grasped her hand tightly
as he spoke; she gave a little cry, for he had hurt her. He was all
compunction and gentleness in a moment.

'Oh, you are strong!' she said. 'I almost think you could make me do
anything you chose.'

'No--that isn't what I meant.' He seemed trying to steady himself. 'I'm
damned if I'd ever give up my free-will to anybody, and I wouldn't like
even the woman who was my mate to do it either. But love--that's a
different thing....'

'Your mate!' she repeated.

'You don't know the Bush idea of a real mate--shoulder to shoulder,
back to back--no getting behind one or the other--giving up your life
for your mate, if it came to a pinch.'

'And that's your idea of--love?'

'Something like it, only closer, dearer--a thing you couldn't talk
about even to your mate--unless your mate was your wife--a flower that
blooms once in your life, and that would never--if it were cut
off--come to bloom again. Look here,' he said fiercely, 'have you ever
felt for any one of the lot of men you spoke about just like that?'

'N--no,' she answered slowly.

'If you told me you had, I'd walk away now down those steps--' he
pointed to the flight of stone steps leading from the terrace to the
drive--'and you wouldn't see me any more.... But I'm not going to leave
you now, I mean to stick on for all I'm worth, so long as I see the
faintest chance of your giving me what I've set my heart on.'

'Yes--well?' She stared at him in a fascinated manner.

'Well--Bridget--I can't milady you. We're man and woman and nothing
else to-night....'

She interrupted. 'I like you to say that. I feel now that WE, at least,
are real--not social shams.'

'Bridget--you said you'd never found yet a Real Man to love you. Here's
one.' He patted his broad chest with his open palm. 'I'm a rough Bushy
and there's not a frill about me, but I'm bed-rock if you come to
Reality. I'm a lode you've never struck in your life before. There's
payable gold here, if you choose to work me.'

She laughed nervously, considering him.

'Mr McKeith, I'm sure that you're a perfect Mount Morgan, and you
certainly have a most original way of putting things. Do you happen to
own a gold mine, by the way?'

He drew in his breath slowly, as if he were considering the check, then
he took her cue.

'Oh, well! I have pegged out a good many claims in my time and never
got much more than my tucker out of any of them--though there was a
show I came on once up th