She had risen and stood in the firelight, deadly pale. Somehow one of the bands of her long black hair had fallen down, and half covered her face. She looked so unearthly that, coupling her appearance with the wild, senseless words she had been uttering, Tom had a horrible suspicion that she was gone mad. "Cousin," he said, "let me beseech you to go to bed. Charles, run for Mrs. Barker. Mary," he added, as soon as he was gone, "come away, or you'll be saying something before that boy you'll be sorry for. You're hysterical; that's what is the matter with you. I am afraid we have frightened you by our talk about bushrangers." "Yes, that is it! that is it!" she said; and then, suddenly, "Oh! my dear old friend, you will not desert me?" "Never, Mary; but why ask such a question now?" "Ask Lee," she said, and the next moment Mrs. Barker, the housekeeper, came bustling in with smelling salts, and so on, to minister to a mind diseased. And Mary was taken off to bed. "What on earth can be the matter with her, cousin Tom?" said Charles when she was gone. "She is out of sorts, and got hysterical; that's what it is," said Tom. "What odd things she said!" "Women do when they are hysterical. It's nothing more than that." But Mrs. Barker came in with a different opinion. She said that Mary was very hot and restless, and had very little doubt that a fever was coming on. "Terribly shaken she had been," said Mrs. Barker, "hoped nothing was wrong." "There's something decidedly wrong, if your mistress is going to have a fever," said Tom. "Charley, do you think Doctor Mulhaus is at Baroona or Garoopna?" "Up at the Major's," said Charles, "Shall I ride over for him? There will be a good moon in an hour." "Yes," said Tom, "and fetch him over at once. Tell him we think it's a fever, and he will know what to bring. Ride like h----l, Charley." As soon as he was alone, he began thinking. "What the DOOSE is the matter?" was his first exclamation, and, after half-an-hour's cogitation, only had arrived at the same point, "What the DOOSE is the matter?" Then it flashed across him, what did she mean by "ask Lee?" Had she any meaning in it, or was it nonsense? There was an easy solution for it; namely, TO ask Lee. And so arising he went across the yard to the kitchen. Lee was bending low over the fire, smoking. "William," said Tom, "I want to see you in the parlour." "I was thinking of coming across myself," said Lee; "In fact I should have come when I had finished my pipe." "Bring your pipe across, then," said Tom. "Girl, take in some hot water and tumblers." "Now, Lee," said Tom, as soon as Lee had gone through the ceremony of "Well, here's my respex, sir," "Now Lee, you have heard how ill the mistress is." "I have indeed, sir," said he; "and very sorry I am, as I am partly the cause of it." "All that simplifies matters, Will, considerably," said Tom. "I must tell you that when I asked her what put her in that state, she said, 'ask Lee.'"