Shock put down the barrow; and then his mischief-loving disposition got
the better of his sulkiness, and stooping down he astonished me and made
Mrs Beeton shriek by taking a leap up the two steps, like a dog, and
going on all-fours to the box.
"Pray, pray, take him away, Master Dennison!" the poor woman cried in
real alarm; "and do, pray, mind yourself--the boy's mad!"
"Oh, no; he won't hurt you," I said, taking one end of the box. But
Shock growled, shook it free, lifted it from the floor, and before I
could stop him, bumped it down the steps on to the barrow with a bang,
laid it fairly across, and then seizing the handles went off at a trot.
"I can't stop," I said quickly; "I must go and look after him."
"Yes, but pray take care, my dear. He bites. He bit a boy once very
badly, and he isn't safe."
Not very pleasant news, but I could not stay to hear more, and, running
after the barrow, I caught up to it and laid my hand upon one side of
the box as if to keep it steady.
I did not speak for a minute, and Shock subsided into a walk; then,
turning to him and looking in his morose, ill-used face: "I've never thanked you yet for getting me out of the river."
The box gave a bump and a bound, for the handles of the barrow were
raised very high and Shock began to run.
At the end of a minute I stopped him, and as soon as we were going on
steadily I made the same remark.
But up went the barrow and box again and off we trotted. When, after
stopping him for the second time, I made an attempt to get into
conversation and to thank him, Shock banged down the legs of the barrow,
looking as stolid and heavy as if he were perfectly deaf, threw open the
gate, and ran the barrow up to the house-door.
"Oh! here's your baggage, then!" said Old Brownsmith. "Bring it in,
Shock; set it on end there in the passage. We'll take it up after tea.
Come along."
Shock lifted in the box before I could help him; and then seizing the
barrow-handles, with his back to me, he let out a kick like a mule and
caught me in the calf, nearly sending me down.
"Hallo! hold on, my lad," said Old Brownsmith, who had not seen the
cause; and of course I would not tell tales; but I made up my mind to
repay Mr Shock for that kick and for his insolent obstinacy the first
time the opportunity served.
I followed my master into a great shed that struck cool as we descended
to the floor, which was six or seven feet below the surface, being like
a cellar opened and then roofed in with wood. Here some seven or eight
women were busy tying up rosebuds in market bunches, while a couple of
men went and came with baskets which they brought in full and took out
empty.