Robbery Under Arms [12]
or evil, you and I go together.'
We looked at one another for a moment. Our eyes met. We didn't say anything; but we understood one another as well as if we had talked for a week. We rode up to the door of our cottage without speaking. The sun had set, and some of the stars had come out, early as it was, for it was late autumn. Aileen was sitting on a bench in the verandah reading, mother was working away as usual at something in the house. Mother couldn't read or write, but you never caught her sitting with her hands before her. Except when she was asleep I don't think she ever was quite still.
Aileen ran out to us, and stood while we let go our horses, and brought the saddles and bridles under the verandah.
`I'm glad you're come home for one thing,' she said. `There is a message from father. He wants you to meet him.'
`Who brought it?' I said.
`One of the Dalys -- Patsey, I think.'
`All right,' said Jim, kissing her as he lifted her up in his great strong arms. `I must go in and have a gossip with the old woman. Aileen can tell me after tea. I daresay it's not so good that it won't keep.'
Mother was that fond of both of us that I believe, as sure as I sit here, she'd have put her head on the block, or died in any other way for either of her boys, not because it was her duty, but glad and cheerful like, to have saved us from death or disgrace. I think she was fonder of us two than she was of Aileen. Mothers are generally fonder of their sons. Why I never could see; and if she thought more of one than the other it was Jim. He was the youngest, and he had that kind of big, frolicsome, loving way with him, like a Newfoundland pup about half-grown. I always used to think, somehow, nobody ever seemed to be able to get into a pelter with Jim, not even father, and that was a thing as some people couldn't be got to believe. As for mother and Aileen, they were as fond of him as if he'd been a big baby.
So while he went to sit down on the stretcher, and let mother put her arms round his neck and hug him and cry over him, as she always did if he'd been away more than a day or two, I took a walk down the creek with Aileen in the starlight, to hear all about this message from father. Besides, I could see that she was very serious over it, and I thought there might be something in it more than common.
`First of all, did you make any agreement with George Storefield?' she said.
`No; why should I? Has he been talking to you about me? What right has he to meddle with my business?'
`Oh, Dick, don't talk like that. Anything that he said was only to do you a kindness, and Jim.'
`Hang him, and his kindness too,' I said. `Let him keep it for those that want it. But what did he tell you?'
`He said, first of all,' answered poor Aileen, with the tears in her eyes, and trying to take hold of my hand, `that he had a contract for fencing timber, which he had taken at good prices, which he would share with you and Jim; that he knew you two and himself could finish it in a few weeks, and that he expected to get the contract for the timber for the new bridge at Dargo, which he would let you go shares in too. He didn't like to speak about that, because it wasn't certain; but he had calculated all the quantities and prices, and he was sure you would make 70 or 80 Pounds each before Christmas. Now, was there any harm in that; and don't you think it was very good of him to think of it?'
`Well, he's not a bad fellow, old George,' I said, `but he's a little too fond of interfering with other people's business. Jim and I are quite able to manage our own affairs, as I told him this evening, when I refused to have anything to do with his fencing arrangement.'
`Oh, Dick, did you?' she said. `What a pity! I made sure Jim would have liked it so, for only last week he said he was sick and tired of having nothing to do -- that he should soon lose all his knack at using tools that he used to be so proud of. Didn't he say he'd like to join George?'
`He would, I daresay, and I told him to do as he liked.
We looked at one another for a moment. Our eyes met. We didn't say anything; but we understood one another as well as if we had talked for a week. We rode up to the door of our cottage without speaking. The sun had set, and some of the stars had come out, early as it was, for it was late autumn. Aileen was sitting on a bench in the verandah reading, mother was working away as usual at something in the house. Mother couldn't read or write, but you never caught her sitting with her hands before her. Except when she was asleep I don't think she ever was quite still.
Aileen ran out to us, and stood while we let go our horses, and brought the saddles and bridles under the verandah.
`I'm glad you're come home for one thing,' she said. `There is a message from father. He wants you to meet him.'
`Who brought it?' I said.
`One of the Dalys -- Patsey, I think.'
`All right,' said Jim, kissing her as he lifted her up in his great strong arms. `I must go in and have a gossip with the old woman. Aileen can tell me after tea. I daresay it's not so good that it won't keep.'
Mother was that fond of both of us that I believe, as sure as I sit here, she'd have put her head on the block, or died in any other way for either of her boys, not because it was her duty, but glad and cheerful like, to have saved us from death or disgrace. I think she was fonder of us two than she was of Aileen. Mothers are generally fonder of their sons. Why I never could see; and if she thought more of one than the other it was Jim. He was the youngest, and he had that kind of big, frolicsome, loving way with him, like a Newfoundland pup about half-grown. I always used to think, somehow, nobody ever seemed to be able to get into a pelter with Jim, not even father, and that was a thing as some people couldn't be got to believe. As for mother and Aileen, they were as fond of him as if he'd been a big baby.
So while he went to sit down on the stretcher, and let mother put her arms round his neck and hug him and cry over him, as she always did if he'd been away more than a day or two, I took a walk down the creek with Aileen in the starlight, to hear all about this message from father. Besides, I could see that she was very serious over it, and I thought there might be something in it more than common.
`First of all, did you make any agreement with George Storefield?' she said.
`No; why should I? Has he been talking to you about me? What right has he to meddle with my business?'
`Oh, Dick, don't talk like that. Anything that he said was only to do you a kindness, and Jim.'
`Hang him, and his kindness too,' I said. `Let him keep it for those that want it. But what did he tell you?'
`He said, first of all,' answered poor Aileen, with the tears in her eyes, and trying to take hold of my hand, `that he had a contract for fencing timber, which he had taken at good prices, which he would share with you and Jim; that he knew you two and himself could finish it in a few weeks, and that he expected to get the contract for the timber for the new bridge at Dargo, which he would let you go shares in too. He didn't like to speak about that, because it wasn't certain; but he had calculated all the quantities and prices, and he was sure you would make 70 or 80 Pounds each before Christmas. Now, was there any harm in that; and don't you think it was very good of him to think of it?'
`Well, he's not a bad fellow, old George,' I said, `but he's a little too fond of interfering with other people's business. Jim and I are quite able to manage our own affairs, as I told him this evening, when I refused to have anything to do with his fencing arrangement.'
`Oh, Dick, did you?' she said. `What a pity! I made sure Jim would have liked it so, for only last week he said he was sick and tired of having nothing to do -- that he should soon lose all his knack at using tools that he used to be so proud of. Didn't he say he'd like to join George?'
`He would, I daresay, and I told him to do as he liked.