Part 11 (1/2)

Mrs. Ross looked at Ferdy with surprise and some misgiving. It was doubtless Miss Lilly who had talked to him about the Draymoor people.

Was it quite wise of her to do so? Ferdy was so sensitive already, and his illness seemed to have made him even more ”old-fas.h.i.+oned.” To hear him talk as he was doing just now, one could easily have believed him twice his real age. But a second glance at his face made her feel easy again. He was speaking in a tone of quiet interest, but not in any nervous or excited way.

”Yes,” she replied, ”there is plenty to be done to improve Draymoor, and at present no one seems to take any special charge of it. If your father was less busy and richer, I know he would like to try to do something for the people there.”

”Miss Lilly says if there was any one to look after the boys it would be such a good thing,” said Ferdy. ”I hope Jesse Piggot won't go back there to live.”

Then they went on to talk of other things. Ferdy greatly approved of the German cakes, and his mother's spirits rose higher as she saw him eating them with a good appet.i.te and making little jokes with his sister.

The rest of the evening pa.s.sed happily. Ferdy amused himself for some time by ”trying” his new slate. He drew two or three animals without any model, and was delighted to find that Chrissie recognised them all, and that they did not compare very badly with the outlines she had brought him.

”I am tired now,” he said as he put down his pencil with a little sigh, but a sigh of contentment as much as of weariness, ”but I know what I'll do to-morrow, Chrissie. I'll _study_ one animal's head, or perhaps a bird. If those old swallows would but settle for a bit on the window-sill, or even on one of the branches close by, I'm sure I could do them. What a pity it is they can't understand what we want, for I always feel as if they knew all about us.”

”That's because of my dream,” said Christine importantly. ”But I must go now, Ferdy dear; Flowers has called me two or three times to change my frock.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: WATCHING THE SWEET SUMMER SUNSET.]

So Ferdy lay on his couch, one end of which was drawn into the window, watching the sweet summer sunset and the gentle ”good-night” stealing over the world. There were not many pa.s.sers-by at that hour. The school children had long ago gone home; the little toddlers among them must already be in bed and asleep. Now and then a late labourer came slowly along with lagging steps, or one of the village dogs, in search of a stray cat perhaps, p.r.i.c.ked up his ears when Ferdy tapped on the window-pane. But gradually all grew very still, even the birds ceasing to twitter and cheep as they settled themselves for the night. And Ferdy himself felt ready to follow the general example, when suddenly his attention was caught by a figure that came down the lane from the farm and stood for a moment or two at the end of the drive where the gate had been left open.

Ferdy almost jumped as he saw it.

”Flowers,” he exclaimed, as at that moment the maid came into the room followed by Thomas to carry him up to bed. ”Flowers--Thomas, do look!

Isn't that Jesse Piggot standing at the gate? He must have come back again.”

”I don't know, I'm sure, Master Ferdy,” said Flowers, who did not feel any particular interest in Jesse Piggot.

But Thomas was more good-natured. He peered out into the dusk.

”It looks like him, Master Ferdy,” he said, ”but I don't know that he'll get much of a welcome even if he _has_ come back. Such a lad for mischief never was,” for Thomas had had some experience of Jesse once or twice when the boy had been called into the Watch House for an odd job.

”Never mind about that,” said Ferdy, ”_I_ shall be glad to see him again. Be sure you find out in the morning, Thomas, if it is him.”

CHAPTER VIII

WELCOME VISITORS

But Ferdy did not need to wait till Thomas had made his inquiries, which most likely would have taken some time, as he was not a young man who cared to be hurried.

Miss Lilly in her quiet way was quite excited when she came the next morning.

”Whom do you think I met yesterday afternoon on my way home, Ferdy?” she said as soon as she and Chrissie came into the oriel room for the part of the morning they now regularly pa.s.sed there with the little invalid.

”I can guess,” said Ferdy eagerly. ”I believe it was Jesse Piggot,” and then he told Miss Lilly about having seen a boy's figure standing at the end of the drive looking in.

”Poor fellow,” said Miss Lilly, ”I daresay he was watching in the hopes of seeing some one who could--” but then she stopped short.

Ferdy looked up with curiosity.

”'Who could' what, Miss Lilly?” he asked.