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Rh from political conviction that you are on Mr. Hallett's side."

Elsie laughed. He went on, "Well, at any rate, though naturally Mr. Hallett has your best wishes, I may hope that you will not owe me any serious grudge if I am returned." He looked down at Elsie with a half smile. Where was all her self-confidence gone?

To anyone else she would have made a jesting reply into which she would certainly have infused a spice of coquetry. Their eyes met. Hers dropped and she flushed slightly. He thought her wonderingly pretty.

"No," she said weakly.

"Thank you. I'm very glad of that. I'm afraid we shall not have the chance of seeing much of you in the Luya, but if I do get in, we shall meet at the Leichardt's Town balls, perhaps."

"Don't you mean ever to come to the Luya? Do you always leave everything to Mr. Trant?"

"Oh, no. I do come to the Luya occasionally—I have been up here several times."

"We haven't heard of you coming."

"No, I suppose you haven't heard of my coming. But then you have such big excitements on the Luya that it is not surprising."

"You mean Moonlight?"

"Ah ! He seems to be an excitement. What do you think of Moonlight, Miss Valliant?"

"I admire him. I would give anything to have been in the coach when he stuck it up."

"Shouldn't you have been afraid?"

"No. Why? I have no money to be robbed of—not even a watch. And Moonlight only robs misers and the gold escort. I suppose he thinks he has a right to the spoils of the earth. And," she added, "that's your principle, Mr. Blake."

"It's the principle of the oppressed. And so you sympathize with Moonlight?"

"I should like to see him," said Elsie dreamily. "Do