Back To Billabong

zed! Oh,

up for the last time on the fifteenth of next month. Get patted on the head, and told to run

ed the hair f

to think of; and I can't think in this awful h

understanding eye. "But you want to ch

tery smile, looking at her schoolroom overall. "I f

b. "Right-oh, old girl; jump into your things, and I'll w

s gone ou

aid Bob cheerfully. "A

be five minutes, Bob. Don't shut the door ti

he crack of the door. "I'm a fi

by dear. I have

an ornament to your sex," remarked Bob. "When you say five minutes, it really does mean no

ou can come back again-my coat's on the hanger there, Bobby." He put her into it deftly, and she leaned back against him. "If you kne

in the street!" grinned Bob. "I didn't

er and general fustiness, and you're a nice change, that's all," said Cecilia. The

ch a train

aid. "I think if I walked hard

"Tell me what she has been doing, anyhow

n all the time." She told him the story of her day, and managed to make herself laugh now

t me hardest of all was just dusting that awful drawing-room while she plays her awful tunes. Yes, I know I shouldn't say awful, and t

us what to say? And she kept you there all the afternoon, when she knew you were due to meet me!-my h

ildren's tea-time at six. S

et hi

to tea for you. We'll have dinner at the Petit Riche in Soho, and then we'll do

ia la

e-but there will be

p your pay, because you don't get any; and as you have your meals with the youngsters, she can't dock your rations. Tha

ave it, so it really doesn't matter much. But if

pond

ther. If you were a kid I wouldn't let you defy her. But, hang it all, Tommy, I'm not going to let her punish

tisfying person!" said

racket," said Bob. "I only wish I could take my share,

at statement of hers-that it would be illegal f

t I'm going to ask the old lawyer chap who has charge of Aunt Margaret's money-he'll tell me. We won't bother

ght about what you

certainly get work as a day labourer. But I don't see much in either of those possibilities towards a little home with you, which is what I want. I'm going to answer every

jobs don't generally advertise themselves as 'complete with s

firm, so don't you forget it. Didn't we al

said, doubtfully. "Perhaps we could get some job

rn enough for us both, I ought to be shot,

ret died," said Cecilia. "And I have worked pretty har

d Bob wistfully. "You haven't had any of the fun girls naturall

wouldn't care a bit, as long as it wa

ss some boy scouts were performing similar evolutions, marching with all the extra polish and swagger they could command, just to show the guides

e before the armistice-soldiers, soldiers, drilling everywhere, and guns and searchlight fixings. W

!" said Bob laughing. "And whenever you saw an aeropl

," said his sist

beliefs, how did you manage to write as cheerfully as you did? Your

o do any such thing,"

y used to make 'em yell.

illed," said Cecilia practically. "I thought

was one huge joke, and that Papa was nice and companionable, and the kids, sweet little darli

ndignantly. "Don't you think you could

e old fellow in the Zoo who shoots out a tongue a yard lon

inclination to do any suc

ng north and south. Suddenly Bob straightened up and saluted smartly, as a tall staff officer,

icing Bob-"How are you, Rainham?" He dived

mp you?" i

bumped by anyone as splendid as that!" Cecilia

oudly. "He's a great man. I've run into him occasion

ooks

y well. Never forgets a face or a name, and he's always got a decent word for everybody. He's

, who considered it a privilege

ed her in

eneral; I can tell you, most men of his rank haven't

d a flash

brought that German aeroplane down behind our li

hole thing was only a bit of luck-and, of course, it was luck, too, that he wa

in Air Force uniform came, charg

chap! What luc

war. They fell into quick talk, full of the queer jargon of the air. The newcomers, it appeared, had been with the army of occupation in Germany; there seemed a thousand

translate to Tommy," Bob sa

ddenly gave her a

But we know yo

cilia tu

sed to hear y

pened to a f

er reproachfully. "Y

y were a godsend-there used to be jolly little to laugh about, pr

er. We passed a vote of thanks to you in the mess, Miss Tommy, after old Bob here had gone. Some one was to write and tell him about it, bu

f how, when fact and rumour gave out, she used to sit by her attic window at night, deliberately inventing merry jests. It had closely resembled a job of hard work at the time; but apparently it had served its purpose well. She had ma

k pity

me she had, some time or other," he remarked

an't we all go and play about somewhere? We've just landed, and we

ted Billy. "Let's a

playtime they had lost. They found enormous pleasure in the funny little French restaurant, where Madame, a lady whose sympathies were as boundless as her waist, welcomed them with wide smiles, delighting in the broken French of Billy and Harrison, and deftly tempting them to fresh excursions in her language. She put a question in infantile French to Bob presently, whereupon that guileless youth, with a childlike smile, answered her with a flood of idiomatic phrases

thing became a huge joke. The evening flew by on airy wings, when Billy insisted on taking them to supper after the theatre. Cecilia allowed herself a fleeting vision of Mrs. Rainham, and then, decidin

eleven! O

poor little old Ci

urther meetings. They ran to the nearest tube station, and dived into its depths; and, after being whisked underground for a f

ctly a kid now, and she can't really do anything to you. Oh, by Jove-

equal to it,"

nd again the next day-just ordinary letters, with nothing particular in them except an arrange

all I do

e.' Then I'll write to you at Mr. M'Clinton's; the old solicitor chap in Lincoln's In

he sends me my allowance. You'll explain to him, the

over Aunt Margaret's affairs. I might as well know a little more ab

ons and things. Moreover, if she tried to keep me in the house she would have

etters, and I'll be up again as soon as ever I c

d up apprehensively. All the windows were in darkness; the gre

t you?" she asked, her h

ether." Bob rang the bell. "Wonder if they hav

tle room at the back-the o

"Well, either she's asleep or she thinks it's fun to keep us on the mat. I'll try her a