ll be Premier of Leichardt's Land before long. Biddy would
like bossing the show and airing her philanthropic crazes.'

Mrs Gildea shook her head doubtfully.

'Colin wouldn't agree with them. Besides, she would be expatriated.'

'Oh no. The big men over here are always taking trips to England, being
feted and made much of in Downing Street--Imperialist Policy and that
sort of thing--I can see Biddy at it.'

Mrs Gildea was silent. She scarcely knew Lady Tallant in this downright
mood.

'There's no use blinking matters,' said that lady. 'At home, Biddy has
been a failure. That was why I persuaded her to come out with us. I
knew she wanted a fresh start badly.'

It was quite true. Mrs Gildea remembered Bridget's confidences to
herself. She could not help feeling that Lady Tallant was right in the
main, and put forward no more objections. But she explained her own
plans and the necessity for her immediate departure from Leichardt's
Land--how she had hoped, too, to take Biddy with her and interest her
once more in literary and artistic work.

'Biddy won't go, she told me so, and I don't mean to let her,' said
Lady Tallant decidedly. 'We're short-handed till the new Private
Secretary gets here, and she helps me with my notes and things
generally. And if it wasn't for Biddy's singing, our dinners would be
too deadly dull for words.'

Joan gave up in despair. She suspected that Lady Tallant's affectionate
candour was not unadulterated with selfishness. Finally, Rosamond
promised that she would interest and amuse Lady Bridget to such an
extent as would deter her from rash love-making for want of counter
excitement. Then, Joan reflected, Colin was pre-eminently a prudent
business man, and, as he had told her some time before, would have to
go back to the Upper Leura before the strenuous work of the Session
came on. This was always supposing that the present Ministry kept in
without going to the country upon certain Labour measures unacceptable
to the large land-owners, in which case it was just possible McKeith
might be thrown out of his seat.

Events lay in the lap of the gods. Mrs Gildea wound up matters at the
Cottage and took train south, where she was soon wholly occupied in
describing the wonder of the Jenolan Caves and the wild gorges and
primaeval gum forests in the Blue Mountains. She was really too busy in
the interests of the IMPERIALIST to worry over her friend's love
affairs. In fact, she gleaned most of h