Chapter 7 - Charlie Meets the Family
In the morning, Charlie awoke on the lodging house floor, remembering he was under someone's bed where he had hidden the night before. Even though it was out of the wind and elements, he was still very cold and stiff. He felt something tickling his foot, inside his boot. He pushed out from under the bed. The person who had been sleeping above him had left already. He was at the back of the room and he glanced over at the proprietor, sitting in a chair, still sleeping. He sat on the bed and took off his shoe, removing the mouse who had snuck inside the hole in the bottom of his boot.
He took out his clothes brush to get rid of the dust from the floor. He was very sore from sleeping on the hard floor. He rubbed his knees. He folded up his blanket and placed it in his bag again. He put on his little cutaway coat and his tatty gloves.
The proprietor woke up momentarily as Charlie passed him and the tramp tipped his hat. "Hey," said the man, standing up. "I don't remember you coming in here last night! How did you get in? And where's my pay for the bed?"
"Y' musta been sleepin'," said Charlie. "He pointed to the last cot in the back where he had stayed all night. As the man turned to look, Charlie took off out the door running down the street with his odd spay-footed gait. He wasn't perhaps as fast as he had been some years ago, but he could run lickety-split when the adrenaline started pumping.
"Hey, you, come back here!" yelled the man, to no avail.
Charlie stopped running as soon as he could turn a corner. He was a little out of breath. He checked his pocket watch. It was 8:00. He had to appear at his prospective employer's place at 9:00 on the dot. He had enough time to clean up a bit. He stopped at a coffee shop where he sometimes ate when he had money. He went into the washroom and pulled out his straightedge from his carpetbag. He soaped his face and shaved, trimming his moustache. He brushed off his clothes and then he looked at his hair. He was badly in need of a haircut, but there wasn't much he could do about that now. He combed his curly grey hair and plastered it down with water into some semblance or order. He brushed his clothes and carefully tied his bow tie.
He came up to the waitress whom he knew from previous visits, when he had had some money for food. He put his hand around her waist and turned her around. "Molly, c'n I ask y' a favour?"
"Oh, hi Charlie. What can I do for you?" She was an attractive brunette in her early thirties with a pleasant demeanor.
"I'm in th' process o' procurin' a job; bu' me cash funds are a bi' low t'day; wonder'd if I could 'ave some breakfas' on credit? I'll pay y' nex' week when I ge' me firs' pay..."
"Sure Charlie. You're a good customer. Just sit down and I'll get you something." Molly brought him breakfast and coffee. He ate and then thanked Molly.
"Charlie, my boss says it's okay, the breakfast is on the house."
"Why thank y' Molly!" said the tramp. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before he left.
He had memorized the address and found the place without any problem. It was a huge town house in a fashionable and expensive area of the city. He rapped at the door and was let in by the butler. He asked to see Mr. Wilkins and the butler took his hat and cane and his bag. The tramp was shown into the parlour where he waited for the master.
Very soon a trim man of medium height, wearing formal clothes appeared. Sterling Wilkins was in his mid forties, good looking, but of a stern demeanor. He had sandy hair parted in the middle and a blonde moustache. His eyes were light blue.
Charlie stood when the man entered the room, which was furnished lavishly with treasured pieces of art that looked like they were from many varied places in the world, but mostly oriental.
"I'm Sterling Wilkins. I understand you've been sent here by the agency to look after my children. I've read your résumé, and frankly, I'm impressed." Charlie wondered how the man could be impressed with his resume; he hadn't given Sara much to put on it.
Mr. Wilkins went on. "I hadn't even thought of a male person to look after them, however, the snivelling little females that I've had in the past have only lasted a short time with the children, so I'm willing to try something new. But I insist on strict discipline. Education is taken care of by the tutor who comes in every day. You will be living here and tending to the children's needs, other than education, day and night. Is that understood?"
Charlie was a bit overwhelmed, so he kept nodding. He figured if it didn't work out, he would bow out gracefully and go back to the employment agency and try again. Or he might sneak out the back door and head for the next town…
"I'd like for you to meet my children, Charlie." He pulled on the bell cord for the butler and gave him the request. The butler appeared in a moment with a seven year old boy with red hair and brown eyes, including lots of freckles. "This is my son, Denis." As soon as his father turned his back to whisper something to the butler, the little boy kicked Charlie in the shin. The tramp grabbed his shin and fell backward to a sitting position on the fancy settee.
Mr. Wilkins turned and saw Charlie clutching his leg. "Are you all right?" he said, frowning.
Charlie nodded and stood up again, frowning at the boy, who was looking very innocent. The butler brought a little girl in then, of about eight years of age. She had auburn hair and blue eyes. She looked surprised when she saw Charlie and ran over to him, hugging him in glee. Charlie was surprised too. It was Julie, his little mute friend!
It was Mr. Wilkins' turn to be surprised. "Do you know Julia, Charlie?"
"Yeah. I met 'er in the park an' talk'd to 'er."
"Julia, I told you to stay away from strangers! I will expect you, Charlie, to keep track of my children at all times and stop Julia, especially, from running about by herself. She irritates other people and could get hurt by associating with strangers." He rubbed his moustache. "She is not very bright, you know."
Julie was standing next to Charlie and he put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I'll see tha' she don't get in no trouble. What about th' boy, Denis?"
"Oh he's a wonderful child. Never gets in a bit of trouble. You won't have a any problems with him."
"Thank y', sir," said Charlie, a bit sceptically.
"Now here is their schedule and what you must do for them every day. You understand you will be paid for your work, in addition to room and board. I will expect you to wear a uniform, which we will provide. I don't want to see you in those tatty clothes! I am gone a good deal of the time, so my butler, Chambers, will pay you each week and assess your success with the children. If there are any problems, you will go straight to him, do you understand?"
Charlie nodded.
"However, if there are serious problems with your handling of the children and they cannot be rectified, Chambers has the right to dismiss you. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, Sir, Mr. Wilkins," said Charlie. Wilkins left the room and Denis stepped on Charlie's foot on purpose.
"Oww," said Charlie. He sat down on the settee and pulled the child toward him. "Why're y' doin' tha', Denis?"
"I don't like to be called Denis! Call me Denny!"
"Awroigh', Denny…why did y' kick me an' step on me foot? That ain't noice!"
"You talk funny, Mister."
"That ain't no reason t' kick a person…" Denny stuck out his lower lip. "I want us t' be friends, Denny."
Julie was sitting quietly, looking at her fingernails. "Yer sis ain't being naughty, Denny."
"She's too stupid to be naughty! She can't even talk!" At this Julie started crying. She kicked her little brother and he hit her back. Charlie pulled the two apart.
"Julie, stop tha' kickin'! You ain't makin' things betta! And Denny, she ain't stupid. She's very smart. Apol'gise to 'er…say yer sorry!"
"I'm not sorry!" said Denny. "She is too stupid!"
"Denny, if y' don't be'ave, I'm gonna take y' over me knee and give y' a good smackin' on yer backsoide!"
"You can't do that, ha ha, Chambers will sack you for sure!"
"I ain't afraid o' Chambers or no one else! If 'e sacks me, so be it. Bu' until then, I ain't puttin' up with none o' yer sass!"
Denny began to realize he couldn't bully this old man like he had the young ladies before him. Julie was crying because she didn't want Charlie to be dismissed. Her brother always picked on her, even though he was younger. Because he could speak, he had the advantage and his father didn't seem to think the boy could do anything wrong. Julie tugged on Charlie's arm and tried to tell him what she was thinking, that she didn't want him to be dismissed from the job because of her rotten little brother. He understood the gist of what she wanted to say.
"Denny, apol'gise to yer sis and we'll go do somethin' spl'ndid t'day. Wha d' y' say t' 'er?"
Denny hung his head and mumbled a few words. "I didn't 'ear y'," said Charlie, cupping his hand to his ear.
"Sorry, Julie," said Denny a little louder. Julie smiled and hugged her naughty little brother. He hugged her back.
Charlie glanced at the paper with the daily duties neatly written out in miniscule writing. He squinted at it and moved the paper closer, then further. Julie started rummaging in a drawer and came up with a pair of rimless spectacles. Charlie put them on and thanked her. They made everything much more readable.
The old tramp and the children did indeed have a "splendid" time that day, at the playground. Charlie wore his regular clothes when they went to the park and wore his uniform at home. Denny behaved himself rather well for the remainder of the day, because he thought Charlie probably was serious about paddling him if he were naughty.
For dinner, Cook made the meals and Charlie served the children and ate with them. He began to think he would really enjoy this job.
That evening, Charlie tucked Denny in bed in his room. "Can we do some more fun stuff again tomorrow, Charlie?"
"I say, we'll 'ave another jolly toime. Bu' y' 'ave school t'morra wi' th' tutor…p' aps afterward."
The boy smiled and closed his eyes. Charlie turned out the light and built a fire in the fireplace in the small sitting room down the hall from his own assigned room. Julie's room was next to her brother's and Charlie's across from them. Julie had gone in her bedroom and Charlie expected she would go to bed also. The fire was warm and the flickering flames soon made him nod and fall asleep in the large chair next to the fireplace.