The Adventures of Harry Richmond, Complete

ippenger. It was my fortune to outrun them in her favour for a considerable period, during which time, though I had ceased to l

his sparkling speech to Julia, who laughed, accusing him, however, of impudence. She let me see a portrait of her dead mother, an Irish lady raising dark eyelashes, whom she resembled. I talked of the portrait to Heriot, and as I had privileges accorded to none of the other boys and could go to her at any hour of the day after lessons, he made me beg for him to have a sight of it. She considered awhile, but refused. On hearing of the unkind refusal, Heriot stuck his hands into his pockets and gave up cricketing. We saw him leaning against a wall in full view of h

tell her I believe in nothing but handwriting, and if she writes to me for it humbly and

anted to make her confess something, which she would not do. 'Now I write to him no more; let him know it, my darling,' she said, and the consequence of Heriot's ungrateful obstinacy was that we all beheld her, at the ceremony of the consecration of the new church, place her hand on Mr. Boddy's arm and allow

you there

he answered, thrusting it safe in his po

look at it,' s

ecline to let y

e, sir,' c

r,' replied Heriot, and there w

or permission to look,-I used the word inten

ite cool; 'inferentially you did; but

whose colour was thunder: 'you quibbled, sir; you pr

s tense; 'and mean to, in spite of

n act of felony,' roared Bod

al it,

y exhibit it for my inspection, now, here, at once; no pa

ous of his manfulness though I was. His left foot was firmly in

for your inspection what I mean no Boddy to see? I have to assure you respectfully, sir,

soner's-base. He had spied Mr. Rippenger's head at the playground gate. I had just time to see Heriot and the usher in collision before

r. Rippenger was constantly speaking of my father's magnificence in my presence before company. Allowed to draw on him largely for pocket-money, I maintained my father's princely reputation in the school. At times, especially when the holidays arrived and I was left alone with Julia, I had fits of mournfulness, and almost thought the boys happier than I was. Going home began to seem an unattainable thing to me. Having a father, too, a regular father, instead of a dazzling angel that appear

ign city; but he mentioned nothing of coming to me. I

o see it sink as if I had again lost sight of him, and then a sense of darkness brought me back to my natural consciousness, without afflicting me much, but astonishing me. Why was I away from him? I could repeat my lessons in the midst of these dreams quite fairly; it was the awakening among the circle of the boys that made me falter during a recital and ask myself why I was there and he absent? They had given over speculating on another holiday a

comprehend the multitudinous blessings,' etc., was intensely distressing. Together with Walter Heriot, Andrew Saddlebank, our best bowler, the drollest fellow in the world, John Salter, and little Gus Temple, were oftenest cited. They declared that they invariably uttered 'Amen,' as Heriot did, but we none of us heard this defiant murmur of assent from their lips. Heriot pronounced it clearly and cheerfully, causing Julia's figure to shrink as she knelt with her face in the chair h

y. Never mind; they won't hurt you as long as I'm here. Grow tough, that's what you've got to do. I'd like to se

ed me u

hing for you,

low thanked him for a kindness. She was angry at his approval of what she called my defiance of her father, and insisted that I was the catspaw of one of Heriot's plots to vex him. 'Tell Heriot you have my command to say you belong to me and must not be misled,' she said. His answer was that he wanted it in writing. She requested him to deliver up her previous letters. Thereupon

ippenger,'

ave you

ook,

me the

ood

d knocked the book on the floor, and out fell the letter. Both sprang down to seize it: their heads encountered, but Heriot had the quicker hand; he caught the

id Boddy. 'Little scoundrelly spoilt urchins, upsetting the discipline of the school, won'

poor boy was so savagel

ed to avoid

ou like,' Heriot retorte

he one who ought to speak, Miss Rippenger. The fact is, I hear from little Roy that you are fond of tales of Indian adventure, and I gave him a book for you to read, if you

ed the book with a soft murmur, an

r, you know, and some of the terms in the book are difficult without notes. Richie, hand th

t that she would not deny him

without notes,' s

e allowed to accompany her, and was not at all chagrined by his refusal. She lai

and down before the gate leading into Julia's garden, and force her to receive the letter. I went bounding like a ball. The usher, suspecting only that I hurried to speak to him, let me see ho

e she was addr

; and other usher phrases, seemed to melt, and I had what I believe was a primary conception of the power of woman. She

r, which had flashed out of sight as a rabbit

d, 'I have to pay to

d Heriot's letter through. 'But he is a boy!

, and read it again after she had placed it in her

you were in love with

love him,'

h me?' s

too, if you will n

ow what it is

you to let him sit close

e sat very near

t he mustn't inte

th laughing kisses. 'There's very l

d of his

d Julia, more to herself

Oh, s

red to con

and from that moment was all questions concerning his kin

age to Heriot: 'You may tell h

d on hearing

eans she'll come!' He smacked his hands together, grew b

feeling a twinge of my treas

t; 'she shall s

on until the curtain should li

spoke of Heriot and Julia as a jolly couple, and of Boddy as one meaning to play the part of old Nick the first opportunity. She was kinder to them than ever. It was not a new thing that she should send in cakes of her own making, but it was extraordinary that we should get these thoughtful presents as often as once a fortnight, and it became usual to hear a boy exclaim, either among a knot of fellows or to himself, 'By jingo, she is a pretty girl!' on her passing out of the room, and sometimes entirely of his own idea. I am persuaded that if she had consented to marry Boddy, the boys would have b

Temple reported to Heriot a conversation that he, lying hidden in tall grass, had heard between Boddy and Julia. Boddy asked her to take private lessons in French from him. Heriot listened to the m

h useful in a milit

d, 'Yes, of c

en I think I sha

was taking lesso

e he repeated one of Temple's pieces of communicatio

his seat. 'Row, sir, and

e boat, if you please, or the la

man's shouted, 'Miss Julia! dear Miss Julia, don't leave us!' and we heard wheedling voices: 'Don't go off with him alone!' Julia bade us behave well or she would

, saved Julia, and drowned Boddy, and given us a feast of pleasurable excitement: instead of which Boddy lived to harass us with his tyran

little Temple. I went off

er a coquette, He

s, you little fellows,' said

a nasty girl?

as it happens,'

distinctness. A series of boxes on the ears from Boddy began to astound and transform me. Mr. Rippenger, too, threatened me with carvings, though my offences were slight. 'Yes,' said Temple and I, in chorus, 'but you daren't strike Heriot!' This was our consolation, and the sentiment of the school. Fancy, then, our amazement to behold him laying the cane on Heriot's shoulders as fiercely as he could, and Boddy

my school, sir. We have been falling lax. What! I find the puppy in my garden whistling-he confesses-for one of my servants-here, Mr. Boddy, if you ple

make another attempt to touch Heriot; he held near the master, looking ready to spring, like a sallow panther; we kept hoping he would, in our horror of the murderous slashes of the cane; and not a syllable did Heriot utter. Temple and I started up, unaware of what we were going to do, or of anything until we had got a blow a-piece, and were in the thick of it, and Boddy had us both by the collars, and was knocking our heads together, as he dragged us back to our seats. But the boys told us we stopped the execution. Mr. Rippenger addressed

us angrily. 'Has Saddlebank b

efaced, as was Salter, and most of the big boys w

win our match,

appear at mo

sacre praying.' It had nearly made him sick, he added,

y. I could not contain myself, I wanted so to tell her what had befallen Heriot overnight,

my dear, I say,

r: 'Miss Julia, I wish

ed by ladies and gentlemen of the town, and particular friends of hers, we could not speak out. Heriot brought his bat

to Julia. But s

, are y

d I felt her trembling excessively

eard Heriot call; 'here,

was flying after the ball and getting k

r. I was in Julia's charge three days. Every time I spoke of her father and Heriot, she cried, 'Oh, hush!' and had tears on her eye

erlip, next smiling on me, and next having her face carved in grimaces by the jerking little tugs of her mouth, which I disliked to see, for she would say nothing of what she thought of Heriot, and I

uel. How much more reprehensible, then, was one that could bring himself to defy a fellow-creature to mortal combat! We were not of his opinion; and as these questions are carried by majorities, we decided that Boddy was a coward, and approved the idea that Heriot would have to shoot or scourge

l him what I think of him

iot and Temple had tasted it, I thought of punishment as a mad pleasure, not a bit more awful than the burning furze-bush plunged into by our

er, for he had taken a stingin

to business duties, for Surrey House was not an almshouse, either for the sons of gentlemen of high connection, or for the sons of vagabonds. Mr. Rippenger added a spurning shove on my shoulder to his recommendation to me to resume my seat. I did not understand him at all. I was, in fact, indebted to a boy named Drew, a known

a, and I get a letter from him about once a year. We know one another, and I know he's one of the best officers in the British army. It's just the way with schoolmasters and tradesme

love for Julia, whom none of us saw now, was an incessant distraction. She did not appear at prayers. She sat up in the gallery a

g it high for Heriot to walk and fetch it; and his small

om the colon

and then said, 'Is your

e stuttered, 'My father!-I hope so! W

letter was from you

f it is

ase, nothing w

n its place. He grew pale and sad, but did his work, playing his games, and only letting his friends speak to him of lessons and play. His counsel to me was, that in spite of everything, I was always to stick

dom had a magical effect on me, so that I was the wildest talker of them all. Even in the middle of the family I led the conversation; and I did not leave Salter's house without receiving an assurance from his elder sisters that they were in love with me. We drove home-back to prison, we called it-full of good things, talking of Salter's father's cellar of wine and of my majority Burgundy, which I said, believing it was true, amounted to twelve hundred dozen; and an appointment was made for us to meet at Dipwell Farm, t

chool. Mind you enter a cavalry regiment when you're man enough. Look in the Army List, you'll find me ther

hat Heriot had resolved he

tough by this time. I can't stay here. I feel more like a dog than a m

ter's sake, to conduct me to the doors; an unintelligible refinement of reasoning, to my wits. We reached our town between two and three in the morning. There was a ladder leaning against one of the houses in repair

w?' I asked, seeing him fix the la

ush; keep a

ow I remembered it was Julia's; I heard her cry

ars. He begged her to come to him at once, only once, and hear him and take his hand. She was timid; he had h

n't go; you do not care for

e to it,'

e was not in be

red; I saw their faces close together, and Heriot's arms round her neck. 'Oh, He

u love me,'

nly don't go,'

love me fa

ll; I

love you,

you, W

r e

you smell my honeysuckle? Oh, don't go

regiment of sabr

sweet! No, not kiss me, if you are going to l

am of me in

every

less t

ught you would hate me. I cried till I was glad you could not see me. Look at those two little stars; no, they hurt me, I can't look at them ever again. But no, you are not going; you want to frig

Your mother wa

would have

Give me her portrait.

Walter! not t

! to keep me

my mother's

if you love

younger tha

night, good

I will

n me and called my name softly, sending kisses from he

tting up for you-are

and pressed fo

hould you not have it? I

ladder. I called in terror: 'Mr. Boddy, stop, sir.' He pushed me savagely aside, pitching his whole force against the ladder. Heriot pulled down Julia's window; h

'd try one of the attics, as we were late, not to disturb the h

o stand on his legs, abused him, asked him what he meant by it, accused him of dep

leman; make no row here, Mr. Boddy, if you've any respect for people inside. We were upset by Mr. Salter's carriage; it's damaged my leg, I believe. Have

had hopped with his hand on my shoulder to the corner of the house fronting the road. While

eman; you needn't look fixed. I'll pay you well and thank you. Bu

Scamped it out

Rely on me when I tell

can't be doing a bad business,' sai

s are over. God bless you, dear little lad! Leg 'll get well by morning, never fear for

aving enormously. My friend was gone. I stood in the road straini