Life in the Red Brigade, Robert Michael Ballantyne [children's books read aloud txt] 📗

crowd?"

"Well, that of itself is enough to endooce some blackguards to raise a fire, and likewise to get the shillin' for bringin' the first noose to the station; which, by the way, was the chief okipation of that willain Phil Sparks, I'm pretty sure. But here's 'ow it is. The swindlers I speak of, go an' take 'ouses--the further from fire-stations the better. Then they furnishes the 'ouses, arter which they insures 'em. In the course of a short time they removes most of the furniture in a quiet way, and then set the 'ouses alight, themselves escapin', p'r'aps, in nothin' but their night clothes. So, you see, they gits the insurance, which more than pays for all the furniture they had bought, besides which they 'ave a good deal of the furniture itself to sell or do wot they please with. That's one way in which fires are raised,--ain't it Joe?"

Joe, who sat smoking in silence on the other side of the fire, nodded, and, turning his head round, advised Fred Crashington and little May to make "less row."

"But we can't put it out widout a row!" remonstrated the Rosebud.

"What! have you found a fire in _this_ cupboard, as well as in the one o' the old house?" asked Joe, with a laugh.

"Iss, iss; an' it's a far wuss fire than the last one!"

"That's your sort!" cried Fred; "now then, May, don't stand jawin' there, but down with number two. Look alive!"

"Ha! chips o' the old blocks, I see," said Bob Clazie, with a grin. "Well, as I was sayin', there's another class o' men, not so bad as the first, but bad enough, who are indooced to go in for this crime of fire-raisin'--arson they calls it, but why so is beyond me to diskiver. A needy tradesman, for instance, when at his wits'-end for money, can't help thinkin' that a lucky spark would put him all right."

"But how could the burning of his goods put him all right?" demanded Mary.

"W'y, 'e don't want goods, you know, 'e wants to sell 'is goods an' so git _money_; but nobody will buy, so 'e can't sell, nor git money, yet money must be 'ad, for creditors won't wait. Wot then? All the goods are insured against fire. Well, make a bonfire of 'em, redoose 'em all to hashes, an' of coorse the insurance companies is bound to pay up, so 'e gits rid of the goods, gits a lot o' ready money in 'and, pays off 'is creditors, and p'r'aps starts fresh in a noo business! Now, a public officer to inwestigate such matters would mend things to some extent, though 'e mightn't exactly cure 'em. Some time ago the Yankees, I'm told, appointed a officer they called a fire-marshal in some of their cities, and it's said that the consikence was a sudden an' extraor'nary increase in the conwictions for arson, followed by a remarkable decrease in the number o' fires! They've got some-thin' o' the same sort in France, an' over all the chief towns o' Europe, I b'lieve, but we don't need no such precautions in London. We're rich, you know, an' can afford to let scamps burn right an' left. It ain't worth our while to try to redooce the number of _our_ fires. We've already got an average of about five fires every twenty-four hours in London. Why should we try to make 'em less, w'en they furnishes 'ealthy work to such fine fellows as Joe and me and the police--not to mention the fun afforded to crossin'-sweepers and other little boys, whose chief enjoyment in life would be gone if there was no fires."

"If _I_ had the making of the laws," exclaimed Mary, flushing with indignation as she thought of her own recent risks and losses in consequence of fire-raising, "I'd have every man that set light to his house _hanged_!"

"Ah; an' if 'e could also be draw'd and quartered," added Bob, "and 'ave the bits stuck on the weathercocks of Saint Paul's, or atop of Temple Bar, it would serve 'im right."

"We must have you into Parliament some day, Molly," said Joe, with a smile. "Women are tryin' hard, I believe, to get the right to vote for members; w'y not go the whole hog and vote themselves in?"

"They'd make splendid firemen too," said Clazie, "at least if they were only half as vigorous as your little May. By the way, Joe," continued Bob, "has Sparks been took yet?"

"Not yet. It is rumoured that the crossin'-sweeper who chased him down so smartly, suddenly favoured his escape at last, from some unaccountable cause or other. I suppose that Sparks bribed him."

"You're sure it was Sparks, are you?" inquired Bob.

"Quite sure. It is true I only saw his confederate, but one of the men who had often seen Sparks in company with Crashington, his brother-in-law, knew him at once and saw him run off, with the boys after him. He's a bad lot, but I hope he'll escape for poor Mrs Crashington's sake."

"And _I_ hope he won't escape, for poor Martha Reading's sake!" said Mary with much decision of tone.

"That's his sweet-'eart--a friend of Molly's!" said Joe to Bob in explanation.

At this point in the conversation, Master Fred Crashington, in his frantic efforts to reach an elevated part of the cupboard, fell backwards, drawing a shelf and all its contents on the top of himself and May. Neither of them was hurt, though both were much frightened.

"I think _that_ must have put the fire out at last," said Joe, with a laugh, as he took the panting rosebud on his knee and smoothed her soft little head. "We'll sit quiet now and have a chat."

A knock at the outer door here called Mrs Dashwood from the room.

"Fire!" exclaimed May, holding up her finger and listening with eager expectation.

"No, little woman," said Joe, "they would ring loud if it was fire."

Meanwhile Mrs Dashwood opened the door and found herself confronted by a boy, with his hands in his pockets and his cap thrown in a reckless way half on the side and half on the back of his head.

"Oh, I suppose you are the boy Herring, sent here by Miss Reading," said Mrs Dashwood.

"Well, as to that, ma'am, you must be guided by taste. I've 'eard of men of my years an' standin' bein' styled 'obble-de-'oys. My name, likewise, is open to question. Some of my friends calls me 'Erring-- others of 'em, Raw 'Erring--others, again, the Bloater. But I'm in no wise partikler, I _did_ come from Miss Reading to 'ave an interview with Mrs Dashwood--whom--I presoom--"

Here the Bloater laid his hand on his heart and made a courtly bow.

Mrs Dashwood laughed, and said, "come in, boy."

"I have a pal, ma'am--a chum--a--in fact a _friend_--may I--"

Without finishing his sentence or waiting for a reply, the Bloater gave a sharp whistle, and Little Jim stood by his side as if by magical influence, looking the embodiment of united innocence and impudence.

"Come in, both of you, and make haste," said Mary, ushering them into a small empty room. "Now, boy--"

"Bloater, ma'am, if you 'ave no objection."

"Well, Bloater, our communication with each other must be brief and to the point, because--"

"Yes, ma'am--sharp and short," interrupted the Bloater--"reasons not required."

Smiling in spite of herself, Mrs Dashwood said--

"You know Mr Sparks, and can--can--in short, give him into the hands of justice."

"If I knowed w'ere justice was," said the Bloater, sternly, "p'raps I might give Mr Sparks into 'is 'ands, but I don't. It's my opinion that _justice_ ain't finished yet. They've made 'is 'ands no doubt--and pretty strong ones they are too--but they 'aven't give 'im brains yet. 'Ows'ever, to make a long story short, 'as 'Amlet said to 'is father's ghost, w'ich was prince of Timbuctoo, I _do_ know Mr Sparks, and I _can_ give 'im into the 'ands of the p'lice--wot then?"

"_Do it_!" said Mrs Dashwood, with sudden intensity of feeling and manner, "Do it, boy--" ("Bloater," murmured the lad), "do it, Bloater. Oh! you have no idea what a blessing it would be to--to--to--a poor, dear girl who is mad--infatuated and, and--then, he is _such_ a scoundrel; such a fire-raiser, deceiver, villain--"

"You don't appear to like 'im yourself," remarked the Bloater.

He said this so quietly and with an air of calmness which contrasted so strongly with Mrs Dashwood's excitement, that Little Jim gave vent to an irresistible "sk" and blew his nose violently to distract attention from it.

"Will you not consent to give up a thorough scoundrel, who every one condemns?" demanded Mrs Dashwood, with sudden indignation.

"Well, that depends--"

"Bloater," said Mary, with increasing earnestness, "I cannot bribe you-- I have not the means even if I had the will; but I would not if I could. I scorn bribery. If you will not aid me for the sake of a poor, helpless, infatuated girl, who is on the brink of ruin--"

"Missis Dashwood," said the Bloater, with a look of serio-comic dignity, "I scorns bribery as much as you does. `No bribery, no c'rupt'ons, no Popery,' them's my mottoes--besides a few more that there's no occasion to mention. W'ether or not I gives 'im up depends on circumstances. Now, I s'pose _you_ want's 'im took an' bagged, 'cause 'e ain't fit for your friend Martha Reading--we'll drop the `Miss' if you please. Well, wot I want to know is, does Martha think as you does?"

"Of course not, boy. No doubt she knows that he is an unworthy scoundrel, but she can't prevail on herself to forsake him; so, you see, I want to help her a little."

"Ah, I see--yes--I see. Well, missis, I'll take it into consideration. Come along, Jim."

Without waiting for a reply, the Bloater quitted the house abruptly, followed by his friend. He walked very fast towards the City--so fast that Jim was compelled to trot--and was unusually silent. He went straight to the abode of Martha Reading, and found her sewing and weeping.

"Ha! _he's_ bin with you, I see," said the Bloater. "Did 'e ask you to let 'im 'ide 'ere?"

"Ye-es;" said Martha, hesitating; "but I refused to do it. God knows how willing--how willing--I would be to shelter and save him if I could!"

"Would you shelter a _guilty_ man?" demanded the Bloater, sternly.

"I don't know that he is guilty," said Martha, evasively. "But, tell me, what did Mrs Dashwood want with you?"

"That's a private matter," said the Bloater, frowning. "You can't turn me off the scent like that. I ask you, ain't it right to 'and a guilty man over to justice?"

"It is," replied Martha, wiping her eyes, "but it is also right to temper justice with mercy."

"I say, that's drawin' it rather fine, ain't it?" said the Bloater, screwing up one eyebrow and turning towards Little Jim; but that small youth was so touched with the poor girl's sorrow and so attracted by her countenance, that he had quite forgotten his patron for the moment. Going towards her, he laid his dirty little hand on her knee, and looked up in her face.

"God bless you, dear boy," she