atives have
a sort of slow, sleepy way of talking, so it partly came natural to this
chap, Joe Moreton, and Jim. There couldn't be a better chance, so we
thought we'd stay a day and give Jim a send off all square and regular.
It wasn't no ways too safe, but we wanted a bit of a jollification and
we thought we'd chance it.

That night we had a regular good ball. The girls got some of the young
fellows from round about to come over, and a couple or two other girls,
and we had no end of fun. There was plenty of champagne, and even Jim
picked up a bit; and what with being grateful to Maddie for giving him
this lift, and better in spirits on the chance of seeing Jeanie again,
he was more like his own self. Maddie said he looked so handsome she had
half a mind to throw over Joe Moreton after all.

Joe came rather latish, and the old gentleman had a cup of tea and went
to bed at once, leaving word for Joe that he wanted to start almost
before daylight, or as soon as he could see to drive, so as to get
half-way on their stage before the sun was hot.

After Joe had seen to his horses and put the trap away he came into the
house and had a glass or two, and wired in with the rest of us like a
good 'un. After a bit we see Maddie corner him off and have a long talk,
very serious too. After that they went for a walk in the garden and was
away a good while. When she came back she looked over at Jim and nodded,
as much as to say, 'It's all right,' and I saw poor old Jim's face
brighten up as if a light had passed over it.

By and by she came over and told us all about it. She'd had a hard
matter to manage it, for Joe was a square sort of fellow, that had a
place of his own, and at first didn't like the notion of being mixed up
with our crowd at all. But he was regular shook on Maddie, and she went
at him as only a woman can, and I daresay, though she didn't tell us,
made it part of the bargain, if she was to marry him, to help Jim in
this particular way. He was to be well paid for this journey by old Mr.
Watson, and he wanted a bit of money before harvest or he wouldn't have
taken the job at all.

The end of it was that Jim and Joe sat up ever so late, pretty well
on to daylight, smoking and yarning, and Joe practising Jim in all the
things he was to do and say, giving him a kind of chart of the stages,
and telling him the sort of answers he was to give to the old chap. It
was just before daylight when they knocked off, and then J