Kitabı oku: «Маленькие мужчины / Little men. Уровень 4», sayfa 2
“I don’t want to run away, ma’am.”
“That’s good! Now I am going to warm you, and try to get rid of that ugly cough. How long have you had it, dear?” asked Mrs. Bhaer.
“All winter. I got cold.”
“No wonder. He were living in that damp cellar on a rag!” said Mrs. Bhaer,in a low tone1 to her husband, who was looking at the boy.
“Robin, go to Nursey, and tell her to give you the medicine and the liniment,” said Mr. Bhaer.
Nat looked a little anxious at the preparations, but forgot his fears in a hearty laugh, when Mrs. Bhaer whispered to him, with a droll look:
“The syrup I’m going to give you has honey in it; and Ted wants some.”
A bell rang, and a loud tramping through the hall announced supper. Bashful Nat quaked at the thought of meeting many boys, but Mrs. Bhaer held out her hand to him, and Rob said, patronizingly,
“Don’t be afraid; I’ll take care of you.”
Twelve boys,six on a side2, stood behind their chairs, while the tall flute-playing boy was trying to curb their ardor. But no one sat down till Mrs. Bhaer was in her place behind the teapot, with Teddy on her left, and Nat on her right.
“This is our new boy, Nat Blake.”
As she spoke everyone stared at Nat. The boys did their best to obey. But there are times when hungry boys cannot be repressed without real cruelty, and Saturday evening, after a half-holiday, was one of those times.
“Let them have one day in which they can howl and racket and frolic. A holiday isn’t a holiday without plenty of freedom and fun,” Mrs. Bhaer used to say.
Nat sat with Tommy Bangs and Mrs. Bhaer.
“Who is that boy next the girl down at the other end?” whispered Nat to his young neighbor.
“That’s Demi Brooke. Mr. Bhaer is his uncle. He knows much and reads a lot.”
“Who is the fat one next him?”
“Oh, that’s Stuffy Cole. His name is George, but we call him Stuffy because he eats so much. The little fellow next Father Bhaer is his boy Rob, and then there’s big Franz his nephew; he teaches something.”
“He plays the flute, doesn’t he?” asked Nat.
Tommy nodded, and said,
“Yes. And we dance sometimes, and do gymnasticsto music3. I like a drum myself, and want to learn as soon as I can.”
“I like a fiddle best; I can play one too,” said Nat.
“Can you?” and Tommy. “Mr. Bhaer’s got an old fiddle, and he’ll let you play on it if you want to.”
“Oh, I would like it ever so much. You see, I used to go round fiddling with my father, and another man, till he died.”
“Wasn’t that fun?” cried Tommy, much impressed.
“No, it was horrid; so cold in winter, and hot in summer. And I got tired; and they were cross sometimes; and I didn’t get enough to eat. But I loved my little fiddle, and I miss it. Nicolo took it away when father died.”
“You’ll belong to the band4 if you play good.”
“Do you have a band here?” Nat’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes we do; a jolly band, all boys; and they have concerts. You just see what happens tomorrow night.”
After this pleasantly exciting remark, Tommy returned to his supper.
Mrs. Bhaer heard all they said. She putroly-poly5 Nat next to Tommy, because she wanted to get the key to the new boy’s character. In the letter which Mr. Laurence had sent with Nat, he had said:
“Dear Jo, this poor lad is an orphan now, sick and friendless. He has been a street-musician; and
I found him in a cellar, mourning for his dead father, and his lost violin. I think there is something in him. You will cure his body, Fritz will help his mind, and when he is ready I’ll see if he is a genius or only a boy with a talent which may earn his bread for him,
Teddy.”
“Of course we will!” cried Mrs. Bhaer, as she read the letter.
When she saw Nat she felt at once that here was a lonely, sick boy who needed just what she loved to give, a home and motherly care. Both she and Mr. Bhaer observed him quietly; and in spite of ragged clothes, awkward manners, and a dirty face, they saw much about Nat that pleased them. He was a thin, pale boy, of twelve, with blue eyes, and a good forehead under the rough, neglected hair; an anxious, scared face and a sensitive mouth that trembled when a kind glance fell on him.
“He will fiddle all day long if he likes,” said Mrs. Bhaer to herself, as she saw the eager, happy expression on his face when Tommy talked of the band.
