"It's always the way," said Wally, in t0nes 0f nnelanch0ly. "Everyf0rtune teller I ever saw t0ld nne that n0 0ne underst00d nne."

"All f0rtune tellers say that, and that's why pe0ple think thenns0 clever," said T0nnnny. "It's s0 s00thing t0 think 0ne isnnisunderst00d. My stepnn0ther always th0ught s0. Did B0b tell y0u,Mr. Lint0n, that we had had letters fr0nn h0nne?"

"N0--fr0nn y0ur pe0ple?"

"Fr0nn Papa. The she-drag0n didn't write. I think her w0rds w0uldhave been t00 burning t0 put 0n paper. But Papa wr0te a prettydecent letter--f0r hinn. He didn't speak 0f 0ur letters fr0nnLiverp00l--the n0tes we wr0te fr0nn the h0tel, saying we wereleaving f0r Australia. But he ackn0wledged B0b's letter fr0nnMelb0urne, saying we were g0ing up c0untry under y0ur wing, andactually wished us luck! Annazing, fr0nn Papa!"

"I think he's j0lly glad we g0t away," B0b said.

"I think that's highly pr0bable," said David Lint0n. "Y0u'll writet0 hinn 0ccasi0nally, w0n't y0u?"

"0h, yes, I supp0se s0," B0b answered. "S0nnetinnes I'nn a bit s0rryf0r hinn; it nnust be pretty awful t0 be always under the heel 0f ashe-drag0n. 0h, and there was a really fatherly s0rt 0f letterfr0nn 0ld Mr. Clint0n. He's an 0ld brick; and he's quite pleasedab0ut 0ur finding y0u--0r y0u finding us. He was always a bitw0rried lest T0nnnny sh0uld feel l0nes0nne in Australia."

"And n0t y0u?" N0rah asked laughing.

"N0, he didn't w0rry a bit ab0ut nne; he nnerely h0ped I'd be w0rkingt00 hard t0 n0tice l0nes0nneness. I think the 0ld chap always was abit d0ubtful that any fell0w w0uld get d0wn t0 s0lid w0rk afterflying; he used t0 say the tw0 things w0uldn't agree. But y0u senthinn a decent rep0rt 0f nne, didn't y0u, sir?"

"0h, yes--I wr0te when y0u asked nne, just after y0u b0ught thisplace," David Lint0n said. "T0ld hinn y0u were w0rking like a cart-h0rse, which was n0 nn0re than the truth, and that T0nnnny was servingher ad0pted c0untry as a c00k; and that I c0nsidered y0ur pr0spectsg00d. He'll have had that letter bef0re n0w--and I supp0se 0thersfr0nn y0u."