stralian's spontaneous, careless
confidence in him and his open-hearted cordiality planted in Done the
seeds of one of those strong, lasting friendships which are never half
expressed in words, although they may sometimes be attested in eloquent
and heroic actions.

On the afternoon of his second day in Melbourne Jim saw Lucy Woodrow once
more. She passed in Macdougal's trap as Done and his mate were walking
along Swanston Street. She looked very pretty, and was laughing gaily at
something her companion had said. The sight of that companion affected
Jim in a peculiar way. He looked a man of about forty, strongly but
sparely built; his face, clean-shaven but for the triangle of hair coming
just below the ears, had a cameo-like correctness of outline; the lips
were firm and full, the eyes deep. He wore one of the flat-brimmed
bell-toppers fashionable at the time, a skirted coat, and a high collar.
In a flash the whole man was photographed on Jim's mind--why he could not
understand. The sensations given him by the sight of that face were quite
apart from the pang he experienced on noting Lucy's apparent interest in
the man. Jim felt for the miniature in his pocket. It was hard to believe
that only about twenty-four hours had sped since their parting. Looking
back now over so much that was strange, he thought as many weeks might
have gone in the interval.

'Monkey Mack,' said Mike, following the direction of Jim's eyes.

'Do you know him?'

'Everybody knows of him. Owns the best-stocked station out of New South.
Made a pile through the rushes, selling stock at famine prices. Richest
squatter in Vic, an' that dirty mean he won't wash 'cause o' the ruinous
wear and tear on soap. Used to go round collecting the wool the sheep
scraped off on his fences an' trees, an' for years cadged his toby,
(tobacco, you know) off passing teamsters; then, when the teamsters shied
at him, gave up smokin'. Owns thousands of acres an' hundreds o'
thousands o' pounds, an' wears toe-rags, an' yet lets his wife have what
she likes, an' spend what she pleases. That was his wife 'long side him.'

'Yes, she came over in our ship.'

'Shipmates, eh? That's as good as first-cousins.'

'Who was the other man?'

'Donno. Looked like something just blown ashore. Very superior, likely.
Mrs Mack's got a weakness for gentility. She was a neighbourin'
squatter's milkmaid, they say.'

'Well, Macdougal's not mean in the matter of horseflesh.'

'Right.