“Thursday.
“Dear old Phillipena,
“Thank goodness Aunt’s getting worse so we may come after all. Of course I don’t mean I’m glad she’s worse but I know she won’t be any good till she’s had the voyage.
“I told you she was in love with Volly; well I never thought about it and yesterday when we were out I told her that young Clinch’s governess and him were going to be married next month—young Clinch told me so it’s quite true. Anyroads he wouldn’t have thought of marrying any one like Aunt; young [280] ]Clinch’s governess is an A oner, I’m in love with her myself. Well I’d a nice time of it. Aunt began to faint and cry and go in hysterics all over the place. The buggy had taken us up the river and the man had taken the horse out for a drink so there was only me, and I had to fan her and throw water on her and everything. She got alright pretty soon and going home she gave me ten shillings and told me not to tell young Clinch she’d been crying, she said she was crying because the little gray castle and the river were so beautiful. But I know better. I told her the best thing would be for her to come straight to Australia and she’d soon forget him and praps get married to someone else; there are whips of men on board ship and they all flirt with somebody. She got in an awful wax with me and wouldn’t say anything else all the way home.
“Alf.”
“Same old dirty place,
“Friday.
“Dear Mother,
“I went and bought a new toothbrush and a collar and a hairbrush to day, I just can’t unpack those bags again, I know if I do we’ll never come. I’m wearing my brown suit all the time but no one has noticed. I don’t think after all Aunt Helene could have been gone on Volly; when I was having my lesson she came in dressed fit to kill you, and [281] ]she’d made her cheeks all red with dye or something,—my goodness she did look a fright. And she shook hands and congratulated him like anything and he told her all about Miss Allison, he’s quite mad about her. He kept walking up and down and running his hand through his hair while he talked. He said they were going to live in a little brown house near the river and that as the gods of music and love and youth would be under the roof it wouldn’t matter if they had nothing to eat, and a lot more rot. I don’t think he has any money scarcely, ’cause young Clinch says his mother keeps begging Miss Allison not to get married till he’s got more pupils, but a girl like that doesn’t care about a man’s money and they’re going to be turned off on the second. Aunt was jolly nice to him I can tell you and he talked to her as if she was his mother. Then after my lesson I went out with her and she bought awfully gummy little chairs and tables and pictures and books and even a piano and sent them round to the house they’re going to live in. And she met Miss Allison and said she’d sent a little thing or two, ‘An old maid’s privilege,’ she said. My jimminy, she is getting changed; she’d have had a fit if any one had called her an old maid a bit ago. But I must have been no end of an ass to think she was sweet on Volly; she’d be scratching Miss Allison’s eyes out instead of sending her wedding presents.
“Alf.”