Part 16 (1/2)

She turned her head quickly, and looked at hied her hand and stepped away

”It will be less than that,” she retorted quickly; and he, sha what to do--and so failed ”I am perfectly comfortable here,” she went on rapidly, lest he should recover his wits and renew an attack she knew she could not withstand ”Mrs

dickson is very kind, and I've got my horse and all that I want; and besides, I can do a lot for her, and I'”

He stood aardly, looking at her now that her eyes were no longer turned upon hiered at the overtures he had retting her brusqueness, feared she had offended him, as he old,” she went on, anxious that silence should not come between them at that moment ”Tell me all about it Was it in the creek where they said it was--Boulder Creek, wasn't it?”

”Boulder Creek's down the gully beyond the Flat,” he answered ht not to havebushman is jealous of the landmarks that he knows

”Oh, of course How silly of me! It was Boulder Creek where----”

She stopped in tione episode which would not be too pleasant at that moment

”Where dickson threw o in after the the sentence for her, and in a tone of voice which showed that resent the place of the uneasiness at his disco, you two Why can't you be friends? I'h”

Resentment was quickly re-inforced by another senti of dickson in a ested that in her eyes he was the least offender of the two The words which rose to his lips were angry words, and he checked thelance The angry words died down, but no others took their place, and he was once more aard and ill at ease

”What else did Nellie Murray say?” she asked, still anxious to avoid the eain a line of thought in his mind which did not make for peace

Nellie Murray, as a matter of fact, had thrown out hints, not by any means too obscure, to the effect that if he hastened to Barellan hethe society of dickson to the exclusion of all else That had been the reason of his haste; that had been the reason of his precipitate action when he found she was alone--fearing that at any ht appear In the confusion of his ht, temporarily, of the suspicions Nellie's words had roused in his ain to his memory What else did Nellie say? It was not so one away fro--before the commencement of the tiff which had come between Ailleen and hi in influence and iin was impossible to indicate--Nellie's opinion of Ailleen was the sairl friend for her bosos, loyal There had certainly not been an excess of loyalty in Nellie's o to Barellan; and he, re to that effect, when Ailleen cut hi--

”Oh, look! There's Mrs dickson co over to the house”

He looked where she pointed and saw the for by the hand-rail The sound of a horse gallopingstraight for the hand-rail near the house, and near where his grey was hitched As dickson came up he tried to make his horse ju away so Tony's horse

In the confusion of recovering the startled grey neither of the three observed how Mrs dickson had walked to where the rail was broken, and stood just beyond it, feeling froone Ailleen noticed her, and ran to her assistance

”Tony, look!” she exclai as theTony's appearance at the station, as well as the way Ailleen behaved towards him, also hurried over

”A horse has knocked the rail over,” Ailleen exclaimed, as she took Mrs

dickson's arm

”Let me help you,” Tony said, as he took the other

The blind woman stood motionless, with closely cohtless fixity

”Here, I'll take her back,” dickson said abruptly, as he pushed Ailleen aside ”Cohly to Mrs dickson, as he caught hold of her arm

She half shuddered as he spoke and touched her, butthe ainst the lowest