e salad that has not touched it; it filled the domestic
atmosphere with a subtle acrimoniousness unknown to it before. And Rose
was watched--not openly, but systematically enough for her to know
it--never allowed to go out alone, or to sit in the attic after a
certain hour; driven into brooding loneliness and disaffection--in
other words, towards her fellow-victim instead of from him.

CHAPTER XVI.

Now that she could no longer entertain, Deb refused to be entertained,
much to the discontent of Frances, who pined continually for a larger
and brighter life, so that the invitations fell off to nothing before
the excuse of the deep mourning was worn out. But when Mrs Urquhart,
always maternally solicitous for her poor Sally's girls, wrote to beg
them to spend Christmas at Five Creeks, Deb and Frances, who did not,
for different reasons, wish to go themselves, agreed that it would be
'the very thing' for Rose to do so. She would be absolutely safe up
there, and with her old social world about her, and old interests to
occupy her mind, would recover that respect for herself which seemed to
have been more or less impaired by association with suburban villadom.
They hoped she would stay at Five Creeks a long, long time.

"And if only Jim would keep her altogether!" sighed Frances. "I would
be content with Jim now."

"I wish to goodness he would!" said Deb, with fervour--not thinking
particularly of her sister as she spoke.

The matter was put to Rose, and she consented to go. Five Creeks was
better than Lorne, which had been spoken of, and the companionship of
Alice than the shepherding sisters in the close limits of seaside
lodgings; besides, Rose was a born bush girl.

She was tenderly escorted to Spencer Street, and put into the hands of
Jim himself, in town on station business. Alice met them at the other
end, and the two friends slept, or rather bunked, together--the house
being full for the Christmas dance--and talked the night through. But
not a word about Peter Breen passed Rose's lips, so full of words as
they were.

Next day the trestle-tables and Chinese lanterns, the sandwiches and
creams, and what not, occupied her every moment and thought until it
was time to dress, when the interest of the ball itself became supreme.

"Well, there's one good thing," said Alice, as, hemmed into a corner of
a small room crowded with girls, she laced Rose's bodice, "we shall not
want for men. There'll be one to eac