"Will you tell us who sent you here then?" said Hal.
"You'll not touch me if I do."
"Not if you tell the truth."
"Well, there were going to be several men behind the bushes, where I was to take you, and they were going to thrash you."
"Who sent you here?"
"Mr. Brown gave me ten shillings to come."
"If you take my advice, you won't have anything more to do with Mr. Brown. Now you can go," and Hal dismissed her.
"A very clumsy plot indeed, Mr. Wyckliffe, very clumsy! You must be losing your wit," said Hal, smiling.
The next morning, Reg amused himself by reading the sarcastic account in the Bulletin, of the doings at Government House, which were served up in the spicy style of that journal, and to his astonishment the account wound up with the astounding statement that Mr. Philamore had left for Brisbane.
As Hal read the paragraph aloud, he looked at Reg whose face seemed to contract with rage, he caught Hal's glance, and then both turned away in silence to engage in their own thoughts.