Lady Bridget in the Never-Never Land

ke and Lady Tallant at Government Hous

lemen's cloak-room. Both held back to allow certain Members of the Ministry to enter

the glances accompanying it held volumes of hidden meaning. 'I haven't seen you sin

ready-made gas-the whole place now is lighted with it. If you like, I'll give

k you'd have come and looked after an old friend at the big Show

s got a bit too much red tape and too many a

RE ther

lexandra City

id you see-the Talla

, had been transmogrified with comfortable lounge chairs and sofas, beautiful embroideries, screens, a spinet and many flowers and books into a delightful general sitting-room. It seemed quite full-mostly of official Leichardt'stonians. Joan looked for the new Governor and his wife, or at least for Lady Biddy, but none of them had yet put in an appearance. A handsome, fair-moustachioed young aide-de-camp, looking very smart in his even

used to viceregal etiquette as she is interpreted in Ceylon-that was my last post you know. They seem to think h

iful. The Premier of Leichardt's Land, a red-faced gentleman of blunt speech, was grumbling audibly

better than any of us, giving himself royal airs.... May

ished pairin

a confidential aside) 'if you KNEW the job I've had to find out the right order of precedence. Mr McKeith, the Governor will be so glad to meet you. Will

hat Lady Bridget would be better pleased if

ou,' and at Mrs Gildea's enquiring smile, he explained once more: 'Sir Luke was speaking about Mr McKeith, said hi

broke off

nd of a laugh and the patter of little high-heeled shoes on the parquet floor of th

a heavy dark moustache, and carried his dignities with perhaps a little too conscious an air-'Representative of the Throne' seemed written all over him and no greater contrast could be imagined than the new Govern

outside, at any rate Lady Tallant was, as Mrs Gildea had reason to believe, a genuine sort underneath. She had a thin, high-nosed face of the conventional English aristocratic type, a good deal rouged to-night, but with natural shadows under the eyes and below the arch of the brows which were toned to correspond with the evidently dyed hair. Her dress, a Paris cre

sed in a flashing glance that Colin McKeith's gaze had been all the while riveted upon that figure. Not in astonishment-a proof to Joan

soft shining white stuff, hanging on a straight slender form and gathered into a girdle at the waist, with a wisp of old lace flung carelessly over the slight shoulders. She stood for a moment or two on the half landing, then, as the aide-de-camp murmured in the Governor's ear at the foot of the stairs, she came close to the bannisters and looked down amusedly at the party in the hall. Her face was a little poked forward-a small oval face, pale except for the redness of a rather thin-lipped mouth-the upper lip like a scarlet bow-a

ot surprising, for his great height and the distinctiveness of his appearance, made him more likely than anyone else present to attract her attention. Then, a

o greet the assembled guests. This, Lady Tallant did with quite enchanting courtesy, making an apt apology for having kept them waiting, which almost mollified t

r. She says she really can't afford to lose more flesh. Do you see how she has had to make herse

had lunched at Government House, and was now on intimate terms with the ne

different groups and gav

n? ... I'm pining for a savage existence.... That's an excessively good-looking man'-her eyebrows indicated Colin McKeith-'I do hope he is the man I asked for to take

r monologue, giving

or Luke, he's got it on the brain that his mission is to uphold the dignity of the British Throne. Like a NOUVEAU RICHE-terribly afraid of doing the

mping just a little, as he did when he was nervous, and looking very big a

ra, let me present

up at Colin and he

about the level of her shoulder. 'You know I asked to be sent in with you-it

d Mrs Gildea heard him say in a voice that sounde

I was chosen f

idget'

r Cecil Rhodes, but I have an adoration for him-I wanted to talk to a real Bushman-I always fel

oups converged and the long