The Worthington advance., 1898-06-09
LORD T0TTENHAM
BY E. NESBIT.

HAD always thought that the books
were right. and that the best way to
make your fortune was to rescue an old
gentleman in distress. Then he brings
you up as his own son; but if you pre-
ferred to go on being your fathers son
expect the old gentleman would make
it up to you in some other way. In
books the least thing does it. You put
up the railway carriage window, or you
pick up his purse when he drops it, or
you say hymn when he suddenly asks
you to, and then your fortune is made.
The others did not seem to care much
about the rescue. They said there
wasn't any deadly peril, and we should
have to make one before we could res
cue the old gentleman from it; but Os-
Wald didn't see that it mattered. How
ever, he thought he would try some of
the easier ways first by himself. So
he waited about the station and pulled
up railway carriage windows for old
gentlemen who looked likely; but moth
ing happened, and at last the porters
said he was nuisance. So that was no
gn No one had ever asked him to say
a hymn, though he had learnt nice
short one, beginning: "New every
morning;" and when an old gentleman
did drop a two-shilling piece just by
Ellis, the hair dresser's, and Oswald
picked it up and was just thinking what
he should say when he returned it, the
old gentleman caught him by the col
lar and called him young thief. It
would have been very unpleasant for
Oswald if he hadn't happened to be a
very brave boy and known the police
man on that beat very we'll indeed. SO
the policeman backed him up, and the
old gentleman said he was sorry and
offered Oswald sixpence. Oswald re-
fused it with polite disdain, and nothing
more happened at all.
When Oswald had tried by himself
and it had not come off he said to the
others: ''We're wasting our time not
trying to rescue the old gentleman in
deadly peril. Let's do something.'
It was dinner time, and Pincher was
going round getting the bits off the
plates. There were plenty, because it
was cold mutton day. And Alice said {:
'1t's only fair to try Oswald's way;
he has tried all the things the others
have thought of. Why couldn't we res
cue Lord Tottenham?''
Lord Totterham is the old gentle
man who walks over the heath every
day at three o'clock, and when he gets
half way if there is no one about he
changes his collar and throws the dirty
one into the furze bushes.
Dickie said: 'Lord Tottenham's all
right; but where's the deadly peril?'
And we couldn't think of any. There
are no highwaymen on Blackheath now,
I am sorry to say; though Oswald said
half of us could be highwaymen and the
other half the rescue party. Dora said
it would be wrong to be a highwayman,
and so we had to give thatup.
Then Alice said: "What about
Pincher?"
And we all saw at once that it could
be done. Pincher is our fox terrier. He
is very we'll bred, and he does know one
or two things, though we never could
teach him to beg. But if you tell him
to hold on he will do it, even if you
only say: ''Seize him!" in whisper.
So we arranged it all. Dora said she
wouldn't play; she said she thought it
was wrong, and she knew it was silly
so we left her out-and she went and
sat in the dining-room, so as to be able
to say she didn't have anything to do
with it if we got into trouble.
Alice and H. o. were to hide in the
furze bushes where Lord Tottenham
changes his collar, and they were to
say "Seize him!" to Pincher, and then
when Pincher had seized Lord Tottcn-
ham we were to go and rescue him
from his deadly peril. And he would
say: "How can I reward you, my noble
young preservers"" and it would be all
right. r.. ... .u- ,... ..
So we went up to the heath. We were
afraid of being late. Oswald told the
others what pracrastination was, so
they gotlto the furZe bushes little aft
er two o'clock, and it was rather cold.
Alice and II. O. and Pincher hid; but
Pincher did not like it any more than
they did, and as we three walked up and
down we heard him whining. And
Alice kept saying: II am so cold. isn't
he coming yet? And H.O. wanted to
come out and jump about to warm him.
self. But we told him he must learn to
be Spartan boy, and that he ought to
be very thankful that he hadn't got q
beastly fox eating his inside all the