off him, he had to
pick up his bag and hurry away.

Chapter V

"A very striking-looking man! With perfect manners--and beautiful
hands."

Her head bent over her sewing, Polly repeated these words to herself
with a happy little smile. They had been told her, in confidence, by
Mrs. Glendinning, and had been said by this lady's best friend, Mrs.
Urquhart of Yarangobilly: on the occasion of Richard's second call at
Dandaloo, he had been requested to ride to the neighbouring station to
visit Mrs. Urquhart, who was in delicate health. And of course Polly
had passed the flattering opinion on; for, though she was rather a good
hand at keeping a secret--Richard declared he had never known a
better--yet that secret did not exist--or up till now had not
existed--which she could imagine herself keeping from him.

For the past few weeks these two ladies had vied with each other in
singing Richard's praises, and in making much of Polly: the second time
Mrs. Glendinning called she came in her buggy, and carried off Polly,
and Trotty, too, to Yarangobilly, where there was a nestful of little
ones for the child to play with. Another day a whole brakeful of lively
people drove up to the door in the early morning, and insisted on Polly
accompanying them, just as she was, to the Racecourse on the road to
Creswick's Creek. And everybody was so kind to her that Polly heartily
enjoyed herself, in spite of her plain print dress. She won a pair of
gloves and a piece of music in a philippine with Mr Urquhart, a jolly,
carroty-haired man, beside whom she sat on the box-seat coming home;
and she was lucky enough to have half-a-crown on one of the winners. An
impromptu dance was got up that evening by the merry party, in a hall
in the township; and Polly had the honour of a turn with Mr. Henry
Ocock, who was most affable. Richard also looked in for an hour towards
the end, and valsed her and Mrs. Glendinning round.

Polly had quite lost her heart to her new friend. At the outset Richard
had rather frowned on the intimacy--but then he was a person given to
taking unaccountable antipathies. In this case, however, he had to
yield; for not only did a deep personal liking spring up between the
two women, but a wave of pity swept over Polly, blinding her to more
subtle considerations. Before Mrs. Glendinning had been many times at
the house, she had poured out all her troubles to Polly, impelled
thereto by Polly's quick sympathy and warm youn