far off it."

"There he is," Norah said quickly, as a long shout sounded near at hand.
The Hermit quickly went off in its direction, and presently returned,
followed by Billy, whose eyes were round as he glanced about the strange
place in which he found himself, although otherwise no sign of surprise
appeared on his sable countenance. He carried the bags containing the
picnic expedition's supply of food, which Norah promptly fell to
unpacking. An ample supply remained from lunch, and when displayed to
advantage on the short grass of the clearing the meal looked very
tempting. The Hermit's eyes glistened as Norah unpacked a bag of apples
and oranges as a finishing touch.

"Fruit!" he said. "Oh, you lucky people! I wish there were fruit shops
in the scrub. I can dispense with all the others, but one does miss
fruit."

"Well, I'm glad we brought such a bagful, because I'm sure we don't want
it," Norah said. "You must let us leave it with you, Mr. Hermit."

"Water's plenty boilin'," said Billy

Tea was quickly brewed, and presently they were seated on the ground and
making a hearty meal, as if the lunch of a few hours ago had never been.

"If a fellow can't get hungry in the bush," said Wally, holding out his
hand for his fifth scone, "then he doesn't deserve ever to get hungry at
all!" To which Jim replied, "Don't worry, old man--that's a fate that's
never likely to overtake you!" Wally, whose hunger was of a generally
prevailing kind, which usually afflicted him most in school hours,
subsided meekly into his tea-cup.

They did not hurry over the meal, for everyone was a little lazy after
the long day, and there was plenty of time to get home--the long summer
evening was before them, and it would merge into the beauty of a
moonlit night. So they "loafed" and chatted aimlessly, and drank huge
quantities of the billy-tea, that is quite the nicest tea in the world,
especially when it is stirred with a stick. And when they were really
ashamed to eat any more they lay about on the grass, yarning, telling
bush tales many and strange, and listening while the Hermit spun them
old-world stories that made the time slip away wonderfully. It was with
a sigh that Jim roused himself at last.

"Well," he said, "it's awfully nice being here, and I'm not in a bit of
a hurry to go--are you, chaps?"

The chaps chorused "No."

"All the same, it's getting late," Jim went on, pulling out his
watch--"later than I thought, my word! Co