‘You are very determined,’ said Mrs. Hampton, smiling, ‘but I will not press you further, if you will stay with us on your return?’
‘Most willingly, and will do anything you like to ask me. If my husband is well, and returning with me, as I trust he will, you will find me quite a different woman.’
‘Then we’ll have a cup of tea, and I’ll drive you to the station. There is sure to be some one we know going on, and I can assure you of a guide, and perhaps a companion.’
Thus reassured, the wifely anxiety became somewhat lessened, and she consented to a hasty meal before being driven to the railway station. Here she found that an engaged carriage had been thoughtfully secured for her, and that her lighter luggage had been placed therein, while the attentive guard placed the checks in her hand for the trunks.
With hearty thanks, and a cordial handclasp, she said adieu to the friend in need. Just before the train started, a well-dressed, ladylike woman was introduced as Mrs. Wharton, and took her seat beside her. ‘Nearly lost my passage,’ she said, ‘but you know how one is rushed at the last moment. However, here I am, and as I live near Kalgoorlie, I shall be glad to give you any information that may be useful. This is your first visit, I hear.’
‘Yes, indeed! and but for my husband’s illness I should not have thought of making it now.’
The strange lady’s face changed to an expression of sympathy and regret, as she said, ‘Not too serious, I hope?’
‘He is in the hospital, ill with typhoid fever. I have had a telegram from the doctor attending him. He thinks the crisis past, and that he is mending.’
‘Horton. Mrs. Hampton said he was strictly reliable.’
‘So he is. He always thinks it better that people should be told the truth—you may depend upon his report absolutely.’
‘Thank you so much! I feel encouraged to think that the worst is over. You have been living at Kalgoorlie, I think you said?’
‘Oh yes! for several years; but I have only just returned from England, where my young people are at school. They are all well, I am thankful to say, and I am returning to live with my husband for another two or three years, after which, as our mine, the “Golden Helmet,” is paying well, I trust we may go to England for good.’