  A governess coming! What, a governess coming just when things were at their best. Just when the paddocks were green and the horses were rolling fat, and everything was free and easy, and everyone felt inclined for fun and gaiety and jollification. A governess coming to keep them in musty old school, and make them study dry old books and lessons and figures. They never thought Mother could be so hard-hearted and so cruel and so mean. “And I’m just sick and tired of old school. I got enough of it in Sydney to last me a lifetime. I did think I would be free from it now and get a rest at home,” sighed Eileen. “I wish there were no such things as governesses,” wailed Doris. “Governesses and old school!” “I ’ate old tool!” roared Baby. “Oh, dear, sometimes I wish I was dead!” went on Doris. “A smart lot of good being dead would do you,” snapped Eileen. “Goin’ to school’s worse nor bein’ dead sometimes,” said Doris. “It’s not so bad if you learn your lessons,” said Eva, who was rather glad of the idea of the governess, but daren’t say so in the presence of the others for fear they’d laugh at her. “Who wants to learn old lessons?” cried Doris. “I want to play all day and feed the chickens and watch the little ducks in the water, and catch crayfish and bully-frogs, and there won’t be any time for all that with a governess—boo-hoo!” “It’s sickening,” declared Mollie, looking away over the green paddocks; “there’s always something turning up just when things are going good.” “Don’t you like her coming, either, Mollie?” asked Eva, breathlessly. “No,” answered Mollie, “not just yet. I want to ride and ride while the horses are fat. I don’t want old school and lessons any more than you others.” “Oh, why didn’t you tell Mother that?” cried Eileen, breathlessly; “she might have listened to you. She thinks you are so sensible.” “What’s the use of talking?” snapped Mollie. “She’ll come, no matter what we say.” “And I’ll bet she’ll be old and scotty and prim and particular,” said Eileen. “Yes, and wear glasses, and will always be losing them, and will hardly ever smile, and read a lot,” said Eva. “Yes, dry old books—all about good people that were never in the world at all,” finished Eileen, “and expect us to be like them. She needn’t think she’s going to make me like any of her old good people in books.” “Nor me, either!” said Doris. “Me, eder!” said Baby. “And I bet she won’t be able to ride!” went on Eileen, “and knows nothing about bush life.” “And I bet she don’t like little ducks and chickens,” put in Doris. “I wonder what will she be like, and what’ll her name be,” said Mollie. “I bet she’ll be tall and thin!” said Eva. “Oh, sure to!” said Eileen. “I can see her now, getting round with her head in the air, turning her long nose up at everything,” and then Eileen walked round, sniffing contemptuously, and they all laughed merrily. “Dear, oh, dear! I do wonder what she’ll be like!” said Eva, sobering up. “Who?” asked Willie, who just then came through the gate. “The new governess,” they cried in one breath. “What! heard any more about her?” he asked, eagerly. “No, we’re just wondering——” “Ugh! Just wondering—just like girls; that’s all you’re good for—wondering.” Then there was an uproar, and five pairs of feet chased him round the verandah, and five pairs of arms imprisoned him. “You’re always wondering yourself,” they cried, “and you’re too conceited to let on.” “Yes, ’course he is, ’course he is.” Then Willie set to wondering in real earnest, and he bet she’d be cross as two sticks, and wear ugly old dresses and couldn’t understand a fellow liking sheep-mustering, and drafting and all that, and he bet she’d never go for a swim in the river with them, and he bet she’d never fish, or if she did catch one she wouldn’t be able to take it off the line, and she’d be calling all over the place for him to do it, and she’d always be wanting him to put the bait on. Well, she needn’t get calling for him, for he just wasn’t going to stand it; if a fellow went fishing, he was going to fish and not go baiting a line for an old governess! “Yes, and I’ll bet she’ll hate country life,” declared Eileen, eagerly. “Of course she will,” echoed Willie. “She won’t know a thing about it. I say,” he went on, growing brighter, “we might have some fun with the old party”—(for Willie was sadly deteriorating in his manners lately); “yes, we might have some fun, you know, if we get her mounted on old Nigger and teach her to ride——” They all laughed again, at the spectacle of the governess on Nigger. “And I’ll crack the whip behind old Nigger, and, gee-whizz, won’t he go?” roared Willie, and the five other little sinners joined in the laugh. “We might have some fun yet,” they agreed, hopefully. “Yes, leave it to me,” went on Willie. “I’ll see to that. I didn’t come all the way from Sydney to shut myself up in old school. We’ll have some fun right enough.” “But she might be nice,” said Eva, timidly. “Nice?” echoed Willie. “Nice? What are you talking about?” “I’ve often read of real nice governesses,” went on Eva. “Read?” said Willie, scornfully. “Yes, you might read about ’em, but you seldom see ’em. No, they might live in books, but not in life, and don’t you forget it!” “Oh, dear, it’s a hard life!” sighed Eileen, “just when things seemed to be going right, too; but it’s no use wishing or expecting or hoping for things to go right, because they never will.” “No, they never will,” echoed Eva. “No, dey never will,” agreed Doris. “Never, never, never,” said Willie. “A fellow just thinks everything is goin’ on great, and something comes along to upset him.” “Yes,” they all agreed, eagerly. “Like the day I rode Dandy,” he went on. “I was that glad about it because I was goin’ to have him for my hack, and then he must go and get a stake in his leg that very night! Oh, it’s no use wishing for anything, because you never, never get it!” “No, never!” they all agreed, mournfully. “Oh, my goodness me, here comes the mail! There might be a letter about her.” Then there was a general scatter and excitement. Sure enough there was a thick, important looking letter from the College for Mother, and they all crowded round her while she read it. Her name was Miss Gibson, and she would arrive at “Gillong” on the following Wednesday. “And here it is Friday now! Oh, dear!” they cried, in consternation. “Let’s make hay while the sun shines.” They all rushed madly round for the next few days, trying to crowd all the outdoor life they could into their lives. One would think to see them that their school-days would begin at six in the morning and not end till six in the evening, so eagerly did they snatch up every minute and spend it outside. “There’ll soon be old lessons and figures to take up all our time,” they would say, mournfully; and then set to enjoying themselves with a will. “On Saturday and Sunday I’ll get up at 5 o’clock,” said Willie, “and ride all day. Yes, I’ll ride till it’s dark. I’ll let her see that she can’t keep me in all the time!” So they all nursed a grudge against the governess who was coming into their lives. “I’ll let her see that Saturday and Sunday belong to myself, and I’ll hardly as much as say good-morning to her on them days. I’ll let her see! And, another thing, I’m not going to ride about with her if she wants to learn to ride, so you need never ask me to. If she wants to learn to ride you can go with her—Mollie or Eileen.” “Oh, dear, how very kind you are!” answered Eileen. “It’s not so long since you learned to ride yourself, and I heard about the day old Brownie nearly threw you.” “Nearly threw me,” echoed Willie, in fine scorn. “I simply slipped off her, because she would go round one side of the fence when I wanted her to go the other. I wasn’t going to let her best me, so I just slid off and let her go on her own, and I caught her afterwards and took her back and rode her round the way I wanted her to go. She didn’t best me.” Just then Eva burst into tears. “Whatever’s wrong?” they asked, anxiously. “We’ll—we’ll never have time to—to—go down to the bend and gather the mushrooms, and—and—I do love mushrooms!” “We’ll have time, silly,” answered Willie. “You leave it to me; I’ll see that she gives us time to gather mushrooms.” He stalked off with the air of a conqueror. |
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