Hal. "I shall never regret having
met you, and I thank my stars we were thrown together, and that I am
able to help you."

A silent hand-clasp was Reg's only answer, and as Hal gripped his in
return, both knew that the bond between them was stronger than ever.

In reply to Mrs. Eastwood's enquiries, Hal said he found looking-on
most enjoyable, and agreed there was as nice a lot of good-looking girls
present as one could find.

"Would you care to go to the Mayor's garden party this afternoon?" she
asked.

"What, a garden party to-day, after dancing till three in the morning!
In England they would just be thinking of having breakfast," said
Morris, in surprise.

"Ah, we do things differently in the colonies."

"And a very good thing you do," was Reg's emphatic reply, as the
obliging lady left them together.

"You seemed to find scrutinising those fair damsels an interesting
occupation last night, Hal," he observed to his friend.

"So I did, my boy. You see, Tasmanian women have many points of
difference compared to those in the other colonies. Tasmania is only a
small island and the inhabitants, especially in the South, do not
trouble themselves much about business or anything that conduces to
worry. They pass their days in happy serenity so long as they have
enough to live upon. Being a very healthy country, the birth-rate is
enormous, considering the population. It is no uncommon thing to find
families of fifteen to twenty, all alive and well, girls, of course,
preponderating. Now, as Tasmania has no factories or important
industries, the boys when they grow up emigrate to other colonies to
make a livelihood; the girls remain behind, so the proportion of women
to men is about ten to one."

"No wonder Wyck came on here," said Reg, grimly.

"The Tasmanian girls," continued Hal, not deigning to notice the
interruption, "are noted for their beauty. Nearly all the beautiful
women in Melbourne and Sydney are Tasmanian born."

"Well I cannot say I am much struck with their beauty. They have nice
complexions, but not beauty of form," objected Reg.

"Wait a minute, I am coming to that. I always compare Tasmanian girls to
Tasmanian race-horses, though perhaps the former might not feel
flattered. They have here some of the finest studs in the colonies.
There are sires whose foals have won all the leading events of the
neighbouring colonies, but strange to say none of them can do anything
in their own country. It is