th a report he had been asked to furnish of a
projected telegraph line for the opening of his 'Big Bight Country'.
Colin McKeith appeared to be deep in the confidence of the Leichardt's
Land Executive Council and to have taken up his abode for the winter
session in the Seat of Government, though he seemed to regard his
recent election for a Northern constituency as an unimportant episode
in a career ultimately consecrated to the elucidation of far-reaching
Imperial problems.

Joan Gildea found him excellent 'copy,' and the great Gibbs
cablegrammed, in code, approval of her lately-tapped source of
information.

She almost forgot Bridget O'Hara in her absorption in colonial topics.
But three weeks before the expected arrival of the new Governor of
Leichardt's Land a cablegram was shot at her from Colombo which made
her feel that there was no use in setting oneself against Destiny. This
was the wire:

EXPECT ME WITH TALLANTS BIDDY.

She said nothing to Colin McKeith about the message--partly because his
movements were erratic and he was a good deal away from Leichardt's
town just then. Thus Mrs Gildea did not know whether or not he had read
the flowery description telegraphed by a Melbourne correspondent who
interviewed Sir Luke Tallant and his party at that city and wired an
ecstatic paragraph about the beautiful Lady Bridget O'Hara who was
accompanying her friend and distant relative, the Honourable Lady
Tallant.

Anyway, McKeith made no references to the newspaper correspondent's
rhapsodies when he paid Mrs Gildea a short visit two or three days
before the landing of the new Governor. But his very reticence and
something in his expression made Joan suspect that he was puzzled and
excited, and would have been glad had she volunteered any information
about Lady Tallant's companion. Joan, however, kept perverse silence.
In truth, she felt considerably nervous over the prospect. What was
going to happen when Colin McKeith set eyes on Bridget?

Joan Gildea was a simple woman though circumstances had made her a
shrewd one, and she had all the elementary feminine instincts. She
believed in love and in strange affinities and in hidden threads of
destiny--all of which ideas fitted beautifully on to Bridget O'Hara's
personality, but not at all on to that of Colin McKeith.

CHAPTER 8

The first dinner-party given by Sir Luke and Lady Tallant at Government
House included Mrs Gildea and Colin McKeith.

These t