e, didn't you?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. But Melbourne isn't Australia. It's only away down in a wee
little corner." Tommy flushed a little. "You see, I haven't seen much of
any country except France and the England that's near London," she said.
"And there isn't much waste space there."

"No, there isn't," Jim agreed. "I suppose we'll fill up Australia some
day. But the people who come out now seem to have a holy horror of going
into the 'waste spaces,' as you call 'em, Tommy. They want to nestle up
to the towns, and go to picture theatres."

"Well, I want to go and find a nice waste space," said Tommy. "Not too
waste, of course, only with room to look all round. And I'd like it
to be not too far from Norah, 'cause she's very cheering to a lone
new-chum. But don't you go planning to settle in one of those horrid
little tin-roofed towns, Bobby, for I should simply hate it."

"Certainly, ma'am," said Bob cheerfully. "We'll get out into the open. I
can always run you about in an aeroplane, if you feel lonesome, provided
we make enough money to buy one, that is. Only new-chums don't always
make heaps of money, do they, Jim?"

"Not at first, I'm afraid," Jim said. "The days of picking up fortunes
in Australia seem to be over; anyway, there's no more gold lying about.
Nowadays, you have to put your back into it extremely hard, if you've no
capital to start with; and even if you have, you can't loaf. How did you
get on in Melbourne? I hope you didn't buy a station without consulting
us."

"Rather not," Bob answered. "We raced round magnificently in your aunt's
car and presented our letters, and had more invitations to sundry meals
than we could possibly accept. Every one was extraordinarily kind to us.
I've offers and promises of advice in whatever district we settle; three
squatters asked me up to their places, to stay awhile and study the
country; and one confiding man--I hadn't a letter to him at all, by the
way, only some one introduced us to him in Scott's--actually offered me
a job as jackeroo on a Queensland run. But he was a lone old bachelor,
and when he heard I had a sister he shied off in terror. I think he's
running yet."

Jim shouted with laughter.

"Poor old Tommy!" he said.

"Yes, is it not unfair?" said Tommy. "I told Bob I was a mere
encumbrance, but he would bring me."

"You wait until you've settled, and Bob wants some one to run his house,
and then see how much of an encumbrance you are," rejoined