Page:Coo-ee - tales of Australian life by Australian ladies.djvu/49

Rh 'I only stayed half a minute. I know one is nothing to look at; the other, I think, is pretty,' I said.

'That must be Miss Brown. I saw her last year, and thought her extremely handsome. Don't you remember, Robert, we met her at the Finches?' said Mrs. Drummond.

'Yes,' he answered; 'didn't she talk about kiows? But I would not mind that, if I were you, Verner; as her father says, "she carries ten thousand bullocks on her back," and she's worth looking after.'

'Thanks,' I answered; 'but I don't think I shall trouble Brown pater to round up his daughter's fortune.'

'At any rate these visitors will make bush life less insufferable,' put in Mrs. Drummond, and then held her peace; and as she turned her head away she could not see the reproachful glance that I involuntarily gave her when she spoke of finding life—her own, no doubt—insufferable.

Not a word was said, as usual, about my remaining. I presume that Mr. Drummond took it for granted that as these people were at Grettan I should wish to go back; at any rate he said,—

'I suppose it is no use asking you to stay?'

I did not answer for a moment. I wanted her to ask me, for it was a fresh pleasure when she repeated the invitation with that kindly smile in her eyes, but she said never a word; so, after a pause, I replied stupidly enough, 'I suppose not.'

She was at the piano when I came in, and she