day after day passed, and month after month, and tom jones, the bully of aylmer's court, quite ceased to fear any assaults from a certain plucky and wiry little fellow, who used to fly at him when he knocked down the girls, and who made himself generally unpleasant to tom, when tom too violently transgressed the principle of right and justice.
not that billy andersen knew anything of right and justice himself; he was mostly guided by an instinct which taught him to dislike everything that tom did, and perhaps he was also a wee bit influenced by a sentiment which made him dislike to see any thing weaker or smaller than himself bullied. since that january morning, however, billy's head and heart and hands were all too full for him to have any time to waste upon tom jones.[pg 221]
the girls and the very little ones of the court crowded round billy the first time he went out with his charge. one of the biggest of them, indeed, carried the little thing right up into her own home, followed by a noisy crowd eager to make friends with the little arrival. billy was flattered by their attentions, but he preferred to keep his charge entirely to himself.
at first, it was his head and hands alone which were occupied over the baby, but as she progressed under his small brotherly care, and wrinkled up her tiny features with an ugly attempt at a smile, and stretched out her limbs and cooed at him, he began gradually to discover that the baby was getting into his heart. from the moment he became certain on this point, all the irksomeness of his duties faded out of sight, and he did not mind what care or trouble he expended over sarah ann.
mrs. andersen, true to her word, had given billy the entire charge of this last addition to her family. her husband had deserted her some months before the birth of the baby, and[pg 222] the poor woman had about as much as she could do, in earning bread to put into her own mouth and those of her two children.
now, it is grievous to relate that notwithstanding all billy's devotion and good nature, sarah ann was by no means a nice baby. in the first place, she was very ugly—not even billy could see any beauty in her rather old and yellow face; in the next place, she had a temper, which the neighbors were fond of describing as "vicious." sarah ann seemed already to have studied human nature for the purpose of annoying it. she cried at the wrong moments, she cut her teeth at the most inopportune times, she slept by day and stayed awake at night, in a manner enough to try the patience of an angel; she tyrannized over any one who had anything to do with her, and in particular she tyrannized over billy.
night after night had billy to pace up and down the attic, with sarah ann in his arms, for nothing would induce the infant to spend her waking moments except in a state of perpetual motion.[pg 223]
in vain billy tried darkness, and his mother tried scolding. sarah ann, when placed in her cot, screamed so loud that all the neighbors were aroused.
when once, however, this strange and wayward little child had got into billy's heart, he was wonderfully patient with all her caprices, and treasured the rare and far-between smiles she gave him, as worth going through a great deal to obtain.
on fine days billy took sarah ann for a walk; and even once or twice he went with her as far as kensington gardens, where they both enjoyed themselves vastly, under the shadow of a huge elm tree.
it was on the last of these occasions, just before the second winter of sarah ann's existence, that that small adventure occurred which was to land poor billy in such hot water and such perplexity.
sarah ann was quite nice that afternoon; she cooed and smiled, and allowed her brother to stroke her face, and even to play tenderly with the tiny rings of soft flaxen hair which were beginning to show round her forehead.[pg 224]
billy's heart and head were quite absorbed with her, when a harsh, mocking laugh and a loud "hulloa, you youngster," caused him to raise his head, and see, to his unutterable aversion, the well-remembered form of tom jones.
"well, i never; and so that's the reason you've bin a-shunnin' of me lately; and so you've been obliged to go and turn nursemaid; well—well—and you call yourself a manly boy."
"so i be manly," retorted billy, glaring angrily and defiantly at his adversary. "i don't want none of your cheek, tom jones, and i'd a sight rayther be taking care of a cute little baby like this than idling and loafing about and getting into trouble all day long—like yourself."
"oh! we has turned nice and good," said tom jones, trying to affect a fine lady's accent; "ain't it edifying—ain't it delicious—to hear us speaking so well of ourselves? now then, billy, where's that punched head you promised me a year ago now? i ain't forgot it, and i'd[pg 225] like to see you at it; you're afeard, that's wot you are; you're a coward, arter all, billy andersen."
"no, i ain't," said billy, "and i'll give it yer this 'ere blessed minute, if you like. yere, sarah ann darling, you set easy with yer back up agin' the tree, and i'll soon settle tom jones for him."
sarah ann strongly objected to being removed from billy's lap to the ground; all her sunshiny good temper deserted her on the spot; she screamed, she wriggled, she made such violent contortions, and altogether behaved in such an excited and extraordinary manner, that tom, who by no means in his heart wished to test billy's powers, found a ready excuse for postponing the moment when his head must be punched, in her remarkable behavior.
"well, i never did see such a baby," he began; "now, i likes that sort of a baby; why, she have a sperrit. no, no, billy, i ain't going to punch you; now, i'd like to catch hold of[pg 226] that 'ere little one"—but here billy frustrated his intention.
"you shan't touch my baby; you shan't lay a hand on her," he exclaimed, snatching sarah ann up again in his arms, and covering her with kisses.
"well, see if i don't some day," said tom; "you dare me, do you? well, all right, we'll see."
as billy walked home that afternoon, he was a little troubled by tom's words; he knew how vindictive tom could be, and there was an ugly light in his green eyes when he, billy, had refused to give him the baby.
tom was capable of mischief, of playing such a practical joke as might cause sad trouble and even danger to poor little sarah ann. hitherto billy had kept all knowledge of the baby's existence from tom jones. what evil chance had brought him to kensington gardens that day? troubles, however, were not to fall singly on poor billy andersen that day. he was greeted on his return to his attic by eager words and excited ejaculations. it was[pg 227] some time before his poor little dazed head could take in the fact that his mother had broken her leg, and was taken to the hospital. he must then for the time being turn the baby's breadwinner as well as her caretaker.
