w is that he lived
with us since we came here, and that no fellow could have behaved more
truly like a man and a gentleman. As far as we are concerned, I have a
material guarantee that he has been scrupulously honest. Do you mean to
hint for one moment that we were aware of his previous history, or in
any way mixed up with his acts?"

'"If I do, what then?" says Sir Ferdinand, laughing.

'"The affair is in no way ludicrous," says Clifford, very stiff and
dignified. "I hold myself to have received an insult, and must ask you
to refer me to a friend."

'"Do you know that I could arrest you and Hastings now and lock you up
on suspicion of being concerned with him in the Ballabri Bank robbery?"
says Sir Ferdinand in a stern voice. "Don't look so indignant. I only
say I could. I am not going to do so, of course. As to fighting you,
my dear fellow, I am perfectly at your service at all times and seasons
whenever I resign my appointment as Inspector of Police for the colony
of New South Wales. The Civil Service regulations do not permit of
duelling at present, and I found it so deuced hard to work up to the
billet that I am not going to imperil my continuance therein. After all,
I had no intention of hurting your feelings, and apologise if I did. As
for that rascal Starlight, he would deceive the very devil himself."

'And so Sir Ferdinand rode off.'

'How did you come; by Jonathan's?'

'We called nowhere. Warrigal, as usual, made a short cut of his own
across the bush--scrubs, gullies, mountains, all manner of desert paths.
We made the Hollow yesterday afternoon, and went to sleep in a nook
known to us of old. We dropped in to breakfast here at daylight, and I
felt sleepy enough for another snooze.'

'We're all here again, it seems,' I said, sour enough. 'I suppose we'll
have to go on the old lay; they won't let us alone when we're doing fair
work and behaving ourselves like men. They must take the consequences,
d--n them!'

'Ha! very true,' says Starlight in his dreamy kind of way. 'Most true,
Richard. Society should make a truce occasionally, or proclaim an
amnesty with offenders of our stamp. It would pay better than driving
us to desperation. How is Jim? He's worse off than either of us, poor
fellow.'

'Jim's very bad. He can't get over being away from Jeanie. I never saw
him so down in the mouth this years.'

'Poor old Jim, he's a deal too good for the place. Sad mistake this
getting married. People should e