CHAPTER VI
A Real Friend
"Oh, oh, I am so sorry----" began Nealie in breathless apology, but gotno further, being at that moment swept aside by Sylvia, who fairly flungherself into the gentleman's arms, crying shrilly:
"Daddy, my darling Daddy, I should have known you anywhere, although Iwas such a tiny kiddy when you went away!"
Again the amazed stranger tried to protest; but although his lips moved,no sound was audible, for at this instant Don and Billykins reached himin company, and the impact of their embrace was sufficient tomomentarily deprive him of the power of speech, while Rupert seized hisleft hand, sawing it up and down like a pump handle, and Rumple pattedhim on the back, leaving Ducky no chance at all saving to dance roundand round, yelling at the top of her voice.
"It is Father, dear Father, and he does not know his little Ducky atall!"
"Oh, hush, hush! We have made a mistake, and it is not dear Father atall," cried Nealie. And there was such genuine distress in her tone thatthe gentleman, who had been feeling decidedly ruffled at this boisterousonslaught, was at once sorry for her.
"Are you Miss Plumstead, and did you expect to meet your father here?"he asked kindly, while Sylvia slipped her arms from his neck and lookedvery confused, for it is not pleasant to rush about the world huggingthe wrong people, and her blushes were a sight to see as she stammeredout an incoherent apology for her blunder.
The boys had dropped away from him and stood in a bewildered group,while Ducky ceased her jubilant outcry, and it was left to Nealie toexplain the situation and ask why it was that he had asked to see her.
"My name is Wallis, of the firm of Peek & Wallis, transport agents,Sydney," said the stranger as his hand stole up to settle his ruffledtie, which Sylvia's greeting had half-pulled unfastened. "Mr. Melrosesent me a cable from Cape Town, asking me to meet this boat and to be ofservice to you in any way that I could. He said that he had given you aletter of introduction to my firm. Is that so?"
"Oh yes, and I have it here in my bag!" said Nealie, pulling open thelittle bag she wore slung from her shoulder and taking from it anenvelope addressed to Messrs. Peek & Wallis.
Mr. Wallis looked relieved at the sight of the letter, as it made theposition quite clear, despite its brevity, for it was really very short,and ran as follows:--
"Kindly supply Miss Plumstead with a horse and wagon for the journey to Hammerville, Clayton, and if she cannot pay you I will.
"Sincerely yours,
"Thomas Melrose."
"But of course our father, who is a doctor at Hammerville, will send youthe money for the horse and wagon when we reach him," said Nealie, withthe proud little lift of her head which had its due effect on Mr.Wallis, who had a great respect for most things which were straight fromEngland, and who had already decided that Nealie was, to use his ownexpression, "no ordinary young lady".
"Of course," echoed Mr. Wallis politely, but without anxiety. In anycase his firm would not suffer, as Mr. Melrose had undertaken to seethem paid, and so he was prepared to be very kind indeed to this familywho had made the comical mistake of supposing him to be their father."And now I suppose that you would like to go ashore at once and have alook at Sydney before you start on your journey?"
Nealie hesitated and looked at Rupert, who, however, did not seemdisposed to help her out; and so again it was she who had to do theexplaining, which was quite right and proper, seeing that she was theeldest and had always mothered the others.
Then, because Mr. Wallis was elderly, and looked kind now that he hadhad some of the starch taken out of him by Sylvia's rapturous hugging,she decided that it would be better to take him into confidenceconcerning their dilemma.
"You see, it is like this," she said, boldly taking the plunge. "CaptainMoore would not let us go ashore at Cape Town, because we were under hiscare, and we are so afraid that he will not let us disembark untilFather comes to fetch us, and we are not at all sure that Father knowswe have come."
"You mean that he would not know the boat was in, or that he did notknow by which boat you were to travel?" asked Mr. Wallis in perplexity;for to him the situation was certainly novel.
"We are not sure that he knows we are in New South Wales," said Nealie,speaking very slowly and distinctly, under the impression that Mr.Wallis must be either deaf or stupid, or perhaps a little of both. "Ourguardian, Mr. Runciman, wrote to tell Father that we were being sent outhere to him, and he gave us the letter to post; but by an accident itgot no farther than my second brother's pocket. He is very poetical, andthat of course makes him very absent-minded. We did not find the letteruntil we were some days away from Cape Town, and then, after aconsultation, we decided that we would not cable from Perth and we wouldnot tell the captain, but we would give dear Father the surprise of hislife by walking in upon him one fine day."
"I should think that it would be a surprise, and it is possible that itmay be more than a little inconvenient to him; for you see houses hereare not so commodious and roomy as houses in England, and there aresix--no, seven of you," murmured Mr. Wallis, wondering what Dr.Plumstead would feel like when this troop of jolly, hearty young peoplewalked in upon him. Still, confused as he had been by the onslaught oftheir riotous greeting, Mr. Wallis could not help admitting to himselfthat it had been very delightful to feel the clasp of Sylvia's armsabout his neck, and he could not help wishing that he had children ofhis own to love him in that tempestuous but wholly delightful fashion.
"I expect that Father will be so charmed to see us that he will notthink anything about the inconvenience of our numbers," put in Sylviaconfidently; but a chill little wonder crept into the heart of Nealie asto whether it might not have been better to have waited in England untiltheir father had said whether he really wished for them to come and joinhim in this distant land. However, it was too late now for regrets ofthis sort, and the only thing to be done was to go forward, and to behappy while they could. It was this feeling which made her say to Mr.Wallis:
"Do you think that Captain Moore will be willing to let us go off theship with you? We are so very tired of being on board."
"I should think you must be; that is how most people feel by the timethey reach Sydney. We are so far away from Europe, you see, and a longvoyage is bound to be tedious," he answered kindly; and then he toldthem that he would go and interview the captain at once about the matterof their going. Meanwhile they were to wait in the dining saloon forhim, as he would certainly not find it easy to hunt for them in theconfusion which at present reigned on board.
"What a dear he is, bless his heart!" cried Sylvia, dancinglightheartedly up and down between the tables; then seizing uponBillykins for a partner she whirled round and round, while Don and Duckyjoined forces to take their share of the fun, and Rumple bobbed, bowed,then spun round and round without any partner at all, and dancing withmore energy than discretion was constantly falling foul of the chairs,which were screwed to the floor and swung round upon pivots.
Only Nealie and Rupert stood apart, talking rather anxiously about thefuture and wondering whether their scanty stock of money would sufficefor all the needs of the journey. Rupert had been rather lamer thanusual during the last few days, owing to an accidental slip on thestairs. This lameness was one of the private worries of Nealie, for shedid not believe that he need be lame if only the weak foot and anklewere properly treated. However, her father would doubtless see that thedear eldest brother had all the care that was necessary, and so untilthey reached Hammerville she would just have to leave the matter whereit was.
Mr. Wallis, coming back from his interview with the captain, thoughtthat he had never seen a family more radiantly happy than this companyof boys and girls who were skipping and prancing up and down the longroom, bumping against each other in sheer gleefulness of heart.
But at sight of him they instantly subsided into outward quiet, comingcrowding about him to know how his err
and had sped.
"The captain says that he will be very pleased to let you go ashore withme----" began Mr. Wallis, and then found he could get no further untilthe noise of a rousing three times three, led by Rumple, had died away,for he could not make himself heard above such a noise.
"No more cheering until Mr. Wallis has finished, please," said Nealiefirmly, as she laid her hand in a restraining fashion on the shoulder ofRumple.
"I was going to say," continued Mr. Wallis, "that I should have beenvery delighted to have taken you out to Mosman's Bay, where my home is,but unfortunately the house is at present shut up, as my wife is awayvisiting her mother at Auckland, in New Zealand, and I am staying at myclub in the city, where no ladies are admitted; but I can put you up ata nice quiet hotel where you will be quite comfortable; indeed I toldCaptain Moore that I would do so."
"You are most kind, and we are very grateful," said Nealie in a ratherhesitating tone. "But I am afraid that we cannot afford to stay much athotels, for Mr. Melrose told us they were very expensive, and if we arenot careful our money will not last us until we reach Hammerville. Thereare so many of us, you see, and we all want so much to eat that our foodbills must of necessity be very expensive."
Mr. Wallis waved his hand with a deprecating air. "Of course, of course,and it is really a very fine thing to be hungry; I often wish that Icould get up a vigorous appetite myself, but I can't. I hope that whileyou are in Sydney you will consider yourselves my guests; it will be avery great pleasure to show you some of the sights of the city. Supposeyou stay over to-morrow--we can get a large amount of sightseeing intothat time--and then the wagon shall be ready for you to make an earlystart. The captain understands that you are to be my guests, and that iswhy he is willing to let you come ashore with me. Please collect thebaggage that you want to take with you, then I will give orders for theremainder of your luggage to be sent to the hotel. We ought to get awayas quickly as we can, so that no time may be lost."
There was no stopping the cheers this time, and Nealie put her fingersin her ears because of the noise, but Mr. Wallis looked actually pleasedat the commotion he had evoked; and then there was a great rush for thecabins, where each one had a bag or a bundle ready.
"What a delightful sensation it is to find firm ground under one'sfeet!" cried Nealie, as she walked with a springy step by the side ofMr. Wallis.
"I expect it is; but all the same you will be wise not to do too muchwalking at first, for land is apt to prove very trying to the person whohas just arrived after a long voyage," replied Mr. Wallis, who hadnoticed how lame Rupert was, and guessed that the boy would rathersuffer any torture than admit that walking was painful. He had hisreward in the look of dumb gratitude Rupert gave him when a roomycarriage had been secured, and they were all packed in as tight assardines in a tin, with Don and Billykins sharing the driver's perch,and making shrill comments as they went along.
First of all they were driven to the hotel, which was a very homely sortof place, with a motherly manageress, who would insist on kissing thegirls, although happily she stopped short at that, leaving the boys witha mere handshake. She was English herself, so she said, and just achedfor a sight of the old country, which made her welcome so warmlyeveryone who came straight from England.
Mr. Wallis wanted them to have luncheon then, but as they all stoutlydeclared that they could not touch a mouthful of food of any kind, andas it was really early for lunch, he took them off, on a tram this time,to see something of the city.
He took them along George Street, which, following as it does the linesof an old bush trail, winds and wriggles in a way that was moresuggestive of Canterbury in England than of a great colonial city.Sometimes they rode in electric trams, sometimes they had a carriagechartered for their use, and then again it was an omnibus which had thehonour of their patronage, and Nealie privately wondered how much itcost Mr. Wallis to take them round that day, for he would let them payfor nothing themselves, declaring that he would not have his privilegeas their host infringed in any way.
They had lunch in a grand hotel in Wynyard Square, and afterwards wentto see the residence of the Governor-General; but imposing as were thebattlemented walls and magnificent staterooms, the greatness of theplace was not so impressive to the seven as was the General Post Office,and they were made completely happy when Mr. Wallis took them right tothe top of the building, so that they might look out over the city fromthe windows of the room under the clock chamber of the great tower.
It was small wonder that they were so tired, after such a round ofsightseeing, that they had to decline Mr. Wallis's kind proposal to takethem to a dramatic entertainment, which was being given that night inthe town hall.
Ducky, Don, and Billykins were all three so fast asleep, when theyarrived back at the hotel where they were staying, that one of thewaiters had to be called to help carry the sleepers in and up to theirbedrooms, and as they could not be roused for supper they were just leftto have their sleep out, and the four elders had cakes and coffee on thebalcony overlooking Pitt Street.
"I wonder what dear Father is thinking about to-night," said Sylviadreamily, as she sat in a wicker chair, with her feet upon another,feeling at peace with all the world.
"Perhaps his ears are burning, and he is wondering who is talking abouthim; although a man with seven children may always feel pretty certainthat one or more of the seven have got their thoughts upon him," repliedRumple, who was nibbling the end of a stumpy pencil and lovinglyfingering a dirty little notebook. He was just then very undecided as towhether he would write a sonnet to his father or start on a history ofSydney. Mr. Wallis had told him so many stories of the old Botany Baydays that he felt quite primed for a very ambitious book indeed.
"I am wondering who is going to drive the horse," said Rupert, whosefoot was aching badly, and consequently making him feel very depressedand unfit to cope with difficulties which might be looming in the neardistance.
"I shall, unless you especially yearn for the business," said Nealiequietly, and then her hand stole into his with such a completeunderstanding of how he felt at that moment that he blessed her in hisheart, and said to himself that she was a brick of a girl, and that itwas worth while to be her brother.
Somehow Nealie always understood without words when Rupert felt as iflife were something too big to be lived, and then she would flingherself into the breach, and let him feel that she was quite ready tohold up the heavier end of every burden.
"The poor animal will not cherish any illusions about the charms ofrunning away after it has had the pleasure of dragging us and ourbaggage for a few score miles. I think that we ought to have a pair,"put in Sylvia in a dreamy tone; she was getting very sleepy, only itseemed too much trouble to go to bed just yet.
"Oh, we cannot have two horses; think what a worry it would be!"exclaimed Nealie. "Mr. Wallis said that one would be quite sufficient,as we did not need to travel very fast. He said that one horse, if itwere well fed, could always draw a ton weight on a decent road, and weshould not weigh a ton, I should hope."
"Not far short of it, by the time baggage and wagon have been weighedin, as well as the seven of us," said Rupert, and then he called outthat Rumple was asleep. The first paragraph of the projected History ofSydney had been too much for the aspiring young author, who was snoringwith his nose on the grubby little notebook.
"We cannot carry him to bed, and I am afraid that the waiters will forma very poor opinion of us if we ask them to do it, so we must wake himif we can," said Sylvia, jumping up and starting on a vigorous shakingof her younger brother.
"It is of no use, dear; he will not wake up, and you and I must justdrag him into his room as best we can," said Nealie, interposing toprevent Rumple from being shaken and bumped any more.
"What a set of children ours are!" cried Sylvia impatiently. "If oncethey drop asleep there never seems any possibility of waking them beforethe next morning."
"It is not more than a year ago that Mrs. Puffin and I carried you u
p tobed one night when you had fallen asleep downstairs," replied Nealie,with a laugh. "I remember that we stuck fast in the narrow part justoutside Aunt Judith's door, and we could not get up or down; indeed itlooked not improbable that we might have to leave you there untilmorning, climbing over your sleeping form every time we wanted to passup or down. Then Mrs. Puffin had a happy inspiration, and, acting uponit, we slid a sheet under you, and, Rupert coming to our help, wedragged you up the last four steps by sheer force of arm."
"I remember it," laughed Sylvia. "That was the time when I dreamed thatI was tobogganing down the Rocky Mountains, and when I woke up nextmorning, and found how badly I was bruised, I thought that it reallymust be true, and no dream at all. How shall we carry him, Nealie? Willit be easier to join hands under him, or to haul him out feet first?"
"Feet first, I think," she answered. "It is not safe to join hands undersleeping persons, because you have no hand free to catch them if theysway. If you will carry his feet, I will take his shoulders, and we willsoon have him on his bed. Then I think we had better go to bed also, forit would be tragic if we fell asleep; we should have to stay where weare all night, because there is no one strong enough to carry us;" andNealie's laugh rang out, as if she had not a care in the world, and waspromptly echoed by Rupert and Sylvia.