Page 7 - An Australian Lassie

CHAPTER II

THE PEARL SEEKERS

They were round the corner and away from school--Cyril, Elizabeth and Nancy. Behind them were all the
trials and vexations of the day, among which may be counted Mrs. Sharman, Mr. Sharman--and John Brown.

Cyril spoke with awe of John Brown's big hands and feet, and looked over his shoulder as he spoke. For that
small hope of the Bruces had in the cloak-room inadvertently trodden upon Brown's hat, and had been startled
by the way in which Brown had swung him round by his collar.

"T pinched him," said Betty proudly. "He shouldn't have gone above me. T'll pinch him every time."

Her sun-bonnet was tucked away under her arm, her boots and stockings were in the family lunch-basket that
she carried, boy-like, swung over her shoulder, and she covered the ground most of the time with a hop, skip,
and a jump, aided by a long stout stick.

"T suppose," she said, "we'll have to try the dangerous little coral islands this time. T know that's where the
black pearl is hidden."

"Oh dear," sighed Nancy, "T don't like curral islands a bit. Let's go home to-day."

"Silly!" said Cyril loftily. "We've got to find the black pearl somehow."

"Tt'll be worth hundreds and thousands of pounds," said Elizabeth. "Just think of taking that to mother, just
think of all we could do. Tt wouldn't matter then grandfather not speaking. We could drive past him in our
carriage then! Come on my lass." This last was to Nancy.

"T want to go in the water, too, Betty," said the small lassie, following at a trot. "Don't want to be your old
wife. T've been your wife for a lot of days now."

"T don't know who you mean when you say Betty," declared Elizabeth, and leapt forward so far that the other
two had to sharpen their pace suddenly.

"Peter Lucky," said Nancy imploringly. "Oh, Peter Lucky, let Cywil be your wife a bit--do."

"Cywil's"--it may be stated that Betty was still very backward sometimes in the matter of r's--"Cywil's got to
be my chum--don't be such a stupid Nancy--er--Polly. He's got to try to murder me in the middle of the night
to get the pearl. Look here, we've only just put you in to amuse you a bit, we can just as well do without you."

Nancy's face fell. Such statements were lavishly used by these two elders of hers towards herself. But the
indignity she feared most was to be told to go home and play with the baby, and she looked at her sister with
an eager smile now to stop the words if possible.

"Oh, don't do wivout me, Betty dear," she said. "T'll love to be your wife. T was only thinking it would be nice
to have your feet in the water."

"You're six," said Betty. "You ought to be able to be my wife well now--cook the dinner, and wash up, and all
that. Tf you do well at this, we'll see how you'll do as a man some day."

For a second they stopped before their grandfather's gates and peered up the long drive. Tt was an old habit of
theirs, varied for instance by challenges of who dared to walk the furthest distance up the drive. Betty had