Many,
many years ago, in the city of London, there lived a poor young man named
Nicholas Burns. Nicholas had two jobs; his first job was with a man named Mr
Sloane. Mr Sloane was the owner of a big shop where he sold pocket watches,
handkerchiefs, umbrellas and scarves for both men and women. Nicholas’ job in
the shop was keeping it clean and helping customers. His other job was being a
poet.
Nicholas was clever with poetry; he
had like writing poems ever since he was a boy. Mr Sloane thought that
Nicholas’ poetry was a real talent. He once asked Nicholas if he wanted to sell
his poetry in the shop as well. Nicholas accepted his offer, so Mr Sloane sold papers
of poetry in the shop as well. Even though he had two jobs Nicholas only had
just enough money to make ends meet.
Nicholas’ poems were usually about a
beautiful countryside, the seaside, and all sorts of weather and above all
love. Both men and women loved his poetry and always bought them, but he didn’t
get a lot of money for them.
“It is a pity Nicholas” said Mr
Sloane “your poetry is very good. Yet you don’t get a lot of money for it”.
“It’s all right” said Nicholas “as
long as people like my poems. That is what matters”.
It was true; Nicholas loved it when
he saw customers smiling when they read his poetry. But his favourite smile was
from Lady Christina Pendleton. Lady Christina Pendleton was the daughter of a
rich gentleman named Lord Frederick Pendleton. Christina loved Nicholas’ poems
and always looked forward to his new ones. Nicholas and Christina had feelings
for each other, but Lord Frederick Pendleton had forbidden them to spend time
with each other. As Christina was a lady he believed that having a relationship
with a poor poet would put the family name in disgrace. So Christina and
Nicholas never revealed their feelings to each other.
One day Nicholas was taking a stroll
in the park, when suddenly he heard a twittering noise. “That sounds like a
bird” he said to himself. Nicholas followed the sound of the noise and found
the course of the noise behind a tree. It was a bird; it was a robin with brown
feathers and a red breast. The robin was hurt; his left wing was broken and he
couldn’t fly. Nicholas couldn’t stand having a bird like that hurt, so he
picked it up and carried it to his home.
Nicholas lived in an apartment; being
poor he lived in a very small room. He laid the robin onto a towel on the table
in his room and nurtured it for two weeks. Then at last the robin’s wing was
completely healed and it could fly again. The robin was grateful to Nicholas
and sang a song to him.
“Your singing is very beautiful” said
Nicholas “it makes me smile”. Nicholas opened his bedroom window and told the
robin it could go now. But the robin didn’t want to leave; it wanted to stay with
Nicholas. Nicholas understood and the robin became his roommate. So every day,
when Nicholas finished work, he would go straight home to be with the robin and
the robin would sing to him.
Two weeks later a big announcement
was heard in the papers. Lady Christina Pendleton was to be married to a rich
gentleman ‘Mr Robert Bentley’ in three days.
“I don’t agree to this marriage” said
Mr Sloane.
“I don’t agree with it either Mr
Sloane” said Nicholas.
The truth was Robert Bentley was a
very rich man, but he was a foolish man. He liked to drink and gamble and never
took anything seriously.
“I think the only reason Lord
Pendleton agreed to this marriage was because of his riches” said Mr Sloane “he
always did care about money and status above everything else. I feel sorry for
his daughter”.
Nicholas felt down hearted by the
news of Christina’s marriage. He wanted to be Christina’s husband, but Lord
Pendleton had agreed to the marriage and there was nothing he could do.
Two days later, just one day before
the wedding, Nicholas and his friend the robin were out on the streets
together. The robin was sitting upon Nicholas’ shoulder and was enjoying the
tour of the streets. Suddenly they saw Robert Bentley talking to his best
friend Tom Hardwick. Tom Hardwick was a drinker and gambler as well. They
walked into an alley. Nicholas had a bad feeling about that; normally whenever
someone walked down an alley street it meant he or she was up to no good.
Nicholas asked the robin to see what they were doing. The robin flew to a
window shelf above where Robert Bentley and Tom were standing and listened to
what they were saying.
“I can’t believe that you are getting
married to Lady Christina Pendleton tomorrow” said Tom.
“Yes” said Robert Bentley “and after
that is when I will become richer than ever”.
“What about Lord Pendleton and his
daughter?” asked Tom “What will become of them?”
“The old man is getting older and
older Tom” said Robert Bentley “I’ll be claiming the fortune after he dies;
besides I can wait for that. As for Christina, I need her to give me an heir”.
Tom understood and congratulated him on his marriage and success of wealth.
After listening to their
conversation, the robin flew back to Nicholas.
“They are up to something aren’t
they?” asked Nicholas. The robin tweeted as if to say yes. Nicholas really
wanted to see what Robert Bentley’s plan for the Pendleton family was, but he
didn’t know how.
When Nicholas went to Mr Sloane’s
shop for work, Mr Sloane was pleased to see him. He told Nicholas that Robert
Bentley ordered some things from the shop and wanted them to deliver the things
to his home. “Can you deliver them please Nicholas?” asked Mr Sloane “I need to
stay here and guard the shop”. Nicholas agreed to do so and was happy; this was
his chance to find out what Robert Bentley was planning.
Nicholas went to Robert Bentley’s
house to deliver the items he ordered. When he knocked on the door the maid
told him that Robert Bentley was busy at the moment, but asked to wait in the
study for him. When Nicholas was in the study, he put down the box of items and
searched the study for evidence. In a drawer of a desk he found what he was
looking for. It was a piece of paper of Robert Bentley’s plans of what he was
going to do after Lord Pendleton died.
Lord Pendleton owned four factories;
a thread factory, a glass factory, a paper factory and a jewel factory. Robert
Bentley’s plan was to tear them both down and replace them both with bars and
shops and keep of the fortunes he would receive from Lord Pendleton for
himself. As for Christina; she will give him a son and then will be gotten rid
off. Nicholas didn’t like the ideas and placed the paper in his pocket to show
to Lord Pendleton later. Then Robert Bentley entered the study and examined the
items that Nicholas delivered. He had ordered five handkerchiefs, four umbrellas
and two scarves as a wedding gift for Christina. He paid Nicholas for the items
and then Nicholas left. Nicholas had a plan; he decided to show up at the
wedding tomorrow and show the plans to Lord Pendleton then.
The next day was Lady Christina
Pendleton and Robert Bentley’s wedding. Everything was ready and all the guests
were excited. Christina wasn’t excited about her marriage though; she didn’t
love Robert Bentley. She had told her father that lots of times, but Lord
Pendleton wouldn’t hear of it. Soon the ceremony started, the priest came up to
the wedding vows. He was just about to ask Robert Bentley if he would take
Christina for his wife, when Nicholas stormed into the church.
“Stop the wedding!” he shouted, he
walked down the aisle, “Lord Pendleton this man will ruin your family name if
you let him marry Christina”.
“What is the meaning of this?”
demanded Lord Pendleton “And what are you talking about?”
Nicholas took the paper, which showed
Robert Bentley’s plan, out of his pocket and gave it to Lord Pendleton. Lord
Pendleton grew red in the face when he read the plans.
“You plan to ruin my factories and
make my daughter an item to give you children?” he shouted at Robert Bentley.
Robert Bentley just stood there
nervously. “Well I uh” he said. “Enough!” yelled Lord Pendleton. He called the
wedding off and ordered him to leave. Robert Bentley and Tom Hardwick rushed
out of the church, as quick as they could.
Lord Pendleton apologized to his
daughter for making a grave mistake. Christina said it was alright and was
happy that she didn’t have to marry Robert Bentley.
“I thank you for telling me” Lord
Pendleton said to Nicholas.
“It was my pleasure sir” Nicholas
said “and I ask if I may recite a poem I’ve just made up for your daughter”.
Lord Pendleton accepted the request. Nicholas told Christina the poem.
‘Christina
ever since you and I first met,
I
have always wanted to say some things I’d never regret.
Your
pink lips and skin as white as snow,
Always
sets my heart aglow.
Your
golden sunshine of hair,
With
it’s beautiful flair.
And
your beautiful eyes of green,
Makes
you the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
What
I want to say now is not a joke,
Even
though you are rich and I am broke.
When
I’m not with you I’m in a tiz,
That
is why I have to ask you this.
Christina
you are the love of my life,
Which
is why I ask you to become my wife?’
“So Christina would you become my
wife?” Nicholas asked again. “I will” replied Christina and ran into Nicholas’
arms. Lord Pendleton was reluctant of this marriage proposal at first, but
since Nicholas revealed Robert Bentley’s terrible plans, he agreed to the
marriage.
So Nicholas married Christina and
became Lord Nicholas Burns. After Lord Pendleton died Nicholas inherited the
factories and kept them the way they were. He still wrote poems for Christina
and when they had children, he read his poems to them too. Nicholas and
Christina lived a long and happy life together.
As for the robin, it remained
Nicholas’ best friend till the end of its life.
