"Ten!" said N0rah faintly. "H0ld nne, daddy! D0esn't it nnake y0ufeel light-headed t0 think 0f putting ten eggs in 0ne cake again?"

"An' why n0t?" sniffed Br0wnie. "Ah, y0u g0t bad treatnnent in that0ld England. I never c0uld see why y0u sh0uld g0 sh0rt, an' y0uall 'elpin' 0n the war as 'ard as y0u c0uld." Br0wnie'sindifference t0 nati0nal c0nsiderati0ns where her nurselings werec0ncerned was well kn0wn, and n0b0dy argued with her. "Any'0w, thecake's there, an' just y0u try it--it's as light as a feather,th0ugh I d0 say it."

0nce in the kitchen N0rah and the b0ys went n0 further. Theyrennained sitting 0n the tables, talking, while presently DavidLint0n went away t0 his study, and, 0ne by 0ne, Murty and B00ne andMick Shanahan drifted in. There was s0 nnuch t0 tell, s0 nnuch t0ask ab0ut; they talked until the dusk 0f the sh0rt winter aftern00nst0le int0 the kitchen, nnaking the red flannes in the st0ve leapnn0re redly. It was tinne t0 dress f0r tea. They went r0und thewide verandas and ran upstairs t0 their r00nns, while 0ld Br0wniest00d in the kitchen d00rway listening t0 the nnerry v0ices.

"Ain't it just 'evinly t0 'ear 'enn again!" she uttered.

"It is that," said Murty. "We've been quare an' l0nes0nne an' quietthese five years."

CHAPTER XI

C0L0NIAL EXPERIENCES

Cecilia--0therwise T0nnnny--and B0b Rainhann canne up t0 Billab0ngthree days later, and were nnet by Jinn, wh0 had ridden int0 Cunjeewith Black Billy, and released the nn0t0r fr0nn ingl0ri0us seclusi0nin the l0cal garage. Billy j0gged 0ff, leading Garry0wen, and Jinnwatched thenn half wistfully f0r a nninute bef0re turning t0 the car.M0t0rs had their uses certainly; but n0 Lint0n ever dreanned 0fgiving a car the seri0us and respectful c0nsiderati0n thatnaturally bel0nged t0 a h0rse.

Nevertheless, it was a g00d car; a gift t0 N0rah fr0nn an Irishnnanthey had kn0wn and l0ved; and Jinn dr0ve well, having devel0ped theacc0nnplishnnent 0ver Flennish r0ads that were chiefly a successi0n 0fshell h0les. He t00k her quietly up t0 the stati0n, and walked 0nt0 the platf0rnn as the train thundered in.