“Whom have you here, Lucy?” he asked, in a tone of displeasure.
“Two boys, papa, who came here in distress, having lost their way.”
“Did I not caution you against admitting strangers?” continued her father, with a slight frown.
“Yes, but these are boys, not men.”
Harry Vane thought it was time to start.
“I hope, sir,” he said, “you won’t blame your daughter for her kindness to us. We stood greatly in need of friendly help, having been robbed of everything by the bushrangers, from whom we managed to escape some hours since.”
The shepherd regarded Harry keenly, and proceeded to cross-examine him.
“You say you were captured by the bushrangers,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
“When was this?”