Page:Hornung - Irralies Bushranger.djvu/49

 a harmonious whole. And not for the first time did they pray upon each other to-night and tear the heart of Irralie in two between them.

She imagined, or suspected, so much; and was so ashamed of her suspicions, or imaginations, that she would sooner have died than betray a word of them to living soul. So she reasoned with herself through. the long slow hours, and would prove her visions baseless, only to see them plainer than ever for her pains.

Here was the humor of it. The man was not the man he represented himself to be. Very well; then he must have an object for his imposture; and what possible object could there be? Exposure must follow soon or late, and if robbery were the design, how could impersonation expedite that? Plain robbery was easy enough in the bush, when there was anything to rob; but what was there here? Gold escorts were one thing, sheep stations another. And a drove of pure merinos were surely an unwieldy