Seven Little Australians

l Sees Act

ain it

dless s

ood an

nce has it. And Judy, with a wrathful look in her eyes, was sitting on the nurser

ing, wicked shame! What's the use of f

deep in a book. But she said it mechanically, and only

," Judy continued, calmly disregardful. "Why, we'd have fow

al to have pantomimic performances on th

y Land, and the loveliest music, and beautiful children in white, singing hymns, and bright colours all a

and then clasped them again more tightly than before. "Six whole tic

unty volunteered, "and wrote on the e

itting in the theatre watching our fun with th

ittle eyes, and Judy laughed and came down from the table, after expressing a wicked wish that the little Digby-S

ss. Oh dear, what a head I've got!" she sai

drive before your very nose. She's gone to Waverly-why, she came in and told you,

it?" she asked in a frightened tone, and pushing her fair hai

keep warm, and bake till brown," said Judy promptly. "SURE

do?" she said, actual tears springing to her eyes. "Wha

ll-you've only to give it to Pip. Pat has to take the dogcart into town this afternoon to have the back se

in's full-dress uniform, and was wanted for a dinner at the Barracks this same evening. And Esther had been sponging

ily on. They took the coat parcel and put it carefully under the seat, and were preparing to start aga

shouldn't," Pip said suddenly. "Oh-h-h!" said Judy, her eyes spark

ave to put on something over that dress,

ter; she set the General on the floor for a minute while

wouldn't let him out of my sight for a minute; she's getti

gurgling, captivating laugh and held up his arms, s

t a boat back," she said, squeezing the baby on the se

way down the road. Pip, Judy of the shining eyes, the General devouring hi

g through their veins; it played havoc with Judy's curls, and dyed her brown cheeks a warm red; it made the Gener

n a gentleman on horseback slackened pace a little. Pip took off his hat with a flourish, and Judy gave a frank, pleased

miling genially, while his horse danced round the do

r," Pip answered, Judy was watching the plunging hors

in his pocket. "Here's something to make yourselves ill with on the way,"

heek with his whip, gave J

d at each other wi

ball?" Judy shook her head. "Where do I come in?" she said. "You'd keep t

h a girl, I hope." Then he added, with almost pious fer

nging down upon her head a storm of reproaches from the coachman. "I know!

er to expla

erry-go-round, switchback threepe

is mind. "There'd be something over, too, to get some tucker with,

inging him for? Just like a girl to spo

ask someone to take care of him while we go? Oh, it would be TOO bad to have to give

they must get out and walk the rest of the way up, or he wo

d carefully after him, the precious coat parcel in her arms. And they walked up

they reached the top. "Be quick;

, always meant deep and intricate calculatio

a plan that will do, I think." The

right and proper fathers should look after their sons? And doesn't he deserve we should get

lower brain did not fol

till we come back, his father being the proper person to watch over him." Judy

an awful row, you know, Fizz. I don't thi

im; there's Father standing over on the green near the tennis-court talking to a man. I'll slip quietly along the veranda and into his own room, and put the coat and the Gener

ter of his, but this was beyond everything. "B-b-but," he said uneasil

ium, we will come back and fetch him, and we can explain to Father how it was raining, and that we thought we'd better not take him with us for fear of rheuma

I don't like it, Fizz," he said a

g," she said; and glad of a moment's respite, he went down the path again to t

king darkly at the door in the wall through which she had disappeared. He pushed his hat to the back of hiss head and stared

"it's done now, come on, let's go and ha

he hill to the tram stopping-place. And it was half-past four when they jumped

on of it, and watched Judy go off from time to time, waving gaily from the perilous little car, almost with his heart in his mouth. Then they hired a pair of roller skates each, and bruised themselves black and blue with heavy falls on the asphalt. After that they had a ride on the merry-go-round, but Judy found it tame after the switchback, and refused to squander a second threepence

you come, too, Pip"-for that young gentleman hung back one agonized

g stone veranda and

of young officers laughi

er, and stuffing it into a cab, and getting in himself, all with a look

nded His High Mightiness one in the eye; and then its shoe dropped off, and we all rushed to pick it up, and it

figure with an impossibly short and shabby ulster, thin black-

high, her tone haughty, "and I cannot tell where your amusement

ed foolish, the thi

parable harm done, is there? Yes, your father has gone away in a cab. He couldn't imagine how the lit

k of shame came into

was I who left the Gen-my brother here, because I didn't know what to do with him f

d, and tried not to look amused at th

and, nodding in a grave, distant manner, she turned away, an

le we're i

nod

r done in our lives. Fancy the governor cartin

odded

to this-I didn't want to do it; but I'll stand by you,

s off her right-hand glov

ter just go straight back and hand ourselves over for punishment. He'll be too angry to hear any sort of an excuse, so we

a gowk and a stupid idiot for doing such a thing

corner at the far end, and discussed the state of affairs with much seriousness. Then Pip got up and

," he said, in a

at?" Judy cried, unintentionally

wallaby, and hanging on to the poor littl

e? Don't let him see us. It wouldn't be any good offering to take

d; then Ju

the engine," she said, "and

rty hand, and casting occasional longing glances at his tan shoe, which he knew was delicious to bite. Once or twice he had pulled it off and conveyed it to his mouth, but his father intercepted it, and angrily buttoned it on again in its rightful place. He wanted, to

oad along which the dogcart had sped so blithesomely some six or seven hours ago, and Judy and Pip followed at a respectful-a very respectful-distance. At the gate

during the next half-hour. She knew there was a stormy scene, in which E

She remembered wondering whether she would be treated as summarily as Pip, so angry was her father's face as he pushed the bo

ill go to boarding school. Esther, kindly see Helen's cl