o help carry the sleepers in and up to their
bedrooms, and as they could not be roused for supper they were just left
to have their sleep out, and the four elders had cakes and coffee on the
balcony overlooking Pitt Street.

"I wonder what dear Father is thinking about to-night," said Sylvia
dreamily, as she sat in a wicker chair, with her feet upon another,
feeling at peace with all the world.

"Perhaps his ears are burning, and he is wondering who is talking about
him; although a man with seven children may always feel pretty certain
that one or more of the seven have got their thoughts upon him," replied
Rumple, who was nibbling the end of a stumpy pencil and lovingly
fingering a dirty little notebook. He was just then very undecided as to
whether he would write a sonnet to his father or start on a history of
Sydney. Mr. Wallis had told him so many stories of the old Botany Bay
days that he felt quite primed for a very ambitious book indeed.

"I am wondering who is going to drive the horse," said Rupert, whose
foot was aching badly, and consequently making him feel very depressed
and unfit to cope with difficulties which might be looming in the near
distance.

"I shall, unless you especially yearn for the business," said Nealie
quietly, and then her hand stole into his with such a complete
understanding of how he felt at that moment that he blessed her in his
heart, and said to himself that she was a brick of a girl, and that it
was worth while to be her brother.

Somehow Nealie always understood without words when Rupert felt as if
life were something too big to be lived, and then she would fling
herself into the breach, and let him feel that she was quite ready to
hold up the heavier end of every burden.

"The poor animal will not cherish any illusions about the charms of
running away after it has had the pleasure of dragging us and our
baggage for a few score miles. I think that we ought to have a pair,"
put in Sylvia in a dreamy tone; she was getting very sleepy, only it
seemed too much trouble to go to bed just yet.

"Oh, we cannot have two horses; think what a worry it would be!"
exclaimed Nealie. "Mr. Wallis said that one would be quite sufficient,
as we did not need to travel very fast. He said that one horse, if it
were well fed, could always draw a ton weight on a decent road, and we
should not weigh a ton, I should hope."

"Not far short of it, by the time baggage and wagon have been weighed
in,