the joint outfit to Jack Skelsey. He was a
good fellow was Jack--

"Oh, l-lucky Jim!
How I envy hi-im--"

Justin laughed aloud, lightheartedly, gleefully, as his chum's favourite
song arose fainter and fainter behind him. And then his chum's strange
prediction, uttered scarcely half an hour ago, recurred to his mind.

"`Luck generally strikes a man when least expected!' By Jove! Jack was
right."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have said that Blachland had undergone a stormy time of it
domestically, by reason of this new and sudden absence. But Hermia's
grievance was not a genuine one. So little indeed was it genuine that
she was conscious of a distinct feeling of relief when he announced it.
But side by side with this was an inherent instinct to deceive herself,
since there was no other object on which to practise deception: to
deceive herself into the idea that she really was a very ill-used
person. He neglected her shamefully, she had declared. She had not
bargained for leading this utterly lonely life when she decided to
accompany him to this remote corner of the earth. Well, again let him
take care. There were others who appreciated her if he did not. To
which he had replied equably:--

"Meaning Spence," and had gone on with his preparations.

It was this very imperturbability which had always dominated Hermia.
She knew their relationship was dangerously near a rupture, and was not
quite sure within her heart of hearts that she desired such. But a
short while since, she emphatically did not; now it might be otherwise.
Yet it was impracticable, for the first essential to her mind was
comfort and liberty unstinted. Justin Spence was as poor as the
proverbial church mouse, else why should he be out there prospecting?
She knew that every cent he had in the world was drawn from an
allowance--not a large one either--and that allowances are the most
precarious of all means of subsistence, in that they depend solely upon
the will and caprice of the allower. It was a thousand pities. If only
he were well off, she would not have hesitated. She was perfectly sick
of this uncivilised, lonely life. She longed for the world again.
Justin adored her. Her will would be his law. Ah, why was he not
independent and well off?

She looked back over her past, but it caused her no qualms. She looked
back on a period of passion and love, but the retrospect onl