ter to him from myself, so that you may have
no difficulty in hiring a conveyance for the journey to Hammerville if
your father does not meet you."

"How very kind you are!" exclaimed Nealie.

He waved an impatient hand. "It is nothing, nothing. I may even be
coming to New South Wales next year, if only my health is better, and
then I shall do myself the pleasure of finding you out and renewing our
acquaintance," he said.

"That will be very pleasant," replied Nealie, her hand closing upon the
letter. "Then we can introduce you to Father, and tell him how kind you
have been to us."

"We shall see; but I fancy the indebtedness is on my side," he answered,
and then he turned abruptly away.

Nealie looked at him a little wistfully. He was so very friendly and
kind up to a certain point; but when that was reached he was in the
habit of retiring into himself, and she was left out in the cold.

"What is the matter, old girl?" asked Rupert, who came up at that
moment, and noticed the cloud on Nealie's face.

"I was only thinking how much nicer it would be if we could know what
was in the minds of people, and whether they were really friendly all
through, or only pretending," she answered, with a sigh.

"Rather a tall order that would be," said Rupert, laughing. "Why, all
the rogues would stand betrayed, and honest folk would get the credit of
their good intentions. The world would be turned upside down in short!"

"I suppose it would," replied Nealie, shaking her head, and then she
laughed too.

CHAPTER IV

Rumple's Discovery

Day after day of unbroken fine weather followed. There was the halt of
twelve hours at Cape Town, and the seven earnestly desired to be allowed
to go ashore. But the captain refused to allow them off the vessel, as
they had been placed in his charge by Mr. Runciman, and so they had to
content themselves with gazing at Table Mountain from the deck of the
ship, or rather at the tablecloth, as the brooding cloud was called,
which hid the mountain from their view.

The shipping in the bay, and the distant glimpses of the town, gave them
plenty to look at, however; and although the little boys and Rumple were
in a state of simmering rebellion against the dictates of the kindly but
rather autocratic commander, Rupert and Nealie were so well amused that
they had no room for grumbling, while Sylvia had taken to drawing as a
pastime, and spent the hours in making an ambitious sketch of the