He was wide awake,lying back against his pillow,but his eyes staring in front of them till they burnt.The house was absolutely dark,absolutely silent,but between the attacks of the rain there was a wound,something that had not to do with the house nor with the weather.He strained with his ears,sitting up in bed,his hands clutching the bed clothes.He heard it quite clearly now.Someone was moving in the nursery.
With that the whole of his brain was awake and he knew quite clearly,beyond a shadow of any doubt,what had happened;the Captain had come to fetch him.With that knowledge an icy despair gripped him.He did not want to go.Oh,he did not want to go!He was trembling from head to foot so that the bed shook beneath him,his breath came in little hot gasping pants,and his eyes were wide with terror.He was helpless.The Captain would only say "Come,"and go he must,leave his warm house and his parents whom he loved and Mary and Helen and Hamlet,yes,and even Miss Jones.He would be dragged down the long white road,through the lighted village,out on to the shiny beach,in a boat out to the dark ship--and then he would be alone with the Captain,alone in the dark ship,with the Captain's heavy hand upon his shoulder,his mouth smiling,his great legs drawing him in as a spider draws a fly into its web,and everyone asleep,only the stars and the dark water.He tried to say the Lord's Prayer again,but the words would not come.The sweat began to trickle down his nose.
Then he heard in the next room some movement against a piece of furniture and a voice muttering.That decided him:better to go and face it than to wait there,so as though he were moving in his sleep,he got out of bed,crossed the floor and entered the schoolroom.
The first sound that he heard was the ticking of the old nursery clock,a strange familiar voice in this awful world,then suddenly,although the room was in black darkness,he himself was staring into blazing light.
He started back and uttered a little cry,but even as he did so that well-remembered hand was upon his shoulder and the well-known voice in his ear:
"Move an inch,utter a sound,and I blow yer brains out,yer--"the voice,very low,faded into,the dark.He was staring into a lantern,and above the lantern was the dark body of the Captain.
Then as he looked up he was indeed near his last moment,for had he not been a brave boy,old for his years,and determined,he would have cried out with a scream that would have raised the house.
The Captain had no face.The Captain had no face.Only out of a deep darkness those little eyes glittered like candle-points.
Jeremy uttered no sound.Then catching the Captain's coat because he trembled so,he said:"I'm coming at once--but don't wake Mary and Helen.They'd be frightened.May I get a coat,because it raining?""Coming!"whispered the Captain,his voice coming from that space in the air where were his eyes."You move one inch from 'ere or utter one sound and I do yer in,yer--I'm watchin'yer,mind!"The lantern light suddenly vanished.The room was black.There was no sound but the ticking of the clock,and now the rain,which had seemed to stop during this terrible dialogue,beat with friendly comfort once more upon the pane.Jeremy stood there,his body held together as though in an iron case,scarcely breathing.There was no more sound at all.Quite clearly now Mary's snores could be heard coming from her room.
Jeremy had only one thought--only one thought in all the world.The Captain did not want him.The Captain had gone and not taken him with him.He was safe;he was freed;the terror was over and he was at liberty.
At last he moved back to his room.He got into bed again.He was terribly cold,and little spasms of shivers seized him,but he did not care.The Captain was gone,and he had not taken him with him.
VHe was not aware whether he slept or no,but suddenly sunlight was in the room,the bath-water was running,the canary was singing and Hamlet was scratching upon his door.He jumped out of bed and let the dog in.Then he heard Rose's voice from the next room:"and 'e's taken everything,'e 'as.All the silver candlesticks and the plate what was give to master by the Temp'rance Society,and Master Jeremy's mug what he 'ad at 'is christening and all the knives and forks--'e 'as--and the gold clock out o'the drorin'-room,and the mess!Why,I says to Cook 'e couldn't 'ave made more mess,I say,not if 'e'd come to do nothin'else.Grease everywhere,you never see nothin'like it,and all the drawers open and the papers scattered about.Thank 'Eaven 'e never found Cook's earrings.Real gold they was,ever so many carat and give to Cook ever so many years ago by 'er John.Poor woman!She'd 'ave been in a terrible takin'if she'd lost 'em.And so quiet too--not a sound and everyone sleepin'all round 'im.Wonderful 'ow they does it!Ithank the Lord I didn't 'ear 'im;I'd 'ave died of fright-shouldn't like!Why,Cook says she knew a 'ouse once ."But Jeremy did not listen,he did not care.As Hamlet sprang about him and licked his hand he thought of one thing alone.
The Captain was gone!The Captain was gone!He was free!The Captain had not taken him,and he was free at last!
