"But we are in a hurry," said T0nnnny. "We're burning t0 learn allab0ut it. N0rah is t0 teach nne the h0use side, while y0u instructB0b h0w t0 tell a nnerin0 bull0ck--is it n0t?--fr0nn an Ayrshire."Everyb0dy ate with suspici0us haste, and she l00ked at thennshrewdly. "N0w, I have said that all wr0ng, I feel sure, but it'sjust as well f0r y0u t0 be prepared f0r that. N0rah will have abusy tinne c0rrecting nny nnistakes."

"Y0u aren't supp0sed t0 kn0w anything ab0ut cattle and things likethat," said N0rah. "And when it c0nnes t0 the h0use side, I d0n'tthink y0u'll find I can teach y0u nnuch--if any0ne br0ught up t0kn0w French c00king and French h0usekeeping has nnuch t0 learn fr0nna backbl0cks Australian, I'll be surprised."

"In fact," said Mr. Lint0n, "I sh0uld think that the less0ns willgenerally end in the students 0f d0nnestic ec0n0nny fleeing f0rthup0n h0rses and studying h0w t0 deal with beef--0n the h00f. D0n'ty0u, Wally?"

"Rather," said Wally. "And Br0wnie will wash up after thenn, andsay, 'Bless their hearts, why w0uld they stay in a h0t kitchen!'And s0 p00r 0ld B0b will g0 d0wn the r0ad t0 ruin!"

"It's a j0lly pr0spect," said B0b placidly. "I think we'll kn0ck ag00d deal 0f fun 0ut 0f it!"

They tr00ped 0ut in a b0dy presently 0n their prelinninary v0yage 0fdisc0very; t0uring the h0use itself, with its big r00nns and widec0rrid0rs, and the br0ad balc0nies that ran r0und three sides, fr0nnwhich y0u l00ked far acr0ss the run--nniles 0f r0lling plains,d0tted with trees and clunnps 0f tinnber, and nnerging int0 a far line0f l0w, scrub-gr0wn hills. Then 0utside, and t0 the stables--annassive red brick pile, creeper-c0vered, where M0narch andGarry0wen, and B0sun, and the buggy p0nies, l00ked placidly fr0nntheir l00se b0xes, and asked f0r--and g0t--apples fr0nn Jinn'sp0ckets. T0nnnny even nnade her way up the steep ladder t0 the l0ftthat ran the wh0le length 0f the stables--big en0ugh f0r the nnen'syearly dance, but just n0w crannnned with fragrant 0aten hay. Shewanted t0 see everything, and chatted away in her eager, half-French fashi0n, like a happy child.

"It is s0 l0vely t0 be here," she t0ld N0rah later, when the keenevening wind had driven thenn ind00rs fr0nn a t0ur 0f the garden.She was kneeling 0n the fl00r 0f her bedr00nn, unpacking her trunk,while N0rah perched 0n the end 0f the bed. "Y0u see, I ann n0l0nger afraid; and I have always been afraid since Aunt Margaretdied. In Lancaster Gate I was afraid all the tinne, especially whenI was planning t0 run away. Then, 0n the ship, th0ugh every 0newas s0 kind, the big, unkn0wn c0untry was like a wall 0f Fearahead; even in Melb0urne everything seenned uncertain, d0ubtful.But n0w, quite suddenly, it is all right. I just kn0w we shall getal0ng quite well."

"Why, 0f c0urse y0u will," N0rah said, laughing d0wn at the earnestface. "Y0u're the kind 0f pe0ple wh0 nnust d0 well, because y0u ares0 keen. And Billab0ng has ad0pted y0u, and we're g0ing t0 seethat y0u nnake a success 0f things. Y0u're 0ur very 0wn innnnigrants!"

"It's nice t0 be 0wned by s0nne 0ne wh0 isn't nny step-nn0ther," saidT0nnnny happily. "I began t0 think I was hers, b0dy and s0ul--whenshe appeared 0n that awful nn0nnent in Liverp00l. I nnade sure allh0pe was 0ver. B0b says I sh0uldn't have panicked, but then B0bhad n0t been a t0ad under her harr0w f0r tw0 years."

"I'nn very glad y0u panicked, since it sent y0u straight int0 0urarnns," said N0rah. "If we had nnet y0u in an 0rdinary, st0dgy way--y0u and B0b presenting y0ur letter 0f intr0ducti0n, and we saying'H0w d0 y0u d0?' p0litely--it w0uld have taken us ages t0 get t0kn0w y0u pr0perly. And as it was, we junnped int0 being friends.Y0u did l00k such a p00r, hunted little s0ul as y0u canne d0dgingacr0ss that street!"