te sorry for her.

"REALLY, Maisie!" said Miss Isabella. "And when the poor boy's so
rushed, too."

This guerilla warfare continued throughout luncheon, and left Laura
wondering why, considering the dearth of time, and the distress of the
ladies at each fresh contretemps, they did not jump up and fetch the
missing articles themselves--as Mother would have done--instead of each
time ringing the bell and waiting for the appearance of the saucy,
unwilling servant. As it turned out, however, their behaviour had a
pedagogic basis. It seemed that they hoped, by constantly summoning the
maid, to sharpen her memory. But Mrs. Shepherd was also implicated in
the method; and this was the reason why Isabella--as she afterwards
explained to Laura--never offered her a thimbleful of help.

"My sister-in-law is nothing of a manager," she said. "But we still
trust she will improve in time, if she always has her attention drawn
to her forgetfulness--at least Robby does; I'm afraid I have rather
[P.165] given her up. But Robby's patience is angelic." And Laura was
of the same opinion, since the couple had been married for more than
seven years.

The moment the meal, which lasted a quarter of an hour, was over, Mr.
Shepherd clapped on his shovel-hat and started, with long strides, for
his class, Mrs. Shepherd, who had not been quite ready, scuttling along
a hundred yards behind him, with quick, fussy steps, and bonnet an awry.

Laura and Isabella stood at the gate.

"I ought really to have gone, too," said Isabella, and smiled at the
gutter. "But as you are here, Robby said I had better stay at home
to-day.--Now what would you like to do?"

This opened up a dazzling prospect, with the whole of Melbourne before
one. But Laura was too polite to pretend anything but indifference.

"Well, perhaps you wouldn't mind staying in then? I want so much to
copy out Robby's sermon. I always do it, you know, for he can't read
his own writing. But he won't expect it to-day and he'll be so pleased."

It was a cool, quiet little house, with the slightly unused smell in
the rooms that betokens a lack of children. Laura did not dislike the
quiet, and sat contentedly in the front parlour till evening fell. Not,
however, that she was really within hundreds of miles of Melbourne; for
the wonderful book that she held on her knee was called KING SOLOMON'S
MINES, and her eyes never rose from the pages.

Supper, when it came, was as scrappy and as hurrie