And look here, Peggy Donohoe--or Peggy Keogh,
whichever you call yourself--you and Red Mick will have the most
uphill fight you ever fought before you get one sixpence of William
Grant's money. Why, your real husband is here on the coach with
us!"
He turned and pulled Considine forward, and once more husband
and wife stood face to face. Considine, alias Keogh, smiled in a
sickly way, tried to meet his wife's eyes, and failed altogether.
She regarded him with a bold, unwinking stare.
"Him!" she said. "Him me husban'! This old crockerdile? I never
seen him before in me life."
A look of hopeless perplexity settled on Considine's features for
a moment, and then a ray of intelligence seemed to break in on him.
She repeated her statement.
"I never seen this man before in me life. Did I? Speak up, now,
and say, did I?"
Considine hesitated for a moment in visible distress. Then, pulling
himself together, and looking boldly from one to the other, he
replied--
"Now that you mention it, ma'am, I don't think as ever you did. I
must ha' made some mistake."
He walked rapidly away, leaving Gordon and Peggy face to face.
"There y'are," she said, "what did I tell ye? Husban'? He's no
husban' o' mine. Ye're makin' a mistake, Charlie."
Charlie looked after the retreating bushman, and back at the good
lady who was beaming at him.
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