ust have passed utterly away; they spoke
to each other with natural kindness, and each had a tranquil
countenance.

Alma began at once to talk of their common friends, the Carnabys,
asking whether Rolfe knew that they were in Australia.

'I knew they had decided to go,' he answered. 'But I haven't heard for
at least two months.'

'Oh, then I can give you all the news; I had a letter yesterday. When
Mrs. Carnaby wrote, they had spent a fortnight at Melbourne, and were
going on to Brisbane. Mr. Carnaby is going to do something in
Queensland--something about mines. I'll read you that part.'

The letter lay in the book she was holding. Sibyl wrote indefinitely,
but Harvey was able to gather that the mining engineer, Dando, had
persuaded Carnaby to take an active interest in his projects.
Discussion on speculative enterprises did not recommend itself to the
present company, and Rolfe could only express a hope that his friend
had at last found a pursuit in which he could interest himself.

'But fancy Sibyl at such places!' exclaimed Alma, with amusement. 'How
curious I shall be to see her when she comes back! Before she left
England, I'm sure she hadn't the least idea in what part of Australia
Brisbane was, or Melbourne either. I didn't know myself; had to look at
a map. You'll think that a shameful confession, Mr. Rolfe.'

'My own ideas of Australian geography are vague enough.'

'Oh, but haven't you been there?'

'Not to any of the new countries; I don't care about them. A defect, I
admit. The future of England is beyond seas. I would have children
taught all about the Colonies before bothering them with histories of
Greece and Rome. I wish I had gone out there myself as a boy, and grown
up a sheep-farmer.'

Alma laughed.

'That's one of the things you say just to puzzle people. It contradicts
all sorts of things I've heard you say at other times.--Do _you_ think,
Mamma, that Mr. Rolfe missed his vocation when he didn't become a
sheep-farmer?'

Mrs. Frothingham gently shook her head. No trace of nervousness
appeared in her today; manipulating the coloured silks, she only now
and then put in a quiet word, but followed the talk with interest.

'But I quite thought you had been to Australia,' Alma resumed. 'You
see, it's very theoretical, your admiration of the new countries. And I
believe you would rather die at once in England than go to live in any
such part of the world.'

'Weakness of mind, that's all.'