Lucky Button by Michael Morpurgo

Author:Michael Morpurgo [Morpurgo, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781406375176
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2017-11-02T04:00:00+00:00

“Ahead of us I saw a girl standing on the riverbank, rather older than the little boy, nearer fourteen or fifteen perhaps, my age. Still dragging me along, he ran up to her. ‘Nannerl, Nannerl,’ he cried. ‘Ich habe einen Freund! Ein lieber Freund!’ The two of them jabbered away together excitedly. I could scarce understand a word they were saying, but it was clear they were talking about me, for the little boy was tugging still at my hand, then my coat, then my sleeve, jumping up and down with joy as if I were a great doll he had just been given. The girl was trying to calm him, but I could see from the way she spoke to him that she knew it was useless even to try.

“Then from behind me came a man’s voice, shouting at me. ‘Boy! You there!’ Two gentlemen were hurrying towards me, the older one waving his stick, and walking, I could see, with some difficulty. ‘What do you think you are doing? Who are you?’ The man with the stick was more than indignant, he was angry. Nervously I told him who I was, that I had come from Mr Hogarth’s house to be an apprentice in the stables of Sir John Sullivan. To my great relief he stopped waving his stick at me at once, and his entire demeanour changed. He was full of smiles, quite happy to see me.

“‘So you must be Master Hogarth,’ he said, shaking my hand, which took me quite by surprise. ‘This is my poor friend William Hogarth’s foundling boy,’ he said, by way of explanation to his companion. ‘He spoke of you often, young man. He thought of you very highly, which is why, when I had need of an apprentice in the stables, I asked especially for you. We have been expecting you. No one told me you had arrived.’

“By now the little boy had left my side and run up to the other gentleman, still wildly excited, still calling out as he pointed back at me. ‘Er ist mein Freund, Vater. Mein lieber Freund, Vater!’ Between them all now, the two gentlemen, the girl and the little boy, there ensued an animated conversation in another language. All of them were looking at me as they spoke. I stood there quite bewildered, wondering if it was a madhouse I had come to.

“The old gentleman with the stick must have noted my confusion, and took pity on me. ‘We now know well enough who you are, Master Hogarth, and so it is only fair you should know who we are. I am Sir John Sullivan, your new master, and master of Bourne Park House, where you now find yourself. And since it seems that this rather overexcited little boy has already taken a great liking to you, I should perhaps present him to you next.’ The little boy was still bounding about like a rabbit, rushing up to me and bowing low again and again as he was introduced.

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