le display with a
bang--meat-dish broken, and meat on the dusty floor; while the cats and
fowls, ever on the alert for such occurrences, made the most of their
opportunities. Mrs M'Swat returned carrying the tea, which was spilling
by the way. She gave those boys each a clout on the head which dispersed
them roaring like the proverbial town bull, and alarmed me for the safety
of their ear-drums. I wondered if their mother was aware of their having
ear-drums. She grabbed the meat, and wiping it on her greasy apron,
carried it around in her hand until she found a plate for it, and by that
time the children had collected the other things. A cup was broken, and
another, also a poley, was put in its stead.

Mr M'Swat now appeared, and after taking a nip out of a rum bottle which
he produced from a cupboard in the corner, he invited me to sit up to
dinner.

There was no milk. M'Swat went in entirely for sheep, keeping only a few
cows for domestic purposes: these, on account of the drought, had been
dry for some months. Mrs M'Swat apologized for the lack of sugar, stating
she was quite out of it and had forgotten to send for a fresh supply.

"You damned fool, to miss such a chance wen I was goin' to town with the
wagonette! I mightn't be groin' in again for munce [months]. But sugar
don't count much. Them as can't do without a useless luxury like that for
a spell will never make much of a show at gettin' on in the wu-r-r-r-1d,"
concluded Mr M'Swat, sententiously.

The children sat in a row and, with mouths open and interest in their big
wondering eyes, gazed at me unwinkingly till I felt I must rush away
somewhere and shriek to relieve the feeling of overstrained hysteria
which was overcoming me. I contained myself sufficiently, however, to ask
if this was all the family.

"All but Peter. Where's Peter, Mary Ann?"

"He went to the Red Hill to look after some sheep, and won't be back till
dark."

"Peter's growed up," remarked one little boy, with evident pride in this
member of the family.

"Yes; Peter's twenty-one, and hes a mustatche and shaves," said the
eldest girl, in a manner indicating that she expected me to be struck
dumb with surprise.

"She'll be surprised wen she sees Peter," said a little girl in an
audible whisper.

Mrs M'Swat vouchsafed the information that three had died between Peter
and Lizer, and this was how the absent son came to be so much older than
his brothers and sisters.

"So you have h