if I'd known. If he runs out of clothes he might start to realise what it means to have no housekeeper around.'
`It was no trouble; Ellis said, more than a little embarrassed. 'And haven't you been—been doing the
laundry since Miss Gascoyne went to hospital?'
`Not for Steve. We had a woman over from Launceston for a couple of weeks, but she didn't like it here and she left just before Steve flew down to Hobart. This will be his first real taste of doing without and I don't intend to make it easy for him. He doesn't go out of his way to make things easy for me.'
Ellis said no more. The men didn't come home for lunch, and she made a salad which she and Leanne ate sitting in the shade in the garden. Then Leanne announced that she intended to bring out a recliner and a book and have a rest.
`I hardly slept last night. I was fuming over Steve.' `No drive to the beach?' asked Ellis.
`What's the point?' was Leanne's answer.
Ellis did the washing up and went upstairs feeling rather useless. She was disappointed in Leanne. They could have had some fun together, but it seemed Leanne was intent on sulking. In her room, she wandered across to the dressing table and with a slight shock discovered the small red jeweller's box still there. She picked it up and looked at the ring without taking it out. He'd bought it for her the day they'd left Hobart. Had he really imagined she'd accept it, wear, it, after what she'd said? She stood thinking about him, her feelings oddly confused. He had a considerable amount of charm—but he was so hard ! It was easier to hate him than to love him. And she had felt sorry for him ! That was laughable.
She looked up, drawn out of her reverie by a sound, and through the mirror she saw Leanne had come to the door. The two girls smiled at each other warily. Ellis was thinking of last night and possibly Leanne was too, and now she came across the room.
`Look, Ellis, why don't you take the car and go to
the beach?' She stopped suddenly and. Ellis realised with a start that she had without realising it slipped Steve's ring on to her finger. Her face flooded with colour and she pulled it off and put it back in the box. She said jerkily, `I'd like to take the car. Do you—do you know where I'd be likely to find Martin Webster?'
Leanne looked at her so blankly she almost laughed.
`Martin Webster?' Leanne repeated stupidly.
`He's my cousin,' Ellis said awkwardly.
Leanne's face reddened. 'Then you—you know about Jan?'
`Yes. That's how I came to meet Steve. I knew he—needed someone.' She broke off hopelessly and said instead, 'Where would I be likely to find Martin, anyhow?'
`He may be somewhere around North East River,' said Leanne, looking rather speculative 'Charlie went fishing with him last weekend and that's where he was then. There are a lot of birds up that way, I believe. Isn't he doing something about birds?'
`Yes, he's a naturalist,' Ellis said briefly. 'Is it far to North East River?'
`Nowhere's far on this island,' Leanne said discontentedly. 'You'll have plenty of time to get there and back before dinner time, but he mightn't be there.'
`I'll take a chance,' Ellis decided.
----
CHAPTER FIVE
A QUARTER of an hour later she was on her way and she was beginning to understand why Leanne made such a fuss about this car. It was an absolute bomb. The steering was bad, and the gear change difficult, and the engine sounded very sick. Ellis closed the gates carefully behind her as she drove through the Warrianda paddocks, and though she saw plenty of sheep she didn't catch a glimpse of either Charlie or Steve.
Leanne had told her to turn left outside the main gates, but as she drove along the lonely white road she began to have serious doubts about going to see Martin. She hadn't written to her uncle that she was on Flinders, and the more she thought of it, the more certain she felt that she didn't want Jan to know. It would seem so odd. And of course it was odd. Jan
`It was no trouble; Ellis said, more than a little embarrassed. 'And haven't you been—been doing the
laundry since Miss Gascoyne went to hospital?'
`Not for Steve. We had a woman over from Launceston for a couple of weeks, but she didn't like it here and she left just before Steve flew down to Hobart. This will be his first real taste of doing without and I don't intend to make it easy for him. He doesn't go out of his way to make things easy for me.'
Ellis said no more. The men didn't come home for lunch, and she made a salad which she and Leanne ate sitting in the shade in the garden. Then Leanne announced that she intended to bring out a recliner and a book and have a rest.
`I hardly slept last night. I was fuming over Steve.' `No drive to the beach?' asked Ellis.
`What's the point?' was Leanne's answer.
Ellis did the washing up and went upstairs feeling rather useless. She was disappointed in Leanne. They could have had some fun together, but it seemed Leanne was intent on sulking. In her room, she wandered across to the dressing table and with a slight shock discovered the small red jeweller's box still there. She picked it up and looked at the ring without taking it out. He'd bought it for her the day they'd left Hobart. Had he really imagined she'd accept it, wear, it, after what she'd said? She stood thinking about him, her feelings oddly confused. He had a considerable amount of charm—but he was so hard ! It was easier to hate him than to love him. And she had felt sorry for him ! That was laughable.
She looked up, drawn out of her reverie by a sound, and through the mirror she saw Leanne had come to the door. The two girls smiled at each other warily. Ellis was thinking of last night and possibly Leanne was too, and now she came across the room.
`Look, Ellis, why don't you take the car and go to
the beach?' She stopped suddenly and. Ellis realised with a start that she had without realising it slipped Steve's ring on to her finger. Her face flooded with colour and she pulled it off and put it back in the box. She said jerkily, `I'd like to take the car. Do you—do you know where I'd be likely to find Martin Webster?'
Leanne looked at her so blankly she almost laughed.
`Martin Webster?' Leanne repeated stupidly.
`He's my cousin,' Ellis said awkwardly.
Leanne's face reddened. 'Then you—you know about Jan?'
`Yes. That's how I came to meet Steve. I knew he—needed someone.' She broke off hopelessly and said instead, 'Where would I be likely to find Martin, anyhow?'
`He may be somewhere around North East River,' said Leanne, looking rather speculative 'Charlie went fishing with him last weekend and that's where he was then. There are a lot of birds up that way, I believe. Isn't he doing something about birds?'
`Yes, he's a naturalist,' Ellis said briefly. 'Is it far to North East River?'
`Nowhere's far on this island,' Leanne said discontentedly. 'You'll have plenty of time to get there and back before dinner time, but he mightn't be there.'
`I'll take a chance,' Ellis decided.
----
CHAPTER FIVE
A QUARTER of an hour later she was on her way and she was beginning to understand why Leanne made such a fuss about this car. It was an absolute bomb. The steering was bad, and the gear change difficult, and the engine sounded very sick. Ellis closed the gates carefully behind her as she drove through the Warrianda paddocks, and though she saw plenty of sheep she didn't catch a glimpse of either Charlie or Steve.
Leanne had told her to turn left outside the main gates, but as she drove along the lonely white road she began to have serious doubts about going to see Martin. She hadn't written to her uncle that she was on Flinders, and the more she thought of it, the more certain she felt that she didn't want Jan to know. It would seem so odd. And of course it was odd. Jan
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