Part 33 (1/2)

”Well, it is just as sensible as saying we had ust that Herbert was left in no doubt as to his ster,” he said; ”you can't expect me to know your habits, can you? I do know people in the Colonies can't pick and choose their coers, if they want any society”

”What!” shouted the twins ”Who told you that?”

”Oh, I've read it somewhere,” Herbert said carelessly ”It said 'there are no class distinctions in Colonial life Men and women meet as equals'”

”Then it is rot,” said Eustace briefly ”I don't kno you could believe it Our friends were all gentlemen and ladies Australians are as particular as you are whogravatingly, ”you don't know everything, and you haven't been everywhere in the Colonies, you know But it really doesn'tone doesn't do that sort of thing in England Coe of arms left neither boy much pleased with the other Herbert foresaw that Eustace was likely to be uppish and cheeky, and would want keeping in his place Eustace thought Herbert gave hi accorded his portrait He did not look it in real life, for Herbert was ht Eustace, ”he's a silly ass”

Not so much as said as the tone in which it was said left an unpleasant iether that the very first thing they would do when they arrived would be to rush all over the house and see everything Nesta declared she would not be able to sleep a wink for excitement if she did not It had never occurred to the in their own free lives hitherto had suggested baize doors through which they ”ought not to go”

So irkso; they were of a piece with all the other changes which the twins began to feel fro was over Eustace and Nesta had grasped soland really meant: it see of home about it Rather, Eustace reflected bitterly, it was like prison, and all the freedorown-ups lived in one part of the house, the children in another There were certain tiht be visited, otherwise the grown-ups must not be interrupted Becky and Peter were provided with a sort of jailer, whose business it also was to give all the young people their etatable

Life on the veranda always together, always in the thick of everything that was going on, with no shut doors anywhere, had ill-prepared them for this

Then there were Herbert and Brenda

Strange to say, Eustace and Nesta had not thought of the but so in the sahter of the place had never occurred to the new-comers That they would play the part of host and hostess, and treat the Australians entirely as visitors, was a shock to Eustace and Nesta

Not thus did they expect to be received into their ht them to look on as their own

Before the end of the day, however, they had realized this one thing very vividly--Herbert and Brenda had lived here all their lives, but the Orbans were outsiders, their very coldly-welcohtful,” said Mrs Orban, as she dressed for dinner, ”to think of the children getting to know each other at last I do hope they will be happy”

”All the happier for being thrown so ether,” said Mr

Orban ”We couldn't help it, of course, but ours have been thrown far toois much healthier for them”

”It is all hateful,” wept Nesta to her pillow that night ”Herbert is a bully, and Brenda is a stuck-up pig--and I e had never come”

And Eustace did not close his eyes for hours

”Bob was quite right,” he thought ”English people are horrid; they freeze you right up the minute you see them But oh! I believe it would be better if only there was a veranda They do live in such a queer way, all divided up like this”

Back into his s--the one he had sung to Aunt Dorothy the day of her arrival

He went to sleep with the tune ringing in his head,--

”Certain for darkies dis is not de place, Where eben de sun am ashamed to show his face”

CHAPTER XVIII