"I wish to God I felt sure of that."

She held out her hand to him. "I believe you are honest in this.
I expect both of us have played hide-and-seek with sentiment in our time;
but it would be useless for us to masquerade with each other: we are of
the world, very worldly."

"Quite useless--here comes your cousin! I hope I don't look as agitated
as I feel."

"You look perfectly cool, and I know I do. What an art this living is!
My cousin comes about the boarhunt to-morrow."

"Shall you join us?"

"Of course. I can handle a rifle. Besides, it is your last day here."

"Who can tell what to-morrow may bring forth?" he said.

........................

The next day the boar-hunt occurred. They rode several miles to a little
lake and a scrub of brigalow, and, dismounting, soon had exciting sport.
Nellie was a capital shot, and, without loss of any womanliness, was a
thorough sportsman. To-day, however, there was something on her mind,
and she was not as alert and successful as usual. Sherman kept with her
as much as possible--the more so because he saw that her cousins,
believing she was quite well able to take care of herself, gave her to
her own resources. Presently, however, following an animal, he left her