The Adventures of Harry Richmond, Complete

ing at her eyes, which had every imaginable light and signification in them; they advised me to lie quiet, they laughed at my wonder, they said, 'Dear little fellow!' they flashe

gasped for air; my head was extremely dizzy too; not one idea in it was kept from wheeling. This confusion of my head

oman. All she did was to turn round, murmuring, 'Naughty Jackie.' My companion pulled me along gravely, and once in the air, with a good breath of it in my chest, I felt tall and strong, and knew what had occurred. The tent where I had slept struck me as more curious than my own c

a blade

s all water h

rink and a bathe,'

John Salter's house and the last of dear Heriot. Rather to my shame, my

swim?' sh

nd fence, and ride, and

enviously. I could see that I had ch

park, where grass rolled smooth as sea-water o

t horse and moun

asto

rad

ed down

sadd

ed level

r returned. But s

my knees,' s

icer it was than champagne. My enjoyment made her so envious that she plucked off her stockings, and came in

repeated, in my

ll run away with every bit of your clothes, and

I dive'; and when I came up she w

two, upon which she asked me, invitingly, if ever I tossed. I replied that I never tossed for money; but she had caught a shilling, and I could n

ould be a good thing if we entered the village and bought something. None of the shops w

was that it was to make the dead people hear. My feelings were strange: the shops not open, and no living people to be seen. We climbed trees, and

he extent of a pipe of 'tobacco; and all through not being inquisitive, yesterday afternoon he had obtained, as if it had been chucked into his lap, a fine-flavoured fat goose honourably for his supper, besides bottle

him another half-crown. He thanked me, observing that there were days when you lay on your back and the sky rained ap

ly in search of my father. Breakfast, however, was my immediate thought. He and the girl sat down to breakfast at the inn as my guests. We ate muttonchops and eggs, and drank coffee. After it, though I had no suspicions,

pretty well with the gal, and that 's a screaming farce: none of us do. Lord! she looks down on such scum as us. She's gipsy blood, true sort; everything's sausages that gets into their pockets, no m

ked that he now counted a breakfast in the l

icated the road back to school. My companion related her history. She belonged to a Hampshire gipsy tribe, and had been on a visit to a relative down in the East counties, who died on the road, leaving her to be brought home by these tramps: she called them mumpers, and made faces when she spoke of them. Gipsies, she said, were a different sort: gipsies camped in

uld pay me for it next day, and we had an interesting topic in discussing as to the various things we would buy. She was for bright ribands and draper's stuff, I for pastry and letter-paper. The smell of people's dinners united our appetites. Going through a village I saw a man carrying a great baked pie, smelling overpoweringly, s

lie,' sh

tside, so in the end he reluctantly invit

inner, and a young I-d'n-know-what 's aft

ime; but I knew there was not a single boy who would not have changed places with me, only give him the chance, though my companion was a gipsy girl, and she certainly did look odd company for a gentleman's son in a tea-garden and public-house parlour. At nightfall, however, I was glad of her and she of me, and we walked hand in hand. I narrated tales of Roman history. It was very well for her so say, 'I'll mother you,' as we lay down to sleep; I discovered that she would never have hooted over churchyard graves in the night. She confessed she believed the devil went about in the night. Our bed was a cart under a shed, our bed-clothes fern-leaves and armfuls of straw. The shafts of the cart were down, so we lay between upr

ers: 'Mumpers!' and

was a very queer boy displaced his image. I could not but be a very queer boy, such a lot of things happened to me. Suppose I joined the gipsies? My companion wished me to. She had brothers, horse-dealers, beautiful fiddlers. Suppose I learnt the fiddle? Suppose I learnt their language and went about with them and became king of the gipsies? My companion shook her head; she could not encourage this ambitious idea because she had never heard of a king of the gipsies or a queen either. 'We fool people,' she said, and offended me, for our school believed in a gipsy

and my aunt, and see if they can't te

of her teeth. But my daring of her to look me in the eyes and swear on her

lsome day wherever we went; rarely walking close together till nightfall, when she edged up to my hand, with, 'I say, I'll keep you warm to-night, I will.' She hu

itch on receiving our promise not to rob the orchard. An old beggar came limping by us, and wanted to share our covering. My companion sank right

ords dispersed the fancy that he was something horrible, or else my father in disguise going t

that we

and lie in the m

here's no roo

room for any reckoning o'

o be alone: goo

where ha' you been t'

on to go to sleep,' I said, vexed at hav

e beggar. Then

n's tongue, I knows the ring o' that. How comes you out here? Who's

ped out of the blanket, and I called

e got there, eh? Well, odd grows odder, like the man who turned three shillings into five. Now, you gi' me a lie under your blanket

harging us with the robbery of the apple-tree. I proved our innocence to the farmer's wife by putting down a shilling. The sight of it satisfied her. She combed my hair, brought me a bowl of water and a towel, and then gave us a bowl of milk and bread, and dismissed us, telling me I had a fair face and dare-devil written on it: as for the girl, she said of her that she knew gipsies

ts for his master to send him off again running, the corners of her mouth twitching for me to laugh or speak, exactly as a dog might wag his t

'By Gearge! I'll in with you into a gig, and off with you after that ther' faller.' He pretended to mean it, and started up. I watched him without flinching. He remarked that if I 'had not cut my lucky from school, and tossed my cap for a free life, he was --' whatever may be exp

noon dinner of the elevens, and sent platefuls of food to the girl, where she was

, 'With p

ms, I would come and see his farm, I would stay with him two or three days, I would

o be sure now! I'm a tenant of Squire Belt

grandfather, but I don'

I know all about you, you see. And back you are, hurrah! The squire 'll be hearty, that he will. We've noticed a change in him ever since you left. Gout's been at his leg, off and on, a deal shrewder. Bu

m if Sewis

into my stumps. Dash it! thinks I. But th' old squire 'll be proud of you, that he will. My farm lies three miles away. You look at a crow flying due South-east five minutes from Riversley, and he's over Throckham farm, and there I 'll drive ye to-night, and to-morrow, clean an

d a gipsy life to Riversley. Gipsies were on the road, and that road led to my father. I endeavoured to explain to Farmer Eckerthy that I was travelling in this direction merely to have a short look at Riversley; but it was impossible; he could not

osite eleven, the tramp came into the

leman,' said he, advising me to hurry alo

said, 'Oh, you'll stand by

for my hastening on until I ordered fresh ale for him. The girl and he grimaced at one another in contempt.

follow, let's hope. You only stick to your friends, young gentleman, won't you, sir? It's a hard case for a poor man like me if you don't. We ain't got such chances

in my capture; but I was merry too. Farmer Eckerthy dealt the tramp a scattering slap on

' he cried in a rage, after listening to him. 'I mean to drive him over. It 's a comforta

top and sup; so we would drive home by moonlight, singing songs. And so we did. I sat beside the farmer, the girl scrambled into

ends of songs. The farmer looked at the moon,

shining on

she see such

we? And why

e drinks water

remainder? The

dsome Mi

ied Lord

ted her

d's shar

e in a

to her m

I've landed my sa

ever was in London town, never rested till I'd lea

' and another maid of some pla

e hour, and my heart began beating; but I was overcome with shyness, and said to myself, 'No, no, that's not Riversley; I'm sure it isn't'; though the certainty of it was, in my teeth, refuting me. I ran down the fields to the park and the bright little river, and gazed. When I could say, 'Yes, it is Riversley!' I turned away, hurt even

dabble a hand in a dark waterpool. The strange tongue they talked, with a kind of peck of the voice at a word, rapid, never high or low, and then a slide of similar tones all round,-not musical, but catching and incessant,-gave me an idea th

t. We fed on plenty; nicer food than Rippenger's, minus puddings. After dinner I was ready for mischief. My sensations on seeing Kiomi beg of a gentleman were remarkable. I reproached her. She showed me sixpence shining in the palm of her hand. I gave her a shilling to keep her from it. She had now got one and sixpence, she said: meaning, I supposed upon reflection, that her begging had produced that sum, and therefore it was a good thing. The money remaining in my pocket amounted to five shillings and a penny. I offered it to Kiomi's mother, who refused to accept it; so did the father, and Osric also. I might think of them, they observed, on my return to my own house: they pointed at Riversley. 'No,' said I, 'I shan't go there, you may be sure.' The women grinned, and the men yawned. The business of the men appeared to be to set to work about everything as if they had a fire inside them, and then to stretch out their legs and lie on their backs, exactly as if the fire had gone out. Excepting Osric's practice on the fiddle, and the father's bringing in and leading away of horses, the

,' said Kiomi, at gnaw upon

it. She slapped my cheek. In a minute we stood in

ining I could slip from her hits as easily as the p

said Kiomi; and rushed in with one, two

ncork his claret, my duck; straight at the nozzle, he sees more lamps than shine in London, I warrant

and hard as bars of iron; she liked fighting; she was at least my match. To avoid the disgrace of seriously striking her, or of being beaten at an open exchan

on in wrestling, squire?' the priz

me for going to the ropes, as he called it. Ki

and I tell you I don't

and pulled me by the fingers, and when she had washed my face cl

or Kiomi to be of the party, which was allowed, and the gipsy-women shook my hand as though I had been dep

to stay with

e, and they can let it out of their mouths like a fish, so lively, simple, and solid, that you could fancy a master had asked them for it and they answered, 'There it is.' But boys cannot lie in one key spontaneously, a number of them to the same effect, as my friends here did. I was off, they said; all swung round to signify the direction of my steps; my plans were hinted at; particulars were not stated on the plea that there should be no tellings; it was remarked