"They look like detectives, those two," said Hil sharply, out loud, turning round to watch the effect of her announcement.
The lady, who wore her name conspicuously engraved upon her ring, coloured and seemed disconcerted, and shortly after quitted the saloon.
"Come for a stroll as far as the Post Office," said Hil, as she saw Sal return with a letter in her hand.
"Are you gentlemen going to the Post Office?" she asked, sweetly.
"Yes, we"re going to try our luck again."
"Would you mind taking this letter, and handing it in to the Telegraph Department. Here is a shilling to pay for it."
"I"ll take the letter, my dear, with pleasure, but not the shilling,"
said Hil, patting the girl affectionately on the cheek.
"You"ll see it"s sent off at once, for it concerns a young lady whose mother is ill."
"I"ll go as fast as I can carry it. Come on, Jack," answered Hil, leaving the saloon hurriedly, followed by May.
Outside, she turned to her companion, and asked:
"Do you know what I have got here?"
"Wyck"s address."
"I think so, we"ll see," and she tore the letter open hurriedly, as if the action hardly commended itself to her. Taking out the enclosure, she read:
"V. Wyckliffe, Royal Hotel, Toowoomba. Two men enquiring for you.
Go to back country.--Sal."
"Where"s Toowoomba, Hil?"
"It"s on the overland road to Sydney, about five hours" journey. Have you a guide?"
"Yes, here we are. Express leaves at 6.30."
"Good! Come, we will have to change our rig. He"ll strike off for the back country, the wire shews that. We shall want moleskin trousers and rougher clothes."
"Why? Won"t these do?" asked May, not liking the idea.
"Not for the bush, May. Of course, we will go in these and take the others with us in case of emergency. Come on, time is precious," and she led the way to an outfitter"s.
The boys left the hotel for the purpose of consulting freely together outside. As they paced the street, Reg said:
"That certainly seems strange. W--k may stand for Wyck, and S--l for Sal, for that is the barmaid"s name. If it is so, he is still in Brisbane."
"Yes, I suppose so," answered Hal, thoughtfully.
"Would it not be as well to question that girl about it?"
"Why, of course, of course. What are we thinking of?" and Hal turned back and once more entered the hotel.
"Do you know where Wyck is now, miss?" he asked in a familiar manner.
"No, I don"t," answered she in a flurried way, blushing to the roots of her hair.
"Yes you do, miss," said Reg, laughing. "He is a friend of ours and we want to see him badly."
"I don"t know who you mean," she answered, becoming very red and angry.
And the boys seeing there was no chance of finding out anything went out again.
As they pa.s.sed the Post Office they called in on the chance of finding something, and were gratified at having a telegram handed to them, which read as follows:
"Morris and Winter, Brisbane. Wyck at Toowoomba. Saw wire d.i.c.k.
Says going bush. Terence O"Flynn."
"What"s the guide say, Reg?"
"Express 6.30. It"s now 4.30."
"What"s he making for the bush for? He thinks he will escape us that way. If he does he"s mistaken, for he"s tumbling right into my arms,"
remarked Hal with a grim smile.
"I must say he is a bit smarter than I gave him credit for," said Reg.
"This is not a bad place, Reg, is it?"
"No. It"s a bit warm. What are the people like--same as down South?"
"No, my boy. They are like the climate--warm--and they make it so if anything displeases them. They are the most independent and democratic lot in the colonies and, when the great smash comes, I shall be much mistaken if the voice of Queensland is not the first to cry "Australia for the Australians." But now to business. If we are going in for bush work we must have a bush outfit, so come on," and they walked towards the same outfitter"s at which ten minutes previously the girls had rigged themselves out.
They were hardly out of sight of the Post Office when a hansom-cab drew up at the door, and a young man, looking furtively round, hastily alit and hurried into the office to enquire for letters. One was handed to him with the letters O.H.M.S. upon it, which he opened, signed the certificate enclosed and received from the savings-bank clerk a sum of money in gold. Pocketing the money, he hurried into his cab and drove away. The man was Villiers Wyckliffe, and there was anything but a pleasant look on his face, for at heart he was an arrant coward.
"Confound those fellows," he muttered to himself, "they may get here at any time. I had to come back here for money, but I"ll go back to Toowoomba again, as it is a handy place to make for the open country at a moment"s notice. Who in the deuce would have thought that a fellow would make so much fuss over a girl as that fellow Morris is doing. He and his friend mean mischief, for d.i.c.k told me of their carryings-on at Melbourne. If they track me I"ll shoot them down like the dogs they are.
If I could only get away I"d go back to England, for people are not so particular there. d.a.m.n Australia, I say! I wish I had never seen it."
His face had grown black with anger, and falling back, he fell to commiserating his lot. "There are so many pretty girls here," he murmured. "And these confounded fellows are spoiling all my fun." Here any further reflections were disturbed by his arrival at the "George."
"Call for me in time to catch the 6.30 express," he shouted to the cabby, as he hurried inside.
"Let"s come in here for a drink," said Hal, leading the way into the saloon of the "George," some ten minutes later.
Calling for drinks, they were surprised to see the two new chums that they had noticed before, sitting there.
"We meet again," whispered Hil to May.
"Well, here"s luck, old chap," said Hal to Reg. "I wonder how old Goody and his daughter are getting on."
A kick pa.s.sed between the new chums, who sat as if they noticed nothing.
"Yes, I wonder. She and her cousin are going on the detective business as well, eh? That"s a good joke; but she"s a jolly girl," answered Reg.