. "Then you can be Norah's escort--if she wants to
go, that is!"

"Want to go! Well, Daddy!" said Norah in expostulation--whereat
everybody laughed.

"Murty can slog, I believe, and of course, Boone is a cricketer," the
squatter said. "They only want four, so if those two fellows are
willing--of which I'm not very doubtful!--that will be just right. You
might go out and see if they're anywhere about, Jim."

Jim and Wally dashed off, to return presently with the tidings that
Murty would play "wid all the pleasure in loife." Boone was away at
work, but his acquiescence could be taken for granted.

"Then I'll send a line to the doctor," Mr. Linton said. "He and Mrs.
Anderson want you all to go there for lunch on the day of the match--a
very good arrangement, seeing that you'll have Norah with you. You'd
better get away from here quite early; it's pretty certain to be hot,
and the day will be a fairly long one, in any case. It will be far
better to get the ride over before the sun is very formidable. And if
you'll take my advice, boys, you'll make those fellows have some
practice before Thursday. You two should be in good form, but they
scarcely ever touch a bat."

Jim and Wally approved of his advice, and each evening before the day
of the match saw the Billabong contingent of the Cunjee eleven hard at
work on a level stretch of ground close to the homestead; while Norah
was generally to be found making herself useful in the outfield. Her
sex did not hinder the daughter of the house from being able to return
balls with force and directness, and when, as a reward for her aid, she
was given a few minutes with the bat, to carefully regulated bowling
from Wally, Norah's cup of joy was full. She was even heard to say that
school might be bearable if they let you play cricket most of the
time!--which was a great admission for Norah, who had kept her word
rigidly about not mentioning the dreaded prospect before her. That she
thought of it continually, Jim knew well and he and his chum were wont,
by all means in their power, to paint school life for girls in
attractive colours without appearing to be directly "preaching" to
Norah; which kindly thought she saw through very well, and was silently
grateful, though it was doubtful if her sentence lost any of its
terrors.

It was always more or less before her. Her own circle had been too
limited to give Norah much experience of the outer world, and she
shrank instinctively fro