ys one of the goldfield
subs. 'Why, that's Maddie Barnes. I think she's the pick of all the
down-the-river girls, and the best dancer here, out-and-out. Her
sister's to be married to-morrow, and we're all going to see her turned
off.'

'Really, now?' says Starlight, putting up his eyeglass. 'I begin to
think I must write a book. I'm falling upon adventures hourly. Oh, the
"Morgen-blatter". What a treat! Can she valse, do you think?'

'You try her,' says the young fellow. 'She's a regular stunner.'

It was a fine, large room, and the band, mostly Germans, struck up some
outlandish queer sort of tune that I'd never heard anything like before;
whatever it was it seemed to suit most of the dancing people, for the
floor was pretty soon full up, and everybody twisting round and round
as if they were never going to stop. But, to my mind, there was not a
couple there that was a patch on Maddie and Starlight. He seemed to
move round twice as light and easy as any one else; he looked somehow
different from all the others. As for Maddie, wherever she picked it up
she went like a bird, with a free, springy sort of sliding step, and all
in time to the music, anybody could see. After a bit some of the people
sat down, and I could hear them passing their remarks and admiring
both of 'em till the music stopped. I couldn't make out whether Aileen
altogether liked it or not; anyhow she didn't say anything.

About an hour afterwards the camp party left the room, and took
Starlight with them. Some one said there was a little loo and hazard at
the Commissioner's rooms. Cyrus Williams was not in a hurry to go home,
or his young wife either, so I stayed and walked about with the two
girls, and we had ever so much talk together, and enjoyed ourselves
for once in a quiet way. A good crowd was sure to be at Bella Barnes's
wedding next day. It was fixed for two o'clock, so as not to interfere
with the races. The big handicap was to be run at three, so we should be
able to be at the church when Bella was turned off, and see Rainbow go
for the great race of the day afterwards. When that was run we intended
to clear. It would be time for us to go then. Things were middling
straight, but it mightn't last.

Next day was the great excitement of the meeting. The 'big money' was
all in the handicap, and there was a big field, with two or three cracks
up from Sydney, and a very good local horse that all the diggers were
sweet on. It was an open race,