Now, a sulky is a vehicle built to accommodate two people only,
and those two people have to sit fairly close together. For a few
miles they spun along in silence, Hugh being well occupied with
steadying the mare. From time to time he looked out of the corner
of his eye at his companion; she looked steadily, almost stolidly,
in front of her. Then she began to tap on the floor of the sulky
with her foot. At last she turned on him.
"Well, we didn't win," she said. "I suppose you are glad."
"Why should I be glad, Miss Grant?"
"Oh! you said we oughn't to go and race among those people. And
you were right. It served them just right that the mare ran over
them. I hope that none of them are going to die."
"They wouldn't be much missed," said Hugh wearily. "They have
started stealing the sheep again."
"Can't you catch them?" she said, with pretended asperity. "If you
went out and hid in a fallen tree, don't you think you could catch
them?"
Hugh looked at her to see if she were in earnest, but she looked
straight in front again and said nothing, still keeping up the slight
tapping of her foot. He flushed a little, and spoke very quietly.
"I think I'll have to resign from your employment, Miss Grant. I
don't care about stopping any longer; and I will go out back and
take up one of those twenty-thousand-acre leases in Queensland.
You might put Poss or Binjie on in my place. They would be glad of
a billet, and they might catch Red Mick for you."
"Do you really want to go?" she said, looking straight at him for
the first time. "Why do you want to go?"
"Why?" he burst out. "Because I can't bear being with you and near
you all day long, when I care for you, and you don't care for me.
I can't eat, or sleep, or rest here now, and it's time I was away.
You might give me a good character as a station-manager," he went
on grimly, "even though I can't catch Red Mick for you. I'll get
you to make out my cheque, and then I'll be off up North."
She was looking down now. The sun had gone, and the stars were
peeping out, and in the dusk he could catch no glimpse of her face.
There was silence for a few moments, then he went on talking, half
to himself. "It's best for me, anyhow. It's time I made a start
for myself. I couldn't stay on here as manager all my life."
Then she spoke, very low and quietly.
"You wouldn't care to stay on--for anything else, then?"