Eva's head went down, and Tom fancied he saw tears on her long lashes. "I'll stay with mother, thank you. Jack isn't chummy any more. He doesn't want me now he has boys to play with."
"Oh, I expect he does," said Tom, consolingly, "but now he goes to school and has regular lessons he can't have so much time for play, nor should you have, by rights. I suppose Eva has lessons to learn as well as Jack?" turning to Clarissa.
"Oh, I don't let her go to the State school; there is a girls' school opened in the place by a rather nice Englishwoman, and Eva goes to her every morning and works at home in the afternoon, but it's out of school hours that she misses Jack. I don't know what has come over the boy. He says he has 'no use' for girls."
Tom laughed a little, but thought that Master Jack wanted bringing down a peg or two. However, he would go and see for himself.
It was getting dusk as he crossed the paddock, and no one seemed moving about the farm premises. He had half hoped that Jack might have been playing about somewhere, and that his first meeting with the boy might have been when he was alone. He let himself in gently by the garden gate and stood looking round him. Every window and door stood open, and in the verandah, lying back in a long wicker chair, was Betty. The attitude was such an unusual one that Tom divined at once that all was not well with her. There was weariness written on every line of the recumbent figure, not weariness of body only, but weariness of mind. And then Tom felt he had no right to watch her and went forward to speak to her.
"I'm a late visitor, Miss Treherne, but may I come in?"
Betty sprang to her feet with a glad cry of welcome.
"Isn't it odd? you were the very man I was wishing for. I wanted to talk to you about so many things, and now you are here. Father and mother have gone over to Wylmington to keep the Carltons' silver wedding day, and I don't expect them back until quite late."
"So that some of the things you want to say to me can be said here and now," said Tom, sinking down into a chair by her side. "But first, I must see my friend Jack. Shall I find the rogue round by the stables?"
"He's in bed," said Betty, shortly.