of a man who could not have trumped up a sort of enthusiasm.
But in his heart he was cursing his luck that just as chance had thrown
the heiress in his way, and put her under an obligation to him, he was
held to his old bargain--the bargain that he had made for position's
sake, and which he would now have liked to break for the same reason.

It would be wearisome to record their talk, all the way up to the house.
The girl--impetuous, hot-blooded, excitable--poured out her love-talk
like a bird singing. Happiness complete was hers for the time; but
Gavan's heart was not in the wooing, and he listened and was silent.

Hugh and Mary, walking on ahead, knew nothing of the love scenes just
behind them. They talked of many things, of the moonlight and the river
and the scent of the flowers, but all the time Hugh felt diffident and
tongue-tied. He had not the glib tongue of Gavan Blake, and he felt
little at ease talking common-places. Mary Grant thought he must be
worried over something, and, with her usual directness, went to the
point.

"You are worrying over something," she said. "What is it?"

"Oh, no; nothing."

"It is not because I asked Mr. Blake here, is it?"

"Oh no! Goodness, no! Why, he is fifty times better than most of the
people that come here. It just happens we had never asked him before. I
think he is a very nice fellow."

"I'm glad of that. I have asked him to come out again. He seems to know
Miss Harriott quite well, though he doesn't know your mother."

"Yes, he met Miss Harriott at some of the race-balls, I think. She is a
queer girl, full of fancies."

"She seems a very quiet sort of girl to me," said Miss Grant. But if she
could have known what was going on about two hundred yards behind her,
she might have altered her opinion.

CHAPTER XII. MR. BLAKE BREAKS HIS ENGAGEMENT.

On Monday, Hugh, Poss, and Binjie had to go out to an outlying paddock
to draft a lot of station-sheep from a mob of travelling-sheep. As this
meant a long, hard job, the three breakfasted by candlelight--a good old
fashion, this, but rather forgotten lately--and Blake also turned out
for early breakfast, as he wanted to get his drive to Tarrong over while
the weather was cool. Of the women-folk, Ellen alone was up, boiling
eggs, and making tea on a spirit-lamp; laughing and chattering
meanwhile, and keeping them all amused; while outside in the frosty
dawn, the stable boy shivered as he tightened the girths r