"Or whales in the Red Sea!" suggested Tom dreamily.
"Certainly not—he has Pharaoh's chariots there, all handy!" rejoined Aileen. "At all events, he won't neglect his jobs for little difficulties about transport. So I would just not worry if I were you, Garth."
"You're an awful comfort, Mother!" said Garth gratefully. "I've finished—can I go, please?"
"Where are you off to?" asked his father.
"Got to shut up the young turkeys. 'Possum said she heard a fox last night, so we can't be too careful." They heard him race through the back yard, whistling for Bran, then the bang of the gate in his wake.
"Isn't he getting a man?" Aileen said, laughing. "Why do you torment the poor soul?"
"Just to give you a chance of smoothing away his difficulties," he said, and smiled at her. "Isn't that what you're for?"
She smiled in return, and then grew thoughtful.
"I've been thinking about Christmas, Tom," she said. "Have we any money?"
"Not a heap, when I've paid for the last lot of fertilizer," he said. "Not enough to give you a diamond necklace, I'm afraid—I'm sorry!"