star-splashed sky.

"Louis," she said hurriedly, "how much does it cost you to get married
in Australia?"

"Lord knows, I don't," he said, sitting up sharp. "There's a music-hall
song about 'She cost me seven and sixpence; I wish I'd bought a dog.'
But that's in England. I've a hazy notion that it's much more expensive
in Australia than England. Why?"

"I'm wondering how we're going to do it. We've about eleven shillings
in the world--you see, uncle is meeting me in Melbourne. I had a cable
at Port Said to say so. And I'm afraid I'll have to do a little evasion.
I don't know him at all, but he may think it his duty to see that I go
with him to Wooratonga. Or he may enquire into your prospects like
uncles do--"

"Good God!" he said, throwing his cigarette overboard and staring
straight at her in horror. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Nor had I. It was all just romance till you mentioned it to-day, and
then--probably because I was doing such a prosaic thing as cleaning
spoons and forks, I saw all the details for the first time. Wedding
rings are made of gold. They must cost a tremendous lot of money. And if
being married is only seven and sixpence, I don't see how we are going
to spare seven and sixpence out of eleven shillings--we've got to eat
something, and live somewhere. You can't eat marriage licences, nor use
them as shelter. I've seen one once, belonging to Mrs. Mactavish. She
kept it sewed inside the lining of her bodice, all among the bits of
whalebone that made her stand up straight. It's a crackly thing like a
cheque--"

"Oh, do stop talking nonsense," cried Louis, suddenly desperate when
faced with a problem. "Marcella, what are we going to do? Oh, why did I
spend that money? Why were you such a fool as to pay it back to Fred?
He's drunk it all by now. It did him no good, and think how useful it
would have been to us!"

"Don't be so idiotic! As if I'd be married with money belonging to him!
My goodness! The best thing is not to be married at all, until we've
worked for some money."

"Oh yes," he cried bitterly. "Just like a woman, backing out now things
are a bit difficult! I tell you, if we're parted when we get to Sydney
I'll be in with the first waster that comes along and start the whole
beastly pub-crawl again--"

"But--eleven shillings, Louis!" she said, laughing at the absurdity of
it.

"We've _got_ to get the money!" he cried wildly. "If I do a burglary!
Look here, Marcella, the only thi