The sky cleared and winter came in with
piercingwinds. Next day the old man leftfor Sydney to bring Gursey home. She tried
to starve them out, dry them out, burn them out. And something else in herself
understood Rosas passionate need forlove. Youre getting a bit old for this, Peters,
he said whenSambo had left them. Next day the old man leftfor Sydney to bring Gursey
home.
He was thirty-nine, past the half-way mark of his
life. Cabell avoided him at first, the change in Gursey moved him so.
But at the same time he was afraid of his own
pity.
Both had been shot through the back of the head.
For nineteen years it had been trying to do the samewith him.
He wanted to shake off its contaminating touch.
Cabell avoided him at first, the change in Gursey moved him so. InLudmilla she
recognized a woman of her own kind. Didnt I give you a leg-up by keeping my trap
shut?
Shed had nineteen years of his life and what had
she given him inreturn?
Had he not helped McGovernto make Cabell
act?
In the scrub he saw thebodies, peppered with shot.
All at once she had become a broken, bedraggled,humiliated old woman.
The fiasco of her plans for Dirk had quickened this
train ofthought. Good God,what devils must watch over the destinies of
men!
She tried to starve them out, dry them out, burn
them out.
If Id come on my own hook Cabell would havesooled
the dogs on me.
If hesoftened to Gursey he would soften to her.
What it had done to Gursey, the Darvalls, and RosaBellamy it was trying to do to
him. Evenat this age he was a reckless climber of trees after wild honey
andbreaker-in of ponies.
In the scrub he saw thebodies, peppered with
shot.
Yourenot going to kick me out now, are
you?
The homecoming of Gursey pushed thesealarms into
the background.
So the Darvalls had seemed providentially sent. She
ran away with an engineer who had beenhelping Jacob in his meat-preserving
experiments.