Seven Little Australians

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she may have lips like cherries and teeth like pearls, and a red nose will be so utterly fatal that all these other charms will pass unnoticed. It cost Meg real anguish of spirit. She carefully read all the Answers to Correspondents in the various papers Aldith lent her in search of a remedy, but nearly everyone seemed to be asking for recipes to promote the growth of the eyelashes or to prevent embonpoint. Not one she chanced on said, "A red nose in a girl is general

pelled to wrap her whole face hastily up in a towel and declare she had violent neuralgia, and he must go t

te grown up and in love. For just now both to Aldith, and herself that state of life seemed the only one altogether lovely and desirable. Meg used to curl herself up in a big easy-chair that had drifted to her room because its springs were broken, and dream long, beautiful

ound one or two this way inclined, giggling, forward young things who want whipping and sending to play cricket or dolls again. But in this land of youthfulness it is the rule more frequently than the exception, and herein lies the chief defect of the very young Australian girl. She is like a peach, a beautiful, smooth, rich peach, that has come to ripeness almost in a day, and that hastens to rub off the soft, delicate bloom that is its chief charm, just to show its bright, warm colouring more clearly. Aldith had, to her own infinite satisfaction, brushed away he

e, instead of ripening on frequent meeting into a frank, pleasant friendship, had taken the turn of secrecy and silly playing at love. James Graham was in a lawyer's office, a young articled cleric of seventeen in undue haste to be that delightful thing, a man. He carried a cane, and was very particular about his hat and necktie and his boots, which generally were tan. And

s MacCarthy,"

longer, and then the journey was blank. How charmingly that big hat suits you, and

evoted

s Gr

book with a pink programme pencil that she al

Mr.

l be to you. Still, of course, if you REALLY care for them you shall have them. I am so glad you like this hat. I shall always like it NOW. Di

s tr

Evelyn M

ney boys, Andrew by name. He was a handsome lad of eighteen, still a schoolb

eft out in the cold. So he began to pay marked attentions to Meg, who blushed right up to her soft, pretty fringe e

eyes deeply set, and brown hair that looked as if he was in a constant state of rumpling it up the wrong way. He was a University

the boat. One time as he passed them Aldith was drooping her lashes and using her eyes with great effect, and Meg was almost positive she heard him mutter under his breath, "Silly young fools!" He

or sweet sixteen to do; and it was with Alan, who had no good looks nor pleasant manners-not Andrew, who had speaking eyes, and curls that "made his forehead like the rising sun"; n

d large-eyed, and used to make copious notes in her diary every night, and to write a truly appalling quantity of verses, in which "heart" and "part," "grieve" and "leave," "weep" and "keep," and "sigh" and "die," were most often the concluding words of the lines. She endured Andrew for several reasons. He was Alan's brother for one thing, and was

ings came

oat for a month," Aldith remarke

an, Miss MacCarthy?" James Graham said

month's holiday. He is going to Melb

good for Monsieur H--. What did he mean by such inhuman conduct, he should l

o speedily thoug

omewhere one evening-just we

d though Meg had at first shaken her head decidedly, in th

r one belonging to Misrule, to walk for about an hou

day, Meg," Andrew whispered just as they w

herself for a moment whether he intended to ask for a lock

he said u

," he w

e indignant answer that trembled on her lips. She had even to shake hands,

l never forgive you if you don't come,"

ltered, the crimson in her cheeks again. "I've never d

dith's lip made her

an twelve. You'd better get a roll again, and a picture-book with morals. I'll ask Andr

ditionally to be on the spot at the time mentioned, and fled away

hild and a boy-she would never dare to tell her anything of the sort. She could fancy the scorn in her sister's large clear eyes, the ringing laughter such a tale would evoke, the scathing, clever ridicule that would fall on her shrinking shoulders. Not Esther: h

er, some of her scornful young sisters or brothers, should be about and see the meeting, or any of the neighbours-why, she could never survive the shame of it! Yet go she must, or Aldith would despise her. Besides, she had made up her mind fully to tell An

seen then; she could slip out of the house without any difficulty, and run through the paddocks under cover of the kindly dusk; whereas i

her for not going at all, she did in her excitement and desperation a thing

ing down at her dressing-table, and

h nicer, for no one will be able to see us. And let us meet at the end of the paddocks where the bush grows thi

sinc

Woo

ss me. I should be very angry indeed if

as they met. Then she slipped it into an envelope and addressed it to A. Courtney, Esq., it never having even occurred to her for a mo

be sure to be in the paddock by half-past eight, and she (Meg) woul

ie Courtney had been spending the afternoon with Nellie, and Meg called her back from th

the little girl's mouth. Bunty was next bribed, with a promise of the same melting delicacies, to run up to Aldith's with the ot

the housemaid at the MacCarthys', and in answer to the girl's questi

to her friend, telling her how she was too ill to be allowed out, and had

his marbles and peanuts and string. And, as might be expected, he fell in with some other cho

elf of his most cherished "conny," and returned home with saddened spirits an hour later

s more pronounced than others, it was his extreme partiality for this kind of confectionery, and he

himself, miserably, "and I don't suppose there was anything in it but 'Dearest Marguerite, let us always tell each other ou

expressed scorn for equivocation that had kept him moderately truthful. But Judy was miles away, and could not possibly

the table, where she was mending a boxful

bonbonniere containing the b

l right,'" sai

h a relieved sigh. And Bunty, with a defiant, shamed look in his eyes, stuffed the whole of

e went home, her thoughts intent upon a certain Grann

s saying softly to herself as she

e veranda lounge, sm

laughed-"guinea-p

forthwith into a grave discussion with him as to the colour

turned

ket, Flossie girl?" he said, as she brush

's a letter for you, Alan," she said, and gave Meg's poo