ders
of Nealie and Sylvia, a happy smile curving his lips.

Life had taken on a new aspect for him since the real truth of his
father's story had been made known to him, and already he had made up
his mind that he was going to be a doctor, if by hard work he could pass
the preliminary tests and win a scholarship that would let him climb the
ladder of learning without expense to his father. Mr. Wallis had told
him the way to set about obtaining his heart's desire, and it would not
be a little thing which would turn him back, now that he knew there had
been no real dishonour in his father's professional downfall. While the
others ate sandwiches, and chattered like magpies about what they would
do when the night camp was made, Rupert sat absorbed in day-dreams,
building castles in the air, and making up his mind as to how he would
go to work in good earnest directly Hammerville was reached.

The horse was good and fresh, the road was plain before them, and Nealie
forged ahead so intent on her business that she paid little heed to
Rupert's silence or the noisy chatter of the others.

The day was very hot, and they rested the horse for two hours in the
middle of the day, unharnessing the big creature, and washing his face
with as much care as if he had been a human being; then, after he had
had the regulation amount of water, he was tied to a tree and fed, after
which the seven had a merry meal from that well-filled grub box and some
tea from a real billy, which they boiled over a fire of sticks that had
been gathered by Don and Billykins.

The suburbs of Sydney extend so far that they could not be said to be
free of them yet; there were pleasant villas with ornamental grounds and
a riotous wealth of flowers dotted here and there along the road. Great
stretches of land were under vegetable cultivation, and the seven had
been vastly interested to see Chinamen with long pigtails hanging down
their backs walking up and down between rows of potatoes, peas, and
cauliflowers, letting in water from the irrigation channels, and turning
it this way or that with the twist of a naked foot.

The noonday halt was on a patch of ground just off the road, which
looked like private land with the fence broken down; but no one came to
complain of their resting there, while there was water and shade, and
the spot seemed to be made on purpose for their requirements.

"What a jolly place this would have been for the night camp! I doubt if
w