Chapter III: Bob's First Visit to Haldon Hall

WHEN Bob Wills marched up to the front door of Haldon Hall on the following Saturday, it was opened by Nellie and Rupert.

"We expected you before," the latter informed him. "Why didn't you come directly after breakfast?"

"I wanted to," he responded truthfully, "but Aunt Mary wouldn't let me."

"Well, come and speak to mother—she's in the dining-room with Miss Long."

The next minute Bob was shaking hands with Mrs. Coker, who greeted him very kindly. And then he was introduced to Miss Long, after which Rupert espied Lilian in the garden, and going to the open window called to her:

"Come in, Lilian! Bob Wills is here!" he shouted. "No-wait! We'll come to you," he added on second thoughts.

Bob regarded Lilian with mingled curiosity and sympathy when they joined her in the garden. If he had not been told she was blind, he would never have guessed the fact.

"I'm so glad you've come at last," she said, as she shook hands with him. "What would you like to do?"

"We thought we'd take him round the gardens and stables this morning," Rupert interposed. "It seems as though it might rain later on."

The gardens were well worth seeing. Bob, who loved flowers, was delighted; whilst Nellie and Rupert, who cared much less about them, grew a little impatient, as their visitor lingered over a bed of autumn violets.

"How sweet they are!" Bob cried, sniffing appreciatively.

Then, to his amazement, Lilian stooped over the bed, and gathered a bunch which she presented to him.

"Oh, thank you," he said, "but how could you pick them when you cannot see?"

"I can feel though," she replied, with a smile.

That was not the only time Lilian surprised him that day. She appeared absolutely fearless, and when they visited the stables, even climbed after the others up the steep ladder which led to the loft. The children sat down on bundles of sweet-scented hay, and became exceedingly confidential and sociable.

Bob recounted many of his school experiences, all of which, it must be confessed, went to show that Master Robert Wills must have been rather a troublesome pupil. And, not to be beaten, Rupert told how he and Nellie had defied Miss Long on more than one occasion. Lilian grew somewhat silent and grave as she listened; and at last Nellie said:

"Lilian thinks it's wrong to worry Miss Long—don't you, Lil?"

"Yes, I do," was the frank reply. "Mother and father expect us to obey her, so of course we ought. And she's so kind! See how hard she's working for the Christmas tree, and she knitted several rows to your cuffs yesterday, to help you on, Nellie. You'll come to the Christmas tree, won't you?" she asked, turning to Bob.

"Shall I be invited?" he inquired eagerly.

"Oh, yes! There'll be an entertainment in the village schoolroom, and Mr. and Mrs. Wills will be certain to bring you. It's only five weeks to Christmas; one doesn't realise it is so near because the weather is so fine and mild."

After the mid-day meal, the visitor was taken all over the house. Several hours passed in playing an entrancing game of hide-and-seek, in which Lilian joined with as much zest as the rest. They had tea with Miss Long in the schoolroom; and afterwards the boys went off together, whilst the girls settled down quietly to their work for the Christmas tree. As was natural, the conversation presently turned upon their visitor.

"It is a pity he put on his best suit of clothes to-day," said Nellie seriously, "because he got so dusty in the attics; but he said Mrs. Wills would not let him wear his old things, although he told her how much more comfortable he feels in them. Father says he may come and play with us every Saturday if he likes, and he's coming. I do hope he'll agree with Rupert," she added as an afterthought.

"Why should he not?" Miss Long inquired.

"They got nasty with each other more than once this afternoon," Lilian said, "I noticed that. You know Rupert is rather selfish. He likes hiding better than finding—we all do—and when it came to my turn to hide, he wanted to take my place, and Bob wouldn't hear of it. I should not have minded much, but Bob said we must play the game properly, and Rupert grew quite angry with him."

"Well?" Miss Long questioned.

"Then Bob made fun of Rupert, and laughed at him. I thought they were going to quarrel; but fortunately the tea-bell rang just then."

"Oh, dear!" sighed Nellie, "I shall never make these cuffs. My fingers are so stiff and slow, and I keep on dropping stitches. I do wish you'd finish them for me, you dear old Lil, and then I could have a doll to dress instead."

"Very well," Lilian responded good-naturedly. "Miss Long, don't you think Bob Wills seems more than eight years old?"

"Yes, he certainly does, perhaps because he has been to school. He has an independent way with him which I remarked at once. Dear me, something has happened!"

Well might the governess say so, for at that moment the schoolroom door was flung violently open, and Rupert, holding a handkerchief to one eye, entered, followed by his visitor, whose countenance was exceedingly red.

"I hit him," Bob explained hastily, "and I'm afraid I've given him a black eye. Yes," he continued, as Rupert removed the handkerchief from his face, "I see I have. Oh, dear!"

"Was it an accident?" Miss Long inquired, as she examined her pupil's injury.

"No, he did it on purpose," Rupert informed her, his voice quivering with anger.

"Oh!" cried the little girls, whilst Bob hung his head guiltily.

"But why? What made him do it?" Miss Long questioned.

"We fell out," Bob commenced to explain, lifting his blue eyes to her face. "He said he believed he could run faster than I could, and I said he couldn't. So we had a race and I beat him, and then I laughed at him for being so sure he'd win, and he got mad and pushed me against a stone wall and hurt my hand; and then I hit him harder than I meant to. I've told him I'm sorry, but he won't speak to me." And Bob regarded Rupert in a somewhat disgusted manner.

"Look how his hand is scarred!" exclaimed Nellie, turning her attention from Rupert to Bob. "Oh, do let me get some warm water and bathe it for him!"

This she accordingly did, whilst Miss Long bathed Rupert's eye, which was already beginning to discolour. Lilian slipped quietly away to acquaint her parents with what had happened, and to beg them not to blame one boy more than the other. Mr. and Mrs. Coker wisely decided to treat the matter lightly and to have little to say about it; and when Bob said good-bye to them a short while later, to his intense relief, he found that his invitation for the following Saturday still held good.

It was Lilian who coaxed her brother into a better temper, and prevailed upon him to shake hands with Bob and make friends.

"I'm really very sorry." Bob said, "but you know you hurt me first."

"You had no right to laugh at me," Rupert murmured ungraciously, "but since you're sorry—"

"I'm not sorry I laughed at you," the other interrupted candidly, "I should do the same again; but I'm sorry I've given you such a dreadful black eye."

"Well, say no more about it," Lilian advised. "It's so stupid to fall out about a trifling matter like this, and you were getting such good friends, weren't you? You know, Rupert, you are always complaining that you've only girls to play with; you'll be as badly off as ever if you keep up a quarrel with Bob."

Rupert recognised the truth of his sister's words, so he threw off his fit of sulks, and graciously requested Bob to come early on the following Saturday.

Bob returned to the farm in high spirits, and enjoyed the sensation he caused there, when, after having given a glowing description of his day's pleasure, he brought his tale to a close by an account of how he had given Rupert Coker a black eye.

"And yet you are invited there again next Saturday?" Mrs. Wills said wonderingly.

"Yes," nodded Bob, "and I'm going earlier next time; and oh, Aunt Mary, need I wear my best clothes?"

Mrs. Wills put on her spectacles and surveyed her nephew's dusty suit of black in silence for a moment, then she replied that perhaps, all things considered, his every-day clothes might do.