Part 6 (1/2)
She could not ht tell to dick Her vow had only applied to grown-ups, and since the Campbells had helped her to wish dick over, presumably they would allow her to take him into her confidence But would he believe such an unlikely story--and what about Young Outraained for two boys She decided to wait and see if Prudence caain, and, in the meantime, to write and tell dick that she was alive and well, and that some explanation of hissooner or later
Thehad done Mollie and Grannie worked hard at the jig-saw puzzle, and, without breaking her word by the set a considerable amount of information about Australia fronorant on the subject of our Australian colonies, but her knowledge was vague, and her interest before this ti Grannie, on the other hand, had had a brother and many friends in Australia, and had, at one time or another, corresponded with a number of people there She was able to tell Mollie several thrilling tales of bush fires, of the gold-fields, and of Ned Kelly, the great bushranger But in none of her stories did the naain tucked up on her sofa and told to take a little nap Grannie was soain ”Bairns have queer fancies,” she thought to herself, as she laid it on Mollie's lap ”Don't look too long, o to sleep You were all the better yesterday There is Aunt Mary playing the piano--dearsince I heard that tune!”
When Mollie was left alone she opened the album, lay back on her cushi+ons, and stared hard at the picture of prim little Prudence
”_Noe shall see! Was it a dreaain? That is the question”
But nothing happened Prudence stared soleood for human nature's daily food
”But she wasn't, I feel sure she wasn't, even if it _was_ all a drea! I did hope that parrot of dick's ain and knohat happened next Besides, it would be thrilling to be a Tis”
As she es of the albu rather listlessly at the other children, and deciding that none was so attractive as Prudence, till she cairls and a boy She looked closer, then stretched out her hand for the reading-glass and looked again: ”I do believe it is--yes, it _is_--Hugh and Prudence and Grizzel and Baby! Hoish_ they would come alive!”
Even as she said the last word she saw a smile dawn upon Prue's face She did not drop the albuhtly on to it, closed her eyes, and counted twenty When she opened theood and sweet as ever
”Oh, I _a out her hands ”I thought it was all a dreaain, won't you? I did love yesterday”
Prudence smiled and took Mollie's hands in her own ”We need not waste ti to-day,” she said ”Listen to the music”
Mollie shut her eyes and listened to Aunt Mary, who just then began to sing--Mollie could hear the words quite plainly:
”Oft in the stilly night, Ere sluht Of other days around h deeply rutted cart-track high up on a hill-side Behind them the hill rose steeply, so thickly wooded that Mollie could not see plainly to the top Before her it fell in a gentle slope to a narrow valley, through which ran a shallow creek with green banks on either side Straight before her, half-way up the opposite hill, she sahite cottage covered with a scarlet flowering creeper It had casearden of the cottage reached to the foot of the hill, and for three-quarters of its length was filled with rows of vines, looking like green lines ruled on a brown slate
On one side of the little vineyard Mollie could see a path winding up the hill, twisting in and out between vines and overhanging trees till it lost itself in a flower-garden, whichscarlet that Mollie thought it ht have been spilt out of a sunset
By the roadside at her feet sat Grizzel, red curls still bobbing round her head, and apparently the very sa her sli it into a bowl, pinching here, srubby hands On a strip of grass before her stood a long row of golden balls, glittering in the sunshi+ne as if they had newly left a jeweller's shop
Prudence stood beside Mollie, rolling a clay ball round and round in her hands; and Mollie discovered presently that she herself was also rolling a lump of sticky stiff mud into some sort of shape, she was not sure what, but it seeht
As she watched the other two children, she saw Grizzel rise to her feet and run a few steps along the road to where, on the upper slope, a wedge had been sliced out of the hill, leaving a three- cornered open space which glittered curiously This apparently here the golden balls ca a handful of shi+ning sand let it filter evenly through her fingers over her bowl She then set the bowl on the ground, and lightly rubbed the gold sand into its surface She repeated this process three tiritty hands on her overall, shook the curls out of her eyes, and said:
”It's quite a nice bowl If _only_ we could make them hold water, Prue, it would do beautifully for Mamma's Russian violets”
As Grizzel spoke Mollie suddenly realized that she knehere she was They were in ”the hills”, across the as their suu road she had seen froed to follow it and see what lay behind those hills
She carried her ball along to the wedge in the hill-side and rolled it in the golden sand, rubbing it and sprinkling it as she had seen Grizzel do, and soon it took on a splendid yellow shi+ne
”It looks very nice, Mollie,” said Grizzel ”I like the way you've shaped it like an orange I wonder if I could make a bunch of cherries--I think I will try to-morrow Put it here beside mine; it is the hottest place”
Mollie stopped and put her ball--which she no she _had_ shaped like an orange--beside Grizzel's on the sunny patch of grass Then she stood up and looked round her again
”Where is Hugh?” she asked, ”and Baby, and your father andthe roses over the way,”
Prudence answered, shading her eyes with one hand, and looking across the valley at the garden ”What is he doing, I wonder--he seeet Papa and Ma care of us, but she is rather a goose”
”All the better for us,” said Grizzel ”If she were strict and fussy ouldn't have nearly such a nice time as we do You have only to say snake to Miss Hilton and she is ready to faint; it is useful someti rather relieved to hear that the elders of the family were away