Jim gave a crack of laughter.
“Well, you saw a good many in Melbourne, didn't you?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. But Melbourne isn't Australia. It's only away down in a wee little corner.” Tommy flushed a little. “You see, I haven't seen much of any country except France and the England that's near London,” she said. “And there isn't much waste space there.”
“No, there isn't,” Jim agreed. “I suppose we'll fill up Australia some day. But the people who come out now seem to have a holy horror of going into the 'waste spaces,' as you call 'em, Tommy. They want to nestle up to the towns, and go to picture theatres.”
“Well, I want to go and find a nice waste space,” said Tommy. “Not too waste, of course, only with room to look all round. And I'd like it to be not too far from Norah, 'cause she's very cheering to a lone new-chum. But don't you go planning to settle in one of those horrid little tin-roofed towns, Bobby, for I should simply hate it.”
“Certainly, ma'am,” said Bob cheerfully. “We'll get out into the open. I can always run you about in an aeroplane, if you feel lonesome, provided we make enough money to buy one, that is. Only new-chums don't always make heaps of money, do they, Jim?”
“Not at first, I'm afraid,” Jim said. “The days of picking up fortunes in Australia seem to be over; anyway, there's no more gold lying about. Nowadays, you have to put your back into it extremely hard, if you've no capital to start with; and even if you have, you can't loaf. How did you get on in Melbourne? I hope you didn't buy a station without consulting us.”
“Rather not,” Bob answered. “We raced round magnificently in your aunt's car and presented our letters, and had more invitations to sundry meals than we could possibly accept. Every one was extraordinarily kind to us. I've offers and promises of advice in whatever district we settle; three squatters asked me up to their places, to stay awhile and study the country; and one confiding man—I hadn't a letter to him at all, by the way, only some one introduced us to him in Scott's—actually offered me a job as jackeroo on a Queensland run. But he was a lone old bachelor, and when he heard I had a sister he shied off in terror. I think he's running yet.”
Jim shouted with laughter.
“Poor old Tommy!” he said.