day night. My mate was at the Royal; it was cold and
dismal in the tent, and there was nothing to read, so I reckoned I might
as well go up to the Royal, too, and put in the time.

"I had to pass the Bank on the way. It was the usual weatherboard box
with a galvanised iron top--four rooms and a passage, and a detached
kitchen and wash-house at the back; the front room to the right (behind
the office) was the family bedroom, and the one opposite it was the
living room. The 'Advertiser' office was next door. Jack Drew camped
in a skillion room behind his printing office, and had his meals at the
Royal. I noticed the storm had taken a sheet of iron off the
skillion, and supposed he'd sleep at the Royal that night. Next to the
'Advertiser' office was the police station (still called the Police
Camp) and the Courthouse. Next was the Imperial Hotel, where the scrub
aristocrats went. There was a vacant allotment on the other side of the
Bank, and I took a short cut across this to the Royal.

"They'd forgotten to pull down the blind of the dining-room window, and
I happened to glance through and saw she had Jack Drew in there and was
giving him a cup of tea. He had a bad cold, I remember, and I suppose
his health had got precious to her, poor girl. As I glanced she stepped
to the window and pulled down the blind, which put me out of face a
bit--though, of course, she hadn't seen me. I was rather surprised at
her having Jack in there, till I heard that the banker, the postmaster,
the constable, and some others were making a night of it at the
Imperial, as they'd been doing pretty often lately--and went on doing
till there was a blow-up about it, and the constable got transferred
Out Back. I used to drink my share then. We smoked and played cards
and yarned and filled 'em up again at the Royal till after one in the
morning. Then I started home.

"I'd finished giving the Bank a couple of coats of stone-colour that
week, and was cutting in in dark colour round the spouting, doors, and
window-frames that Saturday. My head was pretty clear going home, and as
I passed the place it struck me that I'd left out the only varnish brush
I had. I'd been using it to give the sashes a coat of varnish colour,
and remembered that I'd left it on one of the window-sills--the sill
of her bedroom window, as it happened. I knew I'd sleep in next day,
Sunday, and guessed it would be hot, and I didn't want the varnish tool
to get spoiled; so I reckon