Oh, if only he could have held on in patience! Four or
five years hence, at most, he might have considered retiring from
general practice. She almost wept as she remembered how they had once
planned to live for that day. Now it was all to end in smoke.
Then her mind reverted to herself and to what the break would mean to
her; and her little world rocked to its foundations. For no clear call
went out to Mary from her native land. She docilely said "home" with the
rest, and kept her family ties intact; but she had never expected to go
back, except on a flying visit. She thought of England rather vaguely as
a country where it was always raining, and where--according to John--
an assemblage of old fogies, known as the House of Commons, persistently
intermeddled in the affairs of the colony. For more than half her life--
and the half that truly counted--Australia had been her home.
Her home! In fancy she made a round of the house, viewing each cosy
room, lingering fondly over the contents of cupboards and presses,
recollecting how she had added this piece of furniture for convenience'
sake, that for ornament, till the whole was as perfect as she knew how
to make it. Now, everything she loved and valued--the piano, the
wax-candle chandelier, the gilt cornices, the dining-room horsehair--
would fall under the auctioneer's hammer, go to deck out the houses of
other people. Richard said she could buy better and handsomer things in
England; but Mary allowed herself no illusions on this score.
Pages:
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555