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 excuse me for stopping talking like this, over things that's no business of mine," he added.

"It's awfully good of you," said Harriet.

"Well, it's not often I interfere with people's doings. But there was just something about you and Mr Somers—"

"Awfully good of you."

He had taken his little black felt hat. He had an almost Italian or Spanish look about him—from one of the big towns, Barcelona or even Palermo.

"I suppose I'll have to be getting along," he said.

She held out her hand to him to bid him good-bye. But he shook hands in a loose, slack way, and was gone, leaving Harriet uneasy as if she had received warning of a hidden danger.

She hastened to show Somers the persimmons when he came home, and to tell of her visitor.

"And he's queer, Lovat, he's awfully queer—nice too. He told me we were superior people, and that we made a mistake coming here, because they'd bring us down to their level."

"Not if we don't let them."

"He says we can't help it."

"Why did he come to tell you that, I wonder."

They were going down to Mullumbimby in two days' time—and they had hardly seen anything of Jack and Victoria since the Sunday at Mosman's Bay. But Victoria called across the fence, rather hesitatingly:

"You're going with us on Saturday, aren't you, Mrs Somers?"

"Oh yes, we're looking forward to it immensely—if it really suits you."

"I'm so glad. I thought perhaps you didn't want to go."

That same evening Jack and Victoria came across for a few minutes.

"Look at the lovely cacchi," said Harriet, giving the persimmons their Italian name. "William James brought them me this morning."

"William James brought them!" cried Victoria and Jack in a breath. "Why, whatever have you done to him?"

"Nothing," laughed Harriet. "I hope not, I'm sure."