of the newspaper with
Mother's big cutting-out scissors, and put it in the envelope with her
letter.
Then she took it down to the station, going out the back way and round
by the road, so that the others should not see her and offer to come
with her, and she gave the letter to the Station Master to give to the
old gentleman next morning.
“Where HAVE you been?” shouted Peter, from the top of the yard wall
where he and Phyllis were.
“To the station, of course,” said Bobbie; “give us a hand, Pete.”
She set her foot on the lock of the yard door. Peter reached down a
hand.
“What on earth?” she asked as she reached the wall-top--for Phyllis and
Peter were very muddy. A lump of wet clay lay between them on the wall,
they had each a slip of slate in a very dirty hand, and behind Peter,
out of the reach of accidents, were several strange rounded objects
rather like very fat sausages, hollow, but closed up at one end.
“It's nests,” said Peter, “swallows' nests. We're going to dry them
in the oven and hang them up with string under the eaves of the
coach-house.”
“Yes,” said Phyllis; “and then we're going to save up all the wool and
hair we can get, and in the spring we'll line them, and then how pleased
the swallows will be!”
“I've often thought people don't do nearly enough for dumb animals,”
said Peter with an air of virtue. “I do think people might have thought
of making nests for poor little swallows before this.”
“Oh,” said Bobbie, vaguely, “if everybody thought of everything, there'd
be nothing left for anybody else to think about.”
“Look at the nests--aren't they pretty?” said Phyllis, reaching across
Peter to grasp a nest.
“Look out, Phil, you goat,” said her brother. But it was too late; her
strong little fingers had crushed the nest.
“There now,” said Peter.
“Never mind,” said Bobbie.