The old man had been sitting with his eyes closed, and the children thought he was asleep. But he had heard Bob’s anecdote.
Grandfather’s stories were always interesting, and the children were glad to forget the weather in listening to one of them.
“I was thinking just now,” said their Grandfather presently, “of a great and good man, who is now one of the greatest officers in the army. I want to tell you a little incident that happened when we were schoolboys together. We were three years together, then he left, and I have never seen him again, for his life has been spent in foreign lands. He was some years older than I, and I daresay he soon forgot the little fellow who used secretly to look up to him and worship him. But now I must tell you why he became my hero. One day a party of boys had arranged to walk to a place four miles distant, where there was to be a meet of the hounds. I wanted very much to go; I joined the party as they set out on their expedition. There were six boys, all older than myself, one of them being the handsome, clever fellow whom even then I thought superior to all the rest. Well, it was a good long walk, over fields and hedges and ditches. I had some trouble to keep up with the others, for you must remember I was a very small boy then, and once, in jumping a ditch, I gave my ankle a little twist which made it still more difficult to go along fast. However, no one noticed me, and I was determined not to be beaten.
“At last we came to a large field, where some cattle were grazing which we had to cross.
“‘There’s a mad bull in this field,’ said one of the boys; ‘he chased Farmer Jones the other day.’
“‘We can run for it,’ said another coolly, ‘if he comes after us.’
“Now, I knew I could not run with my sore ankle, and the idea of the bull terrified me. ‘Can’t we go another way?’ I asked.
“Fear must have been written on my face, for some of the boys burst out laughing.
“‘Little Morrin’s afraid,’ said one mockingly. ‘Sit down under the hedge, dear: then the bull won’t see you.’
“‘Go on,’ said another; ‘never mind the little milksop.’