moon shining down upon the white quartz rock. The pathway wound through
a 'blow' of it. I threw a pebble at the door and waited till Jim came
out.

'Who's there? Oh! it's you, old man, is it? It's rather late for a call;
but if you've come to spend the evening I'll get up, and we'll have a
smoke, anyhow.'

'You dress yourself, Jim,' I said, 'as quick as you can. Put on your hat
and come with me; there's something up.'

'My God!' says Jim, 'what is it? I'm a rank coward now I've got Jeanie.
Don't go and tell me we've got to cut and run again.'

'Something like it,' I said. 'If it hasn't come to that yet, it's not
far off.'

We walked up the gully together. Jim lit his pipe while I told him
shortly what had happened to me with Kate.

'May the devil fly away with her!' said Jim savagely, 'for a bad-minded,
bad-hearted jade; and then he'd wish he'd left her where she was. She'd
be no chop-down there even. I think sometimes she can't be Jeanie's
sister at all. They must have changed her, and mothered the wrong child
on the old woman. My word! but it's no laughing matter. What's to be
done?'

'There's no going away by the coach to-morrow, I'm afraid. She's just
the woman to tear straight up the camp and let it all out before her
temper cooled. It would take a week to do that. The sergeant or Sir
Ferdinand knows all about it now. They'll lose no time, you may be
certain.'

'And must I leave without saying good-night to Jeanie?' says Jim. 'No,
by----! If I have half-a-dozen bullets through me, I'll go back and hold
her in my arms once more before I'm hunted off and through the country
like a wild dog once more. If that infernal Kate has given us away, by
George, I could go and kill her with my own hand! The cruel, murdering,
selfish brute, I believe she'd poison her mother for a ten-pound note!'

'No use swearing at Kate, Jim,' I said; 'that won't mend matters. It's
not the first time by a thousand that I've wished I'd never set eyes on
her; but if I'd never seen her that day on St. Kilda beach you'd never
known Jeanie. So there's evens as well as odds. The thing is, what are
we to do now?'

'Dashed if I know. I feel stupid about tackling the bush again; and
what can I do with Jeanie? I wish I was dead. I've half a mind to go and
shoot that brute of a woman and then myself. But then, poor Jeanie! poor
little Jeanie! I can't stand it, Dick; I shall go mad!'

I thought Jim was going to break out crying just as he u