With troubles enough of your own.”
Such a troubled night poor little Poppet had. Twice she woke up with a stifled scream, and lay awake afterwards hot and trembling in the dark. The third time she slept, she dreamed Bunty had thrown a stone at the schoolmaster’s house, which was all built of glass; she heard the crashing and splintering of it as it came down in a heap, forms, blackboards, boys, and masters, all flying in different directions. Then a great voice that sounded like thunder asked if John Woolcot had done this, and all the world seemed listening for the answer. And Bunty was standing near a great red window, with [57] ]a frightened look on his face, and he said, “No, I never.” Then there was a loud shouting and hissing, and a dozen hands caught hold of the boy and hurried him away.
“What are they going to do with him?” some one asked of a giant who was sitting peeling a cricket-ball as if it were an orange. And the giant, who had Bully Hawkins’ face, laughed, and said, “They’re putting him in the guillotine; listen to that snap—his head has just fallen off; I’m going to have it for a ball because he wouldn’t scout!”
The snap that woke the poor dreaming child was the banging of the bedroom door.
Nell had just come in, gone to the glass, given her hair a few pats and light touches, and hurriedly slipped on her best bronze shoes,—it was nine o’clock, and some late visitors had come—men with gold buttons.
“Oh-h-h!” said the little sobbing figure, sitting up in bed. “Oh-h-h—oh-h—oh, Nellie!”
“Don’t be silly, Poppet; go to sleep at once,”—the elder sister gave her a hasty pat. “Lie down, and don’t be naughty; you’ve been eating apples again late, I expect, and it’s made you dream,—there, I must go.”
The child clung to her.
[58]
]“Bunty!” she said,—“is he dead? did they take his head?—oh, Bunty!”
“You silly little thing, don’t I tell you you’ve been dreaming!” Nellie laid her down impatiently and tucked the clothes round her. “There, go to sleep; I have to go down, there are visitors. I’ll leave the candle if you like.”