of the unfortunate creature
who, as Poss said, looked as if he were wishing for a pair of wings.

Blake turned to Mary. "Do you want to stop and see it killed?" he said.
"It's rather a murderous business. The 'possum has no chance. One of
the boys will go up the tree and shake the branch till the 'possum falls
off, and when it falls the dogs will kill it."

"No, I don't think I would like to see it. I have seen so many things
killed since I came here. Let us walk back towards the house."

"I'll tell Gordon. Gordon," he said, "Miss Grant doesn't care to see the
massacre. We will walk back towards the house."

Ellen Harriott made a sudden step forward. "I will go back too," she
said.

"Why, Miss Harriott!" said Poss in astonishment, "You've seen lots of
'em killed. Native cats, too. Watch me knock him out of that with a
stick."

"No, no, I'll go back, too. I don't feel like killing anything to-night.
You come back too, Hugh."

So the four walked back together, and as Blake had monopolised Mary
on the way out, she now put herself beside Hugh, and the others walked
behind. Hugh and Mary soon began to talk, but the other pair walked
in silence for a while. Then Ellen Harriott said in a low voice, "Go a
little slower, Gavan. Let them get away." As they passed under the dense
shadows of a huge wild-apple tree, Ellen stopped and, turning to Blake,
held up her face to be kissed.

"Gavan, Gavan!" she said. "I was wondering when I would ever get a
chance to speak to you. To think of you being here in the same house
with me! It's too wonderful, isn't it?"

Gavan Blake kissed her. It was almost an effort to him at first, as his
mind and heart were on fire with the thoughts of the other girl.

"My darling, my darling!" she said. "All the while you were walking with
that girl, I knew you were dying to come and kiss me!" For such is the
faith of women.

They stopped for a little while, and then moved on after the others,
pausing now and again in the shadows. The girl poured out all her
artless tale--how she had been awake night after night, waiting for the
day he should come. Then she told him how the heiress had praised his
pluck and strength. "And oh! Gavan, I was so proud, I could have hugged
her!"

Thus she rattled on, while he, because it was his nature found it no
trouble to reply in kind, with a good imitation of sincerity. On such a
night, with such a girl clinging to him, it would have been a very poor
specimen