of his assurance. He
turned his side to the counter, hooked his elbow on it, and gazed out
through the door along Sunset Track.

"You can give me half a pound of nailrod," he said, in a quiet tone--"I
s'pose young Hake is in town?"

"No; the whole family went away. I think there's one of the sons in
business in Sydney now."

"I s'pose the M'Lachlans are here yet?"

"No; they are not. The old people died about five years ago; the sons
are in Queensland, I think; and both the girls are married and in
Sydney."

"Ah, well!... I see you've got the railway here now."

"Oh, yes! Six years."

"Times is changed a lot."

"They are."

"I s'pose--I s'pose you can tell me where I'll find old Jimmy Nowlett?"

"Jimmy Nowlett? Jimmy Nowlett? I never heard of the name. What was he?"

"Oh, he was a bullock-driver. Used to carry from the mountains before
the railway was made."

"Before my time, perhaps. There's no one of that name round here now."

"Ah, well!... I don't suppose you knew the Duggans?"

"Yes, I did. The old man's dead, too, and the family's gone away--Lord
knows where. They weren't much loss, to all accounts. The sons got into
trouble, I b'lieve--went to the bad. They had a bad name here."

"Did they? Well, they had good hearts--at least, old Malachi Duggan and
the eldest son had.... You can give me a couple of pounds of sugar."

"Right. I suppose it's a long time since you were here last?"

"Fifteen years."

"Indeed!"

"Yes. I don't s'pose I remind you of anyone you know around here?"

"N--no!" said the grocer with a smile. "I can't say you do."

"Ah, well! I s'pose I'll find the Wilds still living in the same place?"

"The Wilds? Well, no. The old man is dead, too, and--"

"And--and where's Jim? He ain't dead?"

"No; he's married and settled down in Sydney."

Long pause.

"Can you--" said the stranger, hesitatingly; "did you--I suppose you
knew Mary--Mary Wild?"

"Mary?" said the grocer, smilingly. "That was my wife's maiden name.
Would you like to see her?"

"No, no! She mightn't remember me!"

He reached hastily for his swag, and shouldered it.

"Well, I must be gettin' on."

"I s'pose you'll camp here over Christmas?"

"No; there's nothing to stop here for--I'll push on. I did intend
to have a Christmas here--in fact, I came a long way out of my road
a-purpose.... I meant to have just one more Christmas with old Ben Hake
an' the rest of the boys--but I didn't know as they'd mo