Page:Hornung - Irralies Bushranger.djvu/147

 "My dear young lady, with all my heart," replied Stingaree. "I ask no greater privilege than to afford you any little compensation in my power. The facts of the case are very simple. Last Saturday morning nothing was farther from our minds; but we had been engaged upon some trifling business on the Balranald road, and as that was blocked against us north and south we thought it best to strike a straight line east across the fenced country. Late in the afternoon we came to your boundary, but had no notion of looking you up, when we lit on a beautifully dressed young man, equally well-mounted, but hopelessly lost in the bush. Well, Howie's horse was dead-beat, for we had been pushing the pace a bit; and Howie's clothes were dead-beat also; and Howie himself being not more than a size or so larger than that young gentleman, both in height and build"

"And I never thought of that before!"

"No, Miss Villiers? Well, you weren't