The Crooked Stick

who, having arrayed herself in a light Indian muslin dress, gracefully reclined upon one of the Cingalese couches. His lonely life of late m

naffected welcome. He took in at one rapturous glance her slender yet wondrously moulded form, her delicat

t now. When I saw Pollie Devereux that evening I could have done the maddest thing in the world for the ghost of a chance of winning her. And to win, and wear, and lose her a

ft hand despairingly while she expressed her frank pleasure at seeing him, 'Always delighted to come to Corindah, M

been out to see the coach and find out if they'd brought our package from England-present

oachfully; 'you know I always think he could win the steeplec

ht get hurt. Didn't you see that poor Welcome, at Wannonbah races, broke his leg and had to be shot? I

r. Charteris, with less t

rteris, you see, and I can't affor

d have me shot like Wanderer if I broke my back or anything. 'Pon my soul! it wou

ng orders, you know. I shall hand you over to mother, who has just come to say t

up to the kindly matron with a look of sincere affection. 'Your mother's known me all

the case I shall not be very angry at anything you can say. We all know you mean no harm. Don't we, Pollie? And no

ks up. I can't make it rain, now can I? And I've a regular tough, steady overseer, a sort of first cousin to your Joe Gateward, with twice as much sense and work in him as I have. I mean to take it easy at the Club till he wire

h a four-in-hand and spend money, when you m

e situation out, as thus:-If we are all going to be ruined-the odds are against it, but still it's on the cards-why not have a real first-class time of enjoyment before the grand smash? The trifling expenditure of a goo

as you do, Mr. Charteris,' said Pollie. 'Even talking

ow we're agreed about this, that five hundred pounds, more or less, mak

ly assented Mrs. Devereux.

should find it in time. Then the evening parties, the dinners at the Club, the races, the lawn-tennis, the cricket matches! The English eleven are to be there. Why, I haven't been down for six whole mon

bility of it altogether? If I was sure of that I believe I should drown myself-no, I couldn't do that; but I would burn myself in a bush fire. That's a pro

rriment at the ludicrous idea of a drowned maiden in a bad season intensifying the bitterness in the minds of economical pastoralists with

y me? Let us pursue our argument. Pleasure being worth its price, let us pay it cheerfully. I was reading about the Three Hundred, those Greek fellows you know, dressing their h

hoed Pollie, 'or wan

at? It all resolves itself into this. I'm going to put down my ace. If the cards go wrong I have played a dashing game. If the

e explained everything so clearly. Don't you think if you read history

ttle,' answered the young man, w

assage. 'I'll swear I heard him talking about his ace. M

d Mrs. Devereux; 'you are not going to stand

s. I'm late for tea besides, though I rode hard-takes one so long to dress. If I was any one else I believe I shoul

while I see after Mr. Atherstone, and recommend him to begin with the wild turkey w

s short, looked so when they stood together. Then you saw that he was much above the ordinary stature of mankind. His frame was broad and muscular, and there wa

ement which divided him from the enchantress and reduced him to the placid

ike me can't sustain your electric currents. I perceive by the appearance of that turkey that I'm about to dine in comfort. Pollie has gone to bring in a bottle of Bukkulla. "Put it to yourself car

ie reappeared bearing a dusty bottle of the cool and fragrant Bukkulla. 'Mrs.

t near and placed a large hock glass before him. 'Leave them alone for half an hour. I'm sure, poor fellow, he's awfully tired and hungry

u know I always say there's no one talks so charmingly as you do, and I alw

nd sang two or three of his favourite songs in a fashion which brought any lingering remnants of his passion once more to the surface. Mr. Atherstone was also good enough to express his approval from the dining-room, the door of which was

it combined strangely mingled tones, which carried with them smiles or tears, hate, defiance, love and despair, the child's glee, the woman's passion; all were enwrapped in this wondrous organ, prompt to appe

s was one of her good nights, her amiable, well-behaved nights, Harold said. So the men sat and smoked in the verandah, with Mrs. Devereux near them; all in silence or low, murmuring converse, while the stars burnt brightly in the blue eternity of the summer night-the season itself in its unchanging brightness an emblem of the endless procession of cr

d Mrs. Devereux, placing her hand on his. 'We have been sorely

rees, still kept in leaf and flower by profuse watering. 'What a shame that one should have to go to bed! I feel too excited t

ontemplative, reflective practice, possessing at the same time a sedative effect. It prevents intemperate cerebration. It arrests t

llie. 'However, I must say, considering the hard work you poor fellows have to do at times

eason. If I hadn't smoked, should have had to fall back upon drinking. Dreadful to think of, isn't

x, with mild, suggestive authority. 'Dear me! nearly twelve o'clock too. The days are so

Mogil clump had arrived safely, and its contents been duly admired, when a letter received by the next

f her husband's family had proved sympathetic in her hour of sorrow. They had possibly been touched by the passionate grief of a relative whose letters after a while commenced to exhibi

that crack corps and the brilliant society he adorned. He had a small capital, however, several thousand pounds fortunately, the bequest of an aunt. Having decided upon a colonial career, he was anxious to gain the requisite experience on the estate

ated by the handsome Colonel Dominick Daly Devereux, one of the military celebrities of the day. In the main the tone of the letter was proud

e affected by his companionship? But I can enter into a mother's feelings. I cannot refuse hospitality to my dear husband's nephew. We must make the best of it. He will not be wo

This fateful vehicle did actually arrive rather late on the evening specified, it is true, but without having, according to Pollie's prophecies and reiterated assertions, either broke

er being 'a perfect gentleman.' He therefore busied himself actively in unloading his portmanteau and other effects, deposited the station mail-bag, and without further loss of time took the well-trodden road to the township. As the eyes of his late fare rested mechanically u

bush life, advanced from the door of a species of shop for general merchandise, as it seemed to the str

more comfortable room. Looking around at the somewhat 'cabin'd, cribb'd, and confin'd' section, he answer

erseer's place, the barracks, as we call it in the bush. If you come after me I'l

herefore he would not have been in the least surprised if his aunt or cousin had issued from one of the small apartments which opened out from the larger room; had

g a verandah until they reached a white gate in a garden paling, when t

e-bushes, and the first room to the right of the h

een carefully kept. Flowers were blooming profusely. Oranges and limes shed a subtle and powerful odour around. The stars gleamed on a sheet of water which had evidently helped to create this oasis in the desert. The whispering leaves of the banana brought

louring of which struck gratefully upon his aching and dust-enfeebled eyes. A book, a few gathered flowers, lay up

es, a lady passed into the hall from a side-do

ss to my darling husband. You are the only one of his relations I have seen. You may think how welcome you are at Corindah. But it is a lonely li

things I should never have come so far from civilisation. But I should not talk so,' he adde

And a dry year like this delays it still more. Now, having told you how glad we are to see you, you will be anxious to be shown your b

led-the flowers upon the dressing and writing tables betokening the expected guest-the pilgrim commenc

youth-very-must have been. My erratic cousin was by no means such a fool as we all thought him. And her fair daughter, too-how about her? A beau

g expression of countenance, when the bell of which he had been warned rang out a peal. Placing a rosebud of

ing not wholly devoid of china, having a few rare plaques and Moorish brass-ware-there was even a dado, also a magnif

companion; 'not even if we lived here for the next twenty years-a

eplied a young man who followed her in. '

ng will be so nice and new to him. Cousin Bertram,' she said, advancing and holding out her hand, 'I am charmed to welcome you. Mother and I have been talking of no one else

acquainted Britons, and looked steadily, if not searchi

ifferent from what I had expected. I feel as if I had found a home and relations instead of leaving the

oned, with nice brown hair and beard, and those honest grey eyes-what most girls would call a splendid fellow, and so he is. Why am I not fonder of him? Bertram is certainly distinguished looking, but he is only middle-sized and almost plain-dark hair

from eye and heart to brain-there registered, doubtless, for future verification or erasure, as circumstances might determine. Mrs. Devere

ipage at the head of the table, over which Mrs. Devereux presided, determined the character of the repast; but the general effect was that of a sufficiently good dinner, with adjuncts of light wine and the pale ale of Britain, which neither of the young men declined. Both ladies

eing chiefly tentative and fragmentary. Now Pollie was eagerly enthusiastic, but her burning impatience on a score of subjects awoke no responsive note in the incu

imself with remarking that those intending pastoralists who possessed common sense acquired information for themselves; to the other division advice was useless and experience vain. This cynical summ

country, including the roads, live-stock, and pasturage; to which their guest made answer that he had alwa

sing a laugh. 'Are we, Harold? You would hardly believe that these dusty plains

nclined his head politely and said that i

s were provided with horses, because the grass was so tall that

e travel and adventure so circumstantially described by one Lemuel Gulliver, but he manfully with

y as a newly arrived person to be wildly astonished at anything, to make quantities of mistakes, and so gradually to learn the nob

m in his dark eyes which for an instant lighted up the somewhat sombre cou

s. 'I make no promises. We shall have plenty of time-Oh, dear! what quantities of it

iss Devereux,' said the young man; 'I can't answe

ed for a century. That's the worst of it. You always put me in the wron

ed the matron, with a wistful glance at her child.

existence,' retorted the young lady. 'What would life be without it? Think of the pl

doubtless by this time observed,' answered her mo

verandah, in which luxurious retreat the

, 'if there was a little motion, I could fancy we were in the Red Sea. Same sky, same stars, same mild temper

remarked Atherstone placidly, 'but you will probably

iously. Still I can gather that you have extenuating circumstances

in kept up, sometimes with him, sometimes with Atherstone, whose answers were chiefly monosyllabic. The girl's fresh voice falling pleasantly upon his ear, with the lulling effect of rhythmic melody or murmuring stream, Mr.

g fatigue and declining further refreshment, the new-comer was fain to betake himself to bed, in which blessed refuge fr