Here the girl's tears streamed down like rain--and she sobbed, though striving with all her will power to restrain her feelings--till her slender form shook and trembled in a manner piteous to see. Her forlorn companion gazed at her silently, with a world of misery in his hollow eyes. Just at that particular juncture the conversation in the coach became, if not more cheerful, decidedly more loud and animated, and their united voices helping to drown poor Tessie's lamentations, some poor opportunity was given her to recover herself. 'You think me very silly,' she said, with a miserable attempt to smile. 'I did not know how much I cared for you until the trial--women don't always. I thought I had a friendly feeling, and no more, till I felt I could have killed Kate--wretch that she is! for the part she took against you. Then I knew--that I loved you! Oh! my God! I know now! But you would never have been told it if you had been free and rich--not now--not now either--except I thought I could do you some good--some good, after helping to ruin you. God forgive me!' 'I have been back to Ballarat, back to Eumeralla and the Snowy River, to other places, too, because I was determined to find out how the thing was worked between Dayrell and Kate.' 'And did you find out?' Lance said, and his voice sounded strangely hoarse in the girl's ear--even his voice had changed, she thought. 'What fiends there are on earth!' 'I am certain that I have,' she answered. 'I daresay you wondered--and so did I--what made Kate so venomous against you all of a sudden? Dayrell didn't like you because you thought yourself above him, and for another reason, and besides he wanted to get his name up for a conviction, because so many horses had been stolen and the Commissioner had been blaming the police.' 'What was the other reason, Tessie? I never did him any harm.' 'Well, it doesn't matter now, but he--he--chose to fancy he admired me--poor me!--when we lived at Eumeralla. I never could bear the sight of him--and showed it. One of the boys stupidly chaffed him about it after we came to Growlers', and said I was "gone upon you," as he called it. That foolishness made all the mischief, I believe. He set himself to have you somehow.' 'And he did! May God blast and wither his soul and body, as he has mine!' groaned Lance, with a savage intensity that made the girl shudder. 'Oh, don't--don't!' she cried. 'I can't bear to hear you speak like that, you seem so different when you do. Then, when you were searched, he found a letter which you had half-written to your cousin in England, and out of that he made greater mischief still. He finished it himself in his own way, and then read it to Kate, making her believe that you had been engaged to your cousin all along, and were making game of her as a half-bred, common bush girl that you were amusing yourself with.'