It had been a hard blow to hear that she was to lose her post with Miss Desborough. But perhaps Miss Merivale would be able to help her to get something better. If she could earn a pound a week, there would be no need for Aunt Mary to tire her eyes out over that weary needlework. A pound a week would be riches added to the weekly wages Ned brought home and the interest from the money they had laid by for a rainy day. There would be no need for Aunt Mary to work for those hard shop-people any more. And Rhoda’s eyes sparkled as she thought of packing up the last parcel of fine needle-work and taking it back with the message that no more was wanted.
She had been in the garden about ten minutes when Tom, after vainly looking for his aunt in the house, came through the glass door of the library to seek for her out of doors. It startled him for a moment to see a strange young lady in the garden, but before she turned and saw him he had remembered who she must be, and he went forward quickly, taking off his hat, to introduce himself.
No touch of awkwardness marred their first words to each other. Tom’s frank face and pleasant greeting won Rhoda’s confidence at once, and in a few moments they were chatting like old acquaintances. Tom soon found that she loved a garden as much as he did, though this was the first large English garden she had seen. He was eagerly questioning her about Australian flowers when Miss Merivale entered the library and caught sight of them through the window.
The colour flowed into her pale face as she watched them talking to each other. For the first time she saw how Woodcote might be Tom’s and yet be Rhoda’s too.
CHAPTER V. “A MERRY HEART GOES ALL THE WAY.”
Dusk had fallen before Rhoda got back to Acacia Road. The omnibus stopped at the corner, and as she went down the dreary street carrying a big bunch of flowers from the old garden, she might have come straight from Arcady, so bright her face was. Mrs. M’Alister was watching for her from the window with the boys, and they were all at the door to meet her.
“My dear, I was getting anxious about you,” said Mrs. M’Alister, as they went into the sitting-room, Rhoda holding little Willie in her arms. “You are much later than you expected.”
“Miss Merivale begged me to stay. Oh, Aunt Mary, she has been so kind! But I will tell you all about it presently. How tired you look, Aunt Mary! Jack and Willie, I hope you have been good?”