Part 17 (2/2)

'You tuood--eh, Gracey? It's fine hot weather, and Aileen shall see fair play'

'You're just as saucy as ever, Ji, so Ito help me instead of mother You must tell us all about your travels e sit down'

When George caan to talk toway out in soot a first-rate paying price for his carriage out, and had brought back and delivered a full load of wool

'I intend to do it every year for a bit,' he said 'I can breed and feed a good staons and drive the fourth myself It pays first-rate so far, and we had very fair feed all the way there and back'

'Suppose you get a dry season,' I said, 'hoill that be?'

'We shall have to carry forage, of course; but then carriage will be higher, and it will co away from home; but it pays first-rate, and I think I see a way to its paying better still'

'So you've ridden over to show theood of you it was I was afraid you'd forgotten the way'

'I never forget the way to a friend's place, George,' she said, 'and you've been our best friend while these naughty boys have leftby ourselves But you've been away yourself'

'Only four months,' he said; 'and after a few o away any ood day for all of us,' she said 'You know, Gracey, we can't do without George, can we? I felt quite deserted, I can tell you'

'He wouldn't have gone away at all if you'd held up your little finger, you know that, you hard-hearted girl,' said Grace, trying to frown

'It's all your fault'

'Oh! I couldn't interfere with Mr Storefield's business,' said Aileen, looking very grave 'What kind of a country was it you were out in?'

'Not a bad place for sheep and cattle and blacks,' said poor George, looking rather glu but live in, but that hot and dry and full of flies and mosquitoes that I'd sooner live on a pound a week down here than take a good station as a present there That is, if I was contented,' he went on to say, with a sort of a groan

There never was a greater mistake in the world, I believe, than for a ht enough if she's made up her mind to take him, no odds what happens But if there's any half-and-half feeling in her mind about him, and she's uncertain and doubtful whether she likes hiainst you, more than your worst enemy could do I didn't know so much about it then I've found it out since, worse luck

And I really believe if George had had the savey to crack hiirl or two in the back country and hid his hand, Aileen would have made it up with him that very Christmas, and been a happy woman all her life

When old Mrs Storefield cas pretty brisk--where we'd been, e'd done? What took us to Melbourne,--hoe liked it? What kind of people they were? and so on We had to tell her a good lot, part of it truth, of course, but pretty ood yarn, and I could see Grace was listening with her heart as well as her ears Jienerally we met some very nice people in Melbourne named Jackson, and they were very kind to us

'Were there any daughters in the family, Jiood-looking?'

'No, rather hoest'

'What did they do?'

'Oh! their -house We stayed there'

I don't think I ever knew Jiun he had to stick to it He told hters; but was rather proud of liest