‘That’s the least I expect of you, Mrs. Ben.’

’Well, you’re not a bad lad, though inconstant.  Give me a kiss, and good luck go with you.  Be a man,’ she added in a whisper.  ’Say a few kind words to the poor girl.’  She nodded towards Aurora.

‘I came wishing to.’

‘You ruffian!’ she said aloud; ’and you pretending you cared a copper dump about Mother Kyley.  She pushed him towards Aurora, and rolled from the tent with one of her great gusts of laughter.

‘I’m off, Joy!’ said Done.

She turned and looked at him.  She was in one of her quiet humours.  If she had felt much grief, it had left little impression upon her.  She was neatly dressed and looking very fresh and girlish to-day.

‘I heard you were going,’ she answered.

‘Joy!’ He put out an open hand.  ’Let us part friends; I’m fond of you—­I am, upon my soul!’

She caught his hand in both of hers and pressed it to her breast.  ’I was wondering if you would come to see me before leaving.’

‘Ah, that’s better,’ he said.  ’I’d be pretty miserable if I went thinking I’d left you an enemy, because—­because—­’ He had a heart full of gratitude and big, generous emotions towards her, and could not express himself.  ’God bless you, Joy! he murmured, kissing her hair.  ’Don’t think me an utterly selfish kind of brute, dear.’

’I haven’t one ill thought of you, Jimmy.  Didn’t I woo you with every trick I know, but with my whole heart, too, for all that?  It’s been a fair deal, old man.’

’I’ll never cease to wish you happiness, and I’ll always regret any trouble I may have caused you.’

’Regret nothing—­nothing!  You’ve been a big joy to me, and you bore my tantrums like a brick.  I’m sorry I struck you, Jimmy.’  She drew his head down and kissed the scar over his right eye.

‘There was another blow here.’  He touched his left cheek, and she kissed that too, but she was showing no sign of sentimentality.  Her attitude was that of a good friend, and in this pose she was delightful, Jim thought.

‘We are certain to meet again, Joy,’ he said.  ’If ever I could do anything for you, would you ask me?’

She looked into his eyes for a moment.  ‘Yes,’ she answered, ’before anyone else in the world.’

’That’s good.  You’re one of the best, Joy.  We go to Simpson’s Ranges, but may find our way down to Ballarat in the course of a few months if things don’t pan out well.’

‘When you hear of anyone coming this way, you’ll send a message, Jim?’

They were interrupted by three or four diggers, and in the course of half an hour the tent filled.  Aurora was very charming that night, very gracious, very like the Aurora who supervised their open-air tea the night of Lambert’s big speech, but less buoyant.  Jim felt her soft touch upon him many times, and watched her with curiosity.  She had retained this peculiar quality of provoking faint wonder.  He felt that he had not known her thoroughly, and drifted into the building of the suitable future for her with many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts.’