(behind the office) was the family bedroom, and the one opposite it
was the living room. The `Advertiser' office was next door.
Jack Drew camped in a skillion room behind his printing office,
and had his meals at the Royal. I noticed the storm had taken a sheet of iron
off the skillion, and supposed he'd sleep at the Royal that night.
Next to the `Advertiser' office was the police station (still called
the Police Camp) and the Courthouse. Next was the Imperial Hotel,
where the scrub aristocrats went. There was a vacant allotment
on the other side of the Bank, and I took a short cut across this
to the Royal.

"They'd forgotten to pull down the blind of the dining-room window,
and I happened to glance through and saw she had Jack Drew in there
and was giving him a cup of tea. He had a bad cold, I remember,
and I suppose his health had got precious to her, poor girl.
As I glanced she stepped to the window and pulled down the blind,
which put me out of face a bit -- though, of course, she hadn't seen me.
I was rather surprised at her having Jack in there, till I heard
that the banker, the postmaster, the constable, and some others
were making a night of it at the Imperial, as they'd been doing
pretty often lately -- and went on doing till there was a blow-up about it,
and the constable got transferred Out Back. I used to drink my share then.
We smoked and played cards and yarned and filled 'em up again at the Royal
till after one in the morning. Then I started home.

"I'd finished giving the Bank a couple of coats of stone-colour that week,
and was cutting in in dark colour round the spouting, doors,
and window-frames that Saturday. My head was pretty clear going home,
and as I passed the place it struck me that I'd left out
the only varnish brush I had. I'd been using it to give the sashes