e of you.
I know that. Perhaps Adela hasn't altogether realized it."

"I've nothing--whatever--against Adela," Dot told him, rather shakily.
"She has never been--other than kind. No, it is what I feel myself. I
am not necessary to you or to Adela, and--in a way--I'm glad of it. I
like to know you two are happy. I'm not a bit jealous, Jack, not a bit.
It's just as it should be. But you'll have to let me go, dear. It's time
I went. It's right that I should go. You mustn't try to hold me back."

But Jack's arms had tightened about her. "I hate the thought of it," he
said. "Give it up! Give it up, old girl--for my sake!"

She shook her head silently in his embrace.

He went on with less assurance. "If you wanted to get married it would
be a different thing. I would never stand in the way of your marrying a
decent man. If you must go, why don't you do that?"

She laughed rather tremulously. "You think every good woman ought to
marry, don't you, Jack?"

"When there's a good man waiting for her, why not?" said Jack.

She lifted her head and looked at him. "I'm not going to marry Fletcher
Hill, Jack," she said, with firmness.

Jack made a slight movement of impatience. "I never could see your
objection to the man," he said.

She laughed again, drawing herself back from him. "But, Jack darling, a
woman doesn't marry a man just because he's not objectionable, does she?
I always said I wouldn't marry him, didn't I?"

"You might do a lot worse," said Jack.

"Of course I might--heaps worse. But that isn't the point. I think he's
quite a good sort--in his own sardonic way. And he is a great friend of
yours, too, isn't he? That fact would count vastly in his favour if I
thought of marrying at all. But, you see--I don't."

"I call that uncommon hard on Fletcher," observed Jack.

She opened her blue eyes very wide. "My dear man, why?"

"After waiting for you all this time," he explained, suffering his arms
to fall away from her.

She still gazed at him in astonishment. "Jack! But I never asked him to
wait!"

He turned from her with a shrug of the shoulders. "No, but I did."

"You did? Jack, what can you mean?"

Jack stooped to feel one of his animal's hocks. He spoke without looking
at her. "It's been my great wish--all this time. I've been deuced anxious
about you often. Australia isn't the place for unprotected girls--at
least, not out in the wilds. I've seen--more than enough of that. And
you're no wiser than th