I think not. You will
be in England hard at work, I here hard at living; our interests will
lie far apart. I am certain about it all. We might have been what my
cousin calls 'trusty pals'--no more."

"I wish to God I felt sure of that."

She held out her hand to him. "I believe you are honest in this. I
expect both of us have played hide-and-seek with sentiment in our time;
but it would be useless for us to masquerade with each other: we are of
the world, very worldly."

"Quite useless--here comes your cousin! I hope I don't look as agitated
as I feel."

"You look perfectly cool, and I know I do. What an art this living is!
My cousin comes about the boarhunt to-morrow."

"Shall you join us?"

"Of course. I can handle a rifle. Besides, it is your last day here."

"Who can tell what to-morrow may bring forth?" he said.

........................

The next day the boar-hunt occurred. They rode several miles to a little
lake and a scrub of brigalow, and, dismounting, soon had exciting sport.
Nellie was a capital shot, and, without loss of any womanliness, was a
thorough sportsman. To-day, however, there was something on her mind,
and she was not as alert and successful as usual. Sherman kept with
her as much as possible--the more so because he saw that her cousins,
believing she was quite well able to take care of herself, gave her to
her own resources. Presently, however, following an animal, he left her
a distance behind.

On the edge of a little billabong she came upon a truculent boar. It
turned on her, but she fired, and it fell. Seeing another ahead, she
pushed on quickly to secure it, too. As she went she half-cocked her
rifle. Had her mind been absolutely intent on the sport, she had full
cocked it. All at once she heard the thud of feet behind her. She turned
swiftly, and saw the boar she had shot bearing upon her, its long yellow
tusks standing up like daggers. A sweeping thrust from one of them
leaves little chance of life.

She dropped upon a knee, swung her rifle to her shoulder, and pulled the
trigger. The rifle did not go off. For an instant she did not grasp the
trouble. With singular presence of mind, however, she neither lowered
her rifle nor took her eye from the beast; she remained immovable. It
was all a matter of seconds. Evidently cowed, the animal, when within a
few feet of her, swerved to the right, then made as though to come down
on her again. But, meanwhile, she had discovere