eer of jocosity and insincerity at its true value.

'What a hypocrite you are!' she said one afternoon, as they rode in the
shadow of the range. The children on their ponies were cantering ahead.

'I a hypocrite!' he exclaimed. 'Why, I have not pretended to a single
virtue.'

'No,' she continued laughingly, 'you are a hypocrite of the other sort.
You pretend to be cruel, and callous, and careless of all that's good--a
cynic and a mocker. But I have found you out: you are really gentle and
kind--an amiable hypocrite.'

'Miss Woodrow, you are taking my character away.'

'Pish! the disguise was too thin. Why, the children have penetrated it.
So has poor Yarra. They love you! You are brave--you rescued Mr.
Macdougal from the Bushrangers. You are generous--you do not try to make
him appear contemptible because of his afflictions, as some of the others
have done. You are gentle--I see it in your bearing towards the little
ones. You are kind, and Yarra is devoted to you.'

'And yet I swear there are no wings under my coat.'

'Often, when looking at you, I wonder at your resemblance to Mr Done; and
I wonder most when I find you expressing a vein of thought I believed to
be peculiar to him. It makes me think that there is something in common
between you, aside from your physical likeness, if only a common wrong,
or a common sorrow, that has coloured your characters.'

'It is hard to hide anything from those divine eyes,' he said gravely.

'I have guessed rightly?'

'Believe me, if I ever make confession, it shall be to one quick in
sympathy and merciful in judgment as you are.' There was a strain of deep
emotion in his voice, and as he reached towards her she gave him her
hand, and he pressed her slender fingers gently and gratefully,
continuing with feeling, and in the manner of one whose superior years
gave him the privilege: 'Lucy, you are as good as you are beautiful, and
in all sincerity I say I have never seen a woman one half as beautiful as
you appear in my eyes at this moment.'

He had given the girl an impression that she was helping him, that her
sympathy was precious. In her innocence she was deeply stirred, and yet
glad at heart. She was silent for some minutes, and then said:

'Do you know, I think you sometimes underestimate Mrs. Macdougal's
sensibilities.'

'In what manner?'

'I think you hurt her without being conscious of it. Her sense of humour
is not keen, and I know she is pained when you lea