Page 183 - A Little Bush Maid

dust into a horse and rider.

"Someone coming," he said, with faint interest. "By Jove, it’s a girl! She’s
racing, too. Wonder if anything’s wrong?"

He slipped from the fence and went forward to open the gate, looking at the
advancing pair. A big bay pony panting and dripping with sweat, but with

"go" in him yet for a final sprint; and on his back a little girl, flushed and
excited, with tired, set lips. He expected her to stop at the gate, but she

flashed by him with a glance and a brief "Thank you," galloping up to the
gate of the yard. Almost before the pony stopped she was out of the saddle
and running up the path to the kitchen. The man saw Mrs. Brown come out,

and heard her cry of surprise as she caught the child to her.

"Something’s up," said the stranger. He followed at a run.

Tn the kitchen Norah was clinging to Mrs. Brown, quivering with the effort

not to cry.

"Someone ill in the bush?" said the astonished Brownie, patting her
nurseling. "Yes, Billy’s here, dearie--and all the horses are in. Where’s the
note? T’ll see to it. Poor pet! Don’t take on, lovey, there. See, here’s your

new governess, Mr. Stephenson!"

Norah straightened with a gasp of astonishment.

"You!" she said.

"Me!" said Dick Stephenson ungrammatically, holding out his hand.

"You’re my pupil, aren’t you? Ts anything wrong?"

"There’s a poor gentleman near to dyin’ in the scrub," volunteered Mrs.

Brown, "an’ Miss Norah’s come all the way in for help. Fifteen mile, if it’s a
inch! T don’t know ow’ you did it, my blessed pet!"