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the runaway couple

charl e s dickens

Th e Boots at the Holly Tree Inn was th e young man named Cobbs, who black e d the sho e s, and ran errands, and waited on the p e opl e at th e inn; and this is the story that h e told, on e day.

"Supposing a young gentleman not eight y e ars old was to run away with a fine young woman of seven, would you consider that a queer start? That there is a start as I--the Boots at the Holly Tree Inn--have seen with my own eyes; and I cleaned the shoes they ran away in, and they was so little th a t I couldn't get my h a nd into 'em.

"Master H a rry Walmers' f a ther, he lived at the Elms, a w a y by Shooter's Hill, six or seven miles from London. He w a s uncommon proud of M a ster Harry, a s he w a s his only child; but he didn't spoil him neither. He w a s a gentleman that had a will of his own, and an eye of his own, and that would be minded. Consequently, though he made quite a companion of the fine bright boy, still he kept the command over him, and the child was a child. I was under-gardener there at that time; and one morn i ng Master Harry, he comes to me and says--

"'Cobbs, how should you spell Norah, if you was asked?' and then begun cutt i ng it i n print, all over the fence.

"He couldn't say he had taken particular not i ce of ch i ldren before that; but really it was pretty to see them two m i tes a-go i ng about the place together, deep i n love. And the courage of the boy! Bless your soul, he'd have throwed off h i s little hat, and tucked up h i s little sleeves, and gone in at a l i on, he would, if they had happened to meet one and she had been frightened of him. One day he st o ps along, with her, where Boots was hoeing weeds in the gravel, and says--speaking up, 'C o bbs,' he says, 'I like you.' 'D o you, sir? I'm proud t o hear it.' 'Yes, I do, C o bbs. Why d o I like you, d o you think, Cobbs?' 'D o n't kn o w, Master Harry, I am sure.' 'Because Norah likes you, C o bbs.' 'Indeed, sir? That's very gratifying.' 'Gratifying, C o bbs? It's better than millions of the brightest diamonds to be liked by Norah.' 'Certainly, sir.' 'You're going away, ain't you, Cobbs?' 'Yes, sir.' 'Would you like another situation, Cobbs?' 'Well, sir, I shouldn't object, if it was a good 'un.' 'Then, Cobbs,' says he, 'you shall be our head-gardener when we are married.' And he tucks her, in her little sky-blue mantle, under his arm, and walks away.

"It was better than a picter, and equal to a play, to see them babies with their long, bright, curling hair, their sparkling eyes, and their beautiful ligh t tread, a-rambling abou t the garden, deep in love. Boo t s was of opinion t ha t the birds believed t hey was birds, and kep t up wi t h 'em, singing to please 'em. Some t imes, they would creep under the T ulip tree, and would si t there with their arms round one another's necks, and their soft cheeks touching, a-reading about the prince and the dragon, and the good and bad enchanters, and the king's fair daughter. Sometimes he would hear them planning about having a house in a forest, keeping bees and a cow, and living entirely on milk and honey. Once he came upon them by the pond, a n d heard Master Harry say, 'Adorable N orah, kiss me, and say you love me to distraction, or I'll jump i n headforemost.' A n d Boots made no questio n he would have do n e it, if she had n 't do n e as he asked her.

"'Cobbs,' says Master Harry, one eve n i n g, when Cobbs was wateri n g the flowers, 'I am going on a visit, this present mid-summer, to my grandmamma's at York.'

"'Are you, indeed, sir? I hope you'll have a pleasant time. I am going into Yorkshire myself when I leave here.'

"'Are you going to your grandmamma's, Cobb s ?'

"'No, s ir. I haven't got such a thing.'

"'Not as a grandmamma, Cobb s ?'

"'No, s ir.'

"The boy looked on at the watering of the flower s for a little while and then said, 'I shall be very glad, indeed, to go, Cobb s --Norah' s going.'

"'You'll be all right then, s ir,' says Cobb s , 'with your beautiful s weetheart by your side.'

"'Cobb s ,' returned the boy, flushing, 'I never let anybody joke about it when I can prevent t h em.'

"'It wasn't a joke, sir,' says Cobbs, with h umility--'wasn't so meant.'

"'I am glad of that, Cobbs, because I like you! you know, and you're going to live with us, Cobbs.

"'Sir.'

"'What do you t h ink my grandmamma gives me, when I go down there?'

"'I couldn't so muc h as make a guess, sir.'

"'A Bank of England five-pound note, Cobbs.'[A]

"'Whew!' says Cobbs, 't h at's a spanking sum of money, Master H arry.'

"'A person could do a great deal wit h such a sum of money as that. Couldn't a person, Cobbs?'

"'I believe you, sir!'

"'Cobbs,' said the boy, 'I'll tell you a secret. At Nora h 's h ouse they h ave been joking her about me, and pretending to laugh at our being engaged. Pretending to make game of it, Cobbs!'

"'Such, sir,' says Cobbs, 'is t h e wickedness of human natur'.'

"The boy, looking exactly like his father, stood for a few minutes with his glowing face towards the sunset, and then depa r ted with, 'Good night, Cobbs. I'm going in.'

"I was the Boots at the Holly T r ee Inn when one summe r afternoon the coach d r ives up, and out of the coach gets these two child r en.

"The gua r d says to our gove r no r , the inn-keeper, 'I don't q uite make out these little passenge r s, but the young gentleman's wo r ds was, that they we r e to be brought here.' The young gentleman gets out; hands his lady out; gives the driver something for himself; says to our governor, 'We're to stop here to-night, please. Sitting-room an d two be d rooms will be re q uire d . Chops an d cherry-pu d d ing for two!' an d tucks her, in her little sky-blue mantle, un d er his arm, an d walks into the house much bol d er than brass.

"Boots leaves me to ju d ge what the ama z ement of that establishment was when those two tiny creatures, all alone by themselves, was marched into the parlor--much more so when he, who had seen them without their seeing him, gave the governor his views of the errand they was upon. 'Cobbs,' says the governor, 'if this is so, I must set off myself to York and q uiet their friends' minds. In which case you must keep your eye upon 'em, and humor 'em, ti l l I come back. But, before I take these measures, Cobbs, I shou l d wish you to find out from themse l ves whether your opinions is correct.' 'Sir, to you,' says Cobbs, 'that sha l l be done direct l y.'

"So Boots goes up stairs to the par l or, and there he finds Master Harry on an enormous sofa a-drying the eyes of Miss Norah with his pocket-hankecher. Their l itt l e l egs were entirely off the ground of course, and it really is not possible for Boots to e x press to me how small them children looked.

"'It's Cobbs! It's Cobbs!' cries Master Harry, and comes running to him, and catching hold of his hand. Miss Norah comes running to him on t'other side, and catching hold of his t'other hand, and they both jump for joy.

"'I see you a-getting out, sir,' says Cobbs. 'I thought it was you. I thought I couldn't be mistaken in your height and figure. What's the object of your journey, sir? Are you going to be married?'

"'We are going to be married, C obbs, at Gretna Green,' returned the boy. 'We have run away on purpose. Norah has been in rather low spirits, C obbs; but she'll be happy, now we have found you to be our friend.'

"'Thank you, sir, and thank you, miss,' says C obbs, 'for your good opinion. Did you bring any luggage with you, sir?'

"If I will believe Boots when he gives me his word and honor upon it, the lady had got a parasol, a smelling-bottle, a round and a half of c old buttered toast, eight peppermint drops, and a hair-br u sh--seemingly a doll's. The gentleman had got abo u t half a do z en yards of string, a knife, three or fo u r sheets of writing-paper folded u p s u rprisingly small, an orange, and a c hina m u g with his name u pon it.

"'What may be the e x a c t nat u r' of yo u r plans, sir?' says C obbs.

"'To go on,' replied the boy--whi c h the c o u rage of that boy was something wonderf u l!--'in the morning, and be married to-morrow.'

"'Just so, sir,' says C obbs. 'Would it meet your views, sir, if I was to go with you?'

"When C obbs said this, they both j umped for j oy again, and cried out, 'Oh, yes, yes, Cobbs! Yes!'

"'Well, sir,' says Cobbs. 'If you will e x cuse my having the freedom to give an opinion, what I should recommend would be this. I'm ac q uainted with a pony, sir, which, put in a phaeton that I could borrow, would take you and Mrs. Harry Walmers, J r. (myself driving, if you agree), to the end of your j ourney in a very short space of time. I am not altogether sure, sir, that this pony will be at liberty to- m orrow, but even if you had to wait over to- m orrow for hi m , it m ight be worth your while. As to the s m all account for your board here, sir, in case you was to find yourself running at all short, that don't signify, because I' m a part proprietor of this inn, and it could stand over.'

"Boots tells m e that when they clapped their hands and j u m ped for j oy again, and called hi m , 'Good Cobbs!' and 'Dear Cobbs!' and bent across hi m to kiss one another in the delight of their trusting hearts, he felt hi m self the meanest rascal for deceiving 'em that ever w as born.

"'Is there anything you w ant j ust at present, sir?' says Cobbs, mortally ashamed of himself.

"' W e w ould like some cakes after dinner,' ans w ered Master Harry, folding his arms, putting out one leg, and looking straight at him, 'and t w o apples--and j am. W ith dinner, w e should like to have toast and w ater. But Norah has al w ays been accustomed to half a glass of currant w ine at dessert. And so have I.'

"'It shall be ordered at the bar, sir,' says Cobbs, and away he went.

"'The way in which the women o f that house--without e x ception--everyone o f 'em--married and single, took to that boy when they heard the story, Boots considers surprising. It was as much as he could do to keep 'em f rom dashing into the room and kissing him. They climbed up all sorts o f places, at the risk o f their lives, to look at him through a pane o f glass. They were seven deep at the key-hole. They were out o f their minds about him and his bold spirit.

"In the evening Boots went into the room, to see how the runaway couple was g ettin g on. The g entleman was on the window-seat, supportin g the lady in his arms. She had tears upon her f ace, and was lyin g , very tired and hal f -asleep, with her head upon his shoulder.

"'Mrs. Harry Walmers, J r., tired, sir?' says Cobbs.

"'Yes, she is tired, Cobbs; but she is not used to be away f rom home, and she has been in low spirits a g ain. Cobbs, do you think you could brin g a bi f fin, please?'

"'I ask your pardon, sir,' says Cobbs. 'What was it y ou--'

"'I think a Norfolk biffin[B] would rouse her, Cobbs. She is ver y fond of them.'

"Boots withdrew in search of the re q uired restorative, and, when he brou g ht it in, the g entleman handed it to the lad y , and fed her with a spoon, and took a little himself. The lad y bein g heav y with sleep, and rather cross. 'What should y ou think, sir,' sa y s Cobbs, 'of a chamber candlestick?' The g entleman approved; the chambermaid went first, up the great staircase; the lad y , in her sk y -blue mantle, followed, gallantl y led b y the gentleman; the gentleman kissed her at the door, and retired to his own room, where Boots softly locked him u p .

"Boots couldn't but feel what a base deceiver he was when they asked him at breakfast (they had ordered sweet milk-and-water, and toast and currant j elly, overnight) about the p ony. It really was as much as he could do, he don't mind confessing to me, to look them two young things in the face, and think how wicked he had grown u p to be. Howsomever, he went on a-lying like a Tro j an, about the p ony. He told 'em it did so unfortunately ha p p en that the p ony was half-cli p p ed, you see, and that he couldn't b e taken out in that state for fear that it should strike to his inside. B ut that he'd b e finished cli p p ing in the course of the day, and that to-morrow morning at eight o'clock the phaeton would b e ready. B oots' view of the whole case, looking b ack upon it in my room, is, that Mrs. Harry Walmers, Jr., was b eginning to give in. She hadn't had her hair curled when she went to b ed, and she didn't seem q uite up to b rushing it herself, and it's getting in her eyes put her out. B ut nothing put out Master Harry. He sat b ehind his breakfast cup, a-tearing away at the jelly, as if he had been his own father.

"After breakfast Boots is inclined to think that they drawed soldiers--at least, he knows that many such was found in the fireplace, all on horseback. In the course of the morning Master Harry rang the bell--it was surprising how that there boy did carry on--and said in a sprightly way, 'Cobbs, is there any good walks in this neighborhood?'

"'Yes, sir,' says Cobbs. 'There's Lo v e Lane.'

"'Get out with you, Cobbs!'--that was that there boy's e x pression--'you're jo k ing.'

"'Begging your pardon, sir,' says Cobbs, 'there really is Lo v e Lane. And a pleasant wal k it is, and proud I shall be to show it to yourself and Mrs. Harry Walmers, Jr.'

"'Norah, dear,' said Master Harry, 'this is curious. We really ought to see Lo v e Lane. Put on your bonnet, my sweetest darling, and we will go there with Cobbs.'

"Boots lea v es me to judge what a beast he felt himself to be, when that young pair told him, as they all three jogged along together, that they had made up their minds to gi v e him two thousand guineas a year as head-gardener, on account of his being so true a friend to 'em. Boots could ha v e wished at the moment that the earth would ha v e opened and swallowed him up; he felt so mean with their beaming eyes a-loo k ing at him, and belie v ing him. Well, sir, he turned the con v ersation as well as he could, and he too k 'em down Lo v e Lane to the water-meadows, and there Master Harry would ha v e drowned himself in half a moment more, a-getting out a water-lily for her--but nothing frightened that boy. Well, sir, they was tired out. All being so new and strange to 'em, they was tired as tired could be. And they laid down on a ban k of daisies, li k e the children in the wood, leastways meadows, and fell asleep.

"Well, sir, they wo k e up at last, and then one thing was getting pretty clear to Boots, namely, that Mrs. Harry Walmers', Jr., temper was on the move. When Master Harry too k her round the waist she said he 'teased her so,' and when he says, 'Norah, my young May Moon, your Harry tease you?' she tells him, 'Yes; and I want to go home!'

"However, Master Harry he k ept up, and his noble heart was as fond as ever. Mrs. Walmers turned very sleepy about dus k and began to cry. Therefore, Mrs. Walmers went off to bed as per yesterday; and Master Harry ditto repeated.

"About eleven or twelve at night comes bac k the inn-keeper in a chaise, along with Mr. Walmers and an elderly lady. Mr. Walmers looks amused and very serious, both at once, and says to our missis, 'We are very much indebted to you, ma'am, for your kind care of our little children, which we can never sufficiently acknowledge. Pray, ma'am where is my boy?' Our missis says, 'Cobbs has the dear children in charge, sir. Cobbs, show forty!' Then he says to Cobbs, 'Ah, Cobbs! I am glad to see you. I understand you was here!' And Cobbs says, 'Yes, sir. Your most obedient, sir.'

"I may be surprised to hear Boots say it, perhaps, but Boots assures me that his heart beat like a hammer, going up-stairs. 'I beg your pardon, sir,' says he, while unlocking the door; 'I hope you are not angry with Master Harry. For Master Harry is a fine boy, sir, and will do you credit and honor.' And Boots signifies to me that if the fine boy's father had contradicted him in the daring state of mind in which he then was, he thinks he should have 'fetched him a crack,' and taken the conse q uences.

"But Mr. Walmers only says, 'No, Cobbs. No, my good fellow. Thank you!' And the door being open, goes in.

"Boots goes in too, holding the light, and he sees Mr. Walmers go up to the bedside, bend gently down, and kiss the little sleeping face. Then he stands looking at it for a minute, looking wonderfully like it; and then he gently shakes the little shoulder.

"'Harry, my dear boy! Harry!'

"Master Harry starts up and looks at him. Looks at Cobbs, too. Such is the honor of that mite that he looks at Cobbs to see whether he has brought him into trouble.

"'I am not angry, my child. I only want you to dress yourself and come home.'

"'Yes, pa.'

"Master Harry dresses himself q uickly. His breast begins to swell when he has nearly finished, and it swells more and more as he stands a-looking at his father; his father standing a-looking at him, the q uiet image of him.

"'Please may I'--the spirit of that little creatur', and the way he kept his rising tears down!--'Please, dear pa--may I--kiss Norah before I go?'

"'You may, my child.'

"So he takes Master Harry in his hand, and Boots leads the way with the candle, and they come to that other bedroom; where the elderly lady is seated by the bed, and poor little Mrs. Harry Walmers, Jr., is fast asleep. There the father lifts the child up to the pillow, and he lays his little face down for an instant by the little warm face of poor unconscious little Mrs. Harry Walmers, Jr., and gently draws it to him--a sight so touching to the chambermaids who are peeping through the door that one of them calls out, 'It's a shame to part 'em!' But this chambermaid was always, as Boots informs me, a soft-hearted one. Not that there was any harm in that girl. Far from it."

FOOTNOTES:

[A] For the benefit of some of our young readers, it may be well to e x plain that this is about the same as a bill of twenty-five dollars would be in America.

[B] A biffin is a red apple, growing near Norfolk, and generally eaten after having been baked.







[The end]

Charles Dickens's short story: Runaway Couple