Маленькие мужчины / Little men. Уровень 4

“You poke your hands into everything. Now go and bump your head real hard against the barn, and see if you don’t howl then.”

“Don’t do it,” said Nat, who hated cruelty.

But Nan ran to the barn. She gave her head a blow that sounded like a battering-ram[19 - battering-ram – стенобитное орудие]. Then she staggered up, saying stoutly, though her face was drawn with pain,

“That hurt, but I don’t cry.”

“Do it again,” said Stuffy angrily.

Nan was ready, but Nat held her; and Tommy flew at Stuffy like a little cock,

“Stop it, or I’ll throw you over the barn!” and he shook and hustled poor Stuffy.

“It is awfully bad to hurt a little girl,” said Demi, reproachfully.

“Ho! I don’t mind; I’m not a little girl, I’m older than you and Daisy,” cried Nan, ungratefully.

“How do you do, Madge Wildfire?” said Mr. Bhaer, as Nan came in with the rest to supper. “Give the right hand, little daughter,” he added, as Nan offered him her left.

“The other hurts me.”

“The poor little hand! Why those blisters?” he asked, drawing it from behind her back.

Before Nan could think of any excuse, Daisy told the whole story, during which Stuffy tried to hide his face in a bowl of bread and milk. Mr. Bhaer looked down the long table towards his wife, and said with a laugh in his eyes,

“This is your business, my dear.”

Mrs. Jo said,

“Do you know why I asked Nan to come here?”

“To plague me,” muttered Stuffy.

“To make little gentlemen of you. And I think you have shown that some of you need it.”

Here Stuffy retired into his bowl again, and did not emerge. Demi said,

“How can she, when she’s such a boy herself?”

“She needs help as much as you, and I expect you set her an example of good manners.”

“Is she going to be a little gentleman too?” asked Rob.

“She’d like it,” added Tommy.

“No, I hate boys!” said Nan fiercely.

“I am sorry you hate my boys, because they can be well-mannered, and most agreeable. Kindness in looks and words and actions is true politeness.”

The boys took the hint, for that time at least, and passed the butter; said “please,” and “thank you,” “yes, sir,” and “no, ma’am,” with unusual elegance and respect. Nan said nothing, but kept

herself quiet and refrained from tickling Demi, though strongly tempted to do so. She also forgot her hatred of boys, and played with them till dark.

“When my suitcase comes, I’ll let you all play with my toys,” she said.

Her first remark in the morning was “Has my box come?” When they told her that it would arrive sometime during the day, she fretted and fumed, and whipped her doll, till Daisy was shocked. At five o’clock she disappeared.

“I saw her going down the avenue,” said Mary Ann. “Where is Nan?”

“She has run home, little gypsy!” cried Mrs. Bhaer, looking anxious.

“Perhaps she has gone to the station to look after her luggage,” suggested Franz.

“That is impossible, she does not know the way, and if she found it, she could never carry the box a mile,” said Mrs. Bhaer.

Mr. Bhaer took his hat to go and find the child, when a shout from Jack, who was at the window, made everyone hurry to the door.

There was Miss Nan, tugging along a very large box tied. She looked very hot and dusty and tired, but marched stoutly along, and came puffing up to the steps, where she dropped her load with a sigh of relief, and sat down upon it,

“I couldn’t wait any longer, so I went and got it.”

“But you did not know the way,” said Tommy.

“Oh, I found it, I never get lost.”

“It’s a mile, how could you go so far?”

“Well, it was pretty far, but I rested.”

“I don’t see how the station-master let you have it,” said Tommy.

“I didn’t say anything to him. He didn’t see me, so I just took it off the platform.”

“Run down and tell him it is all right, Franz, or old Dodd will think it is stolen,” said Mr. Bhaer.

“I told you we would send for it if it did not come. Another time you must wait, for you will get into trouble if you run away. Promise me this,” said Mrs. Bhaer, wiping the dust off Nan’s little hot face.

“Well, I won’t, only papa tells me not to put off doing things, so I don’t.”

“That is a difficult question,” said Mr. Bhaer, too much amused to be angry at the young lady’s exploit.

The boys thought it “great fun,” and Nan entertained them all supper-time with an account of her adventures. A big dog had barked at her, a man had laughed at her, a woman had given her a doughnut, and her hat had fallen into the brook when she stopped to drink, exhausted with her exertion.

“I know it will take some time to tame the child, but she is such a generous, warm-hearted little thing, I will love her even if she is twice as naughty,” said Mrs. Jo, pointing to the merry group, in the middle of which stood Nan, giving away her things right and left, as lavishly as if the big band-box had no bottom.

Those good traits soon made her a favorite with everyone. Daisy was not dull anymore, for Nan invented the most delightful plays, and her pranks amused the whole school. She gave away her new shoes to a beggar child, but found it impossible to combine charity and comfort. She delighted the boys by making a fire-ship out of a shingle. She harnessed the old turkey-cock to a straw wagon, and made him trot round the house at a tremendous pace. She gave her coral necklace for four unhappy kittens, which had been tormented by some heartless lads, and tended them for days as gently as a mother. She made Silas tattoo an anchor on her arm like his, and begged hard to have a blue star on each cheek, but he dared not do it. She rode every animal on the place, from the big horse Andy to the pig, from whom she was rescued with difficulty. Whatever the boys dared her to do she instantly attempted, no matter how dangerous it might be. And they were never tired of testing her courage.

Mr. Bhaer suggested to compete for studying, and Nan found much pleasure in using her quick wits and fine memory as her active feet and merry tongue. She showed the lads that girls could do most things as well as boys, and some things better. There were no rewards in school, but Mr. Bhaer’s “Well done!” and Mrs. Bhaer’s good report on the conscience book taught them to love duty and try to do it faithfully. Little Nan felt the new atmosphere and enjoyed it. This little garden was full of sweet flowers, half hidden by the weeds. When kind hands gently began to cultivate it, all sorts of green shoots sprung up, promising to blossom beautifully in the warmth of love and care, the best climate for young hearts and souls.