When Elisabeth had set afoot all these improvements for the benefit of her work-people, she turned her attention to the improving of herself; and she informed Christopher that she had decided to go up to London, and fulfil the desire of her heart by studying art at the Slade School. "But you can not live by yourself in London," Christopher objected; "you are all right here, because you have the Tremaines and other people to look after you; but in town you would be terribly lonely; and, besides, I don't approve of girls living in London by themselves." "I sha'n't be by myself. There is a house where some of the Slade pupils live together, and I shall go there for every term, and come down here for the vacation. It will be just like going back to school again. I shall adore it!" Christopher did not like the idea at all. "Are you sure you will be comfortable, and that they will take proper care of you?" "Of course they will. Grace Cobham will be there at the same time--an old schoolfellow to whom I used to be devoted at Fox How--and she and I will chum together. I haven't seen her for ages, as she has been scouring Europe with her family; but now she has settled down in England, and is going in for art." Christopher still looked doubtful. "It would make me miserable to think that you weren't properly looked after and taken care of, Elisabeth." "Well, I shall be. And if I'm not, I shall still have you to fall back upon." "But you won't have me to fall back upon; that is just the point. If you would, I shouldn't worry about you so much; but it cuts me to the heart to leave you among strangers. Still, the Tremaines will be here, and I shall ask them to look after you; and I daresay they will do so all right, though not as efficiently as I should." Elisabeth grew rather pale; that there would ever come a day when Christopher would not be there to fall back upon was a contingency which until now had never occurred to her. "Whatever are you talking about, Chris? Why sha'n't you be here when I go up to the Slade?" "Because I am going to Australia." "To Australia? What on earth for?" It seemed to Elisabeth as if the earth beneath her feet had suddenly decided to reverse its customary revolution, and to transpose its poles. "To see if I can find George Farringdon's son, of course." "I thought he had been advertised for in both English and Australian papers, and had failed to answer the advertisements." "So he has." "Then why bother any more about him?" suggested Elisabeth. "Because I must. If advertisement fails, I must see what personal search will do." Elisabeth's lip trembled; she felt that a hemisphere uninhabited by Christopher would be a very dreary hemisphere indeed. "Oh! Chris dear, you needn't go yourself," she coaxed; "I simply can not spare you, and that's the long and the short of it."