“Oh, but I mean a real nice young girl!” explained Eva.
“Just you wait a bit,” he replied.
“Oh, she looks real nice!” said Eileen.
“Ugh! looks are nothing,” grunted Willie, who was somewhat disappointed at all his predictions coming to nothing. “Wait till she starts teaching, and see if she looks so pretty then. She’s got her best manners on now.”
“And what a pretty hat,” said Mollie.
“Oh, lovely!” agreed Eileen, “and a real pretty dress, too. Look, she’s taking her dust-coat off!”
“Oh! who wants to see her old dress?” snapped Willie, who felt somewhat out in the cold.
“They’re coming in. Let’s all go out the back way,” and off they scuttled.
Later on they were all introduced, and Miss Gibson was so bright and friendly and took such an interest in everything that they found themselves quite drawn to her. Even Willie said grudgingly, in his most grown-up way, that “she wasn’t half a bad sort, and if they carried things out properly they might knock out a good many holidays.”
They took her out to see the pets, and she asked their names and seemed to know all about pet lambs and even chickens, and she could actually ride. Then when they found out she used to live in the bush when she was a child they took her to their hearts straight away.