Norah laughed.
“I guess it’s like that to all the people who have come out,” she said. “Just fancy, Jean, we can’t even give them a cup of tea. There’s milk, and that’s all there is. Isn’t it awful?”
But the visitors had not come to be fed. They condoled, and looked round the ruins, and made strong and unavailing comments, and then, in the Australian fashion, offered all they had, from their houses to their buggies, to fill in any deficiencies. Invitations to find shelter at neighbouring places poured in upon Mr. Linton and his family. The squatter would not leave the homestead, but he considered the question of sending Jean and Norah to spend a week in Mrs. Anderson’s friendly care, finally referring the matter to the girls themselves, and finding them so horrified at the idea that he promptly withdrew it.
“I don’t want to crowd Evans’s cottage out altogether,” he said, half apologetically.
“Well, Mrs. Evans has a spare room, and she lets us wash up, and I’m going to bath the baby to-night!” said Norah. “And she wants us to stay—and Jim and Wally and you are going to sleep in the tents, anyhow. Oh, Daddy, don’t send us away. I would hate it so!”
“All right, all right, you needn’t go!” rejoined her father, laughing. “But it will be very dull for Jean: you can’t ride or drive, and the cottage isn’t as comfortable in this heat as Billabong.”
But Jean reassured him, hastily. She had no desire to migrate to a world of strangers.
“It is hot, though, Daddy, that’s a fact,” said Norah. “I was thinking——” She broke off, watching him a little doubtfully.
“When you think in that tone, I have generally no chance of escape,” said he. “What is it this time?”
“Well, there’s another little tent.” Norah hesitated, half laughing. “Jim would put it up and fix up bunks for us. Couldn’t we come and join your camp down there?” She pointed towards the lagoon, where Jim had already taken two small tents and was hunting about for ridge poles. The bank looked cool and shady, fringed with groves of wattles and big box trees. “We could keep our things up at Mrs. Evans’s cottage, and dress there: but it would be lovely to sleep in a tent. That little room is certainly hot.”