her eyes at Jim, while her face
grew paler. She hadn't much colour at the best of times, but she was a
fine-grown, lissom, good-looking girl for all that, and as full of fun
and games as she could stick. Her eyes seemed to get bigger and darker
as she looked, and when the parson began to read the service she turned
away her head. I always thought she was rather soft on Jim, and now I
saw it plain enough. He was one of those rattling, jolly kind of fellows
that can't help being friendly with every girl he meets, and very seldom
cares much for any one in particular. He had been backward and forward
a good deal with father before we got clear of Berrima, and that's how
poor Maddie had come to take the fancy so strong and set her heart upon
him.

It must be hard lines for a woman to stand by, in a church or anywhere
else, and see the man she loves given away, for good and all, buckled
hard and fast to another woman. Nobody took much notice of poor Maddie,
but I watched her pretty close, and saw the tears come into her
eyes, though she let 'em run down her face before she'd pull out her
handkerchief. Then she put up her veil and held up her head with a
bit of a toss, and I saw her pride had helped her to bear it. I don't
suppose anybody else saw her, and if they did they'd only think she
was cryin' for company--as women often do at weddings and all kinds of
things. But I knew better. She wouldn't peach, poor thing! Still, I saw
that more than one or two knew who we were and all about us that day.

We'd only just heard that the new Inspector of Police had come on to the
field; so of course everybody began to talk about him and wanted to have
a look at him. Next to the Commissioner and the P.M., the Inspector of
Police is the biggest man in a country town or on a goldfield. He has a
tremendous lot of power, and, inside of the law, can do pretty much what
he pleases. He can arrest a man on suspicion and keep him in gaol for
a month or two. He can have him remanded from time to time for further
evidence, and make it pretty hot for him generally. He can let him out
when he proves innocent, and nobody can do anything. All he has to say
is: 'There was a mistake in the man's identity;' or, 'Not sufficient
proof.' Anything of that sort. He can walk up to any man he likes (or
dislikes) and tell him to hold up his hands for the handcuffs, and shoot
him if he resists. He has servants to wait on him, and orderly troopers
to ride behind