"My presence? And what of the presence of the woman whose husband——"
"You must not say that," Gale exclaimed quickly. "It is unjust—unwomanly——"
The grey eyes flashed like steel.
"Unwomanly?" she cried. "Me unwomanly?"
She snatched up the buggy whip and in her anger cut at him, but the lash fell short, striking one of the horses. The animal plunged at the sting and its companion also started.
By the time Gale had them under control, Mrs. Burke was vanishing down the road in a cloud of dust.
Where the track to the station branched off the main road one of the troopers met and stopped her. The man recognised her from the previous day.
"Very sorry, Mrs. Burke," he said, "but I've been sent to stop anyone going near the place."
"Why can't I go? I want to know how they are and whether I can't help to nurse them," she said.
"They're both pretty bad, I believe," the trooper answered. "I don't think you could do anything now, because there's the doctor and Mrs. Eustace and my mate looking after them. But I'll tell the doctor, and maybe to-morrow——"