Chapter 2 Tom, Pepper, and Trusty by L. T. Meade
WHY HE WAS CALLED TRUSTY
The two little boys and the dog ate their supper in perfect silence, theonly noise to be heard during the meal being the crunching of three sets ofbusy teeth. Then, the fire being quite out, the children lay down on a dirty mattress in a corner of the room, and Trusty curled himself up attheir feet.
However lazy Trusty might be in the daytime while the fire was alight, atnight he always assumed the character of a protector. Let the slightestsound arise, above, around, or beneath him, and he raised a bay, cracked itis true, but still full of unspeakable consolation to the timid heart oflittle Pepper.
In the daytime Pepper was often guilty of very wicked and treacherousthoughts about Trusty. When he was so often hungry, and could seldom enjoymore than half a meal, why must Tom, however little money or food hebrought in after his day's sweeping, always insist on Trusty having hisfull share? Why must Tom--on those rare occasions when he was a littlecross and discontented--too cross and discontented to take much notice of him (Pepper), yet still put his arms so lovingly round the old dog's neck?and why, why above all things must Trusty be so very selfish about theirtiny fire, sitting so close to it, and taking all its warmth into his ownperson, while poor little Pepper shivered by his side?
Pepper was younger than Trusty, and he never remembered the day when thedog was not a great person in his home; he never remembered the day whenhis mother, however poor and pinched, had not managed, with all thegood-will in the world, to pay the dog-tax for him.
And when that mother--six months ago--died, she had enjoined on Tom, almostwith her last breath, the necessity of continuing this, and whateverstraits they were placed in, begged of them never to forsake the old dog inhis need.
Of course Pepper knew the reason of all this love and care for old Trusty;and the reason, notwithstanding those treacherous and discontented thoughtsin which he now and then found himself indulging, filled him with not alittle pride and pleasure. It was because of him--of him, poor littleinsignificant Pepper--that his mother and Tom loved Trusty so well. Forwhen he was a baby Trusty had saved his life.
How Pepper did love to hear that story! How he used to climb on hismother's knee, and curl in her arms, and get her to tell it to him over andover again; and then, as he listened, his big, dark eyes used to get brightand wondering, while he pictured to himself the country home with the rosesgrowing about the porch; and the pretty room inside, and the cradle wherehe lay warm and sheltered. Then, how his heart did beat when his motherspoke of that dreadful day when she went out and left him in charge of aneighbor's daughter, paying no heed to his real caretaker, the large strongdog--young then, who lay under the table.
How often his cheek had turned pale, as his mother went on to tell him howthe neighbor's daughter first built up the fire, and then, growing tired ofher dull occupation, went away and left him alone with no companion but thedog. And then, how his father, returning from his day's work, had rushed inwith a cry of horror, to find the cradle burned and some of the otherfurniture on fire; but the baby himself lying, smiling and uninjured, in acorner of the room; for the brave dog had dragged him from his dangerousresting-place, and had himself put out the flames as they began to catchhis little night-shirt. Trusty was severely burned, and for the rest of hisdays was blind of one eye and walked with a limp; but he earned the undyinglove and gratitude of the father and mother for his heroic conduct.
After this adventure his name was changed from Jack to Trusty, and anymember of the family would rather have starved than allow Trusty to want.Pepper never listened to this exciting tale without his chest beginning toheave, and a moisture of love and compunction filling his brown eyes.
To-night, as he lay curled up as close as possible to Tom, with Trustykeeping his feet warm by lying on them, he thought of it all over again. Ashe thought, he felt even more than his usual sorrow, for he had certainlybeen very cross to Trusty to-day. These feelings and recollections sooccupied him that he forgot to chatter away as usual, until, looking upsuddenly, he felt that his brother's eyes were closing--in short, that Tom was going to sleep.
Now, of all the twenty-four hours that comprised Pepper's day and night,there was none that compared with the hour when he lay in his brother'sarms, and talked to him, and listened to his adventures. This hour made there maining twenty-three endurable; in short, it was his golden hour--hishour marked with a red letter.
"Oh, Tom!" he said now, rousing himself and speaking in a voice almost tearful, so keen was his disappointment, "yer never agoin' to get drowsy?"
"Not I," answered Tom, awakened at once by the sorrowful tones, andhalf-sitting up. "Wot is it, Pepper? I'm as lively as a lark, I am."
"Yer h'eyes were shut," said Pepper.
"Well, and your mouth wor shut, Pepper, that wor wy I fastened h'up myh'eyes, to save time."
"Tom," said Pepper, creeping very close to his big brother, "does yerreally think as yer'll 'ave the money saved h'up for dear old Trusty's tax,wen the man comes fur it?"
"Oh, yes! I 'opes so; there's three months yet."
"'E's a dear old dog," said Pepper, in an emphatic voice, "and I won't mindwot Pat Finnahan says 'bout 'im."
"Wot's that?" asked Tom.
"Oh, Tom! 'e comes h'in, some days, wen 'tis bitter cold, and Trusty 'avegot hisself drawed in front o' the fire (Trusty do take h'up h'all thefire, Tom) and 'e says as Trusty is h'eatin' us h'out o' 'ouse and 'ome,and ef you pays the tax fur 'im, wy, yer'll be the biggest fool h'out."
"Dear me," said Tom, "'e must be a nice 'un, 'e must! Why, Trusty's a sightbetter'n him, and a sight better worth lookin' arter."
This remark of Tom's, uttered with great vehemence, startled Pepper so muchthat he lay perfectly silent, staring up at his big brother. The moonlight,which quite filled the attic, enabled him to see Tom's face verydistinctly.
A strongly marked face, and full of character at all times; it was now alsoso full of disgust that Pepper quite trembled.
"Well, he is a mean 'un," continued Tom. "See if I don't lay it on him thenext time I catches of him coming spyin' in yere; and, Pepper," he added,"I'm real consarned as yer should 'ave listened to such words."
"'Ow could I 'elp it?" answered Pepper. "'E comed h'in, and 'e kicked atTrusty. I didn't want fur h'old Trusty not to be paid fur, Tom."
"I should 'ope not, indeed," replied Tom; "that 'ud be a nice pass for ustwo boys to fursake Trusty. But look yere, Pepper. Yer never goin' to beuntrue to yer name, be yer?"
"Oh, Tom! 'ow so?"
"Does yer know wy Trusty was called Trusty?"
Now, of course, Pepper knew no story in the world half so well, but at thisquestion of Tom's he nestled close so him, raised beseeching eyes, andsaid:
"Tell us."
"'E wor called Trusty," continued Tom, "'cause wen yer were a little 'un hewor faithful. Trusty means faithful; it means a kind of a body wot won'tfursake another body what-h'ever 'appens. That wor wy father and motherchanged 'is name from Jack to Trusty, 'cause 'e wor faithful to you,Pepper."
"Yes," answered Pepper, half-sobbing, and feeling very gently with his toesthe motion of Trusty's tail; for Trusty, hearing his name mentioned sooften, was beating it softly up and down.
"And does yer know wy you was called Pepper?" continued Tom, by no meansintending to abate the point and the object of his lecture by the break inPepper's voice.
"Tell us," said the little child again.
"You was christened Hen-e-ry [Henry]; but, lor! Pepper, that wor no namefur yer. That name meant some 'un soft and h'easy. But, bless yer, young'un! there wor nothink soft nor h'easy about yer. What a firebrand yerwere--flying h'out at h'everybody--so touchy and sparky-like, that motherwor sure you 'ad got a taste o' the fire as poor Trusty saved yer from,until, at last, there wor no name 'ud suit yer but Pepper. Lor, lad, wot aspirrit yer 'ad then!"
With these words Tom turned himself round on his pillow, and, having spokenhis mind, and being in consequence quite comfortable, dro
pped quickly tosleep. But to poor little Pepper, listening breathlessly for another word,that first snore of Tom's was a very dreadful one. He knew then that therewas no hope that night of any further words with Tom. He must lie allnight under the heavy weight of Tom's displeasure; for, of course, Tom wasangry, or he would never have turned away with such despairing andcontemptuous words on his lips. As Pepper thought of this he could notquite keep down a rising sob, for the Tom who he felt was angry with himmeant father, mother, conscience--everything--to the poor little fellow.
And Tom had cause for his anger; this was what gave it its sting. There wasno doubt that Pepper was not at all the spirited little boy he had beenduring his mother's lifetime--the brave little plucky fellow, who wasafraid of no one, and who never would stoop to a mean act. How well heremembered that scene a few months ago, when a rough boy had flung a stoneat Trusty--yes! and hit him, and made him howl with the cruel pain he hadinflicted; and then how Pepper had fought for him, and given his cowardlyassailant a black eye, and afterward how his mother and Tom had praisedhim. Oh, how different he was now from then! His tears flowed copiously ashe thought of it all.
But the times were also different. Since his mother's death he had spen this days so much alone, and those long days, spent in the old attic with nocompanion but Trusty, had depressed his spirit and undermined his nerves.The unselfish, affectionate little boy found new and strange thoughtsfilling his poor little heart--thoughts to which, during his mother'slifetime, he was altogether a stranger. He wished he was strong and biglike Tom, and could go out and sweep a crossing. It was dreadful to stay athome all day doing nothing but thinking, and thinking, as he now knew, badthoughts. For the idea suggested by that wild, queer Irish boy downstairswould not go away again.
That boy had said with contempt, with even cutting sarcasm, how silly, howabsurd it was of two poor little beggars like himself and Tom to have tosupport a great, large dog like Trusty; how hard it was to have to payTrusty's tax; how worse than ridiculous to have to share their morsel offood with Trusty; and Pepper had pondered over these words so often thathis heart had grown sour and bitter against the old dog who had once savedhis life.
But not to-night. To-night, as he lay in his bed and sobbed, that heart wasrising up and saying hard things against itself. Tom, with rough kindness,had torn the veil from his eyes, and he saw that he had gone down severalpegs in the moral scale since his mother's death. Could his mother comeback to him now, would she recognize her own bright-spirited little Pepperin this poor, weak, selfish boy? He could bear his own thoughts no longer;he must not wake Tom, but he could at least make it up with Trusty. Hecrept softly down in the bed until he reached the place where the old doglay, and then he put his arms round him and half-strangled him with hugsand kisses.
"Oh, Trusty!" he said, "I does love yer, and I 'opes as God 'ull always letme be a real sperrited little 'un. I means h'always to stand up fur yer,Trusty; and I'll be as fiery as red pepper to any 'un as says a word agenyer, Trusty."
To this fervent speech Trusty replied by raising a sleepy head and licking Pepper's face.