e splutter and think himself Lord Muck, and that every one
oughter be licking his boots!"

Dawn and "Dora" Eweword were still hanging over a garden fence as
Andrew went after his cows and I betook myself to the house. Uncle
Jake was in conference with his sister, and gave evidence of fearing I
should pursue him, so I mercifully betook myself to my own apartment.
Miss Flipp presently returned, and saying she had had tea up town with
her uncle and would not want any more, shut herself in her room, from
whence I soon detected the sound of impassioned sobbing. My first
impulse was to ask her what was the matter, but my second, born of a
wide experience of grief, led me to hold my tongue and tell no one
what I had heard; but to escape from the sound of that pitiable
weeping I went out in the garden, where I was joined by Mrs Clay.

"Did you see that young feller out there this afternoon? Fine stamp of
a young man, don't you think?" remarked she.

"He should be able for a good day's work."

"Yes; he's none of your tobacco-spitting, wizened-up little runts like
you'll see hangin' on to the corner-posts in Noonoon."

"Seems to admire your granddaughter?"

"An' he's not the first by a long way that has done that, though she
was only nineteen this month."

"I can quite believe it. She is a lovely girl."

"An' more than that, a good one. I've never had one moment's
uneasiness with Dawn; she took after me that way. I could let her go
out in the world anywhere with no fear of her goin' astray. She's got
a fine way with men, friendly and full of life, but let 'em attempt to
come an inch farther than she wants, and then see! Sometimes I'm
inclined to wish she's be a little more genteeler; but then I look
around an' see some of them sleek things, an' it's always them as are
no good, an' I'm glad then she's what she is. There's some girls here
in town,"--the old lady grew choleric,--"you'd think butter wouldn't
melt in their mouths, an' they try to sit on Dawn. It's because
they're jealous of her, that's what it is. I wouldn't own 'em! They'd
run a man into debt and be a curse to him; but there's Dawn, the man
that gets her, he'll have a woman that will be of use to him and not
just a ornament."

"He'll have an ornament too."

"Perhaps so. I've spent a lot of money on her education. She's been
taught painting and dancing. I had her down at the Ladies' College in
Sydney for two years finishing, an' she's had more chances of b