iend, and in this pose she was delightful, Jim thought.

'We are certain to meet again, Joy,' he said. 'If ever I could do
anything for you, would you ask me?'

She looked into his eyes for a moment. 'Yes,' she answered, 'before
anyone else in the world.'

'That's good. You're one of the best, Joy. We go to Simpson's Ranges, but
may find our way down to Ballarat in the course of a few months if things
don't pan out well.'

'When you hear of anyone coming this way, you'll send a message, Jim?'

They were interrupted by three or four diggers, and in the course of half
an hour the tent filled. Aurora was very charming that night, very
gracious, very like the Aurora who supervised their open-air tea the
night of Lambert's big speech, but less buoyant. Jim felt her soft touch
upon him many times, and watched her with curiosity. She had retained
this peculiar quality of provoking faint wonder. He felt that he had not
known her thoroughly, and drifted into the building of the suitable
future for her with many 'ifs' and 'buts.'

'I am going, Joy,' he whispered later.

'Not here,' she said, taking his arm. 'Outside.'

They passed out together, and stood by the big tree in which Mrs. Ben's
stock was hidden.

'Good-bye!' he said.

'It's hard!' She put her hands upon his shoulders, and her voice
trembled. 'I've been pretty badly in love, Jimmy. Remember that in
kindness, Won't you? It seems to excuse a good deal. It might even excuse
a poor colleen makin' the fool an' all iv herself.' The brogue sounded
deeply pathetic. 'A kiss,' she whispered quickly. 'One of the old kisses,
dear.'

As he bent down to her his cheek crushed a tear on hers, and he was
touched deeply. The kiss was long and tender; as the kiss of a man for
whom there was only one woman in the world, and she not the one being
kissed, it was emphatically successful. It drew a deep sigh from poor
Aurora, and thrilled Jim with not a little of the old rapture.

'Good-bye!' she said; but her fingers clung to him.

'Good-bye!' he repeated, taking her hands in his.

'Have you the little heart of gold?' she asked.

'It's here.' He drew it from his pocket.

'Give it back to me.'

He pressed it into her hand, kissed her cheek, and hurried away. Aurora
stood for some minutes turning the nugget over and over in her fingers;
then she moved to the shanty door and looked in, but turned away with a
muttered exclamation, and went to the entrance of the back tent.