Seven Little Australians

by Ethel Sybil Turner

  CHAPTER IV

  The General Sees Active Service

  "My brain it teems With endless schemes, Both good and new."

  It was a day after "the events narrated in the last chapter,"as story-book parlance has it. And Judy, with a wrathful look inher eyes, was sitting on the nursery table, her knees touching herchin and her thin brown hands clasped round them.

  "It's a shame," she said, "it's a burning, wicked shame!What's the use of fathers in the world, I'd like to know!"

  "Oh, Judy!" said Meg, who was curled up in an armchair, deep ina book. But she said it mechanically, and only as a matter ofduty, being three years older than Judy.

  "Think of the times we could have if he didn't live with us,"Judy continued, calmly disregardful. "Why, we'd have fowlthree times a day, and the pantomime seven nights a week."

  Nell suggested that it was not quite usual to have pantomimicperformances on the seventh day, but Judy was not daunted.

  "I'd have a kind of church pantomime," she said thoughtfully--"beautifulpictures and things about the Holy Land, and the loveliest music,and beautiful children in white, singing hymns, and bright coloursall about, and no collection plates to take your only threepennybit--oh! and no sermons or litanies, of course."

  "Oh, Judy!" murmured Meg, turning a leaf. Judy unclasped herhands, and then clasped them again more tightly than before."Six whole tickets wasted--thirty beautiful shillings--justbecause we have a father!"

  "He sent them to the Digby-Smiths," Bunty volunteered, "and wroteon the envelope, 'With compts. J. C. Woolcot.'"

  Judy moaned. "Six horrid little Digby-Smiths sitting in thetheatre watching our fun with their six horrid little eyes," shesaid bitterly.

  Bunty, who was mathematically inclined, wanted to know why theywouldn't look at it through their twelve horrid little eyes, andJudy laughed and came down from the table, after expressing awicked wish that the little Digby-Smiths might all tumble over thedress-circle rail before the curtain rose. Meg shut her book witha hurried bang.

  "Has Pip gone yet? Father'll be awfully cross. Oh dear, what ahead I've got!" she said. "Where's Esther? Has anyone seen Esther?"

  "My DEAR Meg!" Judy said; "why, it's at least two hours sinceEsther went up the drive before your very nose. She's gone toWaverly--why, she came in and told you, and said she trusted youto see about the coat, and you said, 'M--'m! all right.'"

  Meg gave a startled look of recollection. "Did I have to cleanit?" she asked in a frightened tone, and pushing her fair hairback from her forehead. "Oh, girls! what WAS it I had to do?"

  "Clean with benzine, iron while wet, put in a cool place to keepwarm, and bake till brown," said Judy promptly. "SURELY youheard, Margaret? Esther was at such pains to explain."

  Meg ruffled her hair again despairingly. "What shall I do?" shesaid, actual tears springing to her eyes. "What will Fathersay? Oh, Judy, you might have reminded me."

  Nell slipped an arm round her neck. "She's only teasing,Megsie; Esther did it and left it ready in the hall--you've onlyto give it to Pip. Pat has to take the dogcart into town thisafternoon to have the back seat mended, and Pip's going in it,too, that's all, and they're putting the horse in now; you'renot late."

  It was the coat Bunty had done his best to spoil that allthe trouble was about. It belonged, as I said, to the Captain'sfull-dress uniform, and was wanted for a dinner at the Barracksthis same evening. And Esther had been sponging and cleaningat it all the morning, and had left directions that it was to betaken to the Barracks in the afternoon.

  Presently the dogcart came spinning round to the door in greatstyle, Pip driving and Pat looking sulkily on. They took thecoat parcel and put it carefully under the seat, and werepreparing to start again, when Judy came out upon the veranda,holding the General in an uncomfortable position in her arms.

  "You come, too, Fizz, there's heaps of room--there's no reason youshouldn't," Pip said suddenly. "Oh--h--h!" said Judy, her eyessparkling. She took a rapid step forward and lifted her foot toget in.

  "Oh, I say!" remonstrated Pip, "you'll have to put on somethingover that dress, old girl--it's all over jam and things."

  Judy shot herself into the hall and returned with her ulster; sheset the General on the floor for a minute while she donned it,then picked him up and handed him up to Pip.

  "He'll have to come, too," she said; "I promised Esther Iwouldn't let him out of my sight for a minute; she's gettingquite nervous about him lately--thinks he'll get broken."

  Pip grumbled a minute or two, but the General gave a gurgling,captivating laugh and held up his arms, so he took him up andheld him while Judy clambered in.

  "We can come back in the tram to the Quay, and then get a boatback," she said, squeezing the baby on the seat between them."The General loves going on the water."

  Away they sped; down the neglected carriage drive, out of thegates, and away down the road. Pip, Judy of the shining eyes,the General devouring his thumb, and Pat smiling-faced once morebecause in possession of the reins.

  A wind from the river swept through the belt of gum trees on theCrown lands, and sent the young red blood leaping through theirveins; it played havoc with Judy's curls, and dyed her browncheeks a warm red; it made the General kick and laugh and growrestive, and caused Pip to stick his hat on the back of his headand whistle joyously.

  Until town was reached, when they were forced to yieldsomewhat to the claims of conventionality. On the way toPaddington a gentleman on horseback slackened pace a little.Pip took off his hat with a flourish, and Judy gave a frank,pleased smile, for it was a certain old Colonel they had knownfor years, and had cause to remember his good-humour andliberality.

  "Well, my little maid--well, Philip, lad," he said, smilinggenially, while his horse danced round the dogcart--"and theGeneral too--where are you all off to?"

  "The Barracks--I'm taking something up for the governor," Pipanswered, Judy was watching the plunging horse with admiring eyes."And then we're going back home."

  The old gentleman managed, in spite of the horse's tricks, toslip his hand in his pocket. "Here's something to make yourselvesill with on the way," he said, handing them two half-crowns; "butdon't send me the doctor's bill."

  He flicked the General's cheek with his whip, gave Judy a nod, andcantered off.

  The children looked at each other with sparkling eyes.

  "Coconuts," Pip said, "and tarts and toffee, and save the rest fora football?" Judy shook her head. "Where do I come in?" she said."You'd keep the football at school. I vote pink jujubes, and icecreams,and a wax doll."

  "A wax grandmother!" Pip retorted; "you wouldn't be such a girl, Ihope." Then he added, with almost pious fervour, "Thank goodnessyou've always hated dolls, Fizz."

  Judy gave a sudden leap in her seat, almost upsetting the General,and bringing down upon her head a storm of reproaches from thecoachman. "I know!" she said; "and we're almost halfway therenow. Oh--h--h! it will be lovely."

  Pip urged her to explain herself.

  "Bondi Aquarium--skating, boats, merry-go-round, switchbackthreepence a go!" she returned succinctly.

  "Good iron," Pip whispered softly, while he revolved the thingin his mind. "There'd be something over, too, to get some tuckerwith, and perhaps something for the football, too." Then hisbrow clouded.

  "There's the kid--whatever did you go bringing him for? Justlike a girl to spoil everything!" Judy looked nonplussed.

  "I quite forgot him," she said, vexedly. "Couldn't we leavehim somewhere? Couldn't we ask someone to take care of himwhile we go? Oh, it would be TOO bad to have to give it upjust because of him. It's beginning to rain, too; we couldn'ttake him with us."

  They were at the foot of Barrack Hill now, and Pat told themthey must get out and walk the rest of the way up, or he wouldnever get the dogcart finished to take back that evening.

  Pip tumbled out and took the General, all in a bunched-up heap,and Judy alighted carefully after him, the precious
coat parcelin her arms. And they walked up the asphalt hill to thegate leading to the officers' quarters in utter silence.

  "Well?" Pip said querulously, as they reached the top. "Bequick; haven't you thought of anything?"

  That levelling of brows, and pursing of lips, always meant deepand intricate calculation on his sister's part, as he knew fullwell.

  "Yes," Judy said quietly. "I've got a plan that will do, I think."Then a sudden fire entered her manner.

  "Who is the General's father? Tell me that," she said, in arapid, eager way; "and isn't it right and proper fathers shouldlook after their sons? And doesn't he deserve we should geteven with him for doing us out of the pantomime? And isn't theAquarium too lovely to miss?"

  "Well?" Pip said; his slower brain did not follow such rapidreasoning.

  "Only I'm going to leave the General here at the Barracks for acouple of hours till we come back, his father being the properperson to watch over him." Judy grasped the General's small.fat hand in a determined way, and opened the gate.

  "Oh, I say," remarked Pip, "we'll get in an awful row, you know,Fizz. I don't think we'd better--I don't really, old girl."

  "Not a bit," said Judy, stoutly--"at least, only a bit, andthe Aquarium's worth that. Look how it's raining; the child willget croup, or rheumatism, or something if we take him; there'sFather standing over on the green near the tennis-court talking toa man. I'll slip quietly along the veranda and into his own room,and put the coat and the General on the bed; then I'll tell asoldier to go and tell Father his parcels have come; and whilehe's gone I'll fly back to you, and we'll catch the tramand go to the Aquarium."

  Pip whistled again softly. He was used to bold proposals fromthis sister of his, but this was beyond everything. "B--b--but,"he said uneasily, "but, Judy, whatever would he do with that kid fortwo mortal hours?"

  "Mind him," Judy returned promptly. "It's a pretty thing if afather can't mind his own child for two hours. Afterwards, yousee, when we've been to the Aquarium, we will come back and fetchhim, and we can explain to Father how it was raining, and that wethought we'd better not take him with us for fear of rheumatism,and that we were in a hurry to catch the tram, and as he wasn'tin his room we just put him on the bed till he came. Why, Pip,it's beautifully simple!"

  Pip still looked uncomfortable. "I don't like it, Fizz," he saidagain; "he'll be in a fearful wax."

  Judy gave him one exasperated look. "Go and see if that's theBondi tram coming," she said; and glad of a moment's respite,he went down the path again to the pavement and looked downthe hill. When he turned round again she had gone.

  He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked up and down the patha few times. "Fizz'll get us hanged yet," he muttered, lookingdarkly at the door in the wall through which she had disappeared.He pushed his hat to the back of hiss head and stared gloomilyat his boots, wondering what would be the consequences of thisnew mischief. There was a light footfall beside him.

  "Come on," said Judy, pulling his sleeve; "it's done now, come on,let's go and have our fun; have you got the money safe?"

  It was two o'clock as they passed out of the gate and turnedtheir faces up, the hill to the tram stopping-place. And it washalf-past four when they jumped out of a town-bound tram andentered the gates again to pick up their charge.

  Such an afternoon as they had had! Once inside the Aquarium,even Pip had put his conscience qualms on one side, and bent allhis energies to enjoying himself thoroughly. And Judy was likea little mad thing. She spent a shilling of her money on theswitchback railway, pronouncing the swift, bewildering motion"heavenly." The first journey made Pip feel sick, so heeschewed a repetition of it, and watched Judy go off from time totime, waving gaily from the perilous little car, almost with hisheart in his mouth. Then they hired a pair of roller skates each,and bruised themselves black and blue with heavy falls on theasphalt. After that they had a ride on the merry-go-round, butJudy found it tame after the switchback, and refused to squandera second threepence upon it, contenting herself with watching Pipfly round, and madly running by his side, to keep up as long asshe could. They finished the afternoon with a prolongedinspection of the fish-tanks, a light repast of jam tarts ofquestionable freshness, and twopennyworth of peanuts. And, asI said, it was half-past four as they hastened up the path againto the top gate of the Barracks.

  "I hope he's been good," Judy said, as she turned the handle."Yes, you come, too, Pip"--for that young gentleman hung back oneagonized second. "Twenty kicks or blows divided by two only maketen, you see."

  They went up the long stone veranda and stopped at one door.

  There was a little knot of young officers laughing and talkingclose by.

  "Take my word, 'twas as good as a play to see Wooly grabbing hisyoungster, and stuffing it into a cab, and getting in himself, allwith a look of ponderous injured dignity," one said, and laughedat the recollection.

  Another blew away a cloud of cigar smoke. "It was a jolly littlebeggar," he said. "It doubled its fists and landed His HighMightiness one in the eye; and then its shoe dropped off, andwe all rushed to pick it up, and it was muddy and generallydilapidated, and old Wooly went red slowly up to his ear-tips ashe tried to put it on."

  A little figure stepped into the middle of the group--a littlefigure with an impossibly short and shabby ulster, thinblack-stockinged legs, and a big hat crushed over a tangle ofcurls.

  "It is my father you are speaking of," she said, her head veryhigh, her tone haughty, "and I cannot tell where your amusement is.Is my father here, or did I hear you say he had gone away?"

  Two of the men looked foolish, the third took off his cap.

  "I am sorry you should have overheard us, Miss Woolcot," hesaid pleasantly. "Still, there is no irreparable harm done, isthere? Yes, your father has gone away in a cab. He couldn'timagine how the little boy came on his bed, and, as he couldn'tkeep him here very well, I suppose he has taken him home."

  Something like a look of shame came into Judy's bright eyes,

  "I am afraid I must have put my father to some inconvenience,"she said quietly. "It was I who left the Gen--my brother here,because I didn't know what to do with him for an hour or two.But I quite meant to take him home myself. Has he been gonelong?"

  "About half an hour," the officer said, and tried not to lookamused at the little girl's old-fashioned manner.

  "Ah, thank you. Perhaps we can catch him up. Come on, Pip,"and, nodding in a grave, distant manner, she turned away, andwent down the veranda and through the gate with her brother.

  "A nice hole we're in," he said.

  Judy nodded.

  "It's about the very awfullest thing we've ever done in our lives.Fancy the governor carting that child all the way from here! Oh,lor'!"

  Judy nodded again.

  "Can't you speak?" he said irritably. "You've got us into this--Ididn't want to do it; but I'll stand by you, of course. Onlyyou'll have to think of something quick."

  Judy bit three finger-tips off her right-hand glove, and lookedmelancholy.

  "There's absolutely nothing to do, Pip," she said slowly. "Ididn't think it would turn out like this. I suppose we'd betterjust go straight back and hand ourselves over for punishment.He'll be too angry to hear any sort of an excuse, so we'd betterjust grin and hear whatever he does to us. I'm really sorry, too,that I made a laughing-stock of him up there."

  Pip was explosive. He called her a little ass and a gowk and astupid idiot for doing such a thing, and she did not reproach himor answer back once.

  They caught a tram and went into Sydney, and afterwards to theboat. They ensconced themselves in a corner at the far end, anddiscussed the state of affairs with much seriousness. Then Pip gotup and, strolled about a little to relieve his feelings, comingback in a second with a white, scared face.

  "He's on the boat," he said, in a horrified whisper.

  "Where-where--where? what--what--what?" Judy cried, unintentionallymimicking a long-buried monarch. />
  "In the cabin, looking as glum as a boiled wallaby, and hangingon to the poor little General as if he thinks he'll fly away."

  Judy looked a little frightened for the first time. "Can't wehide? Don't let him see us. It wouldn't be any good offering totake the General now. We're in for it now, Pip--there'll be noquarter."

  Pip groaned; then Judy stood up.

  "Let's creep down as far as the engine," she said, "and see if hedoes look very bad."

  They made their way cautiously along the deck, and took up aposition where they could see without being seen. The dearlittle General was sitting on the seat next to his stern father,who had a firm hold of the back of his woolly-pelisse. He wassucking his little dirty hand, and casting occasional longingglances at his tan shoe, which he knew was delicious to bite.Once or twice he had pulled it off and conveyed it to his mouth,but his father intercepted it, and angrily buttoned it on againin its rightful place. He wanted, too, to slither off the horridseat, and crawl all over the deck, and explore the ground underthe seats, and see where the puffing noise came from; but therewas that iron grasp on his coat that no amount of wriggling wouldmove. No wonder the poor child looked unhappy!

  At last the boat stopped at a wharf not far from Misrule, and theCaptain alighted, carrying his small dirty son gingerly in hisarms. He walked slowly up the red road along which the dogcarthad sped so blithesomely some six or seven hours ago, and Judyand Pip followed at a respectful--a very respectful--distance.At the gate he saw them, and gave a large, angry beckon for themto come up. Judy went very white, but obeyed instantly, and Pip,pulling himself together, brought up the rear.

  Afterwards Judy only had a very indistinct remembrance of whathappened during the next half-hour. She knew there was a stormyscene, in which Esther and the whole family came in for animmense amount of vituperation.

  Then Pip received a thrashing, in spite of Judy's persistent avowalthat it was all her fault, and Pip hadn't done anything. Sheremembered wondering whether she would be treated as summarily asPip, so angry was her father's face as he pushed the boy asideand stood looking at her, riding whip in hand. But he flungit, down and laid a heavy hand on her shrinking shoulder.

  "Next Monday," he said slowly--"next Monday morning you willgo to boarding school. Esther, kindly see Helen's clothes areready for boarding school--next Monday morning."