Page:Hornung - Irralies Bushranger.djvu/164

 His blood was up; but he would do it again!"

"Would he?" cried Fullarton, as his eye roved about for a weapon; and then, "It was my fault!" he bitterly exclaimed. "I should never have left you there! But you promised to keep out of the way; and not one of them would have stood by me without some proof on my side; and this blackguard was my only hope!"

"Not one?" said Irralie, in a low voice. "Not I?"

"Not even you."

"I think I did stand by you!"

"But not because you believed in me; out of the pure compassion of your heart; however, let that rest. It would only have terrified you to know the truth just then. And I argued that he was on his good behavior as long as he kept up the game; but I was wrong, wrong, wrong!"

He spoke so bitterly that the girl's eyes filled with tears; or it may have been the way in which a slice of cold plum-duff had