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fact that her appearance was no longer pristine, as it had been on the
way across. Her white socks were white no more, and her cotton dress
was crumpled and grubby. She had . been dumping her tennis balls in
the skirt, the better to carry them.
She didn't care. She was excited almost to fever pitch, and was
recalling every detail of her afternoon with avid relish. Ginny
marvelled at how much the outing had meant to the child. She
appeared to thrive in company, and loved being with people, even
though at times she seemed quiet and withdrawn. After the
effervescent variety of her mother's city household, with frequent
comings and goings, constantly changing faces, streams of visitors,
presents and parties, life at Noosa must have seemed dull by contrast.
Subtract, also, the presence of her mother, her one remaining parent,
and, it was small wonder that she had become morose and insecure.
Ginny reflected that Rosana must have wanted a point of contact with
Jas Lawrence very badly to subject her daughter to such a radical
change. It revealed a certain ruthlessness in her that one would hardly
suspect. Ginny shivered slightly. She hadn't suspected it, either, in
spite of Marella's early insinuations. Now she knew, from personal
experience, that it was there.
"Can we stop at Pete's again, Ginny, on the way home? We could take
Mummy something, couldn't we? She doesn't like chocolates, but
there's tins of cigarettes. I'd love to take her one, and maybe I could
have one of those twisty sticks of barley sugar. What do you think?"
"I'm sure we could run to that, dear. I'd like to say goodbye to Mrs.
Sumner and Pete, in any case, just supposing that I don't see them
again before we go."Together they went into the store.
"Did you see Marella's face when she saw the size of her box?" she
whispered to Ginny. "She was awful pleased, wasn't she ?"
Her governess nodded, smiling. It was nice that Mona was discovering
the pleasure that could be derived from giving as well as from
receiving. The accent in her young life, to this point, had been placed
very heavily on "What have you brought me ?"
Carefully she chose her mother's favourite brand of cigarettes, and
solemnly selected what she hoped was a slightly longer stick of barley
sugar than the rest.
Mrs. Sumner beamed indulgently.
"So you're leaving us, Mona, are you?" she asked. "We'll miss you,
won't we, but you'll probably come up and stay with your Uncle Jas
sometimes, won't you?"
"I 'spect I will," replied the little girl. "I asked Mummy if we could
bring Ginny with us when we come, but she said Ginny would be
much too busy. She said it was out of the question. Will you really be
too busy, Ginny?"
Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Much too busy, poppet," she stated firmly. "I'll probably have other
little children to look after, you know, and I couldn't just leave them
and run off to Noosa, now, could I ?"
"So it's goodbye, is it, Ginny?"
Pete had come in with a bundle of rabbit-traps which he deposited in
the gloom at the back of the store. They talked for several minutes, but
Ginny was thankful to find herself back behind the wheel of Jas's
Holden. Her eyes were smarting. As she had truthfully said, she hated
goodbyes. For Mona, there was the prospect of holidays at Noosa,
with her mother - and with Jas. But for Ginny the break, when it came,
would be final.
Darkness was falling when they arrived back.
Jas Lawrence came striding down the steps, and opened the door for
Ginny, his hand beneath her elbow as she stepped out.
Immediately aware of his air of grimness and resolution, Ginny looked
up at him as he slammed the car door.
"Something's wrong," she said. It was a statement, not a question.
"A fire has started up over the other side 9f the gap there, nearer
Smedley's Creek," he informed her without preamble.
Afire!
It was only then that Ginny realized that the pink glow which suffused
the sky behind the mountain was not, after all, the last faint flush of the
setting sun.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GINNY saw Mona safely into bed, and returned to the hall to find
Rosana and Jas facing one another there.
Jas's eyes had a decidedly steely glint, and she, in contrast, wore an
expression of pouting dissatisfaction.
She laid a conciliatory hand upon his arm as Ginny approached.
"But, darling, you don't have to go tonight, surely ? Why, the fire's not
even on your own property."
"Not yet," was Jas's terse reply. "Rosana, I've tried to explain that it's
my duty to go, and my men's, as well. Quite apart from the fact that I
happen to be a fire officer for this district, it's what any responsible
grazier does in the event of his neighbour's need. Every able-bodied
man from a large radius will turn out, and they've to be organized into
proper shifts and graded formations. A bush-fire is quick to seize the
advantage if there's a lack of cohesion and purpose amongst the
fighters. You don't just go out and swat at it haphazardly, you know."
Rosana appeared somewhat chastened.
"No, darling, I suppose not. I'm glad to say I've never been personally
involved, so I just can't imagine it. Are you really serious when you
say you mightn't be back for a few days, though? You did say days,
and not hours?"
"I did. Look, Rosana, I can't stand here talking any longer. I'll have to
get moving."
"Well, in that case, pet, so shall I." She stood on tiptoe and put her soft
lips against his for an instant.
"I'll phone my agent tonight, and get him to send a plane to Billoola for
me in the morning. Virginia can run me over. It would be too dreary
for words hanging about here without even seeing you, darling.
Presumably you'll leave us with a vehicle, for me to get to the air-strip
in?"
Jas turned to Virginia.
"I'm leaving you the Holden," he stated briskly. "I'll take all the chaps
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