Johnny Ludlow, First Series

ple did not know which of the two counties it was really in. The house was in Warwickshire, but some of the land was in Worce

sprung up of late years. He was respected by every one, and though hotheaded and impetuous, he was simple-minded, open-handed, and had as good a heart as any one ever had in this world. An elderly

few years, leaving one child only; a son, named after his father, Josep

you will naturally want to hear what I

her, William Ludlow. He and Squire Todhetley were good friends. I was an only child, just as Tod was; and, like him, I had lost my mother. They had christened me John, but alway

sure she was thirty-five if she was a day-she was talking to Eliza while she dressed me-and they both agreed that she would probably turn out to be a tartar, and that the master might have chosen better. I understood quite well that they meant papa, and asked why he might have chosen better; upon which they shook me and said they had not been speaking of m

other, married Squire Todhetley, and we went to live at Dyke Manor; she, I,

gularly indulged by his father and spoilt by all the servants; so it was only to be expected that he would not like the invasion. Mrs. Todhetley introduced order into the profuse house

n imperious way and will of his own. I was fair, gentle, timid, yielding to him in all things. His was the master-spirit, swaying mine at will. At school the bo

During the holidays, hot war raged between Tod and his step-mother. At least silent war. Mrs. Todhetley was always kind to h

ugh himself. Hannah, who was the children's nurse now, stormed and scolded over it: she and Tod had ever been at daggers drawn with each other; and Mrs. Todhetley would implore Tod with tears in her eyes to be careful with the child. Tod appeared to turn a deaf ear to them, and marched off with Hugh before

ren to rebellion with impunity. There came a day when he brough

and I were in the three-cornered meadow next the fold-yard. He was making a bat-net with gauze and two sticks. Young Jacobson had shown us his the previous day, and a bat he had caught

hat gauze is str

ld of it. I'll go indoors, and see if they can

all, strong fellow, who might leap the Avon. In a few minutes I heard his voi

u the ga

for any; says she hasn't time. I'll hin

auze, he found her dressing Hugh and Lena to go out, and she just turned him out of the nursery, and told him not to bother her then with his gauze and his wants. Lena ran after Tod; she liked him better than

going to do

ered Tod, in his decisive way

eld, and told her not to come out. Then he went off to the front of the house, and I stood inside the barn, talking to Mack, w

s Le

gain, and then came up the

y, have you s

t going to spoil Tod's

where, and my mistress is waitin

Master Joseph," spoke up Mack

here?" ask

e, a-going

. Hannah ran there and stood looking over. The ricks were within a short stone's throw

Where can she have got t

sket-chaise before the hall-door, wondering what made Hannah so long. Tod, playing with the mild she-donkey's ears, and laughing to himself, stood talking graciously to his s

s Lena," cried Ha

. Todhetley. "What do you mean,

and she went out of the nursery. I can't think wh

t have her directly;

early party at the Sterlings'. Mrs. Todhetley step

fetch her, Tod

hought Hannah had had enough of a hunt for that day. I r

e out now, l

the openings between them. Lena was not there. It was rather odd, and I looke

ena pass indoors?" I stayed

and I went round to the fron

een the ricks fast enough. No danger tha

ere indeed, Tod.

eming to take flying leaps, like

irst; but it was impossible she could have come to grief in either of the two, as they were both in view of the barn-door where I and Mack had been. Tod avowed that he had put her amid the ric

his real concern. Hannah looked red, Mrs. Todhetley white. I was standing by him

, "I have heard of gip

return

a while agone-an insolent o

?-which door was she

ng about a sick child. When I told him to march, that we never encouraged tramps here, he wanted to answer me, and I just shut the door in his face. A

"Don't say anything of this to Mrs. Todhetley," h

, except Mack and old Thomas. Tod sent these off in different directions; Mrs. Todhetley drove away in her pony-chaise to the lanes round, saying the child might have strayed there; Molly and the maids started elsewhere; and I and Tod went flying along a by-road that branched off in a straight l

" he said, panting.

ere. That must be the

so many cobwebs, and accosted the gipsy. I fol

, begging, a short time ago?" d

en, because he did it so independently; but it was not an

t you ask m

re at the Manor-house just now,

g wares for sale, if you mean

od, growing white again. "What ha

pression that the gipsy had stolen Len

no little g

his foot a stamp. "What

ng to himself. Tod pursued him, calling him a thief and other

f he had, she'd be with him now.

given her to

t do gipsies ste

Johnny, I'll strike you. How do I know what's done with stolen children? Sold, perhaps. I'd giv

ight in the distance. Whether he disappeared up a gum-tree

; so raced Tod and I. And the afternoon wore away, and we had c

loss at Alcester. Some one came riding along on a stumpy pony. It proved to be Gruff Blossom, groom to the Jacobsons. They called him "Gruff" because of his temper.

Blossom, coming out of his gruffness. "That's a ru

with the children they steal?

skins brown, and then takes 'em out to

it, when they have c

wer," said old Blossom. "Maybe their'n arn'

sies being encamped about

ths ago, there was a lot 'camped on the

nd see after the child?" asked To

e knew afterwards, for hours. Tod made straight for the police-station at A

ing. He was a big man, with short black hair combed on his forehead, and he had a habit of tu

tty child, with blue eyes and a good deal of curlin

n-"Name, Todhetley.

, called

t the dre

worked white stockings, and thin black shoes; white drawers," rec

ss is," said Jenkins,

is it

nd that sort will run a risk for a blue silk that they'd not run for a brown holland pinafore. Auburn curls, too," added Jenkins

gold neck-chain and cross. They are

much to you, sir, who could buy such any day, but an uncommon bait to prof

be seen when her cloak was off. Oh, I forgot the cloak; it was whi

e to be printed and posted, and a reward offered on the morrow, if she was not

gone out seeking her and telling of the loss abr

her to night, I shall go

Street at a rushing pace-

you going n

I find that gipsies' encampment. You ca

tation. Excitement keeps off fatigue. But I was no

ight,

t came up. He was turning out of the public-house at

ks and by-lanes: can you tell me of any encampme

broad a great deal, you know, i

stare. "There's none that I know of. In the spring, a lot

rrupted Tod. "Is there noth

said Budd. "It might have been a gipsy's or a travellin

l he asked. And Budd explained where. To

green lane leading to Cookhill; it is dark with overhanging trees, and uphill all the way. We took that road-T

skirts of the coppice, in a bit of low ground, we saw the tent, a little mite of a thing, looking no better than a funnel turned upside down. Sound

on, he might have known at once that they did not come from Lena, or from any one so young. Words mingled

ha' been back. You needn't ha' grudged it to

ell it: we made a guess at half the words. Tod, who had grown whi

face. A torch, blazing and smoking away, was thrust into the ground and lighted up the scene. Whiter the face looked now, because it had been tawny in life. I would rather see one of our faces in death than a gipsy's. The contrast between the white face and dress of the child, and the green bed of rushes it lay on was something remarkab

this?"

answered. "She did not wait tha

Lena, and looked round. "Is

et up a howl. It was a boy of about seven, and our going in had

xplained Tod. "I thought she might have

has come for her!" And, when speaking to us,

ost-lost out of doors! Have you

in the tent alone. If folks had come to my aid, Corry might not

?" Tod asked, convinced at le

ok her with the summer, and the strength began to go out. Jake have been

upposed. The help meant fo

o fashion 'em. Maybe he'd sell 'em for a few ha'pence, he said; an

"I wish that hard-

nterrupted sharply. "Is Jake you

nd, and the chi

al a child, would he?" asked Tod

understanding. "Steal a

ought perhaps he had done it, a

an. "We couldn't feed these of our

rs; and, directly afterwards, we missed my little

ouse far f

ew m

n of weakness on his w

n. The child-the living one-began to bawl; one couldn't

afore now if his strength hadn't failed him; though, maybe, he didn't

who had the largest, brightest eyes I ev

said he. "Wher

speaking very gently. "She's gone to

ked Dor, his great eyes shini

ittle boy, that his mother was always near him, one of God's angels keeping him from harm.

interposed the woman. "He

f the tent, "I don't think they

at the man would

ld at home wouldn't be

ment was prolonged, and I, at least, could hardly put one foot before another. Or down to the high-road, and run the chance of some vehicle overtaking us? Or keep on amidst these fields and hedgerows, which

here,

und. A man had sunk down there, apparently from exhaustion. His face was a tawny whit

fellow, Johnny?

he fa

it. I wonder if ther

fter looking at us a minute or two, he raised himself slowly on his elb

d's found

a leap. I know his

t home this

found

me, m

Tod, his tone softening

t here's strange to me. A-going through a bit of a groove, which didn't seem as if it was leadin

ed!" ro

ft her there. Knowing where she must ha' been stole from-through you're accusing me of it, master-I untied her to lead her home, but her feet warn't used to the rou

Tod, as considerately as if he had

ce I was tramping up the lane, till your voices came. I'

g to eat at the house whe

obody else. She heard what I had to say abou

ere all tied together with string, and the stick. But he reeled as he

to me. "Pity but I could be put in a pic

k at home, and want to get to her. There's a piece of b

er a pause; wondering whether he could say anyth

stance, as if searching for an answe

face this day and night past, mast

en, it is done in mercy," said Tod.

ess he had crawled on hands and knees. "I've been sickly on and off for this year past; worse lately;

have been so hard with this poor fellow, and roughly accused him

f a little child being an angel in heav

," said

ot a parson. Presently he asked the man

My wife's Irish; but they do say she comes of a gipsy tribe. We used to have a cart, and went about the country with crockery; but a year ago, when I got ill and lay in a lo

you today," said Tod. "Take t

ut the strength into her. Otherwise I'd not. We're honest

ckets. "I wish it had been sovereigns," said he to me; "but we will do

close before, and spoken with him, I should neve

. "There you are Johnn

to me that I could read people as easily as a book. Duffham, our surgeon at Church Dykely, bade me trust to it as a good gift from God. One day, pushing my straw hat up to draw

rt when we got to the foot of the hill. It was old Pitchley.

nd put her hand over her mouth, to prevent her crying out; she could only give one scream. I ought to have heard it, only Mack was making such an awful row, hammering that iron. How far along fields and by-ways the woman carried her, Lena could not be supposed to tell: "

down sometimes. He said he had a poor little girl who was nearly as badly off for clothes as that, but she d

ping him. But he did not reach home till after u

me for that?" cried T

e of us did. "It is so very common a thing for the children to be playing in the three-cornered field amidst the ricks;

t," said Tod. "I shall never forget th

ot like. Deference was rendered to Tod in the household. When anything should take off the good old Pater, Tod would be mast

e, it was too late. The man, the tent, the living peo