Kate was _not_ pleased to see Aulain, but did not show it; for she
guessed why he had come, and could not but feel a little frightened. But
after a little while she felt more at her ease, when he began to tell
her father and herself of his mining experiences, and said laughingly
that malarial fever was not half as bad as gold fever.
“You see,” he said, turning to Kate, “the one only takes possession of
your body: the other takes your soul as well. The more gold you get, the
more you want; and one does not feel that he has a corporeal existence
at all when he turns up a fifty or sixty ounce nugget--as I did on
three or four occasions. You feel as if you belonged to another--a more
glorious world; and before you, you see the open, shining gates of the
bright City of Fortune.”
The grizzled ex-judge laughed. “You have missed your vocation in life,
Aulain. Man, you're a poet But I know the feeling, and so does Kate.
Well, I am pleased that you have had such luck.”
“And so am I,” said Kate incautiously, “and I wish you better luck still
at the new rush at Cape Grenville; but I think what has pleased me most,
Mr Aulain, is that you have left the Native Police. Do you know that
when the escort was here a few weeks ago with ten black troopers, and
your successor came here to see us, I could hardly be civil to him,
although he was very nice, and gave us some very late newspapers--only
two months old.”
“The Black Police are certainly your _bêtes noire_, Kate,” said her
father with a smile, as he pushed the bottle of whisky towards his
guest.
“They are, dad. They are very especial black beetles to me--beetles
with Snider rifles and murderous tomahawks for shooting and cutting down
women and children.”
Aulain's dark face flushed, and Kate reddened too, for she was sorry
she had spoken so hastily. Then, to her relief, there sounded a sudden
outburst of barking from Fraser's kangaroo dogs.
“Oh, those horrid paddy melons and bandicoots at the garden again!” and
she rose and seized her gun.
“May I come and have a shot, too?” said Aulain.
“Do. It is as clear as noon-day. Take father's gun, Mr Aulain. I have
plenty of cartridges in my pocket.”
They stepped out together into the brilliant moonlight, and then Kate,
driving the dogs away, led the way to the garden--a small cleared space
enclosed with a brush fence. Peering over the top, the girl saw more
than a dozen of the energetic little rodents busily engaged in their
work of destruction. Indicating those at which she intended to fire,
she motioned to Aulain to shoot at a group which were further away,
and occupied in rooting up and devouring sweet potatoes. They fired
together, and three or four of the creatures rolled over, dead. The rest
scampered off.
“They will come back in ten or fifteen minutes,” said Kate; “shall we
wait? See, there is a good place, under that silver leaf ironbark, where
it is rather dark. There is a log seat there.”
Aulain eagerly assented. This would give him the opportunity to which he
had been looking forward.
As soon as they were seated he took Kate's gun from her hand, and leant
it with his own against the bole of the tree.
“Kate,” he said, speaking very quickly, “I am glad to have this chance
of speaking to you alone. I want to ask your forgiveness for that letter
I wrote when----”
“I did forgive you, long ago, Randolph. I was very, very angry when
I read it, and I daresay you too were angry when you wrote such cruel
things to me, but then”--and she smiled--“you have such a very hasty
temper.”
He placed his hand on hers. “Only you can chasten it, Kate. And now you
know why I have come to Black Bluff.”
“It is very good of you, Randolph, but, as I have said, I forgave you
long ago, and I am sorry that you have come so far just to tell me
that you are sorry for what occurred, although both father and I are
sincerely glad to see you.”
“Ah, Kate! You don't understand what I mean. In asking for your
forgiveness I ask for your love. I came here to ask you to be my wife.”
“Don't, please, Randolph,” and she drew herself away from him. “I
cannot marry you. I like you--I always liked you--but please do not say
anything more.”
“Kate,” and the man's voice shook, “you cared for me once. Forget my
mad, angry letter, and----”
“I _have_ forgotten it. Did I not say so? But please do not again ask me
to marry you. Come, let us go back to the house. You will only make me
miserable--or else angry.”
“Why have you changed so towards me?” he asked quickly.
“I have not changed in any way towards you,” she answered emphatically
with a slight accent of anger in her tones. “Please do not say anything
more. Let us go in,” and she rose.
“Kate,” he said pleadingly, and he placed his hand on her arm gently,
“just listen to me for a minute. I love you. I will do all that a man
can to make you happy. I have left the Native Police, and I am now
fairly well off----”
She made a swift gesture. “For your sake I am pleased--very
pleased--that you have left the Police, and have made money. But,
Randolph,” and though she was frightened at the suppressed vehemence in
his voice, and the almost fierce look of his dark, deep-set eyes,
she smiled as she put her hand on his, “please don't think
that--that--money, I mean--would make any difference to me. Come, let us
go back to father. I am sure he wants you to play chess.”
Aulain's face terrified her. He had lost control of himself, and his
hand closed around her wrist.
“So you throw me over?” he said in almost savage tones.
“'Throw you over'! How dare you say such a thing to me!” and she tore
her hand away from him, and faced him with blazing anger in her eyes.
“What have I ever said or done that you can speak to me like this?”
“I know who has come between us----”
“Between us! What do you mean?” she cried scornfully. “What has there
ever been 'between us'? And who do you mean?”
Aulian's face whitened with the anger of jealousy, and he gave full vent
to the unreasoning passion which had now overmastered him.
“I mean Gerrard.”
“Mr Gerrard--your friend?” she said slowly.
“Yes,” he replied with a sneer; “my dear friend Gerrard--the man who,
professing to be my friend, has steadily undermined me in your regard
ever since he first saw you.”
“Your mind is wandering, I fear,” and the icy contempt with which she
spoke brought his anger to white heat. “I shall stay here, no longer, Mr
Aulain,” and she stepped over to the tree, and took up her gun. Aulain
was beside her in an instant.
“Do you think I do not know?” he said thickly, and the gleam of passion
in his eyes struck terror to her heart, “It was he who made you leave
Fraser's Gully to come here, so as to be near him. At first I thought
that it was that Scotch hound of a parson--but now I know better.”
Kate flushed deeply, then she whitened with anger. “Oh, I wish I were
a man! I could strike you as it is! Ah, you should never have left the
Black Police. I shall not fail to let the man who befriended you know
how you have vilified him.”
“You need not. I will tell him myself what I have told you. By ------ he
shall suffer for robbing me of you!” and it needed all Kate's courage to
look into his furious eyes.
“Good-night, Mr Aulain,” she said, trying to speak calmly; “I do not
wish to--I hope I never may--see you again.”
“No doubt,” was the sneering response. “Mr Thomas Gerrard, the squatter,
is in a very different position from Randolph Aulain, the digger, with a
paltry three or four thousand pounds.”
Kate set her teeth, and tried hard to choke a sob.
“My father and I thought that you were a gentleman, Mr Aulain. I see now
how very much we were mistaken. And as far as Mr Gerrard is concerned,
he will know how to deal with you. I will ask my father to write to him
to-morrow.”
“Why not expedite your proposed visit to him, and tell him personally?”
said Aulain with a mocking laugh.
Kate made no answer, but walked swiftly away. Five minutes later,
Aulain, without going to the house to say good-bye to Douglas Fraser,
descended the rocky path to the main camp.
At daylight next morning, to the wonder of Sam Young and his mates, he
was missing. He had risen at dawn, caught and saddled his horses, and
gone off without a word of farewell.