e it for natural love and affection, then.'

'Ah, if it's the heart you're givin' me, I'll be uncommon greedy, so I
will.' She kissed the nugget, and slipped it into her breast.

Jim went away, glowing with the satisfaction a very young fellow feels in
having provoked the admiration of a woman and the jealousy of a man.
Aurora's of interest was open and unabashed. Quigley's jealous passion
was just as artless and free from disguise. Done had intended to send
that nugget as a natural curiosity to Lucy Woodrow. He put the shade of
regret the recollection provoked hastily out of his mind. Mike had heard
a good deal of talk about the new girl at Mrs. Kyley's, now Jim swelled
the chorus of admiration. Both young men spent that evening at the
washerwoman's tent.

The Kyley establishment consisted of a tent some fifty feet long, divided
into two compartments with a canvas partition. This screen ran just
behind the counter, and through it Mrs. Kyley dived to replenish her jug
of rum; but that room at the back represented the sanctity of the Kyley
home-life, and to it the diggers never penetrated. The public portion was
furnished with two long deal tables, at which the men sat on the Bush
stools and diced and drank, or played monotonous, if noisy, games of
euchre and forty-fives.

That night Aurora--surnamed Australis by a facetious digger--was
particularly attentive to Done. Jim was flattered by her open preference,
dazzled by her bright eyes and glowing cheeks, and piqued by her
bantering manner, for she still implied that he might be allowed
indulgences because of his beardless, boyish face and his seeming
ingenuousness. As a protest against this attitude, Done was impelled to
drink rather more rum than was good for him, and under the influence of
the fiery spirit he lost some thing of his habitual reserve, and a fight
with Quigley was only averted by the tactful intervention of Burton.

'Didn't like interferin', Jim,' said Mike next morning, 'but Quigley's a
hard nut and an ugly fighter. He'd have eaten you if you'd taken him on
as you stood.'

'I'm much obliged, old man,' answered Done mournfully. 'I suppose I made
an outrageous ass of myself.'

But he went back to Mrs. Kyley's bar again on the Monday evening, and
there got good advice from Aurora.

'You don't like this rubbish, Jimmy,' she said, serving him with the
drink he had asked for. The remark was made with an air of positive
assurance. They were alone.