then, and at first he swore harder than ever; then all at once
he looked up in Paul's face and burst out laughing.

"What the devil are we quarrelling about, Griffith?" he said, and his
voice sounded amiable, though I never would have trusted him.

Paul was still very angry, and only made some unintelligible reply, and
Stanton went on with a smile which I thought rather forced.

"I say, Griffith, old chap, you needn't cut up so blessed rough. It's
me who ought to cry out, I think. I go courting a girl; I've made that
plain enough in all conscience. All the country round knows it, and her
father and mother go dinning it into me that she 's awful fond of me,
but she 's young and she 's shy--oh so shy!--and the first time I come
across the ranges I find this--this--"

I really think he was too angry to think of a word to call me, for
he skipped out my name altogether, and went on, "and there I find her
cuddled up in your arms."

"She has a right to choose," said Paul, a little sullenly.

"And she has chosen. Just my blooming luck all over."

"And seeing she has chosen," said Paul, still angry, "suppose you leave
me to see her safe home."

"And what'll papa say, Miss Hope? He'd rather have the rich squatter for
a son-in-law than a poor roustabout, I 'll bet."

"It's no business of my father's," I said hotly, and then he laughed
sneeringly.

"By Jove! Dan Forde 'll have something to say to that, or I 'm very much
mistaken. Just you wait till to-night," and he turned away and ran up
the hill to where, I suppose, he had left his horse. Some one must have
told him to come and look for us, of course; he 'd never have come to
that lonely gully, and on foot, too, else; but to this day I don't know
who it was.

Paul comforted me all he knew; but still I went home very frightened,
though I wouldn't let him come with me. I did not quite believe Dick
Stanton would be quite so mean as to carry out his threat and tell my
father, and if he did not, I was glad, now that it was all over, that he
should understand how unwelcome were his attentions to me.

That night he came round as usual, and as usual I was sent for to pour
out their brandy for them, and to make myself pleasant to the guest. He
did not say anything to make me feel uncomfortable, indeed he was almost
kind and I had never liked him better, only I saw in his eyes he had
not forgotten the meeting of the morning and did not mean that I should
either. Presently the