Page 54 - An Australian Lassie

"But T'm so lonely except when T'm at school," said Alma sadly.

Dot opened her eyes. She was just slipping her blue frock carefully over her shining curly head, but she
stopped with her head half through to wonder at Alma.

"Lonely!" she said. "Here! Tn this house! And you've got your father and mother!"

Alma shook her head dolefully.

"Father is always busy," she said, "and mother is always out--or entertaining. Oh, Thea, T would love to have
you for my very own sister. T would give everything T have if T could have you."

Dorothea smiled kindly. Mona Parbury had told her the same--and Minnie Stevenson, and Nellie Harden.
They all wanted her for their very own sister. Tt was only such little madcaps as her own sisters, Betty and
Nancy, who were indifferent.

Alma was small and undeveloped. She was seventeen and looked hardly fifteen. Her large dark eyes looked
pathetic in her thin sallow face. Her lips were thin and colourless, her hair straight and dull brown. No
prettiness at all belonged to her. Only wistfulness and gentleness.

So they went shopping together, the two little girls in blue. And they had no chaperon at all with them, no
schoolmistress, or governess, or mother, or aunt--no one to direct their eyes where they should look, and their
smiles when they should be given out and when withheld. No one to carry the purse.

Dot had two shillings and sixpence halfpenny in her small worn purse. Her mother had slipped the money in.
"T can't bear for you to be without money, Dot dear," she had said, "but try your best not to spend it."

Alma's purse seemed full of half-crowns and shillings and sixpences!

Dot bought herself a new hat-band and a pretty lace-trimmed handkerchief; and she tried to hide from Alma
how very little both had cost.

Alma made several peculiar mistakes in her purchases. For instance, she bought just twice as much gold
liberty silk as she would need for a sash, and she had to beg Dot to accept the part that was too much, as she
would be so tired of the thing if she had two just alike. And she bought a pair of size two evening shoes, and
remembered when they were going home that size two was a size too big for her. She wished she knew of any
one who wore two's. Dot wore three's, didn't she? No?--two's! How lovely! Then Dot would take the shoes,
wouldn't she, and save them from becoming mouldy! And she bought two pretty lace-trimmed collars, just
alike--and she hated two of her things to be alike. So Dot would take one off her hands, wouldn't she?

Only each time she said "Thea," or "Thea darling!" And she bought her a silver "wish" bangle as a keepsake,
and a little scent bottle and fan for "remembrance."

Before they went home they went into an arcade shop and had strawberries and cream, and a big ice cream
and sponge cake each. And they met several straw-hatted youths to whom Alma bowed.

She told Dot to count how many hats were taken off to her, and Dot counted, and behold, the number was ten.

Dot herself felt rather envious. She only knew one grammar-school boy, who smiled from ear to ear and
blushed with delight on seeing her.

Then they went home.