Gathered In by Catherine Helen Spence — Read

George Oswald and the family at Wilta made ready for their sudden move towards the old country with a rapidity that would strike old English folks with astonishment. Kenneth's uncle kept his word. Wherever William Gray went he would go; whatever sights the Grays went to see the Oswalds would not be left behind; whether the places were interesting to himself or not he would stay as long in them, and not stir till they did. If the Grays left the bulk of the Australian passengers at Galle and spent some days at Ceylon and then went to Bombay, Bombay had irresistible attractions to the Oswalds. If a party was made to visit the caves of Elephanta the old enemies of Wilta and Tingalpa went together. If Miss Gray determined on a leisurely survey of Italy and persuaded her father to go from town to town, and to explore more minutely than the average English traveller (let alone the Australian) those ancient cities, so widely different in appearance and associations from the brand newness of Melbourne, against which she had always protested, their movements regulated those of the Oswalds.

By letters received at Brindisi, Sybil learnt that her father did not wish to deprive her of so much pleasure as she should have in thus travelling about with her brother and her friends. He would meet her in Paris or at any other place she appointed; meet her and his dear Kenneth, to whom he wrote with the warmest affection. The party calculated their movements as well as they could, and gave the times when they were likely to be in the Italian cities and in Paris, and it was decided that Mr. McDiarmid should join the party at Florence and take Sybil home.