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CHAPTER XXVII
HOME AGAIN AT LAST
It was the beginning of wheat-harvest, when I came to
Dunster town, having walked all the way from London,
and being somewhat footsore. For though five pounds
was enough to keep me in food and lodging upon the
road, and leave me many a shilling to give to far
poorer travellers, it would have been nothing for
horse-hire, as I knew too well by the prices Jeremy
Stickles had paid upon our way to London. Now I never
saw a prettier town than Dunster looked that evening;
for sooth to say, I had almost lost all hope of
reaching it that night, although the castle was long in
view. But being once there, my troubles were gone, at
least as regarded wayfaring; for mother's cousin, the
worthy tanner (with whom we had slept on the way to
London), was in such indignation at the plight in which
I came back to him, afoot, and weary, and almost
shoeless--not to speak of upper things--that he swore
then, by the mercy of God, that if the schemes abrewing
round him, against those bloody Papists, should come to
any head or shape, and show good chance of succeeding,
he would risk a thousand pounds, as though it were a
penny.
I told him not to do it, because I had heard otherwise,
but was not at liberty to tell one-tenth of what I
knew, and indeed had seen in London town. But of this
he took no heed, because I only nodded at him; and he
could not make it out. For it takes an old man, or at
least a middle-aged one, to nod and wink, with any
power on the brains of other men. However, I think I
made him know that the bad state in which I came to his
town, and the great shame I had wrought for him among
the folk round the card-table at the Luttrell Arms, was
not to be, even there, attributed to King Charles the
Second, nor even to his counsellors, but to my own
speed of travelling, which had beat post-horses. For
being much distraught in mind, and desperate in body, I
had made all the way from London to Dunster in six
days, and no more. It may be one hundred and seventy
miles, I cannot tell to a furlong or two, especially as
I lost my way more than a dozen times; but at any rate
there in six days I was, and most kindly they received
me. The tanner had some excellent daughters, I forget
how many; very pretty damsels, and well set up, and
able to make good pastry. But though they asked me
many questions, and made a sort of lord of me, and
offered to darn my stockings (which in truth required
it), I fell asleep in the midst of them, although I
would not acknowledge it; and they said, 'Poor cousin!
he is weary', and led me to a blessed bed, and kissed
me all round like swan's down.
In the morning all the Exmoor hills, the thought of
which had frightened me at the end of each day's
travel, seemed no more than bushels to me, as I looked
forth the bedroom window, and thanked God for the sight
of them. And even so, I had not to climb them, at
least by my own labour. For my most worthy uncle (as
we oft call a parent's cousin), finding it impossible
to keep me for the day, and owning indeed that I was
right in hastening to my mother, vowed that walk I
should not, even though he lost his Saturday hides from
Minehead and from Watchett. Accordingly he sent me
forth on the very strongest nag he had, and the maidens
came to wish me God-speed, and kissed their hands at
the doorway. It made me proud and glad to think that
after seeing so much of the world, and having held my
own with it, I was come once more among my own people,
and found them kinder, and more warm-hearted, ay and
better looking too, than almost any I had happened upon
in the mighty city of London.
But how shall I tell you the things I felt, and the
swelling of my heart within me, as I drew nearer, and
more near, to the place of all I loved and owned, to
the haunt of every warm remembrance, the nest of all
the fledgling hopes--in a word, to home? The first
sheep I beheld on the moor with a great red J.R. on
his side (for mother would have them marked with my
name, instead of her own as they should have been), I
do assure you my spirit leaped, and all my sight came
to my eyes. I shouted out, 'Jem, boy!'--for that was
his name, and a rare hand he was at fighting--and he
knew me in spite of the stranger horse; and I leaned
over and stroked his head, and swore he should never be
mutton. And when I was passed he set off at full
gallop, to call the rest of the J.R.'s together, and
tell them young master was come home at last.
But bless your heart, and my own as well, it would take
me all the afternoon to lay before you one-tenth of the
things which came home to me in that one half-hour, as
the sun was sinking, in the real way he ought to sink.
I touched my horse with no spur nor whip, feeling that
my slow wits would go, if the sights came too fast over
them. Here was the pool where we washed the sheep, and
there was the hollow that oozed away, where I had shot
three wild ducks. Here was the peat-rick that hid my
dinner, when I could not go home for it, and there was
the bush with the thyme growing round it, where Annie
had found a great swarm of our bees. And now was the
corner of the dry stone wall, where the moor gave over
in earnest, and the partridges whisked from it into the
corn lands, and called that their supper was ready, and
looked at our house and the ricks as they ran, and
would wait for that comfort till winter.
And there I saw--but let me go--Annie was too much for
me. She nearly pulled me off my horse, and kissed the
very mouth of the carbine.
"I knew you would come. Oh John! Oh John! I have
waited here every Saturday night; and I saw you for the
last mile or more, but I would not come round the
corner, for fear that I should cry, John, and then not
cry when I got you. Now I may cry as much as I like,
and you need not try to stop me, John, because I am so
happy. But you mustn't cry yourself, John; what will
mother think of you? She will be so jealous of me.'
What mother thought I cannot tell; and indeed I doubt
if she thought at all for more than half an hour, but
only managed to hold me tight, and cry, and thank God
now and then, but with some fear of His taking me, if
she should be too grateful. Moreover she thought it
was my own doing, and I ought to have the credit of it,
and she even came down very sharply upon John's wife,
Mrs. Fry, for saying that we must not be too proud, for
all of it was the Lord's doing. However, dear mother
was ashamed of that afterwards, and asked Mrs. Fry's
humble pardon; and perhaps I ought not to have
mentioned it.
Old Smiler had told them that I was coming--all the
rest, I mean, except Annie--for having escaped from his
halter-ring, he was come out to graze in the lane a
bit; when what should he see but a strange horse coming
with young master and mistress upon him, for Annie must
needs get up behind me, there being only sheep to look
at her. Then Smiler gave us a stare and a neigh, with
his tail quite stiff with amazement, and then (whether
in joy or through indignation) he flung up his hind
feet and galloped straight home, and set every dog wild
with barking.
Now, methinks, quite enough has been said concerning
this mighty return of the young John Ridd (which was
known up at Cosgate that evening), and feeling that I
cannot describe it, how can I hope that any one else
will labour to imagine it, even of the few who are
able? For very few can have travelled so far, unless
indeed they whose trade it is, or very unsettled
people. And even of those who have done so, not one in
a hundred can have such a home as I had to come home
to.
Mother wept again, with grief and some wrath, and so
did Annie also, and even little Eliza, and all were
unsettled in loyalty, and talked about a republic, when
I told them how I had been left without money for
travelling homeward, and expected to have to beg my
way, which Farmer Snowe would have heard of. And
though I could see they were disappointed at my failure
of any promotion, they all declared how glad they were,
and how much better they liked me to be no more than
what they were accustomed to. At least, my mother and
Annie said so, without waiting to hear any more; but
Lizzie did not answer to it, until I had opened my bag
and shown the beautiful present I had for her. And
then she kissed me, almost like Annie, and vowed that
she thought very little of captains.
For Lizzie's present was the best of all, I mean, of
course, except Lorna's (which I carried in my breast
all the way, hoping that it might make her love me,
from having lain so long, close to my heart). For I
had brought Lizzie something dear, and a precious heavy
book it was, and much beyond my understanding; whereas
I knew well that to both the others my gifts would be
dear, for mine own sake. And happier people could not
be found than the whole of us were that evening.
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