like good cooking, must be "done
to the turn," and in this instance there was danger of it being done
too soon, as Ernest's amour had not taken firm root yet; and a man,
unless he be either of gigantic pluck or no honour at all, will not
hurry to interfere with the secured property of another man.

They chatted in a desultory fashion while I manoeuvred to relieve
them of my presence. The night was lit by a million stars, paling
towards the east, where behind the hills a waning moon was putting in
an appearance. The electric lights of the town scintillated like
artificial stars, and away down the long valley could be seen here and
there the twinkle of a farmhouse light, showing where some held mild
wassail or a convivial evening; for there were not many of the
agriculturalists, tired from their heavy toil, who were otherwise out
of bed at this ungodly hour of the night.

The crisp winter air agreed with me, and I felt unusually well.

"Let me walk behind, this night is too glorious to waste in talking
politics, so you young people get out of my hearing and thresh out
your candidate's merit and demerit and leave me to think," I said, for
politics were in the air and they were touching upon them. They obeyed
me, and soon were lost to view in the dark of the osage and quince
hedges grown as breakwinds on the west of Grosvenor's orangery. Soon I
could not hear their footfalls, for I stood still to watch the trains
pass by. 'Twas the hour of the last division of the Western passenger
mail, bearing its daily cargo of news and people to the great plains
beyond the hills that loomed faintly in the light of the half moon.
Haughtily its huge first-class engine roared along, and its carriage
windows, like so many warm red mouths, permitted a glimpse of the folk
inside comfortably ensconced for the night. It slowed across the long
viaduct approaching the bridge, and crossed the bridge itself with a
roar like thunder, then it swerved round a curve to Kangaroo till the
window-lights gave place to its two red eyes at the rear. As it
climbed the first spur of the great range, and all that could be seen
was a belch of flame from the engine-door as it coaled, something of
the old longing awoke within me for things that must always be far
away. The throbbing engines spoke to my heart, and forgetting its
brokenness, it stirred again to their measure--the rushing, eager
measure of ambition, strife, struggle! I was young again, with youth's