Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings Read online

'pring into 'em." So I opened my arms to him as Ihad opened my sorrowful heart when his poor young mother lay a dying, andhe had his jump and we had a good long hug together and the Major prouderthan any peacock says to me behind his hand, "You need not let him knowit Madam" (which I certainly need not for the Major was quite audible)"but he _is_ a boy!"

  In this way Jemmy grew and grew and went to day-school and continuedunder the Major too, and in summer we were as happy as the days werelong, and in winter we were as happy as the days were short and thereseemed to rest a Blessing on the Lodgings for they as good as Letthemselves and would have done it if there had been twice theaccommodation, when sore and hard against my will I one day says to theMajor.

  "Major you know what I am going to break to you. Our boy must go toboarding-school."

  It was a sad sight to see the Major's countenance drop, and I pitied thegood soul with all my heart.

  "Yes Major" I says, "though he is as popular with the Lodgers as you areyourself and though he is to you and me what only you and me know, stillit is in the course of things and Life is made of partings and we mustpart with our Pet."

  Bold as I spoke, I saw two Majors and half-a-dozen fireplaces, and whenthe poor Major put one of his neat bright-varnished boots upon the fenderand his elbow on his knee and his head upon his hand and rocked himself alittle to and fro, I was dreadfully cut up.

  "But" says I clearing my throat "you have so well prepared him Major--hehas had such a Tutor in you--that he will have none of the first drudgeryto go through. And he is so clever besides that he'll soon make his wayto the front rank."

  "He is a boy" says the Major--having sniffed--"that has not his like onthe face of the earth."

  "True as you say Major, and it is not for us merely for our own sakes todo anything to keep him back from being a credit and an ornament whereverhe goes and perhaps even rising to be a great man, is it Major? He willhave all my little savings when my work is done (being all the world tome) and we must try to make him a wise man and a good man, mustn't weMajor?"

  "Madam" says the Major rising "Jemmy Jackman is becoming an older filethan I was aware of, and you put him to shame. You are thoroughly rightMadam. You are simply and undeniably right.--And if you'll excuse me,I'll take a walk."

  So the Major being gone out and Jemmy being at home, I got the child intomy little room here and I stood him by my chair and I took his mother'sown curls in my hand and I spoke to him loving and serious. And when Ihad reminded the darling how that he was now in his tenth year and when Ihad said to him about his getting on in life pretty much what I had saidto the Major I broke to him how that we must have this same parting, andthere I was forced to stop for there I saw of a sudden thewell-remembered lip with its tremble, and it so brought back that time!But with the spirit that was in him he controlled it soon and he saysgravely nodding through his tears, "I understand Gran--I know it _must_be, Gran--go on Gran, don't be afraid of _me_." And when I had said allthat ever I could think of, he turned his bright steady face to mine andhe says just a little broken here and there "You shall see Gran that Ican be a man and that I can do anything that is grateful and loving toyou--and if I don't grow up to be what you would like to have me--I hopeit will be--because I shall die." And with that he sat down by me and Iwent on to tell him of the school of which I had excellentrecommendations and where it was and how many scholars and what gamesthey played as I had heard and what length of holidays, to all of whichhe listened bright and clear. And so it came that at last he says "Andnow dear Gran let me kneel down here where I have been used to say myprayers and let me fold my face for just a minute in your gown and let mecry, for you have been more than father--more than mother--more thanbrothers sisters friends--to me!" And so he did cry and I too and wewere both much the better for it.

  From that time forth he was true to his word and ever blithe and ready,and even when me and the Major took him down into Lincolnshire he was farthe gayest of the party though for sure and certain he might easily havebeen that, but he really was and put life into us only when it came tothe last Good-bye, he says with a wistful look, "You wouldn't have me notreally sorry would you Gran?" and when I says "No dear, Lord forbid!" hesays "I am glad of that!" and ran in out of sight.

  But now that the child was gone out of the Lodgings the Major fell into aregularly moping state. It was taken notice of by all the Lodgers thatthe Major moped. He hadn't even the same air of being rather tall thanhe used to have, and if he varnished his boots with a single gleam ofinterest it was as much as he did.

  One evening the Major came into my little room to take a cup of tea and amorsel of buttered toast and to read Jemmy's newest letter which hadarrived that afternoon (by the very same postman more than middle-agedupon the Beat now), and the letter raising him up a little I says to theMajor:

  "Major you mustn't get into a moping way."

  The Major shook his head. "Jemmy Jackman Madam," he says with a deepsigh, "is an older file than I thought him."

  "Moping is not the way to grow younger Major."

  "My dear Madam," says the Major, "is there _any_ way of growing younger?"

  Feeling that the Major was getting rather the best of that point I made adiversion to another.

  "Thirteen years! Thir-teen years! Many Lodgers have come and gone, inthe thirteen years that you have lived in the parlours Major."

  "Hah!" says the Major warming. "Many Madam, many."

  "And I should say you have been familiar with them all?"

  "As a rule (with its exceptions like all rules) my dear Madam" says theMajor, "they have honoured me with their acquaintance, and notunfrequently with their confidence."

  Watching the Major as he drooped his white head and stroked his blackmustachios and moped again, a thought which I think must have been goingabout looking for an owner somewhere dropped into my old noddle if youwill excuse the expression.

  "The walls of my Lodgings" I says in a casual way--for my dear it is ofno use going straight at a man who mopes--"might have something to tellif they could tell it."

  The Major neither moved nor said anything but I saw he was attending withhis shoulders my dear--attending with his shoulders to what I said. Infact I saw that his shoulders were struck by it.

  "The dear boy was always fond of story-books" I went on, like as if I wastalking to myself. "I am sure this house--his own home--might write astory or two for his reading one day or another."

  The Major's shoulders gave a dip and a curve and his head came up in hisshirt-collar. The Major's head came up in his shirt-collar as I hadn'tseen it come up since Jemmy went to school.

  "It is unquestionable that in intervals of cribbage and a friendlyrubber, my dear Madam," says the Major, "and also over what used to becalled in my young times--in the salad days of Jemmy Jackman--the socialglass, I have exchanged many a reminiscence with your Lodgers."

  My remark was--I confess I made it with the deepest and artfullest ofintentions--"I wish our dear boy had heard them!"

  "Are you serious Madam?" asked the Major starting and turning full round.

  "Why not Major?"

  "Madam" says the Major, turning up one of his cuffs, "they shall bewritten for him."

  "Ah! Now you speak" I says giving my hands a pleased clap. "Now you arein a way out of moping Major!"

  "Between this and my holidays--I mean the dear boy's" says the Majorturning up his other cuff, "a good deal may be done towards it."

  "Major you are a clever man and you have seen much and not a doubt ofit."

  "I'll begin," says the Major looking as tall as ever he did, "to-morrow."

  My dear the Major was another man in three days and he was himself againin a week and he wrote and wrote and wrote with his pen scratching likerats behind the wainscot, and whether he had many grounds to go upon orwhether he did at all romance I cannot tell you, but what he has writtenis in the left-hand glass closet of the little bookcase close behind you.

  CHAPTER II--HOW THE PAR
LOURS ADDED A FEW WORDS

  I have the honour of presenting myself by the name of Jackman. I esteemit a proud privilege to go down to posterity through the instrumentalityof the most remarkable boy that ever lived,--by the name of JEMMY JACKMANLIRRIPER,--and of my most worthy and most highly respected friend, Mrs.Emma Lirriper, of Eighty-one, Norfolk Street, Strand, in the County ofMiddlesex, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

  It is not for me to express the rapture with which we received that dearand eminently remarkable boy, on the occurrence of his first Christmasholidays. Suffice it