The Getting of Wisdom

other to spend the coming monthly holiday-from Saturday till Monday-at Prahran. The month before, she had been one of the few girls

little after nine o'clock on Saturday morning, Laura had finished her weekly mending, tidied her bedroom,

at last. But it was half-past nine, then ten, then half-past; it struck eleven, the best of the day was passing, and still Marina did not come. Only two girls besides herself remained. Then respectively a

jacket and declaring that she felt too ill to go out. But at last, when

ham has been

e the words were spoken. Sh

dressed girl of about twenty, had God

eek to kiss. "Well, I su

t two hours. "Yes, quite,

n-a prisoner at large. Round them stretched the broad white streets of East Melbourne; at their side was the thick, exotic greenery of the Fitzroy Ga

carried into town. Here Marina entered a co-operative grocery store, where she was going to give an order for a quarter's supplies. She was her mother's housekeeper, and had an incredible knowledge of groceries, as well as a severely practical mind: she stuck her finger-nail into butter, tasted cheeses off the blade of a knife, ran her hands through currants, nibbled biscuits, discussed brands of burgundy and desiccated soups-Laura meanwhile looking

ry?" she inqu

can wait," answer

tite the edge had no doubt been taken by her va

pt that here Marina did no tasting, but for a stray gelatine or jujube. By the time the shop door closed be

arina, consulting a neat watch. "Dinner's

orward. Some half mile from t

e. I have to call

hite-faced, exhausted little girl that

tite for dinner," said Marina, as she showed h

where she sat knitting, she said: "Well, YOU'VE had a fine morning'

ell, tha

ion she had had for Laura evaporated. "I hope, Marina, you told

returned: "Indeed I didn't. He made such a rumpus about the suga

ve you from your dear mother?" she asked again, without looking at Laura-jus

his plate. Laura had heard it said that he and Godmother did not get on well together; she supposed this meant that they did not care to talk to each other, for they never exchanged a direct word: if they had to communicate, it was done by means of a third person. There was the elder daughter, Georgina, dumpier and sti

lessing; and the soup

e had to look straight down the two sides of his nose to see his plate-and announced that he would not be home for tea, as he had an appointment to meet some 'chappies' at five, and in the

to take me dr

the general indifference. Then Marina said warningl

: "Indeed and I hope if you go

don't see wh

p at home. If Joey doesn't c

your tongu

othing of

oy, Erwin, in a low voice. "

gaged," snapped Godmother, "then you shan't go dr

sed to the snappishness of the Irish manner, which sounds so much worse than it is meant to be: and she

h hanging cheeks, small eye

! What's HER name?-Say, thi

ent between the shelves of her storeroom, preparing for

display of fondness on the part of the lovers; sat Laura, with her straight, inquisitive black eyes. Hence

ed up and the ascent of the light woo

"Cos o' the petticuts."-His

and flounces that lay beneath being seen by Georgy, as by any of the male members of the party. Georgy came last, and, though no one was below her, so tightly wound about was she that she could

ed hot, and was rapidly taking on the dimensions of a quarrel, when the piebald mare shied at a tra

frightened

herself turned red-with embarrassment. At the same time she wondered why Joey should believe George was afraid; there was no sign of it in Georgy's manner; she sat stolid and unmoved. Besides she, Laura, was only a little girl, and felt no

: for, much as she liked to consider herself "almost grown up", she yet detested the conversation of "real grown-ups"

ch-time yawned two long hours. Georgy went to a Bib

ry fond of reading, and as she dressed that morning had cast longing looks at these volumes, had evenly shyly fingered the glass doors. But they were locked. Breakfast ov

must be a Sunday book,

y hatted, their prayer-books in their hands, walked to the neighbouring church. There Laura sat once more between the boys, Marina and Georgy stationed like sentinels at the ends of the pew, ready to pounce down on their brothers if necessary

eance on Laura if she went indoors without them. The child sat down on the edge of the lawn under a mulberry tree and propped her chin on her hands. She was too timid to return to the house and brave things out; she was also afraid of some one coming into the garden and finding her alone, and of her then being forced to "tell"; for most of all she feared the boys, and their vague, rude threats. So she sat and waited ... and waited. The shadows on the grass changed their shapes before her eyes; distant chapel-bells tin

ck half-past nine as the two of them neared the College. Child-like, Laura felt no special gratitude for the heavy pot of mulberry jam Marina bore on her arm