Seven Little Australians | Page 5

they went, the other five behind to watch
proceedings. Judy sat down with him on the last step.
"Boy want chuck-chuck, pretty chuck-chuck?" she said insidiously.
"Chuck-chuck, chuck-a-chuck," he gurgled, looking all around for his
favourite friends.
"Dad got lots--all THIS many," said Judy, opening her arms very wide
to denote the number in her father's possession. "Boydie, go get them!"
"Chuck-chuck," crowed the General delightedly, and struggling to his
feet--"find chuck-chuck."
"In there," whispered Judy, giving him a gentle push into the half-open
dining-room door; "ask Dad."
Right across the room the baby tottered on fat, unsteady little legs.
"Are the children ALL possessed to-night, Esther?" said the Captain, as
his youngest-son clutched wildly at his leg and tried to climb up it.
He looked down into the little dirty, dimpling face. "Well, General, and
to what do we owe the honour of your presence?"
"Chuck-chuck, chuck-a-chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck," said the. General,
going down promptly upon all fours to seek for the feathered darlings
Judy had said were here.
But Esther gathered up the dear, dirty-faced young rascal and bore him
struggling out of the room. At the foot of the stairs she nearly stumbled
over the rest of the family.
"Oh, you scamps, you bad, wicked imps!" she said, reaching out to box
all their ears, and of course failing.
She sat down on the bottom stair to laugh for a second, then she handed
the General to Pip. "To-morrow," she said, standing up and hastily
smoothing the rich hair that the General's hands had clutched
gleefully--"to-morrow I shall beat every one of you with the
broomstick."
They watched the train of her yellow' silk dress disappear into the
dining-room again, and returned slowly to the nursery and their
interrupted tea.

CHAPTER III
Virtue Not Always Rewarded
It was not to be expected that such an occurrence could be passed

entirely over, but then again it is difficult to punish seven children at
the same time. At first Captain Woolcot had requested Esther to ask
Miss Marsh, the governess, to give them all ten French verbs to learn;
but, as Judy pointed out, the General and Baby and Bunty and Neil had
not arrived at the dignity of French verbs yet, so such a punishment
would be iniquitous. The sentence therefore had not been quite decided
upon as yet, and everyone felt in an uncomfortable state of suspense.
"Your father says you're a disgraceful tribe," said the young stepmother
slowly, sitting down on the nursery rocking-chair a day later. She had
on a trailing morning wrapper of white muslin with cherry ribbons, but
there was a pin doing duty for a button in one or two places and the
lace was hanging off a bit at the sleeve.
"Meg, dear, you're very untidy, you know, and Judy's absolutely
hopeless."
Meg was attired in an unbecoming green cashmere, with the elbows out
and the plush torn off in several places, while Judy's exceedingly scant
and faded pink zephyr had rents in several places, and the colour was
hardly to be seen for fruit-stains.
Meg coloured a little. "I know, Esther, and I'd like to be nicely-dressed
as well as anyone, but it really isn't worth mending these old things."
She picked up her book about the elegant girls who were disturbing her
serenity and went over to the armchair with it.
"Well, Judy, you go and sew up those rents, and put some buttons on
your frock." Esther spoke with unusual determination.
Judy's eyes snapped and sparkled.
"'Is that a dagger that I see before me, the handle to my hand? Come,
let me grasp it,'" she said saucily, snatching one of the pins from
Esther's dress, fastening her own with it, and dropping a curtsey.
Esther reddened a little now.
"That's the General, Judy: he always pulls the buttons off my wrappers
when I play with him. But I'm forgetting. Children, I have bad news for
you."
There was a breathless silence. Everyone crowded round her knees.
"Sentence has been proclaimed," said Judy dramatically: "let us shave
our heads and don sackcloth."
"Your father says he cannot allow such conduct to go unpunished,
especially as you have all been unusually tiresome lately; therefore:

you are all--"
"To be taken away and hanged by the neck until we are dead!"
"Be quiet, Judy. I have tried my best to beg you off, but it only makes
him more vexed. He says you are the untidiest, most unruly lot of
children in Sydney, and he will punish you each time you do anything,
and--"
"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
"Oh, shut up, Judy! Can't you let us hear?" Pip put his hand over her
mouth and held her by the hair while Esther told the news.
"None