get one from Melbourne, and she's
badly overworked."

"Norah will go, I suppose," said David Linton, with a half-sigh--the
sigh of a man who has looked forward to peace and security, and finds it
again slipping from his grasp.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure she will. They have a certain number of volunteers,
not nearly enough."

"I'm going," said Tommy, and David Linton nodded at her kindly.

"What about you and me, Jim?" Bob asked.

"Well, Anderson says they have a number of men volunteers. Such a lot of
returned fellows about with nothing to do yet. I told him to count on us
for anything he wanted, but the need seems chiefly for women."

"Must they go to-night? It's pretty late," said Mr. Linton.

"No, not to-night," Norah answered, entering. "It would be eight o'clock
before I could get in, and Dr. Anderson says I'm to get a good sleep and
come in early in the morning. Tommy, darling, will you mind if I leave
you for a few days?"

"Horribly," said Tommy drily. "It would be unpardonably rude for a
hostess. So I 'm coming too."

Norah laughed down at her.

"Somehow, I thought you would," she said. "Well, Jimmy, you'll take us
in after breakfast, won't you? We'll have it early." She perched on the
arm of her father's chair, letting her fingers rest for a moment on
his close-cropped grey hair. "And I've never asked you if I could go,
daddy."

"No," said David Linton; "you haven't." He put his arm gently round her.

"But then I knew that you'd kick me out if I didn't. So that simplifies
matters. You'll take care of yourself while I'm away, won't you, dad? No
wild rides by yourself into the ranges, or anything of that sort?"

"Certainly not," said her father. "I'll sit quietly at home, and let
Brownie give me nourishment at short intervals."

"Nothing she'd like better." Norah laughed. "I don't believe Brownie
will really feel that she owns us again until one of us is considerate
enough to fall ill and give her a real chance of nursing and feeding us.
Then the only thing to do is to forget you ever had a will of your
own, and just to open your mouth and be fed like a young magpie, and
Brownie's perfectly happy."

"She won't be happy when she hears of this new plan," Mr. Linton said.
"Poor old soul, I'm sorry she should have any worry, when she has just
got you home."

"Yes; I'm sorry," Norah answered. "But it can't be helped. I'll go and
talk to her now, and arrange things--early breakfast among them."

"You mi