2 Nat’s First Night

CHAPTER 2 Nat's First Night When Nat went into the dining room, he saw twelve boys, six on each side of the table, standing behind their proper chairs. They fidgeted, but no one sat down until Mother Jo had taken her place. Teddy sat on her left, and Nat sat on her right. "This is our new boy, Nat Blake. After supper

you can say 'how do you do,' but for now let's sit down and eat." The food was delicious, and Nat ate so much he thought he might burst. Tommy Bangs sat beside him. Nat summoned up all his courage and asked, "Who's that boy down there at the other end? He was talking to me earlier, but I can't remember his name." "Why, that's Demi Brooke. He's Mother Jo's nephew." "That's a funny name," Nat said. "His real name is John, but they call him Demi-John because his father's John, too. It's a joke, you see?" Only Nat didn't quite see, so he smiled politely and said, "He was very nice to me." "You bet he was. And he's real smart, too. He reads a lot and knows everything." "Who is the fellow beside him?" "His name is Franz," Tommy answered. "He's Father Bhaer's nephew. He sees to us and

teaches some." Nat looked over at Franz. "I saw him playing the flute, didn't I?" he asked. Tommy nodded, unable to answer because he had just stuffed an entire baked apple into his mouth. He quickly swallowed and said, "Oh, don't he play well, though? I like a good drum myself, and I'm going to learn as soon as I can." "I can play the fiddle," Nat said. "You can?" Tommy half-shouted. "Father Bhaer's got an old fiddle, and I just know he'd let you play it." Nat smiled. "Really? I think I would like that very much. I used to go around fiddling with my father for money until he died." "Wasn't that fun?" Tommy cried with excitement. "No, it was awful. We were always outside, winter or summer. When I got tired, my father got angry. And we never had enough to eat," Nat said. "But I do miss my little fiddle."

Before turning back to his supper, Tommy said, "Well, we've got a jolly band here that you can play with if you're any good. Just wait until tomorrow night. You'll see!" Jo looked at the new boy and smiled to herself. Laurie was right—he was the perfect kind of boy for Plumfield. Despite his illness, his blue eyes sparkled, and she was sure his pale, thin frame would soon be improved with good meals and kindness. After dinner, Jo had a word with Father Bhaer, who took his old fiddle out of its case. Jo came into the schoolroom where the boys were once again playing and found Nat watching them from the corner. She walked over to the boy and said, "Here you go, Nat. It's Father Bhaer's, but he's happy to let you use it. We must have a fiddle in our Plumfield band, and we think you're just the boy to play it." Nat took the fiddle from her at once and

handled it with such care that it was plain to see how much he loved the instrument. He said, "I'll do the very best I can." He drew the bow across the strings and played quietly as the boys started to gather around him. As Nat played louder and louder, more people stopped to listen. His cheeks flushed and his fingers flew. When he finished, they all gave him a hearty round of applause. "You do play first-rate!" Tommy said. "Of course you must play with us in the band!" Franz added. Nat smiled. Father Bhaer said, "Why don't you come over here, by the piano, and let's have some songs we can all sing?" It was the proudest moment of Nat's life as he was lead to the place of honor by the piano beside the other musicians, who gathered their instruments. After a few false starts, they all got going: flute, piano, and fiddle. Nat tapped his

foot in time and played with a great smile on his face. It was so different to be in a lovely warm room surrounded by people who were all smiling. He wasn't out in the cold. He wasn't playing for pennies. But then the excitement became a bit too much for little Nat, who turned to face the corner and started to cry. "Whatever is wrong?" Jo asked. Nat answered, "You've all been so kind to me. I just can't help it." And then he started coughing until he had no breath left. "Come with me, my dear. You need to rest. You are worn out on your first night here." Jo led the boy back into her parlor, where she cuddled with him until he told her all of his troubles. "This is your home now," she replied when he had finished. "All you need to do is get well and strong so you can take part in as much music as your heart wishes." Then she took him upstairs to see Asia, the maid, who gave Nat a bath and cut his hair.