f a horse's step all eyes and ears
were on the door, till some one muttered, 'It's only the horses in the
paddock.'

Some of the girls' eyes began to glisten suspiciously, and at last the
belle of the party--a great, dark-haired, pink-and-white Blue Mountain
girl, who had been sitting for a full minute staring before her, with
blue eyes unnaturally bright, suddenly covered her face with her hands,
rose, and started blindly from the room, from which she was steered in
a hurry by two sympathetic and rather 'upset' girl friends, and as she
passed out she was heard sobbing hysterically--

'Oh, I can't help it! I did want to dance! It's a sh-shame! I can't help
it! I--I want to dance! I rode twenty miles to dance--and--and I want to
dance!'

A tall, strapping young Bushman rose, without disguise, and followed the
girl out. The rest began to talk loudly of stock, dogs, and horses, and
other Bush things; but above their voices rang out that of the girl from
the outside--being man comforted--

'I can't help it, Jack! I did want to dance! I--I had such--such--a
job--to get mother--and--and father to let me come--and--and now!'

The two girl friends came back. 'He sez to leave her to him,' they
whispered, in reply to an interrogatory glance from the schoolmistress.

'It's--it's no use, Jack!' came the voice of grief. 'You don't know
what--what father and mother--is. I--I won't--be able--to ge-get
away--again--for--for--not till I'm married, perhaps.'

The schoolmistress glanced uneasily along the row of girls. 'I'll take
her into my room and make her lie down,' she whispered to her sister,
who was staying with her. 'She'll start some of the other girls
presently--it's just the weather for it,' and she passed out quietly.
That schoolmistress was a woman of penetration.

A final 'tap-tap' from the kitchen; then a sound like the squawk of a
hurt or frightened child, and the faces in the room turned quickly in
that direction and brightened. But there came a bang and a sound like
'damn!' and hopelessness settled down.

A shout from the outer darkness, and most of the men and some of the
girls rose and hurried out. Fragments of conversation heard in the
darkness--

'It's two horses, I tell you!'

'It's three, you----!'

'Lay you----!'

'Put the stuff up!'

A clack of gate thrown open.

'Who is it, Tom?'

Voices from gatewards, yelling, 'Johnny Mears! They've got Johnny
Mears!'

Then rose yells, and a cheer such