Tom listened open-mouthed with astonishment, his eyes growing rounder and rounder.
"Well!" he exclaimed at length, "well, I never! He might as well have been a girl!"
"Oh, no!" cried Theodore indignantly; "he's not a bit girlish—not a bit! If he could run about, I believe he would be as brave as you."
Tom laughed derisively, showing two rows of strong white teeth.
"That's good, that is! Ha! ha!" he laughed. "A cripple, and as brave as me! Ha! ha!"
He went off, still convulsed with merriment; whilst Theodore pursued his way, feeling annoyed and angry, he scarcely knew why. He found old John Bawdon pottering about the garden, as usual, and to him he spoke of Jack, and confided to him what Tom had said.
"Don't you take notice of anything that boy says, Master Theodore," the old man advised. "And as to being brave, there's many a plucky chap as has never fought with his fists. Bodily strength isn't everything; and I shouldn't wonder if Tom Blake, for all his boasting, isn't a bit of a coward at heart. I 'aven't seen your stepbrother yet, so I don't know what he's like, but his mother's been out and 'ad a few words with me. Heard a lot of me from the master, she said. Well, maybe that's very likely, me 'aving served the family so long. She 'as a kind voice, and a kind face. I've a notion we'll learn to bless the day she came here. I'll own I dreaded her coming; I'm old, Master Theodore, and I don't like new faces; but when I saw hers, I don't know what made me say it, but I said, speaking the words that came first to my tongue, natural-like, 'God bless you, ma'am, you'll make the old place bright again!'"
"What did she say?" Theodore asked, curiously.
"Said she'd do her best; and she will, I know. See how cheerful the master looks; not like the same man. I heard him whistling just now like a boy, and it did me more good to hear him than if any one 'ad given me a five pound note."
Theodore laughed, and went into the house, where he ascertained that Mr. and Mrs. Barton had gone out together.