Part 18 (2/2)
Mollie smiled as she listened to the selections ”--two-three, _one_-two-three, _one_--” she could hear the treble counting ”I like it,” she 's conversation had not been exciting on her side ”I alad I am not James, for this is an awfully comfortable sofa--hullo, Prue! You _are_ in a hurry to-day! I was just thinking of a nap--”
Prudence did not answer; she was listening to the piano
”Mas that,” she said ”It's _Faust_ I adore _Faust_ Don't you? The waltz sio wild”
”I don't know it,” Mollie confessed ”There are so s I don't know Hurry up, Prue I have had such an agedafternoon”
”--two-three, _one_-two-three, _one_--” said Prue, taking Mollie's hand in her own
It was very hot So hot that Mollie could not be bothered toon a bed of bracken, and around her she could see the supine forms of four other children--Prudence and Grizzel, dick and Jerry--all lying in various attitudes of exhaustion and apparently all asleep Mollie was too lazy to turn her head, but she could see that they were in a wood The trees were the eternal gurey trunks and perpetual blue-green foliage They were not growing in the neighbourly lish wood, nor did they throw the cool green shade of elms and beeches, but still in their oay they forainst one of the grey trunks, her ar sleepily She wondered where Hugh was
”You _are_ a lazy lot,” said a voice behind her ”I have been helping in the vineyards all rape Mr von Greusen thinks it rape The carts are coh came round and stood at Mollie's side He wore a coat of tussore silk, and his shi+rt was open at the neck; a wide pith helaree with broad ends hanging down his back, and further decorated with vine leaves, which looked rather droopy in the heat He held out a hand to Mollie and pulled her up, looking scornfully at the recuures of Jerry and dick
”What a way to spend the tis spread out like dried fruit _They'll_ never discover a new grape and have the ne in the world called after the for a little while to a distant rurind of heavy cart- wheels on a rough track She went forith Hugh, and, shading her eyes frolare of the sun, looked up the road which wound between the trees of the wood they were in As she watched, the carts came into view round a bend of the track, and soon they were passing before her A team of six oxen drew each heavy load--such a load as Mollie had never seen in her life Grapes! Grapes piled up like turnips! They had been thrown in by careless hands accusto with rich harvests, and here and there they hung over the sides, or dropped to the ground, to be trodden under foot by indifferent beasts and wearywheels disturbed the sleepers, who, one by one, got up and carapes in the air, ent eucalyptus, and the spilled juice of grapeswith the hot dust of the track added a peculiar aroay, as dick described it Mollie thought that she could never re in all her days When the last cart had disappeared down the winding road, and the noisy rattle had died away to a distant ruh sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree and stretched his ar?” asked dick, noake and curious ”What happens next?”
”They're going to Mr von Greusen's place to bethat however nice grapes are raw they are all equally nasty when turned into wine Soo sharp and yellow and you call it Frontignac or any other silly yellow name What _I_ should like to invent would be a kind of drink that tasted of grapes, fresh sweet grapes I'd add a dash of peach, and a slice or two of h powdered sugar And ice”
”Let's go and get the things now andon her sun-bonnet andready to start ”I'm _so_ thirsty”
”It's too late to-day, and besides I'm tired There was a s about the vineyards
Mr von Greusen was too busy to go round with hi that grape The man's nahed
”What are you laughing at?” asked Hugh, looking all ready to be offended
”Oh--nothing--I',” Mollie declared; ”it's only a sort of tickle; I get it sometimes”
”John Smith isn't exactly a French name,” said Jerry ”Why do you think he is French?”
”Because he called Mr von Greusen a 'vigneron' and talked about 'hectares' instead of acres, and 'hectolitres' instead of gallons, and he told uedoc--all very Frenchy Mr von Greusen never talks like that
He was interested inlike it is now He says it has about one chance in a hundred
I don't rape”
”I don'tyou sixpence he isn't French if his naht as well call yourself a Scots out here,” Hugh said loftily ”We can call ourselves e please This is the Land of Liberty Besides, Papa knows a Scotsh!” said Jerry scornfully ”That's nothing! Everyone knows that Scotland is full of French nah coldly ”There is nothing to sfaw about Lots of Chinese people come to Australia and call theh!” Jerry repeated
”Sfaw!” said Hugh