em. Purdy, open-mouthed, his eyes a-dance, turned his
head this way and that, pointed and exclaimed. But then HE had slept
like a log, and felt in his own words "as fit as a fiddle." Whereas
Mahony had sat his horse the whole night through, had never ceased to
balance himself in an imaginary saddle. And when at daybreak he had
fallen into a deeper sleep, he was either reviewing outrageous females
on Purdy's behalf, or accepting wagers to kiss them.

Hence, diverting as were the sights of the city, he did not come to
them with the naive receptivity of Purdy. It was, besides, hard to
detach his thoughts from the disagreeable affair that had brought him
to Melbourne. And as soon as banks and offices began to take down their
shutters, he hurried off to his interview with the carrying-agent.

The latter's place of business was behind Great Collins Street, in a
lane reached by a turnpike. Found with some trouble, it proved to be a
rude shanty wedged in between a Chinese laundry and a Chinese
eating-house. The entrance was through a yard in which stood a
collection of rabbit-hutches, while further back gaped a dirty closet.
At the sound of their steps the man they sought emerged, and Mahony
could not repress an exclamation of surprise. When, a little over a
twelvemonth ago, he had first had dealings with him, this Bolliver had
been an alert and respectable man of business. Now he was evidently on
the downgrade; and the cause of the deterioration was advertised in his
bloodshot eyeballs and veinous cheeks. Early as was the hour, he had
already been indulging: his breath puffed sour. Mahony prepared to
state the object of his visit in no uncertain terms. But his
preliminaries were cut short by a volley of abuse. The man accused him
point-blank of having been privy to the rascally drayman's fraud and of
having hoped, by lying low, to evade his liability. Mahony lost his
temper, and vowed that he would have Bolliver up for defamation of
character. To which the latter retorted that the first innings in a
court of law would be his: he had already put the matter in the hands
of his attorney. This was the last straw. Purdy had to intervene and
get Mahony away. They left the agent shaking his fist after them and
cursing the bloody day on which he'd ever been fool enough to do a deal
with a bloody gentleman.

At the corner of the street the friends paused for a hasty conference.
Mahony was for marching off to take the best legal advic