The Holly-Tree Inn by Charles Dickens (books to read in your 20s female TXT) đ
- Author: Charles Dickens
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A desperate idea came into my head. Under any other circumstances I should have rejected it; but, in the strait at which I was, I held it fast. Could I so far overcome the inherent bashfulness which withheld me from the landlordâs table and the company I might find there, as to call up the Boots, and ask him to take a chair,âand something in a liquid form,âand talk to me? I could, I would, I did.
SECOND BRANCHâTHE BOOTSWhere had he been in his time? he repeated, when I asked him the question. Lord, he had been everywhere! And what had he been? Bless you, he had been everything you could mention aâmost!
Seen a good deal? Why, of course he had. I should say so, he could assure me, if I only knew about a twentieth part of what had come in his way. Why, it would be easier for him, he expected, to tell what he hadnât seen than what he had. Ah! A deal, it would.
What was the curiousest thing he had seen? Well! He didnât know. He couldnât momently name what was the curiousest thing he had seen- -unless it was a Unicorn, and he see him once at a Fair. But supposing a young gentleman not eight year old was to run away with a fine young woman of seven, might I think that a queer start? Certainly. Then that was a start as he himself had had his blessed eyes on, and he had cleaned the shoes they run away inâand they was so little that he couldnât get his hand into âem.
Master Harry Walmersâ father, you see, he lived at the Elmses, down away by Shooterâs Hill there, six or seven miles from Lunnon. He was a gentleman of spirit, and good-looking, and held his head up when he walked, and had what you may call Fire about him. He wrote poetry, and he rode, and he ran, and he cricketed, and he danced, and he acted, and he done it all equally beautiful. He was uncommon proud of Master Harry as was his only child; but he didnât spoil him neither. He was a gentleman that had a will of his own and a eye of his own, and that would be minded. Consequently, though he made quite a companion of the fine bright boy, and was delighted to see him so fond of reading his fairy books, and was never tired of hearing him say my name is Norval, or hearing him sing his songs about Young May Moons is beaming love, and When he as adores thee has left but the name, and that; still he kept the command over the child, and the child was a child, and itâs to be wished more of âem was!
How did Boots happen to know all this? Why, through being under-gardener. Of course he couldnât be under-gardener, and be always about, in the summer-time, near the windows on the lawn, a mowing, and sweeping, and weeding, and pruning, and this and that, without getting acquainted with the ways of the family. Even supposing Master Harry hadnât come to him one morning early, and said, âCobbs, how should you spell Norah, if you was asked?â and then began cutting it in print all over the fence.
He couldnât say he had taken particular notice of children before that; but really it was pretty to see them two mites a going about the place together, deep in love. And the courage of the boy! Bless your soul, heâd have throwed off his little hat, and tucked up his little sleeves, and gone in at a Lion, he would, if they had happened to meet one, and she had been frightened of him. One day he stops, along with her, where Boots was hoeing weeds in the gravel, and says, speaking up, âCobbs,â he says, âI like you.â âDo you, sir? Iâm proud to hear it.â âYes, I do, Cobbs. Why do I like you, do you think, Cobbs?â âDonât know, Master Harry, I am sure.â âBecause Norah likes you, Cobbs.â âIndeed, sir? Thatâs very gratifying.â âGratifying, Cobbs? Itâs better than millions of the brightest diamonds to be liked by Norah.â âCertainly, sir.â âYouâre going away, ainât you, Cobbs?â âYes, sir.â âWould you like another situation, Cobbs?â âWell, sir, I shouldnât object, if it was a good Inn.â âThen, Cobbs,â says he, âyou shall be our Head Gardener when we are married.â And he tucks her, in her little sky-blue mantle, under his arm, and walks away.
Boots could assure me that 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 light tread, a rambling about the garden, deep in love. Boots was of opinion that the birds believed they was birds, and kept up with âem, singing to please âem. Sometimes they would creep under the Tulip-tree, and would sit there with their arms round one anotherâs necks, and their soft cheeks touching, a reading about the Prince and the Dragon, and the good and bad enchanters, and the kingâs 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, and heard Master Harry say, âAdorable Norah, kiss me, and say you love me to distraction, or Iâll jump in head-foremost.â And Boots made no question he would have done it if she hadnât complied. On the whole, Boots said it had a tendency to make him feel as if he was in love himselfâonly he didnât exactly know who with.
âCobbs,â said Master Harry, one evening, when Cobbs was watering the flowers, âI am going on a visit, this present Midsummer, to my grandmammaâs at York.â
âAre you indeed, sir? I hope youâll have a pleasant time. I am going into Yorkshire, myself, when I leave here.â
âAre you going to your grandmammaâs, Cobbs?â
âNo, sir. I havenât got such a thing.â
âNot as a grandmamma, Cobbs?â
âNo, sir.â
The boy looked on at the watering of the flowers for a little while, and then said, âI shall be very glad indeed to go, Cobbs,âNorahâs going.â
âYouâll be all right then, sir,â says Cobbs, âwith your beautiful sweetheart by your side.â
âCobbs,â returned the boy, flushing, âI never let anybody joke about it, when I can prevent them.â
âIt wasnât a joke, sir,â says Cobbs, with humility,ââwasnât so meant.â
âI am glad of that, Cobbs, because I like you, you know, and youâre going to live with us.âCobbs!â
âSir.â
âWhat do you think my grandmamma gives me when I go down there?â
âI couldnât so much as make a guess, sir.â
âA Bank of England five-pound note, Cobbs.â
âWhew!â says Cobbs, âthatâs a spanking sum of money, Master Harry.â
âA person could do a good deal with such a sum of money as that,â couldnât a person, Cobbs?â
âI believe you, sir!â
âCobbs,â said the boy, âIâll tell you a secret. At Norahâs house, they have been joking her about me, and pretending to laugh at our being engaged,âpretending to make game of it, Cobbs!â
âSuch, sir,â says Cobbs, âis the depravity of human natur.â
The boy, looking exactly like his father, stood for a few minutes with his glowing face towards the sunset, and then departed with, âGood-night, Cobbs. Iâm going in.â
If I was to ask Boots how it happened that he was a-going to leave that place just at that present time, well, he couldnât rightly answer me. He did suppose he might have stayed there till now if he had been anyways inclined. But, you see, he was younger then, and he wanted change. Thatâs what he wanted,âchange. Mr. Walmers, he said to him when he gave him notice of his intentions to leave, âCobbs,â he says, âhave you anythink to complain of? I make the inquiry because if I find that any of my people really has anythink to complain of, I wish to make it right if I can.â âNo, sir.â says Cobbs; âthanking you, sir, I find myself as well sitiwated here as I could hope to be anywheres. The truth is, sir, that Iâm a-going to seek my fortunâ.â âO, indeed, Cobbs!â he says; âI hope you may find it.â And Boots could assure meâwhich he did, touching his hair with his bootjack, as a salute in the way of his present callingâ that he hadnât found it yet.
Well, sir! Boots left the Elmses when his time was up, and Master Harry, he went down to the old ladyâs at York, which old lady would have given that child the teeth out of her head (if she had had any), she was so wrapped up in him. What does that Infant do,âfor Infant you may call him and be within the mark,âbut cut away from that old ladyâs with his Norah, on a expedition to go to Gretna Green and be married!
Sir, Boots was at this identical Holly-Tree Inn (having left it several times since to better himself, but always come back through one thing or another), when, one summer afternoon, the coach drives up, and out of the coach gets them two children. The Guard says to our Governor, âI donât quite make out these little passengers, but the young gentlemanâs words was, that they was to be brought here.â The young gentleman gets out; hands his lady out; gives the Guard something for himself; says to our Governor, âWeâre to stop here to-night, please. Sitting-room and two bedrooms will be required. Chops and cherry-pudding for two!â and tucks her, in her sky-blue mantle, under his arm, and walks into the house much bolder than Brass.
Boots leaves me to judge what the amazement of that establishment was, when these two tiny creatures all alone by themselves was marched into the Angel,âmuch more so, when he, who had seen them without their seeing him, give the Governor his views of the expedition they was upon. âCobbs,â says the Governor, âif this is so, I must set off myself to York, and quiet their friendsâ minds. In which case you must keep your eye upon âem, and humour âem, till I come back. But before I take these measures, Cobbs, I should wish you to find from themselves whether your opinion is correct.â âSir, to you,â says Cobbs, âthat shall be done directly.â
So Boots goes up-stairs to the Angel, and there he finds Master Harry on a e-normous sofa,âimmense at any time, but looking like the Great Bed of Ware, compared with him,âa drying the eyes of Miss Norah with his pocket-hankecher. Their little legs was entirely off the ground, of course, and it really is not possible for Boots to express to me how small them children looked.
âItâs Cobbs! Itâs Cobbs!â cries Master Harry, and comes running to him, and catching hold of his hand. Miss Norah comes running to him on tâother side and catching hold of his tâother hand, and they both jump for joy.
âI see you a getting out, sir,â says Cobbs. âI thought it was you. I thought I couldnât be mistaken
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