“To break his own pipe!” exclaimed Alie. “I never knew him do anything like that before, however angry he might be!”
Johnny took down his cap from its peg, and, in as ill humour as can well be imagined, went out to search for his ball. He took what revenge he could on his formidable uncle, while amusing himself that afternoon by looking over his “Robinson Crusoe.” Johnny was fond of his pencil, though he had never learned to draw; and the margins of his books were often adorned with grim heads or odd figures, by his hand. There was a picture in “Robinson Crusoe” representing a party of cannibals, as hideous as fancy could represent them, dancing around their fire. Johnny diverted his mind, and gratified his malice, by doing his best so to alter the foremost figure as to make him appear with a wooden leg, while he drew on his head a straw hat, unmistakably like that of the old sailor, and touched up the features so as to give a dim resemblance to his face. To prevent a doubt as to the meaning of the sketch, Johnny scribbled on the side of the picture,—
“In search of fierce savages no one need roam;
The fiercest and ugliest, you’ll find him at home!”
He secretly showed the picture to Alie.
“Oh, Johnny, how naughty! What would uncle say if he saw it?”
“We might look out for squalls indeed! but uncle never by any chance looks at a book of that sort.”
“I think that you had better rub out the pencilling as fast as you can,” said Alie.
“Catch me rubbing it out!” cried Johnny; “it’s the best sketch that ever I drew, and as like the old savage as it can stare!”
Late in the evening Mrs. Morris returned, a nurse from London having been sent for the lady. Right glad were Johnny and Alie to see her sooner than they had ventured to expect. She brought them a few oranges, to show her remembrance of them. Nor was the old sailor forgotten; carefully she drew from her bag, and presented to him, a new pipe.