Rain swept down, dripping off their cotton bonnets and soaking into their shawls. Mary walked more and more slowly. She didn’t complain, but Nellie could see that each step was an effort for her.
‘Keep your spirits up, angel,’ she said. ‘It’s not far to the Depot. We’ll find work there right away, I’m sure of it.’
‘We have no references from the mistress, Nell, to say we have any skill or experience. How shall we ever find jobs without them?’
‘References are nothing but pieces of paper. I can tell them you are the best nursery maid ever to leave Ireland, and that’s no more than the truth. And you can say that I have a flaming Irish temper to go with my red Irish hair, but I’m a good hard worker all the same.’
Mary shivered as a gust of wind made her stagger. ‘If only I could feel warm again,’ she said, through chattering teeth. ‘Even my bones are cold.’
‘Sure, it’s chilly enough to freeze the tail off a goat. But maybe there’ll be a great big fire waiting for us at the Depot. Wouldn’t that be a fine thing?’
At last they reached the Immigration Depot, the building that served as a hiring house for the Irish orphan girls shipped out to the colony. Nellie saw that there was indeed a fire in the fireplace of the front room, but it was nothing like the cheerful blaze she’d imagined. The gum-tree logs were too green to burn properly, and clouds of smoke made Mary cough till she was so exhausted she could hardly stand.
Nellie looked around her, and her hope that she and Mary would easily find new jobs faded away.
Meet the other Australian girls
Alice and the Apple Blossom Fair
1918
It’s 1918 and Alice has never felt more lonely. Her father is missing at sea, her brother Teddy is away at war, and she’s not allowed to speak to her best friend anymore. Alice tries to forget her worries by having a stall at the Apple Blossom Fair. But when strange events start happening in the town, everything goes wrong … Will the war ever be over, and will life for Alice ever be the same?
Follow Alice on her adventure in the second of four exciting stories about a gifted girl in a time of war.
Davina Bell, author of the Alice books, is a West Australian writer and editor who works in the world of children’s books. Her short stories have been published in various journals and anthologies. The Our Australian Girl books are her first novels.
GRACE
1808
It’s 1808 and Grace is living with her uncle in London. They have no money, and Grace is always lonely and often hungry. One afternoon she can’t resist taking a shiny red apple from a grocer’s cart – and in a split second, her life changes forever …
You can read all the books in the Grace series …
MEET GRACE
A FRIEND FOR GRACE
GRACE AND GLORY
A HOME FOR GRACE
LETTY
1841
It’s 1841 and Letty is on the docks in England, farewelling her bossy older sister, who is about to take a long sea voyage to Australia. But then there’s a mix-up and Letty finds herself on the ship too! How will she manage on the other side of the world, and what will life be like there?
You can read all the books in the Letty series …
MEET LETTY
LETTY AND THE STRANGER’S LACE
LETTY ON THE LAND
LETTY’S CHRISTMAS
Poppy
1864
It’s 1864 and Poppy lives at Bird Creek Mission near Echuca. When her brother, Gus, runs away to pan for gold, Poppy plans her own escape … Will she ever find Gus, whom she loves more than anything in the world?
You can read all the books in the Poppy series …
Meet Poppy
Poppy at Summerhill
Poppy and the Thief
Poppy Comes Home
Rose 1900
It’s 1900 and Rose lives with her family in a big house in Melbourne. She wants to play cricket, climb trees and be an adventurer! But Rose’s mother has other ideas. Will Rose ever really get to do the things she loves?
You can read all the books in the Rose series …
Meet Rose
Rose on Wheels
Rose’s Challenge
Rose in Bloom
ouraustraliangirl.com.au
To play games, enter competitions and read more about your favourite characters, visit our website. We’d love to hear from you!
Follow the story of your favourite Australian girls and you will see that there is a special charm on the cover of each book that tells you something about the story.
PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2012
Text copyright © Penny Matthews, 2012
Illustrations copyright © Lucia Masciullo, 2012
The moral right of the author and the illustrator has been asserted. All rights reserved.
Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders for material used in this book.
If anyone has information on relevant copyright holders, please contact us.
Cover and internal design by Evi O. © Penguin Group (Australia)
Cover portrait © Tim de Neefe
Cover photograph © Rob Palmer
puffin.com.au
ouraustraliangirl.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74253-517-3
Nellie and Secret the Letter Page 6