very badly, I can tell you, and my sister will
feel greatly hurt."

The ex-inspector began to protest, but Gerrard would not listen, and
so Aulain allowed himself to be overruled. As they walked to the house,
Gerrard could not but notice that his friend seemed very much changed in
his manner. He spoke slowly and constrainedly, and looked at least five
years older than he was when Gerrard had last seen him at Port Denison.

"Fever been troubling you again, Aulain?" he said sympathetically, as he
placed his hand on his shoulder.

Aulain gave a nod. "Oh, nothing very bad. I get a pretty stiff turn now
and again, but there's nothing like hard work to shake it off when you
feel it coming on."

"Just so. How's the claim going--well, I hope?"

"It's worked out now. But my three mates and I have done very well out
of it. We have taken out four thousand five hundred ounces in a year
and eight months. We sent the gold away by the escort last week, and our
camp is broken up. My mates have gone off in various directions to other
diggings."

"And you?"

"Oh, I thought I would see what the new field near Cape Grenville was
like. I hear that it is very patchy, but any amount of rich pockets. And
as Black Bluff Creek is on my way, I thought I would pay Fraser a visit,
and see how he is doing. Do you know?"

"Very well indeed."

"Is he?" and Gerrard was quick to notice the gloomy look that came into
Aulain's eyes, and wondered thereat.

"I am so glad to meet you at last, Mr Aulain," said Mrs Westonley, as
the two men entered the cool sitting-room. "Tom has a just grievance
against you for not coming to see him when you were only eighty miles
from us. Almost every day for the past year he has been expecting to see
you. But I suppose that washing out gold is too fascinating a pursuit,
and that you could not drag yourself away."

Aulain smiled. "You are quite right in one way, Mrs Westonley, but wrong
in another. I should have come to Ocho Rios six months ago, but all our
horses died from eating poison bush, and it was only a few weeks ago
that my mates and I were able to buy some from a drover, who was taking
a mob down to Cooktown."

During lunch the ex-inspector brightened up somewhat, and once smiled
when Mrs Westonley, in alluding to the several visits made by Kate
Fraser to Ocho Rios, said that Jim had fallen violently in love with
her, whereupon the lad laughed, and said he was only as much in love
with her as were U