answered, feeling somehow
annoyingly rebuked, "and I should have such loads and shoals of
things to tell her and show her. All about the girls and my
clothes, you know--"

"Oh," exclaimed Eustace in a tone of disgust, "that is all girls
care about--talking, and showing off."

"It isn't," Nesta said quickly. "I should like the learning."

"Well, I shouldn't," admitted Eustace frankly; "I hate learning. It
is only games that make school worth going to, and that isn't
enough to make up for other things."

"What other things?" asked Nesta curiously.

"Oh, never mind," said Eustace impatiently; "I don't want to talk
about it."

But Nesta did exceedingly; she wanted to talk of nothing else; till
at last Eustace went off in desperation down the hill to watch the
sugar crushing, saying something about, "It isn't as if people
could come back to Queensland for the holidays," and "Everything
would be different when they were all grown up."

"I don't know what is the matter with him," Nesta said to herself
in perplexity. "I do believe he doesn't want to go at all. And I'm
sure he is wrong about our staying there. No such luck!"

Bob did stay on after he was quite well and strong, and he entirely
justified Eustace's prophecy. He proved most useful; nothing
apparently could have been done without him. "But for Bob," said
Mrs. Orban, "I don't believe we should ever be ready in time."

It was he who saw to the soundness of the travelling boxes, to the
making of a packing case; he who had advice and assistance to give
to every one, and who was certainly the life and spirit of the
party in the evenings when other people seemed tired or out of
heart. Eustace was not at all in good form. Mrs. Orban was at times
inclined to have grave misgivings as to the wisdom of the step, and
of course felt leaving her husband. Mr. Orban himself, though he
insisted on the trip, was naturally a little sad at the prospect.
Even Aunt Dorothy--the witch--had her moments of sadness that her
visit should be drawing so rapidly to a close. Only to Nesta and
Peter did the time seem to drag and hang heavy, as if it would
never pass.

"You'll have to come back with them, Miss Chase," said Bob a few
evenings before the great departure.

"I wish I could," she said; "but I am quite sure mother and father
won't see the force of that."

"Well, I think you ought to--don't you, Mrs. Orban?" Bob said.
"Miss Chase hasn't had half enough Colonial experiences