e old woman screamed, and the doctor
sat down on a chair and puffed away at his meerschaum pipe.

'We're three to three, now,' says Starlight; 'you've only to move a
finger and you're a dead man. Wall and Hulbert can have a hand in it
if they haven't had shooting enough for one evening. Do your worst, you
black-hearted brute! I've two minds to take you and run you in myself,
if it's only to give you a lesson in manners.'

Moran's face grew as black as an ironbark tree after a bush fire. He
raised his revolver, and in one second we should have been in the middle
of a desperate hand-to-hand fight; and God knows how it might have ended
hadn't Hulbert struck up his arm, and spoke out like a man.

'It's no use, Dan, we won't stand it. You're a dashed fool and want to
spoil everything for a bit of temper. We'll take the notes and let Mrs.
Knightley and the doctor clear out for Bathurst if you'll say honour
bright that you'll be at the Black Stump by to-morrow evening at five,
and won't give the police the office.'

Moran, slow and sulkily, put down his hand and glared round like a dingo
with the dogs round him--as if he didn't know which to snap at first.
Then he looked at Mr. Knightley with a look of hellish rage and spite
that ten devils couldn't have improved upon, and, throwing himself down
on a chair, drank off half a tumbler of brandy.

'Settle it amongst yourselves, and be----to you,' he said. 'You're all
agin me now; but, by----, I'll be square with some of ye yet.'

It was all over now. Mr. Knightley took a match out of the silver
match-box at his watch-chain, and lit another cigar. I saw the tears
trickling through Mrs. Knightley's fingers. Then she turned away her
head, and after a minute or two was as calm and quiet as ever.

'You know your way about the place, Wall,' says Mr. Knightley, as if
he was in his own house, just the same as usual; 'run up the horses,
there's a good fellow; they're in the little horse paddock. Mrs.
Knightley's is a gray, and the doctor's is a mouse-coloured mare with
a short tail; you can't mistake them. The sooner they're off the sooner
you'll handle the cash.'

Wall looked rather amused, but went out, and we heard him rattle off
to go round the paddock. The doctor went upstairs, and buckled on a
long-necked pair of old-fashioned spurs, and Mrs. Knightley walked away
like a woman in a dream to her own room, and soon afterwards returned in
her riding-habit and hat.

I foraged a