CHAPTER III

The Fortune-makers or The Cherry-garden


Mollie was rather silent at tea-time. She could not help thinking of
those other children in that long-ago far-away garden. Were they
real? Or had it all been a dream? It _must_ have been a dream, she
thought--such things do not happen in real life--it was impossible
that it should have been true. And yet, never before had she dreamt
anything so clearly, so "going-on" as she expressed it to herself.
She longed to tell Aunt Mary all about it, but the memory of her vow
restrained her. If nothing further happened, in course of time she
would feel free to tell of her wonderful experience, but in the
meantime she must have patience. She racked her brains to think of
some roundabout way of introducing the subject of Australia and the
year 1878, but could not get past her vow--it seemed to block the
way in every direction.

So she ate her little triangles of toast--made in a particularly
fascinating way peculiar to Grannie's housekeeping--without enjoying
the scrunch, scrunch between her teeth so much as usual. Even the
early strawberries and cream found her somewhat absent-minded.

But after tea was cleared away and the room tidied up, Aunt Mary
disappeared for a short time and returned with her hands behind her
back. She stood before Mollie, and in a solemn voice chanted the
following words: