"You have no right to be here! You behave as though you are a free man instead of a felon.”

"Would your mistress think you had a right to be what you are did she know?”

"Please go at once. You are insolent.”

"I am mourning, Carolan. I am mourning for a sweet and beautiful girl whom I loved ... Carolan, whose handkerchief I still carry close to my heart.”

"Were you carrying it when you seduced Esther?”

There was a confession, if he could but read the meaning behind her words. She was jealous as fury, that girl; and her daring to let the master make love to her!

I carry it always. I shall burn it when I get back. It means nothing now.”

"A pity to waste good linen. Give it to Esther, or, whoever occupies your affections at this moment.”

"I would not keep it now. Every time I looked at it it would remind me of you and your puritan together. But, Carolan, I can see you are a wise woman. Play your cards cleverly, my dear, and you may do very well for yourself.”

Thank you, Marcus. But I happen to be in love, and playing cards well or otherwise does not come into this.”

She walked towards the shed, so abruptly that Margery thought she had seen her and was coming in to denounce her. Margery's knees began to shake. Suppose she told' Mr. Master-man that Margery was a very unsatisfactory person to leave in charge of the kitchen! Suppose she told of laxness, of James's coming into the basement at night! She was a power in the house. No wonder she gave herself airs and graces! She was mistress of the house.

She looked over her shoulder.

She said: "We will make the arrangements for the wedding. And we shall make them promptly. It will be well for Esther's sake to get done with the business as soon as possible.”

She flounced into the house, and he stood looking at her, like a man who has lost everything he most wanted.in life. Queer, Margery wanted to go out and comfort him, but she dared not. She was bewildered. She did not understand life in this place as she had thought she did.

Things went on under her nose, and she did not see them. She had to be careful. The house had a new mistress.

She waited until he had walked away; then she went into the kitchen.

She could hear Carolan in the communal bedroom talking to Esther.

"What I want is a good strong cup of tea," said Margery aloud. She made it, and all the time she was doing so she thought of her red hair and green eyes and the master, noticing her, trying not to let her get him at first, and then... and then... Margery laughed. Perhaps he wasn't only half a man after all. Well she liked him for it, so there!

As for her, the arrogant piece, fancy making the master fall in love with her, and him always such a good man and always doing the right thing! But come to think of it the good ones were as bad as the others. Look at Miss Mealy Mouth saying Yes please, to the first man that asked her!

But the master and that Carolan. Well, could you blame him?

"I don't!" said Margery, stirring her tea.

"And come to think of it, I don't blame her either!”

When Lucille Masterman came out of a drugged sleep she talked to Carolan.

There is a change in him. Do you not see it?”

"A change? I see no change.”

"Ah. but you do not know him as I do. There is a change, I assure you. He rarely comes in here now. He is very absent-minded. He was never that before. Carolan. there are times when I have a feeling that he does not mind how ill I am, that he does not care whether I recover or not.”

"You are talking nonsense." said Carolan.

"Am I? I do talk nonsense, do I not! I have been so tired; I am waking now. I feel as if I am struggling out of darkness, and that words are a sort of rope I cling to. Oh, you smile, Carolan; you are so strong and practical. You are very like him, Carolan, in a way ... in a way. Once he wanted me to get well; he was very eager that I should. But that was not because he cared about me. Oh, no! He wanted me strong and well because he wanted us to have children. Sons he wanted. Big, strong men to go on living when we are dead; to build up this country into a great place, independent of England. I am sure that is how he feels. He is such a strange man. Carolan. You would not know, because you always see him as the master, so careful, so right in .everything he does.”

"Why do you not try to sleep again?”

"Sleep! I have slept and slept. Do you know. Carolan, sometimes I feel the desire to go on sleeping, not to wake up. It is as though, when I lie in the deep sleep, hands are laid upon me, soothing me, bidding me to stay there in the peaceful darkness for ever... not come back, you see..." Carolan's eyes glittered.

"You took too much of the drug; you must be careful.”

"I must be careful, Carolan. I will. When you are tired, it is so beautiful to sink into that deep sleep.”

"I should not take it so often, if I were you.”

"Oh, Carolan, do not stop me. Please do not stop me!”

"Who am I to stop you?" said Carolan. The glazed eyes were lifted to her face.

"You are so good, so kind, so sympathetic. I do not know what I should do without you. You are strong; I have always been attracted by strong people. He is strong; that was why I was attracted by him, I suppose.

I wish I could have been more the sort of wife he wanted. When I was not so ill, I must have pleased him. We entertained a good deal. It was only after our marriage that he was on such good terms at Government House. He owes me a little, Carolan.”

"What would he say, were he to know about the child?”

"You would not tell a soul!”

"Of course I would not; you told me in strictest confidence." She laughed.

"But he would be very angry, I do declare.”

Lucille was awake now, wide awake; the thought of discovery could make her throw off the last effects of the drug.

"I should be terrified if he knew. He ... is ruthless, Carolan. I often wonder what happened to him before he came to Sydney.”

"Did he not tell you?”

"Never!”

"Not even when... when you were lovers?”

"Lovers! What do you mean, Carolan?" Carolan wanted to laugh out loud. They had never been lovers; they had never been anything but a suitable match for each other. That accounted for his happiness now, for his complete simplicity, for the youthfulness of his lovemaking.

Carolan felt she ought to have been amused, discussing her lover with her lover's wife, but she was only ashamed. She had to force herself to go on.

"I mean during the engagement.”

"It was very short; there was no reason why it should not be. I was so sure it would be a successful marriage then.”

"Oh, come," said Carolan falsely, 'is it not now?”

"That I do not know.”

"You are thinking of the child.”

"Oh, Carolan, please do not speak of that again.”

"I will not, if you wish it so, but if he were to know ... He would consider it a great wrong.”

"Oh, I could not face it, Carolan, you know I am not strong.”

"He would have thought it your duty to face it.”

"I was very wicked, Carolan. That is what you are thinking." Lucille caught at her hand.

"But now. Carolan, it does not matter. I am sure he is resigned ... I am sure of it! He used to come in and look at me, and he would frown and ask me how I was, and I would know that he was thinking of children.

But lately he has ceased to think of them. He has changed. He is a different man. He looks ... as though he finds life good, no longer frustrated. He is a man who is always reaching for a goal. Now ... perhaps I talk rubbish ... but it seems to me as though he is no longer teaching, that he is satisfied with life.”

"You think he his given up hope of children?”

"Carolan, I do. I have been careless of late. The bottle ... it was by the side of my bed ... on the table here, when he came in.”

"What did he say?”

"He said nothing.”

"He could not have seen it.”

"He is usually observant of such things.”

"But had he seen it, he would surely have said something?”

"He merely looked at it. He said: "How are you today, Lucille?" very gently, almost tenderly. And I felt then that he loved me more than he had ever done.”

"But should he not have been perturbed at the sight of the bottle?”

"Why should he? Perhaps he did not know what it was; perhaps he thought it was some tonic. I was trembling all over. I was terrified that he would take out the cork, that he would discover what it was. that he would forbid me to take any more.”

"You would have obeyed him?”

"I must sleep, Carolan. Doctor Martin says the best thing I can do is to sleep.”

"But he would not give you this! You have to go to your shady convict doctor to get this, to the one who helped out about the baby...”

"I used to think you understood, Carolan." she said and her voice shook with fear.

"I do understand, but you wronged him deeply. To marry a man is to promise him children. You did not keep your promise. Come. Lie down.

Do not distress yourself; you are not strong enough. You should never have married.”

"But. Carolan. I do not think he minds now. He does not worry about my health as he did, and I know he was once waiting lot me to get strong so that we could have children.”

"He does not think of children now, you tell me.”

"Sometimes it seems he does, sometimes not. He told me of that girl.

Esther. Is it not good of him, to concern himself with her? He is arranging everything for her, and when he talked of her I saw a gleam of something in his eyes.