“You must not undertake too much, you two,” he said. “You are only children. You are at an age to miss your mother at every turn. We had arranged to have a boy and girl from Australia to live here, but when your mother—your mother was taken—I gave up the idea. It was too late to stop their coming to England, but I think I can provide a temporary home for them when they get to London. You need not trouble your head about the strange children, Nell.”
“It is not that,” said Polly. “We don’t know them yet, so of course we don’t love them, but we wish them to come here, because we wish for their money. It will be eight pounds a week; just what you spend on the house, you know, father.”
“What a little economist!” said Dr. Maybright, stretching out his hand and drawing Polly to him. “Yes, I was to receive £400 a year for the children, and it would have been a help, certainly it would have been a help by and by. Still, my dear girls, I don’t see how it is to be managed.”
“But really, father, we are so many that two more make very little difference,” explained Helen. “Polly and I are going to try hard to be steady and good, and we think it would certainly please mother if you let the strangers come here, and we tried to make them happy. If you would meet them, father, and bring them here just at first, we might see how we got on.”
“I might,” said the Doctor in a meditative voice, “and £400 is a good deal of money. It is not easily earned, and with a large family it is always wanted. That’s what your mother said, and she was very wise. Still, still, children, I keep forgetting how old you are. In reality you are, neither of you, grown up; in reality Polly is quite a child, and you, my wise little Nell, are very little more. I have offended your aunt, Mrs. Cameron, as it is, and what will she say if I yield to you on this point? Still, still——”
“Oh, father, don’t mind what that tiresome Aunt Maria says or thinks on any subject,” said Polly. “Why should we mind her, she wasn’t mother’s real sister. We scarcely know her at all, and she scarcely knows us. We don’t like her, and we are sure she doesn’t like us. Why should she spoil our lives, and prevent our helping you? For it would help you to have the strangers here, wouldn’t it, father?”
“By and by it would,” answered the Doctor. “By and by it would help me much.”
Again the troubled expression came to his face and the dimness was perceptible in his eyes.
“You will let us try it, father,” said Helen. “We can but fail; girls as young as us have done as much before. I am sure girls as young as we are have done harder things before, so why should not we try?”
“I am a foolish old man,” said the Doctor. “I suppose I shall be blamed for this, not that it greatly matters. Well, children, let it be as you wish. I will go and meet the boy and girl in London, and bring them to the Hollow. We can have them for a month, and if we fail, children,” added the Doctor, a twinkle of amusement overspreading his face, “we won’t tell any one but ourselves. It is quite possible that in the future we shall be comparatively poor if we cannot manage to make that boy and girl from Australia comfortable and happy; but Polly there has taught us how to economize, for we can always fall back on potatoes and point.”