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THE BELLE OF AUSTRALIA, 
 
 OR WHO AM I? 
 
 BY WILLIAM H. THOMES, 
 
 Author of '" The Gold-Hunters of Australia," " The Bushrangers," " The 
 
 Gold -Hunters in Europe" "Life in the East Jndies" 
 
 ''A Shiver's Adventures" "Running the 
 
 Blockade,"- "A Whaleman s 
 
 Adventures" frc. 
 
 [CORRECTED AND REVISED FROM BALLOU'S MONTHLY MAGAZINE.] 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY F. CHILDE H ASS AM. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 DEWOLFE, FISKE & COMPANY, 
 
 365 WASHINGTON STREET. 
 1883. 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1883, BY WILLIAM H. THOMES. 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 
 
TO 
 
 ALONZO B. BRAY, OF NEW-YORK CITY, 
 
 FOR WHOSE 
 
 GENEROUS HOSPITALITY 
 
 AND KIND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT 
 
 FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS 
 
 I AM SO MUCH INDEBTED, 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 fS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY HIS FRIEND, 
 
 WILLIAM H. THOMES. 
 
Contents. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 PASSAGE AND ARRIVAL AT MELBOURNE IN SEARCH OF FAME AND 
 FORTUNE, AND WHAT WONDERFUL ADVENTURES HAPPENED TO ME 
 THE FIRST DAY OF MY ARRIVAL IN THE CITY. A CRAZY FRENCHMAN 
 AND HIS PACKAGE. MY DOUBLE. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 THE MEETING IN FRONT OF THE CLUB-HOUSE. WHO AM I ? AND WHAT 
 HAVE I DONE ? A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY. AN OLD ACQUAINT- 
 ANCE ON THE POLICE. MISS KITTY AND THE DIAMOND RING. NO 
 EXPLANATIONS RECEIVED OR WANTED. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 MISS KITTY AND THE DIAMOND RING AGAIN APPEAR. A PROMISE TO 
 BE SILENT. MR. KEBBLEWHITE AND HIS HOME. HOW MR. MURDEN 
 SURROUNDED ME WITH PITFALLS. USELESS DENIALS. THE FIRST 
 VISION OF MY FUTURE WIFE ; AND A PLEASANT ONE IT IS. 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 AN EMBARRASSING POSITION FOR A YOUNG MAN. MR. KEBBLEWHITE 
 AGAIN GETS ANGRY, AND ONCE MORE CALLS FOR HIS PISTOLS AND 
 NULLA. NO TIME FOR EXPLANATIONS. A SAD WEDDIXG, AND A 
 COLLATION AND DRINKING. I LIKE MY NEW MOTHER-IN-LAW, AND 
 SHE RATHER LIKES ME. MR. KEBBLEWHITE GIVES US A SPECIMEN 
 OF HIS VOCAL POWERS. 
 
 PART V. 
 
 A SHORT PRIVATE INTERVIEW WITH MY WIFE. I MAKE SOME EXPLA- 
 NATIONS, WHICH ARE NOT WELL RECEIVED. A PLEA FOR PARDON, 
 AND A REFUSAL. LEAVING THE HOUSE BY THE AID OF A TREE. 
 MR. MURDEN AND HIS PLAIN TALK. A LONG FAREWELL. 
 
 PART VI. 
 
 A JOURNEY, AND A MOUNTED POLICEMAN'S HALT. THE NOISES OF 
 THE FOREST. A CUP OF TEA AND THE KANGAROO. 'THE QUAKER 
 AND HIS QUESTIONS. OLD WEBBER AND HIS BLOOMING DAUGHTER. 
 AN INDUCEMENT. MIKE GIVES ME A SOLEMN WARNING. 
 
Contents. 
 
 PART VII. 
 
 ON THE ROAD TO BALLARAT. A SHORT NAP, AND A LIVELY BLACK- 
 SNAKE. LOST IN THE BUSH. AN AUSTRALIAN CRY FOR HELP. - 
 THE TORTURED CHINAMAN. A RESCUE. AN ENCAMPMENT FOR THE 
 NIGHT. A FLYING CHINAMAN. THE BLACK FELLOWS AND THEIR 
 FEAST. A TERRIBLE VISITOR. ON THE TRAMP. 
 
 PART VIII. 
 
 BALLARAT AND ITS MINES. HOW THREE OLD PIRATES SOLD A CLAIM 
 
 AND MYSELF AT THE SAME TIME. HOUSE-CLEANING MADE EASY. 
 A NEWSPAPER'S ACCOUNT OF MY WEDDING. MISS KITTY STUCKLY 
 
 MAKES ME AN UNEXPECTED CALL, AND WANTS TO TALK OF LOVE, 
 BUT I DECLINE TO LISTEN. THE ARRIVAL OF MR. MURDEN AT MY 
 SHANTY IN THE NIGHT, AND WHAT HE SAID. 
 
 PART IX. 
 
 MR. MURDEN EXPRESSES HIS OPINION QUITE FREELY. KITTY'S DISAP- 
 PEARANCE. THE NUGGETS OF GOLD, AND HOW MUCH THEY WERE 
 WORTH. A SALE OF THE MINE. MY WIFE AND HER FATHER, AND 
 HOW THEY WENT AWAY. A SCHEME TO CAPTURE FLORENCE AND 
 HER FATHER BY BUSHRANGERS. MIKE WANTS TO FIGHT SOME ONE. 
 
 PART X. 
 
 A DISAGREEABLE NIGHT RIDE. FINDING THE TRAIL. THE BLACK 
 TRACKER THROUGH THE BUSH. THE BUSHRANGERS' CAMP. THE 
 SUDDEN ATTACK. A HAND-TO-HAND BATTLE. THE CHINAMEN'S 
 BLOOD DELIRIUM. A VICTORY. THE HIDDEN TREASURE. FLORENCE 
 RECOGNIZES HER HUSBAND, AND IS VERY FAR FROM BEING SATISFIED. 
 
 PART XI. 
 
 AFTER THE FIGHT. ARRIVAL OF THE POLICEMEN, AND MR. MURDEN 
 PUTS IN AN APPEARANCE, AND EXPRESSES HIS VIEWS. MY OLD 
 SHIPMATE. SOME THINGS ARE EXPLAINED, AND OTHERS A MYSTERY. 
 
 THE HIDDEN TREASURE. A BOLD PROPOSITION. A WOOL SPECU- 
 LATION. FLORENCE IS OBDURATE. SMITH'S HOME, AND ANOTHER 
 FEMALE CRANK. A BOLD CLAIM FOR A HUSBAND. 
 
 PART XII. 
 
 THE BURIED TREASURE. A BOX OF GOLD. THE RETURN TO BALLARAT. 
 
 SELLING OFF. FAREWELL TO THE MINES A BIG SPECULATION 
 IN WOOL. A HASTY SUMMONS. FACE TO FACE WITH A LORD AND 
 A DOUBLE. MY MOTHER'S ARRIVAL, AND HER STORY. TWIN BROTH- 
 IKS. FLORENCE MAKES HER CHOICE, AND IS HAPPY. GRAND EX- 
 PLANATIONS. MR. KEBBLEWHITE OPENS SOME WINE. MIKE'S CA- 
 REER. A GENERAL QLOSING UP. THE END. 
 
MY HKST AFPEAKANCE IN MELBOURNE. 
 
 PART I 
 
 PASSAGE AND ARRIVAL AT MELBOURNE IN SEARCH OF FAME AND 
 
 FORTUNE, AND WHAT WONDERFUL ADVENTURES HAPPENED 
 
 TO ME THE FIRST DAY OF MY LANDING IN 
 
 THE CITY. A CRAZY FRENCHMAN 
 
 AND HIS PACKAGE. 
 
 MY DOUBLE. 
 
 IN the year 186-, a long time after the great gold discoveries in Austra- 
 lia, I needed money, and was anxious to work for it, so determined to 
 take passage in the ship Iowa, Captain Crescent, from San Francisco, 
 where I had not met with much success in mining, bookkeeping, or trading. 
 For one hundred dollars Captain Crescent agreed to land me on the shores 
 of Hobson's Bay, Victoria, provided I should do some writing for 
 him on the passage, settle his accounts, listen to his yarns, and energetic 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 oaths, regarding his treatment by commission houses and boarding-house 
 keepers, sailors, and runners of the Golden City. I kept my promises, and 
 the master of the ship was faithful to his word ; but I fear that 1 heard more 
 first-class profanity en that sixty-days' passage than was good for a young 
 man of nineteen, who had been tenderly reared by a loving mother, and who 
 had been in the habit of associating with men who did not swear, except un- 
 der great provocation. Who I was, and why I was seeking my fortune on 
 the shores of the Pacific, will be revealed in the course of this true and mi- 
 nute history of my early life. Of pur passage from San Francisco I will say 
 but little, for a more disagreeable voyage I never experienced, as our men 
 were ignorant and brutal, hardly one of them knowing the duties of a sailor, 
 many of them shanghas'd from the shore during a drunken stupor, while the 
 officers were impatient, cross, and tyrannical, and gave their orders with 
 blows, and the latter usually preceded the former. The ship was a floating 
 hell, yet as a passenger I suffered but little discomfort, and was on friendly 
 terms with master, mates, and crew, and never failed to lend a helping hand 
 in dressing a sailor's wounds, when a scalp was laid open with a belaying 
 pin, fid, capstan bar, or marlinspike. I was looked upon as the surgeon of 
 the vessel, and had free access to the medicine chest, and thus was ena- 
 bled to soothe many a poor fellow's pain, which might have gone unrelieved 
 for all the officers cared. 
 
 " Angus," said Captain Crescent one morning at breakfast, the fifty-ninth 
 day of our departure from the Golden Gate, " if the wind holds I shall land 
 you on Australian soil tomorrow forenoon. We are making ten knots an 
 hour, and Hobson's Bay is just two hundred miles distant." 
 
 " I hope we shall see a good deal of each other while you are in port," I 
 replied. 
 
 " I hope not," was the gruff response ; and then, looking up at the tell- 
 tale compass over his head, growled out to the steward, " Go on deck, and 
 tell that swab at the wheel that if he does not keep the ship on her course I 
 
 will come up, and belt him over the head with a rope's end. him ! 
 
 where is he going to ? " 
 
 The steward delivered the order, and returned to the cabin to wait up- 
 on the table. 
 
 "No, Angus," the master said, after the telltale had showed that the ves- 
 sel was once more on her course, " I hope we shall part in Hobson's Bay, 
 and that when we again run afoul of each other it will be in China, or the 
 States. Blast the countries where old is dug out of the earth by the shov- 
 elful. It spoils sailors, and makes a captain an old man afore his time.' 1 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " 1 thought you intended to take in a cargo of wool for the London mar- 
 ket," I remarked. 
 
 " There 's just where you fools yourself, and so does all the men on board. 
 Lord ! how the scamps would cut and run if the anchor was down over 
 night. I "ve kept this thing kinder quiet like, to keep the boys in good hu- 
 mor, but now I don't mind tellin 1 yer that if there is no cargo for me all 
 ready, then up goes the helm, and I 'm off to China, for tea/' 
 
 " How are you to know ? " 1 asked. 
 
 And I saw that the chief mate began to look a little glum, as though dis- 
 appointed. 
 
 " My ship's number will be displayed at the fore, and the signal station 
 will repeat it, and then a tug will come off, and bring instructions from the 
 firm I am consigned to. If wool is cheap and plenty, then down goes my 
 mud-hook. If not, I 'm off to China for the same firm." 
 
 " And how am 1 to get ashore ? " I demanded. 
 
 " In the tug, with all yer dunnage, unless yer want to go to China with me. 
 I aVt mean, and won't charge yer a dollar for yer passage." 
 
 The mate hastily left the table, with a troubled face. The master chuck 
 led. 
 
 " him ! " he said, " I believe he 'd desart with the rest of 'm jist as 
 
 quick as wink. O Lordy ! won't it be fun to see the faces of the loblolly 
 cusses, if I have to square away, and make for China, through Torres' 
 Straits." 
 
 The idea so pleased the captain, that he laughed until he was purple in 
 the face, and small streams of coffee spurted all over the table, until I felt 
 that I was undergoing a warm shower bath. 
 
 " Get all yer dunnage ready, Angus," said the captain, as soon as he re- 
 covered breath, "and be ready for a sudden surge, for time will be money 
 tomorrow, if this wind holds. Damn that feller at the wheel, he 's off his 
 course agin. I '11 belt his blasted head off ! " 
 
 He bolted from the cabin, and in a few seconds I heard cries of pain, and 
 felt the ship jar, and then heard the sharp crack of a spar, and, when I went 
 on deck, saw that the " belting " of the man at the wheel had resulted in a 
 sudden luff, and the carrying away of the foretopmast studding-sail 
 boom. 
 
 " yer ! " roared the now thoroughly angered master, " I '11 make yer 
 
 pay for that spar. I '11 take it out of yer wages, as sure as you 're a sogger. 
 Send another man to the wheel, and let this jemmy ducks help get up an- 
 other boom." 
 
8 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 The sailor's face was bleeding as he walked forward, and there was mur- 
 der in his eyes as he passed to the leeward of the mainmast. 
 
 " Keep quiet, Jack," I said, as he passed me. " I will come forward and 
 dress the cuts, as soon as the old man goes below." 
 
 He growled his thanks ; but if the master had stood where I was standing 
 he would have felt the blow of a sheath knife in his side, or I am much mis- 
 taken. 
 
 I dressed the man's head and face in the course of the forenoon, and my 
 patient muttered his thanks, and said that he would not forget a good turn, 
 and would remember a bad one for a good many years. 
 
 The next morning, just at daylight, the captain opened the door of my 
 stateroom, and shouted, 
 
 " Come, rouse out of this. Land is in sight, and by four bells we shall be 
 in the bay." 
 
 I threw on my clothes, and ran on deck. It was broad daylight by the 
 time I stood alongside the captain, on the heel of the bowsprit, and saw for 
 the first time the dark shores of Australia, relieved here and there by patch- 
 es of white sand, and bold, savage-looking rocks, where many a noble vessel 
 had left her ribs before the era of light-houses and reliable charts. 
 
 "Well," asked the master, with a grin on his mahogany-colored face, 
 " what do yer think of yer new home ? " 
 
 " Wait until a year from now, and I will answer your question. Now I 
 am too much occupied with thoughts of the future to reply." 
 
 " Ah," snarled the master, " the more yer see of the place and people the 
 less yer will like them. Most of the men were transported for crimes, and, 
 damn me, if I don't think they deserved all they received." 
 
 " Surely," I remarked, " there must be some good, honest people in Aus- 
 tralia." 
 
 " There may be, but I have never heard of them." 
 
 And, with this parting snarl at some of the most enterprising and hospita- 
 ble people in the world, the master walked aft, and left me to ruminate on 
 the prejudices of seamen, and the beauty of the coast, and the dark-blue 
 water through which we were passing at a rapid rate, followed by schools of 
 porpoises, and flocks of sea fowl, the latter nearly coming on board, in their 
 eagerness to scrutinize the ship and the people moving about the decks, 
 while they darted with the swiftness of lightning at every bit of matter that 
 was thrown overboard, in the hope of receiving a morsel of grease or meat 
 for breakfast. 
 
 We ran along the coast until seven bells, and then a pilot-boat came out 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 from behind a bold headland, and stood along on the wind, so as to inter- 
 cept us. 
 
 " Blast him," muttered the captain, " I know the way in, but I must take 
 him, I suppose. In with the topmast studding-sails, and stand by to brace 
 up the headyards, so as to lay the maintopsail to the mast. Rig in the 
 booms, and unreef the geer, Mr. Mallet. We sha'n't want any spare canvas 
 for today, at least." 
 
 In half an hour's time the pilot-boat was alongside of us, and sent us a 
 red-headed, grisly old fellow, with a squint in one eye, and a small hump on 
 his back, the effect of bending over yardarms in English seventy-fours, dur- 
 ing gales of wind, when reefing and furling had to be done in a hurry, or a 
 dozen blows of the cat on the bare back rewarded the last man off the yard. 
 
 "Cap'en," growled the old pilot, as soon as he touched the deck, "have 
 you got a bloody piece of 'bacca to give a mate what a'n't had a chaw for 
 the last twenty-four hours ? and while you is about it jist tell the steward to 
 fetch a tot of grog. Put yer helm up, and let her slide. Well yer foreyard. 
 Steady as yer go. How long afore breakfast will be ready ? " 
 
 The steward brought the old fellow a tot of grog, and a hand of navy 
 plug tobacco, and once more we headed for the dark rocks that guard the 
 entrance to Port Phillip and Hobson's Bay. 
 
 The pilot knew but little about wool, and cared less. He said that there 
 was a rousing lot of gold being parbuckled out of the mines at Ballarat, and 
 other places, and there was some good strikes all round, but he did n't pay 
 much attention to 'em, as piloting was good enough for him, at his time of 
 life. 
 
 " I should think it would be," muttered the captain. " A hundred dollars 
 for taking the ship in, and another hundred for taking her out. What are 
 gold mines alongside of that ? " 
 
 We ate breakfast, and then I packed up my baggage, a hammock and a 
 clothes-bag ; and while I was thus occupied the captain entered the cabin. 
 
 " Angus," he said, " how much money have yer in yer lockers ? Enough 
 to take care of yer till yer finds somethin' to do ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir; I have just one hundred sovereigns in a belt around my waist." 
 
 " Well, that a'n't none too much. Them fellows will steal the teeth right 
 out of yer, if they gets the chance. You have been a pretty good boy on 
 the passage, and so here 's fifty dollars. I refund yer half of yer money. 
 Yer may want it, and the owners won't miss it." 
 
 I thanked the captain for his kindness, and took the gold; for I was not 
 sure but that I had earned it during the passage. 
 
io The Belle of Australia. 
 
 "And, Angus," said the old man, "do yer think yer will go to the 
 mines?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, if I can't find a good situation in Melbourne. I know some- 
 thing about digging gold, and quartz mining, and, perhaps, 1 may find a for- 
 tune in the country if not in the city." 
 
 " And what will yer do if yer meet with some of them bushranging thieves ? 
 The country is full of 'em." 
 
 " I have a nice revolver, and know how to use it." 
 
 44 Bah ! a revolver a'n't much agin a dozen bloody scoundrels what would 
 cut yer throat in no time for a York shillin'. Tell yer what I '11 do, Angus. 
 I 've got a repeating rifle ; fires seven shots as quick as wink, and can do 
 sure work, too. Yer shall have it, my lad ; and may it do yer some good 
 when yer want a steady hand and a cool head. Here it is. Yer see that it 
 all comes apart. Well, now stow it away in yer bag, and no one will dream 
 that it is there." 
 
 I was delighted with the gift, but made some show of refusing it. The 
 captain, whose heart seemed to expand as the time for parting came, insist- 
 ed on my accepting the present, and, to the captain's kindness and fore- 
 thought, I am now enabled to write the various changes of my eventful his- 
 tory, for more than once has that little repeating rifle, weighing not more 
 than six pounds, stood between me and death, when ambushed by the na- 
 tives of Australia, or the still more cruel bushrangers, who murder for the 
 sake of shedding blood, and rob when they can't use the proceeds of their 
 expedition. 
 
 The signals were run up to the fore, and were answered from the signal 
 station on the borders of the bay, on a high bluff that overlooked an im- 
 mense expanse of water. In a few minutes we saw a steam tug coming to- 
 ward us at a rapid rate. 
 
 " Now we shall know all about our fate in a few minutes," the captain 
 said. " Pilot, had n't we better wait for that fellow here ? I don't want to 
 go nearer the anchorage than I can help, unless obliged to." 
 
 " Sartainly, cap. Anything for a quiet life, as the convict said, when they 
 gagged him for using too much lip. Brace up the foreyard, haul up the 
 foresail, round in the cross-jack braces. Put yer helm to port. So, steady. 
 Gently with her. Ease off the spanker sheet a little, or you '11 have the old 
 hooker comin' round on another tack. She works like a pilot-boat. Most 
 of the Yankee clipper ships do. So. Well, all. Stand by to give 'em a 
 rope, and see that the d d thieves don't cut off a fathom, when they cast 
 it off." 
 
The Be lie cf Australia. n 
 
 And, while the pilot was thus handling the ship, and giving advice, the old 
 Iowa came to the wind, with her maintopsail to the mast, and remained sta- 
 tionary, as a tug ran alongside, and a person, whom I took to be the skipper, 
 hailed, 
 
 " Is this the Iowa, from San Francisco, to call for orders ?" 
 
 Yes. What news for us ? " asked Captain Crescent. 
 
 " Here 's the papers. Yer can see for yerself," was the answer: and he 
 passed up a package on the end of a boat-hook. 
 
 The captain broke the seal, and read the note that was addressed to him. 
 
 The mate and second mate drew near the " old man " with anxious faces. 
 They wanted to know the destination of the ship. 
 
 " Holy Moses ! " cried the master, " this is good enough for me. No 
 wool, and no freight. We 're off for China and tea." 
 
 A suppressed groan escaped from the mates, and they looked at each oth- 
 er in despair, while the crew, who caught the bad news from the elated ex- 
 pression of the captain's face, clustered together, and seemed to meditate 
 mutiny. 
 
 " Skipper," shouted Captain Crescent, to the master of the tug, " I want 
 yer to land a passenger for me, and here 's a plug of tobacco to pay yer for 
 your trouble." 
 
 He flung a package of navy plug to the deck of the tug as he spoke. 
 
 " All right," was the answer. " Pass over his dunnage, for I 'm in a hur- 
 ry. I Ve got to tow a bark down the Yarra at twelve." 
 
 Some of the men passed my hammock and clothes-bag over the side, and 
 then I shook hands with the captain and mate, and, as I did so, the latter 
 whispered, 
 
 " Wish I was goin' with yer. We 're tired of this bloody old hooker, and 
 every one on board." 
 
 " So 'long, my lad," said Captain Crescent. " Hope ye '11 make yer for- 
 tune, and won't be cleaned out by the bushrangers. Take care of yer mon- 
 ey. Better bank it as soon as possible, for them people on shore will steal 
 if they has a chance." 
 
 I passed over the side, the line was cast off, and the tug steamed away, 
 while the ship wore short round on her heel, braced sharp up, and stood out 
 of the bay. 
 
 " So yer a Yankee, a'n't yer ? " as!:ed the skipper of the tug, as we steamed 
 along, after I had waved a farewell to the old ship, which I must confess I 
 left with a heavy heart. 
 
 " W T hat makes you think I am a Yankee ? " I inquired. 
 
12 The Beltc of Australia. 
 
 "Wall, yer looks like a cross between a Frenchman and a Yankee. Whar 
 is you going?" 
 
 " Melbourne." 
 
 " Know any one thar?" 
 
 " Not a soul." 
 
 " What is yer goin' to do when yer gets there ? " the skipper asked. 
 
 " Don't know. Have n't made up my mind as yet." 
 
 " Wall," continued the skipper, as he gnawed off a huge chunk of the to- 
 bacco which Captain Crescent had given him, " if yer is a cross between a 
 Yankee and a Frenchman yer '11 own half of Melbourne in less than ten 
 years. They is jist the awfulest coves to get on that we has around here." 
 
 We steamed on past the shipping lying at anchor at William's Town, with 
 the flags of all nations flying, and, to give variety to the scene, I noticed two 
 English frigates, and a French seventy-four, just outside of the peaceable 
 merchant vessels. 
 
 " I 'm going up the Yarra for a tow, and will land yer at Melbourne in 
 less than half an hour. Ever here afore ? " 
 
 " Never. All seems strange and new to me. I think I shall like Austra- 
 lia." 
 
 " Don't be too sure of that, lad," growled the skipper. " Many coves 
 has thought the same thing when they has arrived from a long voyage, but 
 they has changed all that in less than a year. When I fust came here I 
 thought the place was a paradise ; but afore one month I wished myself and 
 the whole country in a red-hot Wall, never mind whar. Whar are 
 yer goin' now, yer South-Spain booby?" 
 
 This last remark was addressed to a fishing-boat, or yawl, which was at- 
 tempting to cross the bows of the tug, and required the skipper to shut off 
 steam, or run the fellow down. 
 
 " I 'd like to smash 'em," the irate skipper said, as he passed the boat, 
 the inmates of which saluted us with ironical cheers, and some gestures 
 which would not be considered polite in fashionable society, or among the 
 creme de la crime of Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue. 
 
 I must give our tug's crew the high praise of saying that to all the in- 
 sults and gestures they returned word for word, motion for motion, and oath 
 for oath. I had heard profanity in the mines of California, and in the gam- 
 bling hells of San Francisco, but for original, utterly utter swearing that 
 which I listened to on the Yarra- Yarra (the meaning of which in the native 
 tongue denotes flowing flowing) surpassed all previous experiences in God- 
 defying expressions 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " The miserable, ticket-of-leave sons of the devil ! " growled the skipper. 
 " I shall have to fetch 'em some day. Human natur can't stand it much 
 longer. These blasted cusses has the right of way, and they knows it, but 
 I shall have to fetch 'em some time. Go ahead, and let 's get up the 
 river some time today. Oh, how I should like to, but I s'pose I should 
 have to pay for it ; and yet how much better for the place if sich rats was 
 drowned as they deserve." 
 
 In a few minutes the skipper recovered something of his good-nature, and 
 resumed his subject, broken off by the encounter with the fishermen, who 
 were now far astern. 
 
 " Yes, sir," he said, " the first few months I was here I did wish an earth- 
 quake would swallow up the whole island, but now I feels quite content 
 with my lot." 
 
 " What has produced such a change in your disposition ? " I asked. 
 
 The skipper looked at me rather sharply, while the man who was steering 
 the tug, and had heard all of the conversation, turned away his head so that 
 his superior could not see the grin that spread all over his face, from ear to 
 ear, as he tried to suppress a hearty laugh. 
 
 " Never yer mind what has changed me," the master said. " If yer had 
 to do the work that I did once, yer 'd cuss the day yer was born." 
 
 And then the man, with a scowl on his sun-burned face, walked aft to see 
 about his tow-line. 
 
 " He vos transported for ten years, and had to work on the roads all that 
 time," whispered the wheelman, as soon as the skipper turned his back. 
 " He vos a hard one, and no mistake. But he 's all right now, and vould n't 
 steal from his brother unless he had a gallus chance." 
 
 " What was he transported for ? " I inquired. 
 
 " Oh, veil, he mashed a shipmate's head, and took all his chink. The 
 man he died did arter a vile, and so the big vigs sent him out here to mend 
 the roads, and, I tell yer, he was kept at it pretty veil till he got his ticket- 
 of-leave, and ven his sentence vas hout he jist staid here. But he 's all 
 right how." The man at the wheel was silent for a moment, and then ask- 
 ed, " Say, has yer got much chink in yer pocket ? " 
 
 " No, very little." 
 
 " All right. I vos in 'opes yer had lots, so that yer could tip the boys 
 some beer. But I say, youngster, mum is the word, yer knows." 
 
 " Yes, certainly." 
 
 " And if I vos you, you know, ven the skipper recommended me to go to 
 a certain boarding-'ouse, yer know, don't yer see I 'd go to some other, yer 
 
14 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 know. But mum is the vord, yer know. But 'ere ve is, right alongside the 
 bark vot ve is to tow down the river, and 1 thinks they is all ready for 
 us." 
 
 The engine stopped, and we run alongside of a small English bark, that 
 did not draw more than ten feet of water aft, and was lying at Queen's 
 Wharf, a nice looking pier, that was just opposite a wide street. 
 
 " Pass up the gentleman's dunnage," cried the master of the steam-tug; 
 and, while the men were doing so, he asked, " Do yer know where to go ? 
 Do yer want a nice, quiet boarding-house, where the cost won't be much, 
 and the lush and grub is first-class ? If yer do, say the word, and I can put 
 yer on the track of a bully place, kept by a widder woman, what would just 
 coddle the life out of a fine-looking youngster like yer. She 'd keep yer 
 away from the gals." 
 
 "Thanks," I said, remembering the warning of the wheelman, " I shall go 
 to some hotel, and look about me for a few days, before I settle down in a 
 boarding or lodging house." 
 
 " All right, mate, have it yer own way. I has taken a fancy to yer, and 
 would like to help a good-looking, decent lad like yer. That face of yern 
 will lead yer in some bad mess with the girls afore yer has been ashore 
 twenty-four hours, unless yer has some old mother likely to ballast yer with 
 good advice." 
 
 I blushed and laughed at his flattery, and, had I not been warned by the 
 wheelman, would have taken the skipper's advice, for I now more than half 
 suspect the fellow gave me a dose of romance because he thought that there 
 was a good field to practice on a greenhorn who did not know the ways of 
 the country. 
 
 Had I listened to the master of the steam-tug, had I but asked the names 
 of the former and latter, gone to the boarding-house which was presided 
 over by the careful old widow, much embarrassment would have been spared 
 me, and I could then have referred with confidence to the statements which 
 I had to make that same evening. But I did nothing of the kind, and so 
 was the innocent and careless means of producing a state of affairs which 
 even romance has hardly ever equaled by the most vivid imagination. Fate 
 willed it otherwise, much to my regret at the time, and to my own unhappi- 
 ness and that of others. Who could have supposed, seeing me land on 
 Queen's Wharf, that bright summer morning in November, that before mid- 
 night I was to be united in marriage to the Belle of Australia, the hand- 
 somest young lady that ever walked the streets of Melbourne or Sydney, 
 rich, proud, disdainful of all common things, who had rejected scores of lov- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 ers, and whose heart had never been touched by the arrows of the god of 
 Love, so far as was known by society ? 
 
 My baggage, what little I had, was removed to the wharf, and then 
 pitching a two-dollar-and-a-half gold piece to the thirsty deck hands, bade 
 them drink my health, or spend the money as they thought best. They 
 seemed to think that beer was the right thing just at that time, for all hands 
 left the tug, and rushed to the nearest saloon at the head of the pier, much 
 to the disgust of the master, who swore at the men, and at me, in no meas- 
 ured terms. I did not hear the conclusion of his peppery remarks, but hail- 
 ed a drayman, who was sitting on his team laughing at the skipper and 
 crew, and throwing in a word or two of slang when an opportunity offered, 
 and asked him if he wanted a job. 
 
 " Yes, and some beer at the same time," was the ready answer. 
 
 " All right. The job first, and the beer afterward. Pile those duds on 
 your cart, and let us be off." 
 
 "Wharto?" 
 
 The skipper stopped swearing to listen to the directions, but I was de- 
 termined he should not know my destination, so replied, 
 
 " Oh, put on the baggage, and I '11 tell you when we get off the wharf." 
 
 The man loaded the few effects which I owned, and then I mounted on 
 the dray, and up the pier we rattled. 
 
 " Stranger here ? " asked the driver. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Yankee or Frenchman ? " 
 
 " Yankee." 
 
 " Thought so. If yer had said luggage should just took my Bible oath 
 that yer was French. Only Yankees says baggage. Get up, yer lazy dev- 
 il ; are yer goin' to sleep ? " 
 
 The last remark was addressed to the horse, which had stopped as though 
 exhausted at the prospect before him. Every rib in his body was visible, 
 and his coat was like the quills on a porcupine, never having felt brush or 
 cloth. 
 
 " Where can I find a cheap hotel ? " I asked, as we moved along through 
 the crowded streets. 
 
 " Yer means a chop house, where yer can lodge, and grub when yer likes. 
 That 's what yer means, I s'pose," the drayman said. 
 
 " You have caught my meaning. Name the place." 
 
 "Well, there 's the Hen and Chickens. The lush is good, and the 
 Charges is moderate." 
 
1 6 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Is the hotel located in a nice place ?" 
 
 Well, I should think it was. Near Collins Street, the banks, and all the 
 swell places." 
 
 " Are the charges moderate ? " 
 
 A crown a day for a slap-up room, and the grub hextra. It 's a paradise 
 for them what has the blunt, and the lush is good, and no mistake." 
 
 " What do you mean by lush ? " 
 
 The man looked at me in a contemptuous manner, as though I was a little 
 too green to converse with an enlightened citizen of Melbourne. At length 
 he answered, 
 
 " I s'posed that any blessed fool knowed that lush meant drink. Where in 
 the devil's name did yer come from ? " 
 
 " San Francisco," I answered. " They have as big rascals there as can 
 be found in Melbourne, but I don't think they call drink lush." 
 
 The fellow's face clouded for a moment, then he said, 
 
 "Great place San Francisco. Have a cousin there. P'aps yer know 
 him. Darky Dunder. He 's in the crimping line." 
 
 " Crimping hair ? " I asked, without a smile on my face, and as grave as a 
 judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts when he is not certain on a 
 law point." 
 
 " Crimping the devil ! No, he gets sailors drunk, and then ships 'em 
 afore they knows it, and when they wakes up they is on the 'bounding 
 blue,' as the poet says. Is yer a poet ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Well, yer kinder looks like one. I had a cousin once what was a poet. 
 O cracky! how he could jist sling the words and beer at the same time. 
 He was a pot boy in Lunnon." 
 
 "Where is he now?" 
 
 " Dead. Drank too much swipes, and seed things ; and one day he said 
 the devil was arter him, and he jist slashed a razor across his throat, and that 
 settled him." 
 
 The remembrance of his cousin's fate set the fellow to musing, and, while 
 he held his tongue, I admired the broad streets, and stately buildings which 
 we passed, and, just as we turned a corner, a nice-looking gentleman, who 
 was waiting for us to move, looked up at me, smiled, and actually took off 
 his hat, and bowed to me in the politest manner. 
 
 I knew that he did not know me, but I returned his bow, and smiled in 
 return. I was not to be outdone in politeness. 
 
 " Thought yer was a stranger here," growled the driver. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 17 
 
 "So I am." 
 
 "Strangers don't have the richest man in Melbourne bow to 'em, and 
 take off his hat as though yer was one of the tip-top swells." 
 
 " Some mistake," I replied. 
 
 " I believe yer are givin' me sour beer," was the response, which, as near 
 as I could understand, meant what we call " taffy." 
 
 Just then an elegant carriage, with a driver and footman, in livery, came 
 along, and a fine-looking old lady, glancing out of the window, saw me, 
 smiled, and then bowed, and waved a lace handkerchief in greeting. 
 
 I responded to the salute with a bow, and a flourish of my hat, which wa.-> 
 really a nice Panama, that no person need to have been ashamed of. 
 
 "Well, I 'm blowed ! " gasped the driver. " If this 'ere thing keeps on I 
 '11 tell yer what I means to do.*' 
 
 "Well, tell me." 
 
 " I '11 drive right up to the Government 'Ouse, that 's what I '11 do. A cove 
 what has rich old gals like that bow to 'em, a'n't the kind of chicken for a 
 cheap lushing crib."' 
 
 " Yet I do not know the lady, and assure you that I never saw her before, 
 as far as I am aware." 
 
 " Not know her ? Does yer mean to tell me that yer don't know the lieu- 
 tenant-governor's wife when yer sees her ? " 
 
 " I never saw the lady before, I am certain." 
 
 The driver gazed at me in silence for a moment, and then muttered "sour 
 beer," whipped his horse, as if in revenge for my conduct, and, after a while, 
 asked, 
 
 "Well, shall it be the Government "Ouse or the Hen and Chickens?" 
 
 " First tell me," I responded, " can I obtain a clean bed and civil treat- 
 ment at the Hen and Chickens ? "' 
 
 " No better in Melbourne. They is on style there, and would n't take in 
 a cove like me 'cos I don"t dress well enough ; and then the lush is 
 about " 
 
 " Never mind the lush. You have told me that before." 
 
 " And I '11 tell it to yer agin and agin, if I wants to. When a place keeps 
 good stuff it had oughter be advertised. There is lots of poor liquors sold 
 here, and, if yer is on the drink, yer '11 find it out afore a great while." 
 
 By this time we were in such a crowded thoroughfare that I did not relish 
 being perched on the team, so slipped off, and told the man that I would 
 follow him to my chop house, as I imagined that I could see the city to bet- 
 ter advantage from the sidewalk. 
 
 2 
 
,8 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 r 
 " All right," he responded. " I thought yer would sicken of me afore 
 
 long." 
 
 I walked along the sidewalk, and met many well-dressed gentlemen, some 
 of whom stared at me in a very bold manner, and two or three raised their 
 hats quite respectfully, and would have stopped and exchanged some words 
 with me, had I not hurried on, being fearful of losing sight of the dray 
 driver. 
 
 Of course all this attention was a puzzle to me, but I thought that it was 
 a genial custom of the city to show a little courtesy to strangers, and that all 
 whom I met recognized me as such. In fact, one old gentleman, with a sharp 
 face, thin, upright form, tall and dignified, a grizzly mustache and goatee, 
 stopped directly in front of me, and said in French, with a smile, and a 
 shrug of his straight shoulders, 
 
 " Bon jour, monsieur." 
 
 Bon jour," I responded, for I did not want to disappoint such a smiling 
 and courteous gentleman, a Frenchman of the old school, and, perhaps, a 
 member of the old regime. t 
 
 "Je suis content de vous voir ici," the stranger continued, and bowed 
 quite low, and raised his hat, and swept it through the air like a broadsword. 
 
 Thanks to my dear mother, who had learned the French language while 
 living abroad the first few years of her wedded life, I had acquired some 
 knowledge of the tongue, and, therefore, knew that the French gentleman 
 had said that he was very much pleased to meet me. 
 
 " Merci, monsieur," I answered, " vous etes tres polis." 
 
 In the mean while the confounded drayman was disappearing, and I saw 
 him grin at me as though he was delighted at my being interrupted. 
 
 " Bon jour, monsieur," I cried, as I tried to pass him, but he put his hat 
 on his head, laid one long, bony hand on my arm, and whispered, 
 
 " Attendez, monsieur. Je vous dis." 
 
 'But, confound it, I can't wait," I said, "and as for telling me 'attendez,' 
 let it go for some other time." 
 
 " Ecoutez moi," smiled the gallant Frenchman. " When married you is 
 to be on the day much hurry you is. Hey. Bien, think I should. Hey?" 
 
 " Yes, naturally," wondering what the old fellow was driving at. 
 
 " Your fiancee, sweetheart, yours. Hey ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes," I replied. " Je vous comprend." 
 
 "Cestbon. Good it is. Nice girl, little. Petite. Hey?" 
 
 " Certainly. Never saw a nicer lady in my life," and again I attempted to 
 dodge him, but was unsuccessful. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 19 
 
 I thought the old fellow mad, or love-cracked on some girl, and would hu- 
 mor him to the best of his bent. 
 
 In the mean time, the drayman had corallecl his team in the gutter, and 
 gone in to a saloon for a glass of beer. He could not pass one without 
 stopping. His horse dropped its head, and went to sleep, for which I was 
 thankful, for I feared the Frenchman would hold on to me until an earthquake 
 shook him to some other part of the city. 
 
 " Oui," murmured the Frenchman, " tres petite. Tres jolie. Hey. Oh, 
 milord, lucky is you. Dame. Twenty years myself younger I take her. Vot 
 you calls cut out. Hey. Bonne girl. Wants title all the time. Parbleu. 
 S'il vous plait, mad you is not. Hey ? " 
 
 " Non, sans doute." 
 
 " Diantre, blame her do not I, when a bon gargon like you for her love 
 does ask, and makes her a lady to be. Hey ? " 
 
 " Well, I should be surprised if she did not strike her flag under the 
 circumstances." 
 
 And then I saw that blessed drayman come out of the beer shop, and 
 wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. 
 
 " Non, non," gesticulated the Frenchman, with a wave of his hands, 
 and a movement of his shoulders that made me fear the bones would crack. 
 " Non, a Frenchman strike never a woman, and Englishman should French- 
 man like follow. You such things vil do not. Hey ? "' 
 
 " I would die first," I answered. 
 
 Then the lunatic seized my hand in both of his own, and pressed it most 
 fervently. 
 
 " Bon milord. Mille merci, I better know you would not. She dear to 
 me, very. Friend's daughter, old." 
 
 " Yes, I know. Bon ami, and all that." 
 
 " Alors, go you, monsieur, to the house of your fiancee ? " 
 
 " Well, not just at present. I have other fish to fry." 
 
 " Poisson ! Vot ? Vot de debil de poisson to do vid de fiancee ? Hey ?" 
 
 He stared at me in silence for a moment, and then a smile broke over his 
 white, thin face. 
 
 "Ah, oui. De poisson for de. dinner. Oui. It now I see. It is bon. 
 Go you now where ? " 
 
 " To my hotel," with a grand air. 
 
 " Vel, milord, vil you for me take von little ding your wife for ? " the crank 
 asked, with a bland smile. 
 
 " No, not today." 
 
20 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 And I attempted to pass the old gentleman, and join the drayman, but 
 the Frenchman would not permit me to do so. 
 
 Attenclez, milord. C'est dommage, hurry you. Hey? The bonne pe- 
 tite vil expect some dings her old ami from. Oui. Disappoint her vil 1 
 not. Jamais. Prenez le vite." 
 
 And, as he spoke, he thrust into my hands a small package, and then, 
 with a simple, " An revoir, monsieur. Pas besoin de me remercier, ' and 
 away he went. 
 
 " Hold on," I said, as I ran after him. " Arretez. Wait a moment, 
 will you, and listen to me ? There is some horrible raistake in all this. I 
 am not what I seem. You have lost your tete. Your head is gone. Re- 
 gardez vous, monsieur, for a moment. What are you giving me ? I am a 
 stranger, but I will not take you in. Will you stop a moment ? " 
 
 " Tonight, see you will I," was all the Frenchman would answer, and in- 
 to Collins Street he went, as I thought, and entered the doors of the Mel- 
 bourne club house, and I lost sight of him. 
 
 " Decidedly," I said to myself, " this city is full of cranks, and that 
 Frenchman is the boss of them all." 
 
 Putting the package, small and compact, not larger than an under-sized 
 orange, in my pocket, I walked hastily toward the drayman, but found that 
 he had returned to the saloon, and was having some more beer. But he 
 soon came out, and, when he saw me, remarked, 
 
 " Yer is the swell what did not know people here. Oh, yes. Sour beer." 
 
 " If you keep on drinking you will smell like sour beer," 1 replied ; and 
 then the true-hearted Briton turned on me in his wrath. 
 
 " Did n't yer say that yer knows nobody ? and did n't I wait for yer while 
 yer gabbled with that old Frenchman ? and did n't yer make a motion for 
 me to go in and have a drink, and that yer 'd pay for it ? " 
 
 I did not answer the charge, and the fellow continued, 
 
 " And a'n't yer goin' to pay me an hextra shillin' for waitin' ? " 
 
 " Yes, if you proceed, and say no more about it/' 
 
 " All right. Yer a'n't a bad sort of swell, if yer do salts the truth a little 
 when yer wants to." 
 
 We turned into Elizabeth Street, and then stopped before a plain, three- 
 story house, with a sign board, on which was painted, in bright, pretentious 
 colors, a red-and-yellow hen and a brood of chickens. 
 
 "'Ere yer are, sir," said the drayman. "This is the old Hen and 
 Chickens, and I 'ope yer 'onor won't forget to give a willin', 'ard-workin' 
 man a pot of beer." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 "Wait until I see if I can get accommodated here," I replied, and passed 
 into the tap-room, where I encountered the head waiter, a bald-headed man, 
 with immense shirt collar, and hair so red and stiff that he could have cook- 
 ed a dinner by merely putting kettles on his shoulders, and splitting his 
 beard and the hair around his temples for kindling wood. 
 
 " Can I engage a room here ? " I asked, as the waiter came toward me, 
 and beamed warmly upon me. 
 
 " Room, sir ? Yes, sir. Vot kind of a room, sir ? " 
 
 " A sleeping-room, quiet and comfortable." 
 
 " For 'ow long, sir ? Yes. sir, if you please, sir." 
 
 " I don't know. It may be for a day, and it may be for a month. 1 am 
 undecided." 
 
 " Veil, sir, ve hexpects our guests, them vot is not known to us, sir, to 
 pay in adwance, sir. No hoffence, sir, 'cos none is intended." 
 
 " I am ready to comply with the custom. Show me the room, and let me 
 see what it is like." 
 
 " Yes, sir. Vili yer follow me, sir ? Bill, look out for the bar a minute." 
 
 I liked the room. It was clean, and large enough to accommodate me, 
 and my belongings. The bed was not bad, and seemed to have had fresh 
 sheets put on that very morning. 
 
 " A crown a day," hummed the head waiter. 
 
 " I will take it. Let the boots bring up my luggage at once." 
 
 " Yes, sir, and a shillin' to me for showin' yer the room." 
 
 " Anything more ? " 
 
 " A shillin' to boots for bringin' up yer luggage." 
 
 " What else ? " 
 
 "Veil, the chambermaid should n't be forgotten, sir." 
 
 " Anybody else ? " 
 
 Veil, sir, ve vill think of some other little hextras arter a vile." 
 
 " Don't be modest, my friend. Remember when you get a guest squeeze 
 him all you can. It looks so English-like that I should grow homesick un- 
 less a waiter was continually asking for fees. But go and send up my traps, 
 and here is your shilling, and one for boots," and then the waiter rubbed his 
 bald head and left me. 
 
 But I had to go down-stairs, and pay a crown to the drayman, and to 
 stand the beer, but at last I was settled in the house as a lodger. But still 
 I wanted an American luxury, a warm bath, a comfortable shave, and a 
 thorough shampooing. The head waiter had heard of some kind of a bath 
 in Great Bourke Street, where people got scalded for a reasonable sum. He 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 did n't know about it personally. He never bathed. " It vos n't 'ealthy in 
 that part of the vorld. Vould I please to order dinner ? " 
 
 No, I would not dine until I had bathed and shaved and dressed. 
 
 Then I thought of the package that the crazy Frenchman had forced on 
 me, and of the money which I had in a belt around my person. I opened 
 the package, and, to my surprise, found that it consisted of an exquisite jew- 
 el-box, made of pure gold, and contained a pair of diamond ear-drops, that 
 were so brilliant and large I almost dropped them, so astonished was I at the 
 unexpected sight. I ran to the door, and locked it, as soon as I had recov- 
 ered from the effect of the first emotion, and then examined the jewels at 
 my leisure. They were steel-blue, a color so rare and valuable, and must 
 have weighed six carats each, and cost, as far as I could judge, in the neigh- 
 borhood of twelve thousand dollars, while the box in which they were inclosed, 
 a beautiful specimen of art, and made of solid gold, must have been worth 
 more than a thousand dollars. 
 
 What to do with the jewels I did not know. They had been thrust upon 
 me in the most mysterious manner, and in spite of my remonstrances, yet I 
 knew if they were found upon me, and I could give only my weak explana- 
 tion, that the law would make short work of me. I thought the subject all 
 over, and then determined to conceal the box on my person, and when I 
 went to bathe to keep a sharp lookout for the crazy Frenchman, and return 
 the casket to him in spite of his refusals to take it. Then I re-covered it 
 with paper, and went down-stairs, feeling very serious, and rather anxious 
 for my personal safety. 
 
 " Where is the proprietor of the Hen and Chickens ? " I asked of the 
 head waiter. 
 
 " Veil, sir, 'e 's gone to a 'oss trot, or a prize fight, I does not know 
 vhich. If yer vants to leave some dosh vid 'im I '11 take care of it." 
 
 " I think a bank would be the best place. Some of my money might 
 be wagered on the wrong horse, or the weakest man." 
 
 The waiter stared at me, but did not reply. He slowly drew a glass of 
 beer, and drank it, and then nodded his bald head and grinned, as much as 
 to say, " You see that I 'm a good patron of the bar when the proprietor is 
 absent." 
 
 I went in search of a bathing establishment, and found one on Market 
 Square, where I astonished the proprietor, who happened to be a barber, by 
 asking for a shave, hair trimming, shampooing, and a warm bath. 
 
 M My hyes," the fellow said, " I thinks some von is habout to get married. 
 I 'm not in that line meself, sir, but I likes to see the young ones kinder 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 mix up like ven business is good. It vould be a pity to cut off too much of 
 that curly 'air, sir. It is wery nice, sir, wery, and the ladies always goes for 
 a gent vot 'as 'air like yours, sir. Dark-brown, and wery fine, and wery 
 curly, sir. As nice a 'ead of 'air as ever come in this establishment. I 
 keeps the best in Melbourne, sir, Stranger 'ere, a'n't yer, sir ? " 
 
 " Yes, somewhat." 
 
 " I thought so, sir. Veil, yer just come to the right place, and no mis- 
 take. Nice smooth skin for a razor. It 's a pleasure to shave sich a cheek 
 as you 'as. Don't shave hoften, does yer, sir ? " 
 
 " No, not more than once a week." 
 
 " Thought not. Now if you vould let me take off that slight mustache, 
 sir, it vould grow wery thick in the course of a few months. It is light, and 
 no mistake, but it can be made to grow vid a little of my 'air sprouter. 
 Honly a crown a bottle, and it vill last you six months. The governor-gen- 
 eral uses it every mornin', and vould n't do vithout it, on no account vot- 
 ever. His vife jist hankers arter it all the time, and all the ladies of the 
 city has it on their tables." 
 
 " Let the mustache alone," I managed to say. 
 
 " All right, sir. I know that some vimmen like a man all the better if he 
 has but a feeble mustache. They says that a 'eavy one tickles 'em too 
 much ven they is kissed. Don't care for sich things meself, but some men 
 does ven they is young. They gets all hover it ven they gets their hyes 
 open, sir, as the sayin 1 is. Now ve vill have a crack at that 'air. Wery 
 nice 'air, and I '11 be wery careful of it. It 's sich 'air as the vimmin likes.- 
 Now some of my customers has 'air like marlinspikes, yer know, and it is no 
 pleasure to me to cut sich 'air. But yours is so different. Quite harristo- 
 cratic 'air, sir, and no mistake. Some sich 'air, sir, as the nobility has, 
 sir." 
 
 " If you won't say another word about my hair or mustache I '11 give you 
 an extra shilling," I said. 
 
 " Veil, sir, the temptation is wery great, and I '11 try and hearn the extra 
 bob. But ven a gent comes into my shop vid such a fine " 
 
 " Remember," I cried, "you are on dangerous ground." 
 
 " So I am, sir. I '11 keep my mouth shut, sir, about the 'air, sir, and yer 
 shall have no cause to complain." 
 
 And the fellow really kept his word ; yet I can't say that I was greatly of- 
 fended at his words, for youth does like flattery as well as old age. My hair 
 was trimmed and washed, and then a warm bath made me feel like a bride- 
 groom, as the barber said. 
 
24 "The Belle of Australia. 
 
 I paid the man a crown, and asked him where was the best and safest 
 bank in Melbourne. 
 
 "Veil, sir, they is hall slap bang up, but the safest of hall, sir, is, I think, 
 the Horiental, on Collins Street. Jist turn to the right, and then to the 
 left, go ahead a vile, and there yer is. Yer won't take any of my " 
 
 But I left him while he was extolling his hair invigorator. 
 
 I had placed my sovereigns, one hundred of them, in a bag, for conven- 
 ience sake, while the casket of diamonds I secured in my bosom, underneath 
 my clothes, so that no one could steal it from me, even if I was asleep, with- 
 out disturbing me. The jewels were too valuable to run any risk by carry- 
 ing them in my pockets. 
 
 I had to make several inquiries to find the Oriental Bank, in spite of the 
 clear directions of the barber, but at last I found the building, a massive 
 structure, that would have reflected honor on any stone palace in State 
 Street, Boston. 1 had no difficulty in making a deposit, and in writing my 
 name, so that, if I drew a check or draft, the cashier would know that the 
 signature was all right. 
 
 By the time I had concluded my business it was two o'clock, and I felt as 
 though a good dinner would not come amiss, for I had eaten nothing since 
 an early breakfast on board the Iowa. 
 
 I sauntered along the broad, nice streets, filled with wagons drawn by six 
 and eight bullocks, some by horses, and quite frequently a mule team, of 
 extra pretensions, loaded with wool, hides, fire-wood, vegetables, and fruits, 
 and driven by men who were armed with whips, six yards long, and short 
 handles, not more than a foot and a half in length, but which were used 
 with terrible force in the hands of the half-brutal-looking stockmen. Some- 
 times I saw a native black, with only a rag tied around his waist, trotting 
 beside the oxen, and punching, them with short spears, if the beasts did not 
 move as fast as was required by their owners. Three or four times I met 
 well-dressed gentlemen, who took off their hats, and bowed quite low to me, 
 and would have stopped and spoken if I had shown a disposition to ex- 
 change compliments, but I had seen enough cranks for one day, and 
 thought that the people of Melbourne would let me alone, and not be quite 
 so civil, when my foreign air was worn off a little. So on I walked, and 
 raised my hat when other people did. not wishing to be outdone in civility, 
 and at last gained the shelter of the Hen and Chickens, and the head 
 waiter, with his hair and face redder than ever, the effect of drinking beer 
 in the forenoon, took my order for dinner, and gave me a nice piece of boil- 
 ed mutton (the national dish), and some very good vegetables, one of them 
 
The Belle of Australia. 25 
 
 new to me, and closed the entertainment with a i ot of half-and-half, a bit of 
 cheese, and a very good pudding, for all of which I paid four shillings. 
 
 If yer please, sir," the waiter said, as I paid him, and dropped thrip- 
 pence in his hand, as his fee for service, "shall I send to the Royal Victo- 
 ria Theatre, and get yer a seat for tonight ? Great attraction, sir." 
 
 ' What is the attraction ? " I asked. 
 
 " Vy, sir, the Belle of Australia is to be married this 'ere afternoon, and 
 she goes to the theatre in the hevening, and the governor-general is to be 
 thar, and hall his haids, and the ladies, and hall the swells of the city. If yer 
 has a hevenin' suit of clothes yer can get in, but, unless yer has, it's no go." 
 
 I had an evening dress suit in my clothes bag, but they had not seen the 
 light of day for some time, and must be fearfully wrinkled, and I told the 
 waiter so. 
 
 " Oh, never mind that, sir. Jist give 'em to me. I knows a cove vot vill 
 take out all the vinkles, and make 'em as good as new.'' 
 
 " Well, come up-stairs, and get them, and be sure and secure me a seat. 
 By the way,'' I asked, as I started for my room, "who is the Belle of Aus- 
 tralia to marry ? " 
 
 * Oh, a great swell. He 's a Hinglish hearl, sir, I 'm told, and vorth no 
 end of money. ' 
 
 " Well, he ? s a lucky man, to marry so handsome a girl, and she 's lucky 
 in obtaining a title and so much money. Hope I shall see her tonight at 
 the theatre." 
 
 " You '11 be sure to, sir. Oh, she 's a beauty, and no mistake. Hall the 
 young men swear by her, she 's so awful lovely." 
 
 I smiled, and went to my room, and, after giving the waiter my dress suit, 
 to be restored to its original freshness, and requesting him to furnish me 
 with a white necktie, and a light-colored pair of gloves, I felt so sleepy that 
 I laid down, and went to sleep, and did not awaken until six o'clock, when I 
 found my clothes at the door, all ready, and looking quite nice, in spite of a 
 long voyage. 
 
 I dressed, and went down to the coffee-room, where I had a cup of tea, 
 received my ticket, and a remark from the head waiter that I looked " wery 
 much like a bridegroom, and that he vished I vas." 
 
 " There won't be a better lookin' swell in the theatre than vot you is," he 
 asserted ; and I did not contradict him, but the fellow received half a crown 
 for his trouble and flatten-. " 'Ere is a vite rose for yer buttonhole. The 
 chambermaid she sent it vid her regards. Blest if she ha'n't taken a shine 
 to yer." 
 
26 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 I thanked the girl, and went into the street to look at the city by gaslight, 
 as the curtain did not rise until eight o'clock. I walked around, a light 
 shawl over my shoulders, and, when i came in front of the Melbourne club- 
 house, stopped to admire the building. It was then twilight, but on each 
 side of the entrance two great lights showed the surroundings as plain as 
 day. 
 
 Just as I stopped a light covered team drove up to the door. It was 
 drawn by two dark horses, which looked as though they could trot, and, 
 while I was admiring the animals, the door of the Melbourne opened, and 
 three men came down the steps. They passed close to me, and the middle 
 one, a young fellow, glanced at me, and started back, and I must confess 
 that I was also astonished, for the youngster looked very much like me, as 
 far as I could judge. Then one gentleman said, 
 
 " For God's sake, my lord, do not hang back now. Your life, your fu- 
 ture happiness, and everything, depends upon you. Get out of the city as 
 quick as you can. Go to Geiong by land. This team will drive you all 
 night, and in the morning you will be safe. I would not give a shilling for 
 your life if you are found in the city tomorrow morning. That old French- 
 man will carve you into mincemeat, and the brother and father riddle you 
 with bullets. No one can ill treat the Belle of Australia and live. Every 
 hand will be against you, and your death will be only a matter of hours, not 
 days. Now go. Think of your mother, the countess, and go. We will 
 send everything to -you at Geiong, and keep your secret. Get out of the 
 country as soon as you can, and don't return to it." 
 
 " But, doctor, I did n't mean to throw off like this, you know," cried the 
 person who was addressed as " my lord." " Of course I can't marry her, 
 but, it, you know, I like her, and was only having a little fun." 
 
 44 Will you go, my lord ?" cried the others ; and they forced him into the 
 vehicle, and struck the horses, and they were off like a shot. 
 
 The two gentlemen stood gazing after the carriage, until the sound of the 
 horses' feet had died away. Then they whispered together for a long time, 
 and at length turned to enter the club-house. As they did so, their eyes 
 fell upon my face, and one of the gentlemen threw up his arms, and uttered 
 a loud, wailing cry. 
 
 " My God ! " he said, "he has come back to death and dishonor." 
 
WILL YOUR 
 
 LORDSHIP PROMISE TO MAKK NO ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE?" ASKED THE CHIEF. 
 
 PART II 
 
 THE MEETING IN FRONT OF THE CLUB-HOUSE. WHO AM I, AND WHAT 
 HAVE I DONE ? A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY. AN OLD 
 ACQUAINTANCE ON THE POLICE. MISS KITTY 
 AND THE DIAMOND RING. NO EX- 
 PLANATIONS RECEIVED 
 OR WANTED. 
 
 'T^HE gentleman who accompanied the one who threw up his arms, and 
 J- uttered the exclamation, did not seem so excited as his friend. He 
 merely removed the cigar from his mouth, and said in a quiet way, 
 
 " I '11 be if I 'd insure your life, my lord, for a premium of dollar for 
 
 dollar, pound for pound. I Ve seen simpletons, but you beat my time. I 
 have done the best I could for you. I can do no more. What is the use 
 when you will not take advice ? " 
 
28 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 I was not aware that you had given any advice/' I remarked, as I light- 
 ed a cigar, and, leaning against the iron lamp-post, smoked quite content- 
 edly a weed which I had brought from San Francisco, and, therefore, felt 
 assured that it was a good one. 
 
 The gentleman who claimed to have advised me, shrugged his shoulders 
 like a Frenchman, and looked at his ardent friend, a man old enough to be 
 his father, and simply said, 
 
 - What more can I do ? " 
 
 " A great deal. You can aid me in saving this willful young gentleman. 
 He is like his father in some respects, and in others he is entirely different. 
 Oh ! but I did love his father, and he loved me. We were shipmates at one 
 time, on board the old Asia, a seventy-four-gun ship, of her blessed majes- 
 ty's navy. He was the first lieutenant, and I was the surgeon. We were 
 at the battle of Navarino together, and I stood by his side when three of 
 our ports were knocked into one by a marble shot from a battery of the ac- 
 cursed Turks. Thirteen men were killed by that shot, and his lordship 
 and myself narrowly escaped death at the same time. He was like a broth- 
 er to me the three years we were together, and now, after so many years, I 
 can't desert the son of the nobleman who was my fast friend, and stood by 
 me when I needed them. Help me, Mattocks, to save him/' 
 
 " I "11 be if I do any more for him," was the bluff rejoinder, as he 
 
 blew a cloud of smoke from his mouth. " You have told your yarn, now let 
 me tell mine, and see if I am right in refusing to do more." 
 
 He removed his cigar from his lips, took a step nearer to me, so that he 
 could have a good look at my face, and then slowly and deliberately said, 
 
 44 My lord, you must listen to me for a moment." 
 
 " Drive on," I remarked. " I am paying all attention to you." 
 
 "Three weeks ago you landed at Melbourne." 
 
 " Did I ?" I asked, and then added, in an undertone, " I wonder who in 
 the deuse I am, anyway ? " 
 
 " Yes, my lord, you did. You brought letters of introduction to many 
 people. One to me." 
 
 " Is it possible ? " 
 
 He did not notice the interruption, but continued, 
 
 - We introduced you to the best society in Melbourne." 
 
 Never mind all that, Mattocks," cried the surgeon, whose name appear- 
 ed to be Haverley Haverley. " Of course his lordship is accustomed to good 
 society. We do not have many earls visit us in Australia, and when they 
 come make much of them." 
 
The Kclle of Australia. 29 
 
 " But I do mind, doctor, and I must unburden my thoughts in my own 
 way. Let me proceed. Your lordship is listening? " 
 
 ' Yes:" but I was wondering if I was not half asleep, and dreaming, for 
 the gentleman appeared very earnest. 
 
 " I was particular to make everything pleasant for you," continued Mr. 
 Mattocks. " You were known to be an earl, rich, young, and not bad-look- 
 ing." 
 
 I bowed at the compliment, and smiled at the eager-looking gentleman, 
 who did not appear to appreciate my politeness. 
 
 " You were well received everywhere. All the best houses in the city 
 were open to you." 
 
 " Especially the Hen and Chickens," I muttered. 
 
 ' Imagine my surprise when I saw that you were bound to make the warm- 
 est kind of love to every pretty girl you met." 
 
 " Young girls were born to be made love to," I answered. " They like it, 
 you know. They would feel offended if .we did not flirt with them." 
 
 " Don't be too hard on his lordship, Mattocks," pleaded the surgeon, who 
 was such a friend of my father's, although I did not believe that the worthy 
 old gentleman had ever heard of him, but, strange to say, my father was a 
 lieutenant in the navy, but it was the United-States Navy, and he had 
 served as first lieutenant on board of a seventy-four, but it was the old 
 Ohio, now lying at the Charlestown Navy Yard, and not the English ship 
 Asia, broken up for all that I know. 
 
 " I am not too hard on his lordship," Mr. Mattocks retorted, turning to 
 his friend. " I am speaking the truth, and even your partiality must not 
 prevent me from saying all that I feel." 
 
 " Be gentle. Remember he has Scotch blood in his veins, and is a 
 lord." 
 
 " I know that he has Scotch blood in his veins, and that he is an earl of 
 the united kingdom of England and Scotland. I know that he is worth 
 millions of pounds," Mr. Mattocks continued. 
 
 " Just one hundred sovereigns," I whispered to myself. " They must be 
 counting my money by half-pence." 
 
 " I know that he has a yearly income of three hundred thousand pounds," 
 Mr. Mattocks said. 
 
 - Well, these men are the craziest cranks that I ever met," I muttered. 
 " .Melbourne must be full of them." 
 
 "But, knowing all this, I shall speak my mind freely," Mr. Mattocks 
 snarled. 
 
30 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " For God's sake be quick about it, so that we can get his lordship out of 
 the city before there is much of a stir," urged the surgeon. 
 
 " You may take all the trouble yourself to get him out of Melbourne. I 
 have done my duty, and that duty ended when I helped him into the car- 
 riage that was to take him on his way to Gelong. If he meets with disaster 
 now it will not be my fault." 
 
 Then Mr. Mattocks turned to me, and addressed his remarks to my sur-l 
 prised ears. 
 
 " Your lordship is rich, as I have said. Your income is enormous ; but 
 all the gold that you can command would not induce me to repeat the task 
 which I have so recently undertaken. I have been cursed by fathers, 
 scolded by mothers, and d d by brothers, all on your account." 
 
 " What have I done that should cause such a commotion ? " I asked, and 
 the question did not soothe the gentleman. 
 
 " O my God ! He asks what has he done ! " cried the excitable Mr. 
 Mattocks, turning to his friend. 
 
 " Merely the animal spirits of a young man," said the surgeon, in a sooth- 
 ing manner. 
 
 " Animal damnation ! " roared the gentleman. " Has n't he made love to 
 more than a dozen of the handsomest girls in Melbourne ? " 
 
 The surgeon nodded, and tried to seem sad ; and then he sighed, and look- 
 ed me full in the face to see if I was conscience-stricken. But I was not 
 suffering much just at that moment. 
 
 " Has n't he praised them, and complimented them, kissed them when he 
 had a chance, and gave all the fond hope of being a countess, as the wife of 
 the Earl of Afton ? " demanded Mr. Mattocks. 
 
 So I was the Earl of Afton, was I ? I was glad to know who I was after 
 all this talk and bluster. 
 
 " You, Haverley, know how the girls run after him, and how he run after 
 the girls." 
 
 " All young people do the same thing," said the surgeon soothingly. 
 
 This surgeon appeared to be a wise man. 
 
 " Yes ; but all gentlemen would not have done what his lordship has. 
 You know what he is suspected of doing as well as myself. Was it fair to 
 lead a young lady along, to pay her compliments, and make her promises, 
 and then laugh at her prayers for lawful justice ? " 
 
 " It would be wrong for any man to do so," I remarked, in a calm and 
 collected manner. " I am not guilty of the charge." 
 
 " Then report lies. We only know of one case at the present moment," 
 
The Belle of Australia. 31 
 
 said Mr. Mattocks. " We shall hear of more in the course of time, I dare 
 say." 
 
 " Heaven forbid ! " I ejaculated. 
 
 " I am glad to see that you feel some of the shame which scandal has 
 whispered in this city, while you have been here. But now I come to the 
 meanest part of your career." 
 
 " What ? " I asked, " do you intend to tell me that there is more to 
 come ? " 
 
 Mr. Mattocks looked at me with as much contempt as a genuine British 
 merchant dares to bestow on one of the nobility. 
 
 " Yes, my lord, there is more to come." 
 
 " Then be quick about it, for I am on my way to the theatre, and fear I 
 shall be late." 
 
 At these words both men started back with perfect bewilderment stamped 
 on their faces, as though they had not heard aright. 
 
 " You go to the theatre ? " they gasped. " Do you mean it ? " 
 
 " Yes. I have a ticket and secured seat in my pocket." 
 
 " And you will go without the Belle of Australia in your company ? " they 
 demanded. 
 
 " Yes. What is the Belle of Australia to me ? She cares no more for 
 me than I do for her." 
 
 " My lord, my lord," cried the surgeon, "the people would tear you limb 
 from limb if you dared to do such an outrageous act." 
 
 " Why should the people treat me in that manner ? I have done nothing 
 to deserve it." 
 
 " One word, and I 'm done with such a sang-froid young man," cried Mr. 
 Mattocks, dashing his cigar to the pavement, and kicking it into the gutter, 
 with an imprecation that was not polite. " Listen to me for a moment. 
 Give me a chance to speak, or I shall burst with rage," the younger gentle- 
 man continued, gaspingly. 
 
 " Good Heavens, man, I have n't prevented you from talking. In fact, 
 I have n't been able to get my oar in edgewise since you commenced the 
 conversation." 
 
 " Patience, Mattocks," said the surgeon. " His lordship is considerate, 
 I 'm sure." 
 
 " his lordship ! " roared the excited man. " I wish that I had never 
 
 seen him. But he shall hear me, and hear me now, in spite of his attempts 
 to put me off. Listen to me if you can." 
 
 " I am listening. Fire away," I said. 
 
32 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " You have made love to a dozen or two young ladies of Melbourne," Mr. 
 Mattocks cried. 
 
 " A few moments ago you said the number was twelve. But the more 
 the better, if they are all pretty," I answered. " A man can't have too much 
 of a good thing, and I 'm sure a pretty girl is one of the best things of this 
 world. Lord ! I love them all, the fat and the lean, the rich and the poor, 
 the blonde and the brunette, the dark haired and the golden, the blue-eyed 
 and those with dark, gazel-like optics. All are alike to me." 
 
 " I believe you," Mr. Mattocks sneered. " Your career in Melbourne 
 has shown it from the first night that you arrived, when you kissed Colonel 
 Cracker's daughter in less than an hour after an introduction." 
 
 " Well, if the lady did not object, whose business is it ? " I asked. 
 
 " None of mine, but if you should happen to meet the colonel tonight he 
 might horsewhip you," Mr. Mattocks said. 
 
 " That is hard. The daughter would not like that," I remarked. 
 
 " My lord," cried Mr. Mattocks, " do you not know that the lady now hates 
 you with an undying hatred ? " 
 
 " For what reason ? " I asked. 
 
 "You know the reason. Did you not tell her that you loved her? " 
 
 " I don't recollect of doing so." 
 
 The excitable crank expressed his disgust with an emphatic gesture, and 
 continued, 
 
 "Then you heard of Miss Florence Kebblewhite, the Belle of Australia." 
 
 " Santissimo ! what a funny name. Florence is pretty though. I like 
 that. But Kebblewhite ! Who would marry a Kebblewhite ? Could n't 
 the legislature or the city council change it ? " 
 
 Only a smile of contempt from the younger crank. 
 
 "You would have an introduction. I introduced you. You made 
 love to her," the young man continued. 
 
 " Naturally. Did n't you say that she was pretty ? " I asked. 
 
 " She was cold to you, and did not like your forward, impertinent man- 
 ner," Mr. Mattocks remarked. 
 
 " All put on, Mattocks. She was bound to catch me, and so played the 
 proprieties, thinking that I would bite the hook a little harder and quicker. 
 Girls know how to do those things. The fact of it is, Mattocks, you don't 
 understand woman's nature. Now I do," I said, with provoking coolness, 
 for I meant to let these gentlemen see that, if they were playing a neat little 
 game on a stranger, he could equal them, and, at the proper time, turn the 
 laugh against them. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 33 
 
 Another gesture of disgust, and the crank continued, 
 
 " At last you swore that you loved her better than all the world, and 
 would make her your \vife, and a countess, at the same time. Her father 
 pressed the lady to accept you, and she did, only after careful considera- 
 tion." 
 
 " Bosh, Mattocks. Don't lay it all on the old man. You know the lady 
 wanted to be a countess all the time. Give the old gentleman a fair show. 
 He has enough to answer for without that charge." 
 
 "The wedding day was appointed, and you were to be all ready. It was 
 to be a private marriage, only the friends of the family present. The an,, 
 nouncement nearly broke my heart ; " and Mr. Mattocks almost sobbed. 
 
 " Ah, Mattocks, this is all news to me. You love the lady, it seems," I 
 said, quite tenderly. 
 
 " I did love her, and should have won her, if you had not put in an ap- 
 pearance." 
 
 " And now you want me to leave the city so that you can have a clear 
 field?" I asked. 
 
 " No, a thousand times no. She is lost to me forever. Had you but ad- 
 hered to your word, had you married her, I should have been content. 
 But you did not. You did not put in an appearance, and basely said that 
 you had no idea of marriage. It may have been fun for you, but it is death 
 to the lady. You came to the club this evening in your dress-suit, and said 
 that your mother, the dowager countess, would never forgive you if you 
 made a mesalliance. You asked us to help you out of the bad position in 
 which you were placed. I despised you, but, at the entreaties of my friend, 
 and your father's friend, Doctor Haverley Haverley, I consented to aid you. 
 I have done my duty ; and now, my lord, if tomorrow you are riddled, like a 
 sieve, with bullets, at the hands of the lady's friends, do not blame me. 
 Your life is not worth an insurance, even in a grave-yard office. Farewell, 
 my lord, for we shall never meet again as friends." 
 
 He raised his hat, and bowed, and was turning away, when I said, 
 
 <; One moment, Mr. Mattocks. Who do you think I am ? " 
 
 " Angus Mornington, Earl of Afton, Baron Midlothian, and half a doz- 
 en other titles. Good-night." 
 
 Heavens ! the man had pronounced my full name, for I was Angus Morn- 
 ington. But I was not an earl or an Englishman, but an American, and a 
 native of New England. Surprise rendered me speechless. Who was J ? 
 and did I bear such a close resemblance to some person, that I was mis- 
 taken for him ? Or were these gentlemen merely having a little fun at my 
 
 2 
 
34 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 expense, such as is often practiced in Boston and New York, when a for- 
 eigner is green and fresh to our practical jokes ? 
 
 The last suggestion I considered the proper one ; but how could these 
 people have learned my name ? I had not registered it at the Hen and 
 Chickens, and only given it at the Oriental Bank when I "deposited my lit- 
 tle fortune. 
 
 " There is where they learned it," I thought, and made a firm resolution 
 not to be frightened out of the city by the loud talk of two strange gentle- 
 men, who would laugh at the joke in the club house, as soon as I departed 
 from Melbourne, in hot haste, to escape danger. 
 
 " You see, my lord," said the elderly doctor, " what your imprudence has 
 brought upon your head. You have lost a good friend, and now I am alone, 
 and doubt if even I can save you from the vengeance of the lady's friends." 
 
 " Doctor," I replied, lighting a fresh cigar, " has n't this joke gone far 
 enough ? " 
 
 " A joke, my lord ? " 
 
 " Yes, a joke. You see that I do not scare worth a cent." 
 
 " I know that you have your father's courage and imprudence, but you 
 have not his great sense and good judgment, if you think this is a joke. 
 But come with me, and I will find a refuge for you until this unfortunate af- 
 fair has blown over. It will be no joke to me, and to you, if you are seen in 
 the city tomorrow, let me tell you." 
 
 " I will run all the risks. Do not be anxious about me. I can take care 
 of myself. I shall be armed, and the man who lays a hand on me in anger, 
 will repent it," I said boldly. 
 
 My French and Yankee blood began to assert itself, as I thought of the 
 trick which was being played on me. 
 
 " O Angus, Angus," pleaded the old gentleman, " do be advised by me. 
 When your lady mother wrote to me that you would visit Australia, and 
 begged me to keep a watchful eye on you, I promised her that I would do 
 so. I protested against your engagement to Miss Kebblewhite, you re- 
 member, for I knew that the countess would not approve of her father, and 
 his antecedents, but you would not listen to me. You pretended to be in 
 love with the lady, and would win her. You did win her, and were to wed 
 her thus very afternoon. At the last moment you changed your mind. You 
 had seen another fair face that attracted you more than the Belle of Austra- 
 lia. At least, this is the only supposition that I can entertain at the present 
 time. Do you love another more than Miss Kebblewhite ? Answer me 
 without the least hesitation." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 35 
 
 " No, to tell the honest truth, I am not in love with any one, and never 
 have been," I answered. 
 
 " My God ! how like his father," exclaimed the doctor, with a gasp. 
 " From one fresh face to another, all through his life." 
 
 " Was my father fond of pretty faces ? " I asked in a bantering tone, for, 
 in truth, I had heard that my respected parent was a little wild in his youth, 
 but then he was a naval officer, and gentlemen of that class are not saints 
 in foreign ports, where dark eyes and hair predominate. 
 
 " You are like him in every respect except one, my lord." 
 
 " And that one ? " 
 
 " Is honor, my lord." 
 
 The doctor spoke in slow, severe tones, and I had no doubt that he was 
 firm in his belief. I was not in the least offended. 
 
 "The Earl of Afton, your father, would not have pledged his hand, and 
 then forfeited his word. He was too much of a gentleman for that. You 
 will pardon my plain speaking, will you not ? " 
 
 " Certainly. But let me make one suggestion, doctor." 
 
 " Yes, a dozen, if you desire, my lord." 
 
 " The Earl of Afton would not have scrupled to deceive a lady if he had 
 not pledged his hand? " 
 
 " It ill becomes a son to blacken his father's memory, my lord." 
 
 " Answer the question, doctor. Do not luff up into the wind like that. 
 Steer a straight course when the channel is wide.'' 
 
 " My lord, I decline to answer the question," said the doctor, with a slight 
 gasp, as though I had him at a disadvantage. 
 
 "Very well. One more question, if you please. Will you answer it ? " 
 
 " Perhaps. Let me hear it, my lord." 
 
 "Would the old Earl of Afton have married Miss Kebblewhite had he 
 been in my place ? " 
 
 " No, you know he would not. He never would have disgraced his fami- 
 ly by such a mesalliance. The idea of the Earl of Afton contracting a mar- 
 riage with a lady whose father was a " 
 
 He stopped short, and bit his lips, and looked a little confused. 
 
 " Go on," I said, for I saw that he held back some important information. 
 
 " No, my lord, I will not go on. It is clear to my mind that you have 
 suddenly learned something of the past life of the lady's father, and that 
 your proud blood will not permit you to wed one who would only dishonor 
 the long line of distinguished ancestors which your house can boast of. 
 Xo. my lord, I shall say no more." 
 
36 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " But you must. You have already said much, and it is better to say 
 more. Continue." 
 
 " Tell me then," the doctor cried, as he seized my hand, and pressed it 
 warmly, "you decline the marriage because you fear to contaminate the no- 
 ble blood of the house of Afton ? " 
 
 I looked as dignified as possible, and withdrew my hand from his grasp. 
 It would not do for a real earl to shake hands in too familiar a manner with 
 a plebeian surgeon. 
 
 " If such is the case, if you have heard the truth, and I swear to you, 
 my lord, that I did not learn of it until this very day, then I forgive you 
 for the course you have pursued. But you will break the heart of the love- 
 liest girl in Australia. Even she does not know of her father's previous un- 
 fortunate life." 
 
 " Oh, let us hope that she will recover. Girls mope for a while, and then 
 look for another lover. Miss Kebblewhite will prove no exception to the 
 general rule." 
 
 " You misjudge her," the doctor said. " She is the most ambitious girl 
 in Melbourne. Mattocks would have married her a year ago if she would 
 have had him, and I tell you he is a great catch, rich and young, and not 
 bad-looking." 
 
 " Then you will not tell me about the stain on Mr. Kebblewhite's past 
 life ? " I asked. 
 
 " No, my lord, for you already know it, and I am not a retailer of scandal. 
 But come with me, and let us seek a place of safety. In a week's time I 
 can get you out of the city. I know a house where you can keep quiet until 
 the storm blows over. Come, my lord. I do not blame you as much as 
 when I first met you this evening. But, in Heaven's name, let the girls 
 alone in future. They will be your ruin, as they have been the ruin of many 
 older and better men." 
 
 Just as he uttered these words a servant of the club house came down 
 the steps as though he was in a desperate hurry. Seeing the doctor, the 
 domestic ran toward him, and said, 
 
 " O Doctor Haverley, one of the members of the club has a fit, and is 
 black in the face. I was sent to find you. Do come at once, or the poor 
 gentleman will die." 
 
 " Here, my lord," cried the doctor, "get under the shadow of the wall of 
 the building, and wait for me until I return. I will not be gone long. Do 
 not venture to enter the house. If that old Frenchman should find you 
 there he would kill you. Keep your face covered up, and attract no atten 
 
The Belle of Australia. 3; 
 
 tion. Your safety must be assured at all hazards. Don't stir from here un- 
 til I return. Promise me that." 
 
 He did not wait for a response, but ran up the steps, and then I heard the 
 nearest clock strike eight, and the curtain of the theatre was to rise at that 
 hour. 
 
 " Well," I said to myself, "if I am to see the play I had better be moving. 
 I think that I have heard enough of the Earl of Afton, and the Belle of 
 Australia, for one night. Good-by, doctor, I 'm off," and walked in the di- 
 rection where I supposed the Royal Victoria was situated. I was not ex- 
 actly certain as to the street, but I remembered that I turned out of Collins 
 Street into Russell Street, and then, not knowing just where to go, stopped 
 under a gaslight, and waited until some one should come along who could 
 give me the desired information. In a few minutes a stout, active, soldier- 
 ly-looking man, with a dark face, and close-cropped hair, a person who look- 
 ed to the right and to the left as he walked, who seemed to see everything 
 and every one who passed, as if by intuition, came along with a quick step, 
 and, just as I was about to speak to him, he stopped in front of me, and fix- 
 ed his snapping black eyes on my face. Then, without speaking, he raised 
 a little ivory whistle to his lips, and blew three distinct blasts. I heard 
 them answered up the street, down the street, and around the corner in 
 Collins Street, but, as the whistling did not concern me, I paid no attention 
 to it. The man with the black eyes, and a cap on his head, that looked like 
 those which soldiers wear when on fatigue duty, for it was cocked on one 
 side of his head, in a rakish style, stared at me in a bold, yet respectful man- 
 ner, until at last 1 lost a little of my usual patience, and said, 
 
 " Well, my man, you will be certain to know me the next time." 
 
 " I know you now, and shall always recognize you wherever we meet. I 
 am one who does not forget a face, no matter how much it may be changed," 
 was the black-eyed man's answer. 
 
 "A precious gift," I replied; "and now will you do me the favor 
 to direct me to the Royal Victoria Theatre ? I fear that I shall be late for 
 the first of the performance, as I have missed my way." 
 
 " I could direct you to the theatre, but it would be useless," the stranger 
 said, in a short, abrupt manner. 
 
 " Why useless ? The doors are open, and I was told that there was to be 
 a remarkably good performance tonight." 
 
 " Because, my lord, instead of visiting a theatre this evening, you are go- 
 ing with me," and the dark man smiled grimly. 
 
 " How ? What do you mean ? " I asked. 
 
38 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Just what I say, my lord. You are going with me," and the man's eyes 
 snapped ominously. 
 
 " And who in the devil's name are you ? " I asked indignantly. 
 
 He turned back the lappel of his vest, and there I noticed a large gold 
 badge, studded with diamonds, an elegant and costly jewel as I ever saw be- 
 fore or since. 
 
 " Well, sir, and what does that signify to me ? " I asked. 
 
 " Simply that I am the Chief of the Melbourne police." 
 
 " And how does that concern me ? I have committed no crime," but just 
 then I happened to think of the diamonds in my bosom, and the gold cas- 
 ket, and my spine began to grow cold, and my blood to tingle. 
 
 " Crime ! " ejaculated the Chief. " Humph ! that depends upon the light 
 in which men view it." 
 
 "Well, name mine, if you please. If I am to accompany you, at least let 
 me know on what charge," I said quite boldly. 
 
 " Will you remove your hat for a moment ? " the Chief asked. 
 
 " Certainly," and did as requested. 
 
 The sharp-eyed man gave me a glance, and then removed his cap, and 
 stood before me bare-headed, with every mark of respect on his stern, 
 strong face. 
 
 " My lord," he said, "you will pardon me for doing what is strictly my 
 duty." 
 
 " Oh, botheration ! " I cried, in a fury. " Here is another crank. There 
 are more cranks to the square acre in Melbourne than any place that I was 
 ever in." 
 
 The Chief did not appear to notice my burst of rage. He seemed to have 
 expected it, for, still standing before me uncovered, remarked, 
 
 " I would have spared you this humiliation, my lord, had it been possible, 
 but I had my orders to look for you, to find you, and detain you." 
 
 I glanced over my shoulder to see if I had better bolt for it, but the 
 Chief seemed to divine my thoughts. He simply said in a calm tone, 
 
 " It is useless, my lord. Do not attempt it." 
 
 He waved his hand, and then I saw two police officers standing on the 
 opposite side of the street, and two more on each side of me, not six feet 
 distant, alert, and quite strong enough to contend with a youth like me. 
 They did not advance, but appeared immovable as statues, waiting for orders. 
 
 " Promise me one thing, my lord," the Chief said. 
 
 " What is it ? " I asked, a little sullenly, for this thing was growing mo- 
 notonous. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Pledge your word as a nobleman that you will make no attempt to 
 escape." 
 
 " And I can't go to the theatre ? " I demanded. 
 
 " No, my lord, that would not be safe for your lordship. The people 
 would be enraged at the sight of you, without the Belle of Australia by your 
 side." 
 
 " Confound the Belle of Australia ! " I cried. " I am tired of hearing her 
 name." 
 
 " That is a matter that does not concern me. Your lordship should have 
 thought of that before you promised to marry her." 
 
 " I have made no such promise. I don't know the lady. I don't want to 
 know her. I 'm no lord. I am an American citizen, and won't be imposed 
 upon." 
 
 The dark-eyed man smiled in a peculiarly exasperating manner, as he 
 said, 
 
 " My lord, when I have seen a face once 1 never forget it. I have seen 
 yours a dozen times before tonight. Once at a reception of the lieutenant- 
 governor's. Your evasions will not suffice with me. I should know you 
 even in the bush, twenty years hence. There is no mistake. You are the 
 Earl of Afton just as much as I am Chief-of-Police Murden." 
 
 " Murden, Murden," I cried, "it seems to me that I have heard that name 
 before." 
 
 "It is pretty well known in Australia," answered the Chief. " I have 
 been on the force for twenty-five years, and some Americans have been 
 pleased to mention my name in a couple of books published about this 
 country. I will confess, however, that they have exaggerated my services 
 in more ways than one." 
 
 " Name the books," I said. " Let me see if you are the Murden of my 
 romances and dreams." 
 
 Well, my lord, if you press me I will say that "The ," 
 
 and " The ," are the works I allude to. But I did not suppose 
 
 that you had ever seen them."' 
 
 " Indeed I have, and am glad to meet with such a good representative of 
 an Australian policeman. I would like to talk with you further on the 
 subject." 
 
 " Not tonight, my lord. We have too much business on hand. Some 
 other time I '11 spin a few yarns for your entertainment. And now will 
 your lordship promise me to make no attempt to escape ? " 
 
 " Willingly, for I suppose it would be of no use," I answered : and the 
 
40 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Chief smiled, as he put on his cap, a little more rakish than before, and then 
 looked very serious. 
 
 " Not of the slightest use, your lordship. Six men have their eyes on 
 you, and will continue to watch you until I give the signal for a retreat, or a 
 let up." 
 
 " Then make the signal. I have given my promise." 
 
 The Chief raised his hand, and the policemen seemed to slink out of 
 sight as rapidly as they had appeared on the scene. 
 
 " Now what would happen if I should make a bolt for it ? " I asked. 
 
 "You could not run ten rods without falling into the hands of my officers. 
 Does your lordship think that I am a fool to put implicit trust in any man ? 
 I am not to be caught by young birds, or old ones. See here." 
 
 He put the whistle to his lips, and blew a slight blast, and in an instant 
 two officers were at my side, and another in the rear, while echoing whistles 
 were heard all along the street. 
 
 " I am satisfied," I said. 
 
 " People generally are when they can't help themselves," and the Chief 
 smiled a confident, self-satisfied smile, as though he had the power in his 
 hands, and was determined to make it felt. 
 
 " Do you renew your promise, my lord, that you will make no attempt to 
 escape ? " 
 
 " Willingly, for I see that it is useless." 
 
 " I think your lordship is a gentleman who will keep his word in some re- 
 spects, but, after the experiences of the other night, it is well to be cautious, 
 and be on my guard." 
 
 u What of the other night, Mr. Chief ? Please explain." 
 
 " I know your lordship was a little over the bay, if I may so express my- 
 self, but that was no reason why you and others should pelt one of my men 
 with eggs, at two o'clock in the morning. It may be fun for you, and Eng- 
 lish ways, but it is not Australian customs." 
 
 " Good heavens, Mr. Chief, you have made a mistake," I said. " I did 
 nothing of the kind." 
 
 The Chief smiled quite amiably. 
 
 " Smithers," he cried, " come here." 
 
 The man on my right promptly stepped forward, and made a military sa- 
 lute, and then awaited orders. 
 
 " Smithers, do you recognize this gentleman ? " 
 
 " Yes, yer 'onor. 'E 's one of the bloods vot pelted me vid heggs the 
 huther night, vile I vos on my beat." 
 
"The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " You are sure this is the gentleman ? Look at him attentively." 
 
 " Cock sure, yer 'onor. I 'd know 'im among a thousand, and swear to 
 Mm on a stack of Bibles as big as the station-'ouse. Beside, 'e hoffered to 
 fight me for a sovereign." 
 
 My namesake appeared to have made things lively in Melbourne, and, 
 confound him ! I had to endure the disgrace, and did not have any of the 
 fun. 
 
 " You hear, my lord," the Chief said. 
 
 " I am afraid that I do. I have met another crank, it seems. Have you 
 any more of the same species ? If you have, bring them on, and let us hear 
 them all at once." 
 
 u I does n't bear the swell any ill vill," the officer cried, with a good-na- 
 tured grin. " I grabs Mm, yer know, ven he hoffers to fight me, and jerks 
 Mm to the station-'ouse in double-quick time, and all Ms friends did n't 
 get Mm away from me, neither. I 'its two or three of 'em vid my club, and 
 the rest jist dropped their little game, and left. But this swell comes donn 
 'andsome, and the inspector lets him hoff, 'cos some of the big bloods of 
 the city puts in a plea for Mm. Oh, 'e is a trump, 'e is." 
 
 " How much did he give you for soiling your uniform ? " asked the Chief. 
 
 " Fifty pun, yer 'onor, and a big lush of beer for all in the 'ouse ; and 'e 
 drinks vid us, and sings some pretty lively songs, and raises the devil gin- 
 erally, and at last the inspector sent Mm to Ms 'ome in a 'ansom, vid a man to 
 take care of Mm till 'e vos sober. Oh, 'e is von of 'em, yer 'onor, but he is 
 as liberal as a prince." 
 
 This was all news to me, and I saw that it was quite useless to deny that 
 I had created a riot in the street.*, got drunk, offered to fight a policeman, 
 sang songs, and raised a first-class commotion. I sighed as I thought of 
 all these things, and wondered if I should ever awaken from what I thought 
 must be a troubled dream. 
 
 " That is all, Smithers. Fall back," the Chief ordered. 
 
 The officer saluted, and retired, but he grinned at me as though he would 
 like to have another egging match, and a fifty-pound note for damages. 
 
 " Your lordship sees that you have made quite a sensation in Melbourne 
 during the short time that you have been here," Mr. Murden remarked. 
 
 " Yes ; but still I am not a lord. You will not believe me, and I am tired 
 of denials." 
 
 The Chief smiled, and his black eyes glittered as he put his hand in his 
 pocket, and drew out a diamond ring. 
 
 " Does your lordship recognize this jewel ? " 
 
42 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 He handed to me for examination a magnificent solitaire diamond ring. 
 My blood began to congeal again, as I thought of the diamonds concealed 
 in my bosom. I gave the jewel a hasty glance, and simply answered, 
 
 " I have no recollection of ever seeing it before." 
 
 " Be careful, my lord," the Chief said, in a tone that sounded threatening. 
 " Look again. Make no mistake." 
 
 Once more I examined the ring, and saw that it was a brilliant of the first 
 water, and at least four carats in weight, and must have cost a large sum of 
 money. 
 
 I knew that there was some trap in the question the Chief was putting 
 to me, but I could not for the li-fe of me see how I was to avoid falling into 
 it. He held the thread, and I was groping in the dark. 
 
 " Well, my lord? " the Chief asked, after a long pause, still watching my 
 face attentively. 
 
 " I know not what to say," I answered. 
 
 "Then say nothing, for all that you utter might be used against you some 
 time or other." 
 
 " How? Do you mean to intimate that I stole this valuable jewel? " all 
 my blood boiling at the unjust suggestion. 
 
 " Stole is a harsh expression, my lord. I make no such charges. You 
 know how you came in possession of this jewel, and you also know how it 
 left your custody." 
 
 " I swear to you that " I stammered. 
 
 The Chief shrugged his shoulders, and gave me a look that stopped my 
 torrent of denials. 
 
 " My lord," he said in a voice that was meant to be firm, and to show that 
 he was not trifling, "do not try to convince me that ever since you arrived 
 in Melbourne you have been in a state of intoxication, and, therefore, un- 
 able to distinguish between right and wrong." 
 
 " I was never drunk in my life, sir," I responded, as proudly as my nature 
 would permit under the circumstances. 
 
 " Then, in the name of all the saints, how do you explain about this 
 ring?" 
 
 " I can't explain. Will you do so? " anxious to have him show his hand. 
 
 " Yes, quite willingly. A day or two after you were engaged to the Belle 
 of Australia " 
 
 " Oh, ! can't you leave her out? " impatiently, for the Belle popped 
 
 up at every point. 
 
 " No, my lord, for she is one of the principal characters after yourself." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 43 
 
 " Well, go on. Every few minutes she appears on the scene. Ever)- way 
 I turn I am confronted by that young lady." 
 
 " No wonder. When a man engages to marry a beautiful young girl she 
 usually confronts him at every step in his future life." 
 
 " Such is, unhappily, the case, I have been given to understand. Well, 
 go on.' 1 
 
 The street where we stood conversing was nearly deserted, but the few 
 people who were passing were waved off by the Chief, if disposed to arrest 
 their steps, and see what attracted the officer's attention. 
 
 " As I said before," resumed the Chief, after he had told several young 
 men to move on, or he would know the reason why, "a few days after you 
 were engaged to Miss Florence Kebblewhite you gave her a curious seal 
 ring, with your family coat-of-arms engraved upon it. You are following 
 me, my lord ? " 
 
 " I am trying to, but am still bewildered." 
 
 "When you put it on her finger, you noticed this valuable diamond, and 
 admired it. It was but natural. Most men would." 
 
 " I should think so," I murmured. 
 
 " She was pleased at your admiration, and asked you if the Earl of Af- 
 ton's family jewels had anything to compare with it. You said that she 
 should judge for herself some time, and then the lady begged of you to wear 
 the jewel for a few days. You put it on your finger, and, from that day to 
 this, Miss Kebblewhite has not seen her diamond." 
 
 " And she is naturally anxious to have it returned. Give it to her by all 
 means," I said hastily. " Some girls would shed oceans of tears at the loss 
 of so beautiful a gem." 
 
 " She is not anxious, my lord. She cares nothing about the diamond 
 compared to yourself. She does not know that a complaint has been made 
 on account of the ring. She still believes in you, and imagines you true and 
 generous and noble." 
 
 " A thousand thanks for her confidence. I begin to think more of the 
 Belle of Australia than I did an hour ago. She must be a noble-hearted 
 girl." 
 
 ' My lord, she is the pride of the city. She is as pure as she is beautiful. 
 Even you, my lord, know that." 
 
 The Chief snapped his eyes at me as though he meant more than his 
 words implied. Then he continued, 
 
 " No, the lady made no complaint, but her brother did." 1 
 
 " She has a brother then ? Is he a big fellow, with a fist like a top-mall ?" 
 
44 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 "This afternoon at six o'clock," the Chief continued, "her brother came 
 to my office, and said that you had not shied your castor into the ring at 
 three olclock, as per agreement and articles. That is," the Chief said, with 
 a slight cough, to hide the fact that he had used the slang of the prize ring, 
 " you had not come up to time, you had flunked the fight, and all bets were 
 off until the referee decides what shall be done. You follow me, do you not, 
 my lord ? " 
 
 " I am close on your heels. Proceed." 
 
 " The brother feared that you had drank too much, and gone to sleep, 
 forgetting your engagement. But at the hotel no one had seen you ; at the 
 lieutenant-governor's residence no one knew where you were. Her lady- 
 ship said that in the forenoon she had seen you on a dray, and that you 
 seemed jolly, but sober. A Mr. Haley reported that he had seen you on a 
 dray, and you appeared to be under the influence of liquor. Another person 
 saw you drinking beer with a drayman. Monsieur Allete, a French gentle- 
 man of uncertain temper, said that he met you in Collins Street at eleven 
 o'clock, and that you were impatient to leave him, so that you could dress, 
 and be prompt in the ring at three. He stated that he handed you an ele- 
 gant pair of solitaire diamond ear-drops, in a gold jewel-box, for the bride, 
 who is his idol, and will inherit all his immense wealth." 
 
 Cold shivers began to run down my spine again. I feared that the Chief 
 would lead up to those diamonds. 
 
 " You still follow me, my lord ? " the Chief asked. 
 
 " I am trying to, but feel a little staggered at that last blow. However, I 
 shall soon rally, and face you once more. Go on." 
 
 "Then the brother mentioned, in an incidental way, that you had his sis- 
 ter's ring, a present from her father on her sixteenth birthday, a jewel that 
 cost one thousand pounds, in London." 
 
 " It is worth it," I said quite heartily. 
 
 " This information which I had received," the Chief said, once more ex- 
 posing the penchant of a real police officer, " together with other informa- 
 tion I had secured, set me to thinking. I had obtained some pretty strong 
 hints where your lordship has passed a number of evenings the last two 
 weeks. I thought I could get on your track by going to a certain house, 
 and having a personal interview with one Miss Kitty Stukely, a young 
 well, girl, if you will. I don't blame your lordship for being pleased with 
 her face. It is a handsome one, and she was the best-formed ballet girl in 
 * The Black Crook.' when it was played here last season. She came trom 
 England, and has never returned home, and never will." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 45 
 
 " Don't wander," I said. " Stick to your subject, Mr. Chief." 
 
 " I will. I fear that I was a little groggy, but now I am all right. Well, 
 Kitty was glad to see me. We are good friends, and nothing more, and I 
 asked after your lordship. She had not seen you since last evening when 
 you called. While she was talking with me, 1 noticed this ring on her fin- 
 ger. My lord, my lord, it was a vile, disgraceful thing for you to do." 
 
 " What ? " I asked, suddenly awakening to my peril. 
 
 " To take a jewel from the pure, and noble-hearted Belle of Australia, and 
 place it on the finger of your latest mistress." 
 
 " It is a lie, a damnable lie. I am incapable of such an outrage. Not for 
 all the gold in Australia would I insult a true lady in such a dastardly man- 
 ner. Good God, man, what do you think of me ? " 
 
 " I think," said the Chief, his voice low but firm, " that you are like many 
 other noblemen who have visited us. You suppose that we have such rev- 
 erence for the old country, and titles, that any disgraceful act that you may 
 commit will go unpunished. My Lord of Afton, this time you have met 
 your match, and, unless you fight foul, you will have to marry Miss Kebble- 
 white before the moon is two hours higher." 
 
 "In the name of Heaven listen to me, Mr. Murden," I cried. "I do 
 not know who I am ; I half believe either you or I to be a crank. 1 am not a 
 lord. I am an American. Save me from such a fate as a forced marriage 
 with a lady, who will curse me when she learns that she has been deceived. 
 I will not submit to it, I tell you. Think of your American friends, those 
 who wrote about your wonderful adventures in hunting bushrangers. For 
 their sake save me, and get me out of this accursed city, where ever)- other 
 man is a crank, or else I am one." 
 
 " My lord," responded the Chief, in a cold, harsh tone, " you have pitch- 
 ed your ring, and must enter it, and- put up your maulies like a man, or take 
 the consequences. I can't save you. I would not if I could. Do not 
 think for a moment that your strange, improbable story is believed. I am 
 too old a hand to swallow such stuff as you have put before me. You must 
 marry the lady or die, for all the traps of Melbourne, with me at their head, 
 could not preserve your life. You w r ould be hunted for under ever)* sun, 
 and in every country, and death would be the ultimate result just as sure as 
 you stand here, the proud Earl of Aftcn, and I stand here as simple Mr. 
 Murden, the Chief of the Melbourne police." 
 
 I could only utter a groan of anguish at the prospect before me. Mr. 
 Murden paused a moment, and then continued, 
 
 " I would do all that is in my power to aid an American, for the sake of 
 
46 The Belle of Atistralia. 
 
 the three gentlemen who were, for some years, my best friends, and whom 
 ] loved most dearly. I told you that I never trusted a man fully. I make 
 an exception in favor of the three Americans who came here some years 
 since, in search of fortune, and, thank Heaven, found it in abundance, as I 
 have good reason to know. Those men I relied on, believed in, and, when 
 I was in a tight place, they never shirked, but helped me out. At my side, 
 behind me, or in front of me, they were just the same. Their word was sa- 
 cred as the Bible. Their promise as good as an oath. And now let me 
 speak still plainer, Earl of Afton. For all of your proud position, for all of 
 your wealth, for all of your coronet, and title, I tell you that I had rather 
 have one of those unknown Americans for my friend, had rather shake 
 hands with him, than to call you an associate, or to let my hard palm rest 
 against yours." 
 
 What could I reply to such a torrent of words ? I could say nothing, and 
 do nothing. The more I denied my identity, the more contempt I was like- 
 ly to experience at the Chief's hands. 
 
 " And now, my lord, you will pardon me, if you please, and if you do not 
 please, for my frankness, and let us once more turn to business." 
 
 " Willingly. It is useless for me to deny anything. I will listen 
 to you. I know not who I am." 
 
 " As I said before, I saw this ring on Miss Kitty's finger, and recognized 
 it from the description which the younger Mr. Kebblewhite furnished. It 
 is not usual for a girl in her position of life to wear a brilliant that cost one 
 thousand pounds." 
 
 He paused, and looked at me with his sharp black eyes, but I did not an- 
 swer. I was almost speechless. 
 
 " I took the jewel from her finger, and asked of whom she obtained it. 
 She hesitated for a moment, and but for a moment, for Kitty is honest, even 
 if she is weak, and then she told me that a gentleman named Angus she 
 did not know the rest of your name, or suspect your position in life had 
 placed it on her finger three or four evenings since. At first she supposed 
 the stone but paste, and of little worth, but when she learned that the dia- 
 mond was real, and of great value, she became frightened, and feared that 
 it had been stolen by the giver. You are paying strict attention to my 
 words, my Lord of Afton ? " 
 
 " Yes," I muttered, seeing the pit that the Chief was digging beneath my 
 feet, and, detective like, he was calmly waiting until my supports were 
 knocked from under me, and I should fall in. 
 
 " Now, my lord, I believe the girl spoke the truth, but you deny that you 
 
The Belle of Australia. 47 
 
 loaned her the ring, or gave it to her. Did I understand you aright, my 
 lord ? " 
 
 Not a movement of my face escaped his keen gaze. 
 
 ' Man or devil," I cried, " can't you let the matter drop where it is ? Re- 
 turn the ring, and say no more about it." 
 
 The Chief smiled. He liked the compliment. It was a tribute to his 
 sagacity. 
 
 " No, my lord, the matter has been placed in my hands. I mean to bring 
 it to a speedy conclusibn. I never let go my grip when I have once fasten- 
 ed on my prey, and, in this important case, I mean to fight it to the bitter 
 end, and justice shall be done." 
 
 " And if I deny that I gave the poor girl the ring, or loaned it to her, what 
 then? " I asked. 
 
 " Cannot your lordship surmise ? " 
 
 " I think I can. The idea is worthy of you," I answered, in an indignant 
 tone. 
 
 The Chief flushed, and his eyes showed the temper that he tried to con- 
 trol by an effort. For a moment he was silent. Then he spoke, 
 
 "We will not bandy epithets now," Mr. Murden remarked, sneeringly. 
 " The gentleman who would take a valuable diamond ring from the hand of 
 a pure girl whom he is about to marry, and bestow it upon a common 
 Well, well, let us not be too hard upon poor Kitty. She is not quite as bad 
 as that, just now. But your lordship will see that all the civilities and cour- 
 tesies of life are not embodied in your own person. I do not wish to speak 
 harshly to you, but remember this, my lord, that a police officer may be as 
 noble in the discharge of his daily duties as a peer of Great Britain, and 
 that his word is just as good until he is a convicted liar." 
 
 " Do you mean to intimate that I have told an untruth ? " I demanded, 
 hotly indignant. 
 
 " I intimate nothing, my lord, so do not square off at me. It won't do 
 here. I am the Chief of the Melbourne police, and not private Smithers. 
 who is satisfied, after an insult, with a present of fifty pounds." 
 
 " Pardon me, Mr. Murden." I said, " I had no intention of assaulting you, 
 but it is hard to be called a liar, and not retort in a forcible manner.'' 
 
 " Then keep your maulies down, and don't look fight, unless you mean 
 it. You are a high-spirited lad. and a handsome lad, and I should be sorry 
 to make a mark on that fresh face of yours, on your wedding night. The 
 Belle of Australia would never forgive me, for, woman-like, she would de- 
 clare it was all my fault, and that you were a lamb, who could do no wrong 
 
48 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Oh, damn ! don't I know them? I have been scratched often enough to un- 
 derstand them, at my time of life." 
 
 "Are you a married man, Mr. Murden?" I asked ; and the Chief smiled 
 a grim smile, as though he saw the joke, and did not think it so bad. 
 
 " No, I am not married, my lord. I have no time for domestic bliss, and 
 such nonsense. I 'm a widower. Now I 'm wedded to my duties. But all 
 this has nothing to do with the business which I have on hand. Whether 
 I am married or single can concern you but little, or any other man. Let 
 us return to Kitty, and the ring, for time is precious just now." 
 
 " Well, what more have you to offer ? " I asked. 
 
 " Me ? Bless your lordship, if such a thing were possible, I have nothing 
 to offer. It is for your lordship to make suggestions, not me." 
 
 " Then let me understand you quite clearly," I said. " If I deny that I 
 gave the ring, or loaned the ring, to the girl, then she goes to " 
 
 I hesitated, for the word seemed harsh and cruel. 
 
 "To prison, my lord. That is the ticket," and the Chief smiled grimly, 
 as though the word had no terrors. 
 
 " Can nothing be done to save her from such a wretched fate ? " 
 
 " Yes," and the Chief lighted a cheroot, one of Manila's first quality, and 
 handed one to me. 
 
 " Name the course which must be pursued, and, if it depends upon me, 
 she shall be saved." 
 
 " That is well spoken, my lord. Answer me the first question, and then 
 we will lead up to the others in the course of events. Now then, were you 
 over the bay when you gave Kitty the ring?" 
 
 " Over the bay ? " I stammered. 
 
 " Yes. Intoxicated I mean." 
 
 " No, sir. I was never intoxicated in my life, as I told you before." 
 
 The Chief whistled, and shrugged his broad shoulders. He counted that 
 as lie number one on my part. I could see that he did by his dark, expres- 
 sive face, and twinkling eyes. 
 
 " Question number two," he said, in a calm tone, as though I was before 
 a French tribunal : " Did you give her the ring, or loan it to her, when per- 
 fectly sober ? " 
 
 " I refuse to answer the question," I cried. " I do not wish to criminate 
 the girl, or any other person. For God's sake, Mr. Murden, why will you 
 not believe me when I tell you that only this morning I stepped on a tug- 
 boat in the bay, and came up the river soon afterward." 
 
 " The name of the tug-boat, if you please." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 49 
 
 " I do not know it." 
 
 " The name of the master then." 
 
 " I did not learn it. I did not ask it. I should know him if I saw him 
 once more." 
 
 " Is the ship at anchor in Hobson's Bay ? " 
 
 " No, she braced up her yards and left, just as soon as I was landed on 
 the tug." 
 
 " Give me the names of the parties to whom the ship was consigned." 
 
 " I do not know them. Some firm at the bay, I think." 
 
 The Chief laughed, as he took off his cap, and made me a low bow. 
 
 " Earl of Afton," he said, in a mocking tone, " you will pardon me when I 
 tell you that, without exception, you are the most audacious and magnificent 
 liar in Australia at the present time. Why, you could give points to a bush- 
 ranger, and beat him at his own game. In all of my long experience on the 
 police I never met but one man who could equal you. That was a fellow 
 named Steel Spring. I captured him once, and he got fifteen years at hard 
 labor. His time has recently expired, and he has, so I have been informed, 
 again taken to the bush, and is in the vicinity of Ballarat. How I wish that 
 I could lay hands on him, and get up a first-class lying match. I would 
 wager two to one on you, and rake down the boys in a manner that would 
 astonish them." 
 
 I thought of my poor dear mother, who had always taught me to speak 
 the truth at all hazards, and under all circumstances. I thought of my no- 
 ble-hearted father, wounded before the walls of Vera Cruz, while in com- 
 mand of a United-States ship, during the Mexican war, and how he had 
 loved me, and then I could no longer stand up under the vile accusation. 
 My head drooped lower and lower, and, had I not clung to a lamp-post, I 
 should have fallen on the sidewalk, while tears fell from my eyes, and a 
 heavy sob broke from my overcharged heart, and reached the quick ears of 
 Mr. Murden, who sprang forward, and threw his strong right arm around 
 me, and held me up. 
 
 " My lord, my lord," he cried, with more of pity in his tones than he had 
 displayed during the interview, " I did not dream that you were so sensitive 
 to mere words. I thought that you were hardened to everything in this 
 world. That your life had been so wild that not one single tender spot was 
 to be found in your heart for man or woman. Pardon me for misjudging 
 you, my lord. Let me assist you. Take a drop of brandy. Smithers, come 
 here quick." 
 
 " Yes, yer 'onor," and the officer, who had stood at some distance from 
 4 
 
50 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 us during all the conversation, ran toward me, flourishing his club, as 
 though some hard work was to be done in breaking heads. 
 
 " Put up your club, you damn fool! " roared the Chief, "and give me your 
 flask of brandy. I know you always carry one." 
 
 " Yes, yer 'onor, 'ere it is, and nearly full." 
 
 " Take a drop. It will do you good," whispered the Chief; and it did, 
 for it sent the blood dancing through my veins, and once more my man- 
 hood asserted itself, so that I shook off the arm of the Chief, and again 
 stood erect, like an innocent boy. 
 
 " They seem to think that the touch of common people is pollution," I 
 heard the Chief mutter, as he released me, and once more assumed the hard 
 tones and face of the police officer. 
 
 " My lord," he said, " I have apologized for my rude words, and that is 
 all I can do in the way of an atonement. But you will admit that they were 
 justified by all the facts of the case. No one but a nobleman or a fool 
 would have invented such a cock-and-bull story, in the hope of deceiving the 
 Chief of the police force of Melbourne. But I now look on you with a 
 milder eye than before. You have a heart, and you will not let little Kitty 
 go to prison. Of that I am sure. Now to the proof. Come with me. 
 Smithers, take your flask, and be careful how you drink while on duty, or 
 some day you will find that you have been cut off from the flower of the 
 force. You and Dick follow me. The rest of the squad can return to 
 the station house, and report for duty." 
 
 " Where do you wish me to go ? " I asked, still faint, but once more 
 hopeful. 
 
 "Before I conduct you to Mr. Kebblewhite's, for a wedding, or a settle- 
 ment of some kind, we will have an interview with Miss Kitty. Her mouth 
 must be kept shut, and you will not offend your sweet wife, I hope, by ever 
 speaking of the way and manner in which you disposed of the ring. As for 
 me, I could ruin half the married men in Melbourne, if I desired, so your 
 lordship need not fear of my squealing on your little game. Come, my lord." 
 
 He gave me his arm, and looked as if he meant that I should take it 
 whether I wanted to or no. 
 
 " Some man would feel proud like, you know, to be seen walking down 
 Russell Street with a live earl leaning on his arm. Pull your hat over your 
 face, if you please, my lord, and bring that shawl over your chin. That 's 
 right. Now no one will recognize you, and we sha'n't have a confounded 
 row on the street if we meet some of the Belle's friends. Yes, some people 
 would give a pound or two to have you take their arm. but I a'n't proud. I 
 
The Belle of Australia. 51 
 
 want your arm in mine so that you won't attempt to waltz down the street 
 without me. There must be no skipping out as far as' I am concerned. You 
 are listening, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but, as I promised not to escape, or attempt it, the precaution 
 is useless." 
 
 " Ah," chuckled the Chief, " never met but three men in my life whom I 
 fullv trusted, as I said before. The Americans I spoke of. Those who 
 wrote the books, and introduced me in a tip-top manner. Ah, those were 
 men, and no mistake. But here we are at the house, and Kitty is at home. 
 I see a light in her window. I told h .r not to have company tonight, and 1 
 warrant you she has obeyed me. Courage, my lord, and speak the truth, 
 and all will be well with the girl hereafter." 
 
 We stopped before a small house, and the Chief turned to the two police- 
 men who were following us. 
 
 " Smithers," he said, " you and Dick hang around, but out of sight. 
 Come, my lord,'' and he gave a gentle knock on the door of the house where 
 Miss Kitty, whom I had never seen, or heard of, resided, and whom I was 
 to face for the first time on a serious charge, and, for the life of me, I could 
 not see how I was to disapprove of it, and still afford escape for the girl and 
 myself, unless she repudiated me as her friend, and of that I had great 
 hope, in fact, the only hope of turning the tables on the Chief, and his eter- 
 nal sarcastic grin of delight at his supposed smartness. 
 
'o ANGUS! DEAR ANGUS! i HAVE BEEN so UNHAPPY." THE YOUNG LADY CRIED, AND PUT HER 
 
 WHITE ARMS AROUND MY NECK. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 MISS KITTY AND THE DIAMOND RING AGAIN APPEAR. A PROMISE TO 
 BE SILENT. MR. KEBBLEWHITE AND HIS HOME. HOW MR. 
 MURDEN SURROUNDED ME WITH PITFALLS. USE- 
 LESS DENIALS. THE FIRST VISION OF 
 MY FUTURE WIFE; AND A 
 PLEASANT ONE IT IS. 
 
 A S Mr. Murden knocked on the door, just light enough to attract the at- 
 ** tention of the people inside, I would have drawn back, but the Chief 
 held on to me like a devil-fish. 
 
 " No, no," he whispered, " none of that. Don't you dare to attempt it 
 just now. It will be dangerous for you. Beside, it would be of no use. 
 You go in first, and give no intimation that I am near you. I will follow, 
 as soon as I have overheard a little of your private conversation. Do 
 you understand me ? " 
 
 " Yes ; but it is cruel and cowardly," I answered. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 53 
 
 " Not so cowardly as to give a girl a ring that did not belong to you. Ah, 
 my lord ! Think twice before you speak of mean deeds, and cowardly con- 
 duct," and the Chief snapped his eyes at me. 
 
 The door was opened by a frowsey woman, stout and full-chested, with a 
 face that betokened love for bitter beer and rum. She would have spoken, 
 but the Chief put his finger on his lips, and motioned her to be silent. She 
 looked a little frightened at sight of the officer, but received me with a grim 
 smile, just as though I was an old acquaintance, whom she had met quite 
 often. 
 
 " Enter that first apartment on the left," the Chief whispered. " Do not 
 knock, and do not close the door. You hear me ? " 
 
 " I 'opes, Mr. Murden, that there 's no row 'ere. I 'm an 'onest vomen if 
 there hever vos one," sniffled the frowsey one, wiping her fat nose with the 
 back of her hand. 
 
 " If you speak above a whisper I '11 strangle you," the Chief said. " Go 
 to your kitchen, and keep quiet. No harm is intended you, just at present." 
 
 The woman waddled off, and left us alone in the entry. I delayed follow- 
 ing my instructions, for I dreaded what the result would be, and feared it. 
 
 " Go on, my lord. I am waiting for you. Let the girl speak first, if you 
 please. I am a little bit curious to hear what she will say," and he motion- 
 ed me toward the apartment. 
 
 He gave me a gentle push, and I opened the door and entered a pretty 
 little chamber, with a neat carpet, lace curtains, and a bed, that was covered 
 with a white French quilt, pillow shams over the pillows, and a bouquet of 
 fresh flowers on a table, at which was seated a young girl, not more than 
 sixteen years of age, dressed in white, with bare arms, and very scant gar- 
 ments around a pretty and white pair of shoulders, exposing a bust that 
 would have been appreciated by a painter or sculptor. In fact, she was in 
 what the French would call decidedly decollete costume, although I have 
 seen much freer exposure of the person at a select ball or party in New 
 York or Boston. She was as handsome a picture, as she sat there by the 
 table, reading by the light of a student lamp, as I had ever seen, and for a 
 moment I did not wonder that my " double " had surrendered to her charms, 
 and even given her the diamond ring, or anything else that she asked for. 
 Her auburn hair fell over neck and bust, and revealed a face that was singu- 
 larly fair, with the reddest of lips, and teeth that were small and white, 
 and wonderful in their evenness and regularity. She looked up from a pa- 
 per that she was reading, and, as soon as she saw me, gave a glad cry, and 
 sprang toward me with outstretched arms, and a smile of delightful sweet- 
 
54 7^*2 Belle of Australia. 
 
 ness over her fresh, pink-and-white face, and there was no paint on it, ei- 
 ther. 
 
 " O Angus," she cried, ' I am so glad to see yer : ere this hevening. I 
 did not expect yer. Yer said that yer did not intend to call. Yer dear, 
 naughty boy, to give me such a delightful surprise,'' and then, confound her 
 impudence, she put her white, well-formed arms around my neck, and puil- 
 ed my face down very gently, and kissed me a dozen times on the lips, 
 cheeks, and eyes, before I recovered my presence of mind, or made an at- 
 tempt to resist her glowing welcome, disagreeable as it was to me. 
 
 " Heavens ! " I thought, when I had recovered my breath, " here is anoth- 
 er crank, and the most dangerous one of the lot. What would my dear 
 mother say to all of this, if she should know it? " 
 
 " Angus," the little girl said, "yer don't kiss me as though yer cared for 
 me heny more. And yer don't seem a bit glad to see me. I don't believe 
 yer 'as given yer chickabidy a thought all day. Now then, one good one. 
 That 's a dear. I "m hawful glad yer 'as come. I 'se somethin' to tell yer, 
 vot vill surprise yer. That old Murden, the Chief of Police, vos 'ere this 
 wery hafternoon, and took away the diamond ring vot yer gives me a few 
 days ago. 'E said that there was some mistake about it, and that hall vould 
 be hexplained ven the proper time arrived. Vot did the old rat mean, An- 
 gus ? Yer gave me it, did n't yer ? Hanswer me that, vont yer ? " 
 
 " That \s the very question I want him to answer," said the deep, quiet 
 voice of Mr. Murden, who entered the room just at this moment. 
 
 The girl withdrew her arms from my neck, and fell back, astonished at 
 the Chief's appearance. 
 
 " Yes, Kitty," Mr. Murden cried. " the old rat is here, and wants that 
 question answered. It is an important one for you and this gentleman," 
 and then he smiled, one of his exasperating smiles. 
 
 The girl gazed at me, and then at the Chief, as though she did not exact- 
 ly understand his meaning. 
 
 "Look here, Kitty," Mr. Murden remarked, " I am disposed to be your 
 friend, but I must have straight-forward answers. The law demands it." 
 
 " Don't give me heny of yer sour beer, Mr. Murden." the girl said, with a 
 pout, that was quite pretty, even if it was a little vulgar, and disrespectful to 
 the Chief. 
 
 " I am in earnest, Kitty, if ever I was in my life. Pay attention to what I 
 sa; ." the Chief remarked, quite composedly. 
 
 " All right, old 'un, go ahead," she answered, and made a face at him, 
 when she thought that he was not looking at her, 
 
7 he Belle of Australia. 55 
 
 But he had eyes like a hawk, and noticed it, although he did not display 
 any tokens of an<er. 
 
 " Your face is pretty enough, Kitty, without those contortions, which do 
 not improve it. Now be serious for a moment. Do you recognize this gen- 
 tleman ? Be quite careful before you speak." 
 
 " Do I vot? That 'ere is a big vord, and I can't swallow it 'hole, Mr. 
 Maiden." 
 
 " Do you know this gentleman ? " 
 
 "Ah, now yer talks. Vel, I should think I did, v and Kitty laughed quite 
 merrily. 
 
 " What is his name ? " demanded the Chief, seriously. 
 
 " Angus, and I loves him," was the prompt answer. 
 
 " Never mind the love just now. Try and forget that part of the farce." 
 
 " I can't, and I von't," she answered, in a determined tone, and then put 
 her arm around my neck, and looked at the Chief triumphantly, as though 
 daring him to part us. I would have rembved her arm, but did not feel like 
 wounding her pride and devotion, she was so loving and confiding. 
 
 " You are sure that his name is Angus ? and that you have seen him be- 
 fore ? " the Chief asked, and his eyes were looking at me so firmly that I 
 could make no sign of dissent. " You can swear to him ?*' 
 
 "Swear to Mm? Vy, I could jist get up and 'owl that *e is *im at heny 
 time of the day or night. Don't I know my Angus ? " 
 
 Again I felt I w r as going down hill, as though sliding on an avalanche, and 
 that I should land at the bottom a wreck, or else the husband of a lady 
 whom I had never seen, cared nothing about, arid could not love. I thought 
 at the time that one state was as bad as the other ; and ruin was preferable 
 to matrimony. 
 
 "You see that Kitty recognizes you," the Chief said, with a grim smile. 
 " She is not mistaken, for the eyes of a woman in love are sharp, when fixed 
 on a young and handsome man." 
 
 I did not answer, but let him enjoy his triumph as he pleased. I could 
 say nothing in my own defence that would have the least effect on his mind, 
 or that of the girl. They were determined cranks at best. 
 
 "Now, Kitty, a few more questions, my good girl, and we are done. 
 When did you first meet with Mr. Angus, as you call him?" the Chief 
 asked. 
 
 At a free-and-heasy on Market Square, two veeks ago. Ve spoke to- 
 gether, and *e stood for the beer, and then valked 'ome vid me. He jist 
 talked beautiful, he did, and I grew wery fond of 'im." 
 
56 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " You hear ? " the Chief said, nodding to me, and again that exasperating 
 smile appeared on his face. 
 
 "Yes, I hear," I answered despondently. 
 
 " And you do not desire to ask her any questions ? " the Chief demanded, 
 now quite radiant. 
 
 " No," I said, in a low tone, sad and sick at heart. " It would be useless, 
 I know. You will not believe me." 
 
 " Angus," the young lady said, with a look of deep anxiety on her face, 
 " is yer in trouble on my account ? Vot does the traps (police) vant of yer ? 
 Vy is that old Murden axin' hall of these 'ere questions for? " 
 
 " Be quiet, Kitty, and old Murden, as you call him, will explain all things 
 in due time. I 'm not so very old, Kitty, that you should throw it in my 
 face," showing that the bold, bad man had one weak spot, like the rest of 
 mankind, and womankind, likewise, for that matter. 
 
 " Veil, Mr. Murden, I honly spoke a jokin' like, yer know. But I was so 
 fearful of Angus, that I did n't know vhat I said." 
 
 " Your friend is in no danger just at present, Kitty, but his safety depends 
 upon your answers, and I need not say that your safety is in some measure 
 involved with his own. Now answer me, and be true to yourself. Did Mr. 
 Angus give or lend you a diamond ring ? " 
 
 " Vy, 'e puts it on my finger three or four nights ago, and did n't say 
 nothin' about my returnin' it. I s'posed 'e give it to me, till yer calls this 
 wery hafternoon, Mr. Murden, and axed me for it," and Kitty's face glowed 
 like an innocent girl's. 
 
 " Is this statement correct? " the Chief asked, and looked at me so fixed- 
 ly that I had to drop my eyes, and think for a moment about the trap into 
 which I had fallen, through his devilish mixture of cunning and good- 
 nature. 
 
 If I denied the story the poor girl was threatened with prison, although I 
 half believed it was only a bluff. The Chief held a strong hand, and would 
 not let me see his cards unless I came up to his terms. 
 
 " Angus, yer know I speaks the 15 vin' truth, and 'opes to die if I don't," 
 Kitty said, as I hesitated. I could not break her heart even to save myself. 
 
 " Yes, she speaks the truth," I cried, and then added in an undertone, 
 " And may Heaven forgive me for lying to save a poor girl from prison, for 
 some man's crime." 
 
 Kitty put up her lips, and kissed me as a reward for my words, while Mr. 
 Murden smiled in such an exasperating manner that I wanted to punch his 
 head. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 57 
 
 "You put the ring on her linger, did you ? " the Chief demanded, and his 
 eyes went through and through me. 
 
 " Yes," quite boldly this time, for 1 was becoming desperate, and did not 
 care how soon the farce, or tragedy, was concluded. 
 
 " And you did not request her to return the ring to you since you put it 
 on her finger?" persisted the Chief. 
 
 An anxious look from poor Kitty, and a stern one from the Chief. 
 
 " No," I stammered, with a guilty look. 
 
 " You are sure, sir ? " 
 
 " Quite sure," I answered very softly. 
 
 " Then why did you deny that you gave or loaned the ring to the girl 
 when we were on the street ? " 
 
 " Did I do so ? " I faltered. 
 
 " My Angus vould n't do any such thing," interrupted Kitty, confident of 
 the integrity of the man to whom she was clinging so affectionately, and so 
 eagerly. 
 
 " Silence, girl," said Mr. Murden, in a low, determined tone. " Your 
 punishment is soon to come, you poor thing." 
 
 " Perhaps I had forgotten the circumstance," I cried, grasping at any 
 loophole for escape . 
 
 " You know better, my lord. You know that you have committed a mean, 
 contemptible action in giving this poor girl a ring that you had taken from 
 the hand of a true and pure lady. Men do not give away diamonds that cost 
 a thousand pounds, and forget all about the circumstance, even if they are 
 wealthy." 
 
 Kitty's eyes began to glitter, and her face grow pale. Jealousy was tug- 
 ging at her heart, to add to my other troubles, which, God knows, were al- 
 ready heavy enough for a young man of nineteen to bear. 
 
 " Vot ? " she said, starting back, and sitting down on the bed so suddenly 
 that she nearly rolled over on the other side, and thence to the floor. " Do 
 yer mean to tell me that there is another voman vot howns that ring? " 
 
 " Listen to me for a moment, Kitty," the Chief said. " If you give way to 
 any yelling or temper I swear to you that I will lock you up." 
 
 u Yer hold willian," the girl began, but a look from the Chief, as black as 
 a thunder-cloud, stopped her. 
 
 " It is useless for you to go off into a tantrum," the Chief contiaued ; "so 
 let me warn you. Keep quiet, or I '11 summon one of my men. This gen- 
 tleman and you must part tonight, and never meet again." 
 
 A moan from Kitty, and a rocking of her body to and fro on the bed. 
 
58 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " You do not know who he is. He has concealed his name and position 
 in the world from you," Mr. Murden said. 
 
 " I love 'im ! I love Mm ! I don't care if 'e is a sweep, I love 'im," moan- 
 ed the girl. 
 
 " Don't be a fool, Kitty, but act like a sensible little woman. In two 
 hours from now this gentleman will be married to the Belle of Australia." 
 
 " I 'd like to scratch 'er hyes out. Oh, 'ow I 'd like to scratch 'er," and 
 then she rolled over in a dead faint, and looked as white as death, but hei 
 fingers and heels were active even if she was unconscious. 
 
 " You see what a d-r-d mess you have made of it," said the Chief, just as 
 though I was to blame for all that had occurred. " I should have thought 
 you knew better. What do you do when women go off like that ? Souse 
 them with water ? Here 's the jug. Now then. 1 ' 
 
 But Miss Kitty did not wait for the deluge. She suddenly sat bolt up- 
 right, and said in a tone of voice that was quite firm, if not cheerful, 
 
 " 'Old yer 'and, yer hold willian, and don't drown me. O Angus, is this 
 true ? " 
 
 " It is true, Kitty," the Chief said. " I never deceived you. He is to be 
 married tonight. Hereafter if you should see him on the street, or any- 
 where, you must turn away your head, and no longer recognize him. Do 
 you hear me ?" 
 
 " I von't," was the sullen response, and a shower of tears. 
 
 " You will find it for your interest to do so. Money will be given to you 
 if you follow my advice," the Chief promised. 
 
 I wondered where the money was to come from. I was worth just five 
 hundred dollars, and that was not a large sum to bribe a girl who had ex- 
 pensive tastes. 
 
 " I vont 'ave 'is money. I '11 throw it at yer 'eacl if yer hoffers it to me. 
 I vant 'im, and not "is money," and the tears rolled down her cheeks, and 
 she tried very hard to suppress her sobs. 
 
 " One more word, Kitty, and then I am done with you," Mr. Murden said. 
 " This gentlernan has wooed you under a common name. He is not for the 
 like of you. He is a nobleman, an English lord." 
 
 *' I don't care vot 'e is. I should love 'im just as veil if 'e vos no more 
 than a common trap." 
 
 " We can spare no more time here," the Chief cried impatiently. "We 
 must move along. It is near nine o'clock, and we shall be late." 
 
 " O Angus, vill yer leave me ? " asked Kitty, and stretched out her arms, 
 
 " It is I who force him to go," said the Chief, in the hope of aiding me. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 59 
 
 Kitty sat for a few minutes with her head cast down, and tears flowing 
 freely from her handsome blue eyes. 
 
 ' Must it be so, Angus ? " she asked. 
 
 ' I shall have to obey Mr. Murden. He has me in his power as well as 
 yourself. If I say that I did not give you the ring of my own free \\ill and 
 accord, he arrests you for larceny. I have said that I gave it to you. and 
 you are safe." 
 
 " Right you are," chirped the Chief; " and now put the ring on your fin- 
 ger, where it belongs, and swear by all the saints that it has never left your 
 possession, if a certain person should question you on the subject. I am a 
 man of truth, and never lie, if the truth is just as available ; and, although I 
 am not overpoweringly enamored of your personal character, my lord, still, 
 to save the happiness of a most estimable young lady, I will never mention 
 this matter, and I am sure that you will keep a close mouth, if you know 
 when you are well off. As for Kitty " 
 
 " Yer let me alone, Mr. Murden," moaned the girl. " Yer has done mis- 
 chief 'nough for one day and night. Yer is always up to some diviltry. I 
 'ates yer ! " 
 
 " As for Kitty here," resumed the Chief, not noticing the interruption, 
 "she will keep as mum as a detective that is not paid to furnish information. 
 She '.mows me, and I can rely on her silence. That ring is a valuable one, 
 and a little romance has been connected with it. Look on the inside, my 
 lord, and you will see the engraving, ' Florence, 16.' It was a birthday 
 present from a father to an only daughter, just one year ago. I need not 
 tell you how that father would swash around, and how the young lady would 
 tumble, if they knew of this little transaction. Beside, there is a brother, a 
 stout fellow, some twenty-five years of age, and he knows how to handle his 
 maulies, and to shoot quite well. He is a blood that will stand no nonsense 
 when his sister's name is concerned. Come, my lord. We must go." 
 
 He slipped the great, blazing diamond on the little finger of my left hand, 
 and lightly touched me on the shoulder, and motioned toward the door, as 
 though in a hurry to depart. 
 
 Kitty started from the bed, and came toward me, her arms open, and her 
 head still down, to hide the tears that flowed from her eyes. 
 
 " I promise hevery thing," she said, " if it is for 'is 'appiness.'' 
 
 " It is. Kitty," the Chief remarked, more mildly. 
 
 " Let Mm hanswer me," the girl cried, and raised her head in a queenly 
 manner. i; Yer speak, Angus, and hanswer me yerself." 
 
 "You hear what Mr. Murden says. It maybe for my happiness. God 
 
60 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 knows, I don't. There is some cruel mystery connected with this matter, 
 which I am unable to fathom. Good-by, Kitty." 
 
 I held out my hand. 
 
 " Give me one last kiss, a good one, and then go," she cried, and put up 
 her white arms. 
 
 " Don't you do it," cried the Chief, with some visible alarm. " A jealous 
 woman is like an old man kangaroo. She will scratch the life out of you 
 while you think she is surrendering, and about to be good. Keep her at 
 arm's-length." 
 
 I paid no attention to the warning, but put out my arms, and let the girl 
 rest for a moment on my breast. Then I bent my head, and kissed her red 
 lips, a long, lingering kiss, and when I had finished I felt her whole weight 
 rest on my arm. Poor Kitty had fainted. 
 
 " Tumble her on the bed," cried the Chief, " and let us be off before she 
 comes to her senses. I '11 send the old woman to look after her. Oh, con- 
 found it ! why can't women take to love as children do the measles, in light 
 doses ; break out for a while, and then recover, and get all ready for anoth- 
 er attack, equally as harmless." 
 
 Instead of bundling the girl on the bed in an unceremonious manner, I 
 laid her down with gentleness and reverence, and then bent over and kissed 
 her pale lips for the last time. 
 
 " Well," muttered the Chief, " I don't see but that you can kiss a woman 
 like ottyer men when you get started. I began to think that you were com- 
 ing the Joseph game, for the sake of throwing minute particles of our sandy 
 plains in my eyes. However, I give you my word that I shall say nothing 
 of all this at the next house where we have to make a call." 
 
 He opened the door leading to the entry, suddenly, and there found the 
 old woman listening at the keyhole. 
 
 " I thought as much," Mr. Murden remarked, and, seizing the old female 
 by the ear, led her into the room, and pointed to Kitty. " Look to the girl," 
 he commanded, " and see what you can do for her. Do not let her out of 
 the house tonight. You hear me, and understand ? " 
 
 The woman nodded, and rubbed her ear. 
 
 " Keep your eyes on her all night, and don't let her slip away. We shall 
 have rows enough in a little while without the girl putting in her oar, as she 
 might do unless looked after. Remember, I shall have the house watched 
 all night, and if you disobey me the worse for you." 
 
 The Chief motioned for me to pass on, and followed me to the door, 
 closed it, and then we stood on the sidewalk. He put the little whistle to 
 
The Belle of Australia. 61 
 
 his lips, and blew a gentle blast. Smithers and Dick emerged from the ob- 
 scurity of a dark alley, and came toward us. 
 
 " Dick, go for a hansom," Mr. Murden said. " Smithers, find the officer 
 on this beat, and tell him to shadow this house all night, and to let no one 
 leave it, unless it is a matter of life and death. If Miss Kitty should make 
 a move, lock her up until morning, when I will dispose of her." 
 
 The two officers saluted, and left us to do the bidding of the Chief. 
 
 " Now, my lord," said Mr. Murden, " you may as well brace up, for you 
 have a devil of a job before you, and no mistake. All that has passed is 
 mere child's play compared to what you will have to encounter. What are 
 your plans ? " 
 
 " I have none," I said. " I shall tell the truth." 
 
 " Bosh ! how do you intend to account for your absence when you face a 
 beautiful girl, dressed for a wedding, and some confoundedly ugly relatives ?" 
 
 " Deny that I am the Earl of Afton," I stammered. 
 
 " My lord, don't be any greater ass than you can help, or that Providence 
 intended you should assume during your minority. That cock won't fight 
 here in Melbourne, and you should know it by this time. We Australians 
 may not be noble by way of birth, but we are not altogether such blasted fools as 
 you would have us believe. Now listen to me, and be attentive. You want 
 to live, don't you? A man with an income of three hundred thousand 
 pounds a year, and millions of ready money, lands and castles in Scotland 
 and England, does n't want to kick the bucket when he is only nineteen 
 years of age, does he ? " 
 
 " No, it does not strike me that he would. I should think he would tfnd 
 life very pleasant." 
 
 " Well, you pipe that lay, and see where you land. Old Monsieur Allete, 
 a fiery Frenchman, who can fence like an angel, will be there." 
 
 " I should like to see an angel fencing," I remarked. " It would be an 
 angelic sight. Did you ever see an angel ? " 
 
 " Now look here, my lord, don't you be any funnier than you can help 
 just now, because you will want all of your wit, if you have any, to get out 
 of the worst scrape that you ever encountered in your life. Come, what 
 yarn will you reel off to the old man Kebblewhite, and his amiable daughter, 
 her brother, and a dozen old women, who would hang by the neck every 
 man who did not marry at the age of twenty, and dared to look at any other 
 woman beside his wife ever after ? Let us have your plea, and, if it is con- 
 sistent with truth and honor, I '11 swear to it, for the sake of helping you 
 along in the world. I don't want to lie, I despise a liar from the bottom of 
 
6 1 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 my heart, but sometimes it is necessary that men should make common 
 cause with each other, and thus protect themselves from their mutual ene- 
 my, woman, who is bound to get married at all hazards, at all times, and in 
 all places, and to be the biggest toad in the puddle, if she can only freeze to 
 a male in time, or before a rival girl has a chance. Come, my lord, your 
 plea." 
 
 ' : If I deny that I am the Earl of Afton, the consequences will be serious, 
 you think ? " I asked. 
 
 " I know what they will be. The old Frenchman will spit you on his ra- 
 pier, the brother will shoot you down like a dog, old Kebble white will bang 
 you over the head with a native's nulla, and crack your skull, the women 
 will go into convulsions, and all the young bloods of Melbourne will take a 
 hand, and end your days, if you get through with the relatives with life in 
 your body. By the way, are you a good shot ? " 
 
 " Excellent, with pistol or rifle." 
 
 " Can you fence ? " 
 
 " I '11 warrant that I could even hold the Frenchman in check. I have 
 had foils in my hands since I was eight years of age. My father gave me 
 lessons, and he was a pupil of the best swordsman in France." 
 
 " That may be, but, dash it ! the nulla would fetch you, unless your skull 
 is as thick as boiler iron, and I begin to think that it is. No, no, my lord, 
 none of those excellent qualities will save you. You would have to fight 
 too many men. Some of them would fetch you. Let me think. Ah, now I 
 have a plan." 
 
 " What is it ? " I aked eagerly, for I thought that he would let me es- 
 cape. 
 
 " It is this, my lord. Most of our young swells knew that you were to be 
 married this afternoon.". 
 
 " Did they ? " 
 
 " Yes ; and they also knew that the wedding was a private one. They 
 thought that you should have been swung off at St. Paul's Church, with a 
 big audience, and all the fuss and tumult of a public execution. You follow 
 me, my lord ? " 
 
 " I am trying to. Lead on." 
 
 " Well, then, some of the young swells put up a job on you." 
 
 ' ; What kind of a job ? " I asked. 
 
 "Well, my lord, that I will explain if you will only have patience to listen 
 to me for a moment. Here comes the hansom. I hear it rattling around 
 the corner. I must be brief. The young fellows put up a job on you in 
 
The Belle of Australia. 63 
 
 this way. They druggec 1 y >ur wine, and let you sleep until I found you at 
 a young gentleman's residence, where you had been carried while stupefied. 
 Owing to the tearful pleadings of the young swell and his parents, I agree 
 to keep everything secret, and not reveal his name. You do not know it, 
 and never will. I have bathed you, soda-watered you, walked you up and 
 down, until the fumes of the opium wore off, and now here you are, all 
 right, and repentant. What do you think of my scheme, my lord ? " 
 
 " Mr. Murden," I said, " you told me some time this evening that you 
 were acquainted with a celebrated bushranger, named Steel Spring." 
 
 "Yes. What then?" 
 
 " You also said that he was a celebrated liar. That none could surpass 
 him." 
 
 " Yes ; and he is just what I represented." 
 
 " Don't you think you and he could have a meeting, and see which is the 
 most proficient in yarning ? I won't say lying, for I don't want to hurt 
 Steel Spring's feelings, if he should ever hear of my remark." 
 
 "Bosh!" cried the disgusted Chief, "don't be foolish, and think it is 
 smart. I compared you to the bushranger, so your idea is not original. I 
 have invented the only plan by which all things can be made smooth, the 
 lady's wounded vanity healed, and the rest of the relatives satisfied. Will 
 you accept the theory, or not ? " 
 
 Must I marry the lady at any rate ? " 
 
 " Of course. That is part of the programme. No marry, no safety." 
 
 " I can't deceive a pure young girl like Miss Kebblewhite," I said, in a 
 dejected tone. 
 
 "Yes, d me if I should n't think your conscience would trouble }ou by 
 this time, my lord. It is as elastic as a boomerang, and you never know 
 when and where it is going to strike, after it once gets going. Oh, yes, you 
 have a conscience, you have, and Kitty, and other girls, and the diamond 
 ring, know all about it." 
 
 " Let events take what course they will," 1 said, with a sigh of real regret. 
 " I have done all that man can do to avoid my fate. Do as you please with 
 me, but be assured I shall speak the truth." 
 
 " I hope, my lord, you will not exert yourself unnecessarily over such a 
 difficult task ; " and just then the hansom drove up, and Smithers reported, 
 and received orders to follow us with Dick, as soon as the latter returned. 
 
 " I may not want you," the Chief remarked, "but, when a man will insist 
 in saying that he is n't himself, but somebody else, it is just as well to have 
 a few police officers around. Keep near the house, and wait for the usual 
 
64 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 signal before you come near me. Now, my lord, put on the armor of your 
 ancestors, and infuse some of their brass into your face, for you are going 
 to have a devil of a time, or I 'm much mistaken." 
 
 " Var to, Mr. Murden ? " t .3ked the driver of the hansom. 
 
 " You know where Mr. Kebblewhite lives, on Victoria Parade ? " the 
 Chief asked. 
 
 " Vot is yer givin' me, sour beer, Mr. Murden ? Don't I know the old 
 cove vot vos formerly an old " 
 
 " Silence, you scoundrel ! " roared the Chief. " Your tongue is too free. 
 Keep it in check, or I '11 find a way of shortening it." 
 
 " Beg pardon, sir. No hoff ence, sir, honly yer knows he vos." 
 
 'Drive on to the gentleman's house, and hold your jaws together. Now, 
 iway you go, and don't sleep on the road." 
 
 The man did not go to sleep, or allow his horse to slumber. He was just 
 ten minutes on the way ; the most mauvais quarter hour that I had ever 
 experienced in my life, for I was all of a tremble, and my throat was parched 
 with thirst. 
 
 " Courage, my lord. We '11 meet them like men. Why, all the young 
 swells in Melbourne would dance with Joy if in your blessed shoes. Ah, 
 here we are. Come, my lord, please to dismount, and take my arm. So, 
 that is well. Call at the office and get your pay tomorrow, unless his lord- 
 ehip has a couple of crowns. Ah, that is all right. Let us be generous on 
 our wedding night. Brace up, and smile just a little." 
 
 I looked at the house, as we walked up the path to the front door. It 
 was an immense mansion, built of stone, and three stories high, with a 
 broad piazza all around the front side, while vines and flowers were growing 
 in profusion in every direction in the grounds, scenting the air with their 
 fragrance. A large gaslight hung over the door, showing the hard, carved 
 wood of the latter, and the big silver door-plate, and bell-handle, pride and 
 arrogance being displayed in their size. 
 
 " Nothing mean about this house, is there, my lord ? " asked the Chief; 
 " although I suppose it will not compare with some of your castles. Well, 
 this will answer for us poor colonial people. We shall do better some time, 
 I dare say, as we get rich, and free, and old." 
 
 I was too much agitated to reply. The Chief touched the bell very light- 
 ly, and the door was almost immediately opened, by an old, gray-haired ser- 
 vant, in livery, and white favors on his coat, and a large bunch of white 
 flowers in one of his button-holes. 
 
 " Velcome, my lud. Ve 'as been wery anxious about yer, and the poor 
 
The Belle of Australia. 65 
 
 young misses 'as just about cried 'er pretty hyes out of 'er 'ead. I told 'em 
 yer 'd come to time, but no von vould believe me." 
 
 This was my reception by the servant. It was a warmer welcome than I 
 expected or deserved. 
 
 " Where is your master, Harry ? " asked Mr. Murden. 
 
 " Vel, sir, 'e am in the dinin' room vid the rest of 'em, a lushin' down the 
 drink, and 'e is in a wery precious 'umor, yer 'ad better believe., But valk 
 in, my lud, and I '11 tell Mm that yer is hall right now." 
 
 We entered the drawing-room, dimly lighted with gas, but I could see 
 that it was exquisitely furnished, with French carpets, and old Persian rugs. 
 On the mantels of white marble were choice Sevres vases, a magnificent 
 clock, and the walls of the room were covered with oil paintings and choice 
 engravings, while in a corner was a beautiful grand piano, opened, and mu- 
 sic on the rack, as though some one had recently been playing. The furni- 
 ture was covered with blue satin damask, and the curtains were of the same 
 material, and heavy white lace. 
 
 " Not bad, my lord," whispered the Chief. " I should not object to being 
 the son-in-law of this establishment, with a pretty wife thrown in, just to 
 make everything pleasant and comfortable." 
 
 I did not answer him. My heart was in my mouth, as the common saying 
 goes, and it beat so rapidly that I feared the Chief would hear it, and note 
 my agitation. 
 
 " You have not forgotten your lesson, have you ? " Mr. Murden continued, 
 as we heard a movement in the dining-room. " If the old man has been 
 
 lushing to any extent he will be iii a ugly mood, and no mistake. 
 
 Here he comes, and may Heaven have mercy on your soul, or head, it does 
 not matter much which." 
 
 The door of the drawing-room was thrown open with a crash, and in walk- 
 ed a stout old gentleman, with the stiffest gray hair, and the reddest face 
 that I had seen in Melbourne, excepting the head waiter at the Hen and 
 Chickens. He looked to me like a dangerous crank, and so I found him to 
 be before I had done with him. 
 
 " Vy is n't this 'ere gas turned up ? " the old lunatic roared, as he entered 
 the room. " Yer 'Arry, vot the bloody thunder do yer mean by not puttin' 
 on the light, so that ve can see vot is afore us ? " 
 
 " I hobey horders, sir," was the reply. " Yer tells me vot to do, and I 
 does it. Yer tells me to save the glim, and I does it, and then yer gives 
 me a bloody good dressin' down ven I does do it. Vot is the huse of 
 grumblin' at me hall the time ? " 
 
66 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Silence, yer scoundrel ! " roared the master of the house, who I sup- 
 posed was my respected intended father in-law, Mr. Anderson Kebblewhitc, 
 dressed as for a party, with swallow-tail coat, white vest, black trousers, and 
 patent leather pumps. " If yer makes any more remarks to me, if yer gives 
 me any more back talk, I '11 jist bundle yer hout-of-doors, or crack yer 'ead 
 vid a nulla," the master said, in a tone of voice that was not comforting to 
 his young listener, and prospective son-in-law, and i did feel a little timid 
 in his presence. 
 
 Mr. Murden gave me a significant glance, as though to warn me as to my 
 future fate, unless I was quite careful in all my dealings with the excitable 
 old gentleman, flush with wine and disappointment. 
 
 The old servant, who did not appear to be very much alarmed at the loud 
 talk and threats, having heard the same thing many times before, turned up 
 the gas, and lighted some wax candles on the mantles, and then Mr. Kebble- 
 white and I stood looking at each other. His face was hard and stern, his 
 eyes sharp and deep-set, with a little shade of cunning in them, but, with all 
 his pride of wealth, and all his fierce aspect, I could see that he was uneasy 
 and anxious in the presence of one whom he supposed to be of the aristoc- 
 racy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. 
 
 "Veil, I 'm if yer 'ave n't harrived at last," were the gentleman's 
 
 first words, for I was in hopes that he would see that I was not the dis- 
 tinguished person he was expecting. " Veil, sir, vot 'as yer to say for yer- 
 self ? " he continued. " A man vot is not on time for 'is vedding don't de- 
 serve a vife, and sich a vife as my own little gal, good enough for a prince, 
 I can tell yer, sir." Then he glared at me as if daring me to doubt his 
 word. 
 
 " Yes, or a hemperor," the old servant interrupted, standing at the door, 
 and surveying the scene with fatherly interest. 
 
 " I '11 break yer blasted neck, if yer don't light hout of this ! 'Ow dare 
 yer put in yer woice, yer scoundrel, ven I 'm haddressin' his ludship ? " 
 asked Mr. Kebblewhite. 
 
 " 'Cos 'e 'ad no business to keep us hall a-vaitin', and let the grub get hall 
 cold. It a'n't ship-shape, and yer knows it. But, as 'e is a lud, yer puts 
 hup vid it. Yer 'd punch the 'ead of heny one helse vot dared to do so, and 
 put a slight on my young misses, vot is good henough for a hemperor, and 
 no mistake about it." 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite made a move as though he was about to throw a prayer- 
 book at the head of " 'Arry," and the latter, who knew his master's moods, 
 and the precision of his aim, left the room, and then, turning, peered around 
 
The Belle of Australia. 67 
 
 the casement of the door, so that he could dodge like a loon at the first 
 flash of the heavenly volume. 
 
 During all this time 1 had not spoken a word, or made the slightest 
 movement, while Mr. Murden, who stood near me, seemed to tremble as 
 though convulsed with an internal volcano, but when I glanced at him he 
 was stuffing a silk handkerchief into his mouth, to prevent the shrieks of 
 laughter which wanted to find vent. 
 
 " Pardon me, yer ludship, but I must 'ave discipline in this 'ere 'ouse. 
 If I did n't the scamps vould run away vid me in less than no time. Mr. 
 Murden, yer is velcome 'ere, and more velcome 'cos yer 'as brought the 
 vandering sheep vid yer. Now, let us hunderstand hall about this hunfor- 
 tunate business. Vy vos not yer ludship hup to time ? Vot did yer keep 
 us hall vaitin' for ? Vy vas my little gal hall neglected from three o'clock 
 till now ? " 
 
 The stout, hard-faced old man stopped to get breath, and. to my surprise, 
 I saw tears in the sharp, cunning eyes, and he did not try to conceal them, 
 but wiped them away with a white linen handkerchief. Good Heaven ! this 
 man, whom I supposed so hard, and without feeling, loved his daughter as 
 dearly as a person who had better early advantages in the way of education. 
 I liked him all the more for his sentiment, so plainly expressed. He had a 
 heart, and that heart beat warmly for his daughter, even if he was a boor. 
 
 - Mr. Kebblewhite," I said, speaking for the first time, " I know that you 
 will pardon me when " 
 
 " One moment, your lordship," interrupted Mr. Murden, with a signifi- 
 cant look at me, as though to warn me that I was about to commit a blun- 
 der in denying my identity. " Perhaps it would be better that I should ex- 
 plain to Mr. Kebblewhite all that has happened since his son brought me 
 information that your lordship had turned up missing, as we say in the 
 force. The fact of it is, Mr. Kebblewhite. young bloods will be young 
 bloods, and the boys rather played it on his lordship last night. They gave 
 him a late supper, and a little more wine than he should have taken." 
 
 " Ah, is that hall ? " the master of the house exclaimed, with a sigh of re- 
 lief, and the frown left his brows. 
 
 " Not quite all, sir. In the last glass of champagne which his lordship 
 drunk, were a few drops of a sleeping potion." 
 
 " The scoundrels ! I '11 punish them for this. Mr. Murden. yer 
 
 must take charge of this matter, and prosecute them to the extent of the 
 law." 
 
 "That, sir, I can't do. I have promised to hush the matter up, to pre- 
 
68 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 vent scandal to his lordship, and to your family. Think for a moment, and 
 you will see that my course is best." 
 
 " Perhaps it is, but I 'd like to 'ave a clip at 'em, jist the same. Now I 
 s'pose 'is ludship is hall ready to be married ? Veil, ve '11 send for the par- 
 son, and 'e '11 be 'ere in no time. I knows it, 'cos 'e promised to keepat'ome 
 hall the hevening. 'Any, send the coachman for the minister at vonce ; 
 and tell Florry that 'is ludship is 'ere, and that 'e 'as hexplained, and that 'e 
 vill be married at vonce." 
 
 " One moment, Mr. Kebblewhite," I said, taking a step forward, and 
 speaking as firmly as I could, although I knew that I trembled. 
 
 "Your lordship will remember that there is no chance for words at this 
 late hour. All explanations have been made," cried Mr. Murden, with a 
 dangerous look in his eyes, and a warning gesture. 
 
 " No, now is the time for explanations, here in the presence of Mr. Keb- 
 blewhite, the father of the young lady whom you seem determined that 1 
 shall marry," I said quite firmly. 
 
 " Your lordship has had a fair warning," whispered the Chief. "Don't 
 blame me if there is a collision on the down grade." 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite stared at me, and I heard him mutter, " Forced to marry 
 my precious gal," and his hands began to work, and his eyes to glitter with 
 a dangerous light, while his face whitened with passion, and his lips moved 
 convulsively. 
 
 " Stand by to douse all sail," the Chief rroaned. " Oh, be warned; be 
 warned in time." 
 
 " I will not be warned. I will tell all. I will not lend myself to the base, 
 infamous scheme that I see before me." 
 
 " Go on, or I '11 be cussed if I don't strangle yer ! " Mr. Kebblewhite 
 roared, white with passion. 
 
 " Do so if you will, sir, but I am not the Earl of Afton, 1 am not a lord, I 
 am not an Englishman. I am something far better than either : I am an 
 American sovereign." 
 
 " 'Any," roared the enraged master of the house, " 'Arry, bring me my 
 pistols, and my nulla. I '11 kill him as sure as there is a God in 'eaven. 
 Hall the law in Hostralia sha'n't prevent me ! " 
 
 Luckily for me, Harry, the servant, had gone to give orders to the coach- 
 man, for I heard the carriage roll out of the coach-house, and o.i the gravel 
 walks. This gave time to Mr. Murden to spring forward, and place a hand 
 on Mr. Kebblewhite's broad shoulders, and in a measure restrain him from 
 anticipated violence. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 69 
 
 " Come, sir," the Chief said, very sternly, " I '11 have no murder commit- 
 ted here in my presence. If you call for pistols again, or your club, 1 '11 
 whistle in my men, and walk you off to the station-house in bloody, double- 
 quick time now I tell you." 
 
 " Yer vould dare to do that ? " roared the master of the house, foaming 
 with passion. 
 
 " As the Chief of the Police of Melbourne, I dare do everything and any- 
 thing, and fear no man, or his power, or his money. I will save you, and I 
 will save the reputation of the Belle of Australia, and I '11 save and shame his 
 lordship, the Earl of Afton, who now denies his rank, for the sake of shirk- 
 ing what he thinks is a mesalliance.'" 
 
 The old man made a movement as though he would break away from the 
 Chief's grasp, and come at me, and inflict some injuries with his bony fists. 
 
 " Don't be rash, Mr. Kebblewhite. We don't want any revival of old ac- 
 counts here just now. I know all your past history, but his lordship does 
 not, and shall not from me. Lay your finger on his lordship tonight, and 
 all Melbourne will blaze with but what few really know. Keep cool. There 
 will be time enough for violence if all other means fail. Will you promise 
 me?" 
 
 "Yes; but I 'd like to put my 'ands on 'is white throat jistfora min- 
 ute : only for a minute." 
 
 " Do you think that would do any good ? Do you suppose that the Earl 
 of Afton would make a countess of your daughter after you had assaulted 
 him ? Remember, above all things, that Miss Florence loves this gentle- 
 man, loves him with all her heart, with all the strength and purity of her 
 good and great nature. She will believe in him, and not in you, just as soon 
 as he puts an arm around her, or presses her hand. Your word will be of 
 no consequence in comparison with his, your paternal tenderness will not 
 weigh as a feather, when her lover speaks to her in honeyed words. Come, 
 listen to reason, man. Your daughter shall be married tonight, and we '11 
 have a drink of champagne to the health of the handsomest couole in Mel 
 bourne, or Australia ; " and Mr. Murden released his hold of the excitable 
 gentleman, and waited for an answer. 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite weakened. His eyes lost their fire, and his face on:e 
 more flushed, while his fingers ceased to clutch and move, as though work 
 ing around my slim throat. 
 
 * You see what you have narrowly escaped," the Chief whispered over 
 his shoulder tome, while Mr. Kebblewhite had turned aivay. " Be warned 
 in season, or I may not be able to save you a second time." 
 
70 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Give me your plan,'* said the master of the house. "I ? 11 be patient, 
 but now, by hall the saints in the calendar, 'is ludship shall marry Florry. 
 and this wery night. I might 'ave let *im hoff if 'e 'd cried baby, and h own- 
 ed up like a man ; but now *e '11 marry 'er. or 'e '11 face me and a dozen 
 huthers. I '11 not 'ave Florry insulted by a hid. or heny von helse, vile 1 
 'ave strength." 
 
 This was pleasant for me. 1 had explained time and time again that I 
 was not a nobleman, but it was of no avail, and what to do I did not know. 
 I must marry or die. 
 
 " My lord," said the Chief, "will you please to give me your full name?" 
 
 "Angus Mornington," I responded. 
 
 " Mr. Kebblewhite, I see you have a book of the peerage on your centre- 
 table. Look among the peers, and you will find the name of Angus Morn- 
 ington, Earl of Afton, and Baron Midlothian, aged nineteen," the Chief 
 said. 
 
 " Yes, it is 'ere," was the reply. 
 
 " So I supposed. Now you know that his lordship arrived here from Chi- 
 na in Her Majesty's frigate Carry sford, Captain Lord George Pollock. 
 This was some three weeks ago." 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite nodded his head in response to the question of Mr. 
 Murden. 
 
 " Well, our friend here, the Earl of Afton, brought letters of introduction 
 to the lieutenant-governor of Victoria, and I was present at a reception at 
 the government house, and heard his excellency introduce his lordship to 
 the legislature as the Earl of Afton.'' 
 
 "Veil, it! so vos I," cried Mr. Kebblewhite. "I seed the thing 
 
 as veil as yer." 
 
 " I am aware of it, sir ; and now I ask you if the captain of a frigate, if the 
 governor of a province, could be so deceived as to entertain an impostor? " 
 
 " No, a thousand times no," was the prompt response. 
 
 I saw that the cunning Chief had got me into a very narrow path, and 
 that there was no chance for me to turn aside, and save myself from de- 
 struction. 
 
 "Your lordship hears all that is said?" asked the Chief. 
 
 "Yes, I hear everything." 
 
 " Now, will your lordship please to hold up your left hand just for a mo- 
 ment ? " the Chief said. 
 
 I wondered what he was driving at, but did as requested. 
 
 " Mr. Kebblewhite, please to examine the diamond ring on his lordship's 
 
The Belle of Australia. 71 
 
 little finger. You can see it glitter from where you stand. Do you recog- 
 nize it? " 
 
 <; Of course I do. I give it to Florry on 'er birthday, von year ago." 
 
 " You knew that she had lent it to his lordship. I suppose ? " 
 
 ' ; Veil, yes, she tells me that 'e 'as it, but I s'posed it vos hall in the fami- 
 ly in time, and so did n't mind it wery much." 
 
 " You do not suppose that his lordship would part with that ring for a 
 moment, do you ? " 
 
 ' Veil, I 'd mash 'is blasted 'ead if 'e did, that 's vot I 'd do ! " was the 
 angry growl, and a look that told what a poor chance I should have if the 
 old gentleman had a native club, or heavy nulla, in his hand, at the time 
 such a suspicion was raised in his mind. 
 
 " Does not this ring prove that he is the same person to whom your 
 charming daughter plighted her troth ? " asked the Chief, in a tone that was 
 quite soothing. 
 
 I saw the point to which the Chief was leading up, but, for the life of me, 
 I could not prevent it. He was as merciless as fate, marching onward with 
 but one purpose, and that was to accomplish his will, and my unhappiness, 
 or destruction. Which would it be? Time only could tell. 
 
 " Of course it does. Vot do yer hax that 'ere question for ? " demanded 
 Mr. Kebblewhite, in an angry tone. 
 
 " I have a motive," was the Chief's reply, in a quiet manner, and a look 
 at my face, with such a glance of triumph, that I wanted to strike him, but 
 if I did I knew that I should get the worst of it. 
 
 " Veil, hout vid it," the gentleman of the house cried. 
 
 " Your lordship will please to pay marked attention to my next question," 
 Mr. Murden said, and turned toward me, and looked so stern, that I knew 
 the moment, when I had got to lie and be safe, or tell the truth and be kill- 
 ed, had come. " Your lordship is positive that the ring which you now wear 
 on your little finger has never left your possession since Miss Kebblewhite 
 placed it in your hands, some few days since ? " 
 
 " If I thought it 'ad, me if I vould n't bust 'im hall to pieces ! " 
 
 roared the old gentleman, and he took a step toward me, but I did not 
 move, or put myself on the defensive. Mr. Murden laid a hand on the 
 broad shoulder of my proposed father-in-law, and restrained him. 
 
 " Be quiet, sir," he said. " I am conducting this case, and doing it in 
 regular supreme-court style. You just wait for the gentleman's answer be- 
 fore you put on your fighting rig, and step into the ring. I am umpiring 
 this little game, and will have no interference. It is going to be a fair 
 
The Belle 'of Australia. 
 
 fight, or all bets will be off. Please to answer the question. Earl of Afton. 
 Your lordship has had plenty of time to think of it in all its bearings, and 
 know as well as I do what the result will be." 
 
 He gave me such a look, that, if I had had my revolver in my pocket, I 
 would have drawn it, and defied him. But I was alone, unarmed. All were 
 against me, and it was useless to struggle with my fate. I did not dare to 
 say that the ring had but recently come into my possession, and from the 
 hands of a young girl like Kitty, whose reputation, I judged, was none of 
 the best in the city. I felt the hot tears of anger and mortified pride well 
 from my eyes, but the Chief knew no pity. He was hard and stern as some 
 of the rocks on his native coast, and would have an answer. 
 
 " Well, my lord, are you still under the influence of the opiate you imbibed 
 last night, that you do not speak ? We wait for a reply." 
 
 " The ring has never left my posesssion since the time I first received it," 
 I answered, and glanced at the face of the Chief to see how he enjoyed my 
 evasion. 
 
 To my surprise he actually smiled, as though pleased at the way in which 
 I had escaped telling a base falsehood. 
 
 " You hear his lordship," Mr. Murden remarked, turning to Mr. Kebble- 
 white. " Are you satisfied, sir? " 
 
 " Veil, I s'pose I 'd haught to be. Blast it hall, a lud should n't lie, but I 
 s'pose they is like huther men, and 'as their little veaknesses. Yer vould 
 n't mind jist puttin' yer 'and to the Bible, vould yer, my lud, and swearin' 
 to that 'ere ? " 
 
 " There is no occasion for that, Mr. Kebblewhite," the Chief remarked. 
 " We have established two things. First, that this gentleman is the Earl of 
 Afton, and, secondly, that the ring has never left his hand since it was loan- 
 ed him. -- it, sir, we must give the nobility a little liberty, or what is 
 the use of having such a class? I am satisfied with my evening's work, and 
 should think that you would be, sir. No one could have managed the case 
 so shrewdly as you have. You have not offended his lordship, and your 
 daughter will have a husband, and be a countess.'" 
 
 "Veil, now, Murden, I do believe that I 'as done veil. I 'as kept my tem- 
 per, and I ax 'is ludship's pardon if I 'as said any little thing vot vos 'asty, 
 yer know." 
 
 The old gentleman bit quite keenly at the little bit of flattery which the 
 skillful Chief had thrown to him, and the latter had the impudence to snap 
 his eyes, and wink, at the manner in which he was leading along the master 
 of the house. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 73 
 
 " Vill yer ludship be seated ? " asked Mr. Kebblewhite, for I had remain- 
 ed standing all the time I had been in the room, and really felt a little faint 
 and weak after such a trying ordeal as I had gone through during the even- 
 ing, in-doors and out on the streets. 
 
 I was glad of the permission, but the quick eyes of Murden saw that I 
 was pale and trembling from agitation, and dismay at the prospect before 
 me. 
 
 " Your lordship had better drink a glass of wine. Mr. Kebblewhite, the 
 promised happiness of your noble son-in-law is too much for him. Will 
 you ring for a glass of wine for his lordship, and one for myself ? I like 
 champagne if it is \\z\\frappe. Better bring a bottle and goblets. I am as 
 thirsty as though I had passed through a sirocco, or dust storm/' 
 
 The old servant came to the door as the bell was touched. 
 
 " Miss Florence 'ad gone to bed for a good cry, sir, but she 's hup, and 
 vill dress agin as fast as possible. She 's jist ravin' 'cos hall the horringe 
 blossoms is vilted, as though I 'd heny thing to do vid that. I Ve told the 
 gardener to pick some more, and now vat does yer vant ? "' 
 
 " Bring me a bottle of champagne, yer himpertinent scoundrel. Tomor- 
 rer yer goes," the fiery master of the house thundered. 
 
 " Go var, sir ? " 
 
 The gilt-bound prayer-book was raised, but the old man was ready to skip 
 as he uttered a protest : 
 
 " I tell yer vot it is, sir, the dinin'-room is the place to lush in. That 
 French moorsur is jist pourin' down heverythin' that is on the table, and 
 'e '11 be drunk afore the veddin', yer see ef 'e a'n't, hunless yer puts a stop- 
 per on 'is throat." 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite made a motion with the holy book, but the old servant 
 dodged as usual. He soon returned with the wine, as cool as the Chief de- 
 sired, and then three full goblets were poured out. 
 
 "I propose," remarked Mr. Murden, "the health and happiness of the 
 Earl and Countess of Afton. Long may they live to enjoy each others' 
 society." 
 
 " And hall the little Haftens," said the enthusiastic Mr. Kebblewhite. 
 " The fust boy shall 'ave a gift of ten thousand pounds, and the fust gal 
 honly five thousand. I 'as long been hanxious to connect my family wid a 
 syphon of the haristocracy." 
 
 The Chief looked at me, and nearly laughed, as he said, 
 
 "There is but little difference after all between a s,yphon and scion. I 
 rather think that the former is the strongest word, and so will not shut it off." 
 
74 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Mr. Kebblevvhite did not seem to understand what the Chief meant, for 
 he glanced at Mr. Murden as though an explanation was needed, but none 
 was given, and the wine was swallowed, and really did me an immense sight 
 of good, for it revived my spirits, and put some strength into my frame. 
 
 " Von more glass, and then ve '11 let in some of the company," cried Mr. 
 Kebblewhite. " Ve '11 'ave a pleasant little party vile Florry is fixin' hup. 
 Don't be hempatient, yer ludship. It is hall right now. My vord for 
 it." 
 
 The wine being finished, Harry received orders to let the company who 
 were in the dining-room, feasting on the wedding breakfast, so called, come 
 into the drawing-room, and be formally presented to the great guest of the 
 evening, and the most important person in the house, not even excepting 
 the prospective bride. 
 
 I heard them trooping along, and braced myself for the meeting. First 
 came the French gentleman, Monsieur Allete, escorting a Mrs. Victoria 
 Kebblewhite, a very tall and thin lady, about forty-five years of age, who 
 was an aunt of the bride. Then there was Judson Kebblewhite, the son, 
 a stout, good-looking fellow, who escorted no one, because his mother was 
 up-stairs helping Florence to dress, and there were no young ladies present 
 that he cared to pay any attention to. There were about twenty people in 
 all, anpl they came forward, and bowed to me very low, and then trod on 
 each others' toes and heels, while backing out of my presence, and jostled 
 each other, and poked one another with their elbows, and whispered, and 
 stared at me in the wildest fashion, and as though I was a great and myste- 
 ous curiosity, and they feared I might make a rush, and bite some one. All 
 but the Frenchman, who had met me on the street, and gave me the casket 
 of diamonds. He was not abashed in the least, for he rushed forward, and 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " Ah, parbleu. See you again do I ? You bin whar ? Alors, you my 
 diamonds take. Do vid them vhat ? Laissez moi voir." 
 
 " Come, come, Moorsur Allete, don't let 's 'ave heny of that 'ere lingo 'ere 
 tonight. 'Is ludship vants to 'ear the real hold Hinglish, and not heny of 
 Johnny Crapeaud's nose-talkin' stuff, vot no von hunderstands. The 
 queen's gab is good enough for me," and Mr. Kebblewhite waved the 
 French gentleman aside, but he would not take a back seat at the dictation 
 of the host. He was bound to have his say, and I did not blame him, when 
 such valuable jewels were at stake. 
 
 " Milord, regardez moi> Me look at quick. I diamonds to you give, for 
 the fiance'e. Ah, ! vous dites, hey ? " 
 
The Belle of Australia. 75 
 
 " Oh, jist shut hup, vill yer," cried Mr. Kebblewhite. " Yer act like a 
 bloody tool in the presence of this distinguished company. 'Is ludship 
 don't vant no furreners a 'owlin' round Mm tonight/' 
 
 But Murden had caught the word diamonds, and hastened to put in a 
 word. 
 
 " Let Monsieur Allete speak," he pleaded. " I don't know much about 
 the French lingo myself, but his lordship should know something of it, if 
 he has been through Eton. Now, monsieur, do I understand that you 
 met his lordship on the street this forenoon, and spoke to him in French ? " 
 
 " Oui. Yes, that is." 
 
 "And he answered you in French? " 
 
 " Certemont," with great assurance. 
 
 " And you gave him some diamonds to take to Miss Kebblewhite? " 
 
 " Diantre, yes.'' 
 
 " And is this the gentleman ? " pointing to me. 
 
 " Imbecile, of course," with a shrug of contempt. 
 
 " You are sure ? " persisted Mr. Murden. 
 
 " Tais tor," with a shrug of his shoulders, and turned his back on the 
 Chief. 
 
 "What does Monsieur Allete say ? " asked the Chief, turning to me, and 
 smiling so pleasantly, that I replied, without a moment's thought, . 
 
 " He says that you are a fool, and wants you to hold your tongue." 
 
 " I think your lordship is the one who received the diamonds," was the 
 smooth response, and no show of annoyance. "Another spoke in your 
 wheel if you still seem disposed to deny that you are the Earl of Afton." 
 
 " Yes, the diamonds. To me give, milord. They is for une jolie femme. 
 Your fiancee. Comprend vous ? Have them now she should. To put 
 her pretty little ears in. It is bon. Sans doubte. Pardix, a little affair 
 overlook you." 
 
 I turned my back to the company for a moment, and drew out the prec- 
 ious package from my bosom, and handed it to the Frenchman, but he bow- 
 ed and smiled, and shrugged his shoulders, and refused to accept the 
 casket. 
 
 No. pardon, milord, I to you give to put in the ears of ma petite chere 
 amie. Do it you will." 
 
 " Let me see the jewels for a moment," demanded the suspicious Chief ; 
 and he took the box. and opened it, and then all the glorious beauty of the 
 valuable stones was seen under the gaslight, sparkling like the stars on a 
 cold, frosty night. A murmur of admiration was heard in every part of the 
 
76 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 drawing-room, and even Mr. Kebble white was kind enough to be polite, and 
 utter a few words of thanks. 
 
 " They '11 pay for hall the lush 'e 'as drunk this night," the old servant 
 said, he having entered the room, and got a peep at the diamonds over the 
 shoulders of the company. 
 
 " You did not mention the jewels to me," Mr. Murden remarked, as he 
 returned the casket, and there was a look of disappointment on his face, to 
 think that there was a secret in which he had no part. 
 
 " Now, s'il vous plait, give to her the diamonds, and compliments of 
 mine," said the gallant Frenchman ; and, just at this moment, there was a 
 stir at the door, and in the hall, and a vision of loveliness, dressed in white, 
 with a wealth of golden hair floating over the handsomest pair of shoulders 
 that ever delighted the heart of man, with just such a form as an angel is 
 supposed to possess, slim, petite, and as graceful as Venus, darted toward 
 me, and threw her white, beautifully formed arms around my neck, rested 
 her sweet face on my bosom, and put up her red, thin lips for a kiss, as she 
 murmured, 
 
 " O Angus, dear Angus, I have been so unhappy all the evening because 
 you did not come to me ; but now all is explained, and all is forgiven, and I 
 love you just as well as ever, and I do hope you will love me a little. Will 
 you, dear ? " 
 
MR. KEBBLEWHITE AGAIN CALLS FOR HIS PISTOLS AND NULLA. 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 AX EMBARRASSING POSITION FOR A YOUNG MAN. MR. KEBBLEWHITE 
 AGAIN GETS ANGRY, AND CALLS ONCE MORE FOR HIS PISTOLS AND 
 NULLA. NO TIME FOR EXPLANATIONS. A SAD WEDDING 
 AND A COLLATION AND DRINKING. I LIKE MY NEW 
 MOTHER-IN-LAW, AND SHE RATHER LIKES ME. 
 MR. KEBBLEWHITE GIVES US A SPE- 
 CIMEN OF HIS VOCAL POWERS. 
 
 IT was a wailing, appealing, tender, and touching cry, that simple one 
 of- 
 
 " O Angus ! " 
 
 A man must have had a heart of stone to have resisted it, especially when 
 it was fortified by such a charming little girl as had entered the drawing- 
 room, thrown her arms around my neck, and sighed out, 
 "O Angus!" 
 
78 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 As the young lady laid her golden hair upon my bosom, and looked up in 
 my face with all the beaming tenderness of her pure eyes and soul, I surely 
 thought that she would discover I was not the Angus of her true, fervent 
 love. But no, she was just as demonstrative as though I had been the 
 proper man, the hero of her hopes and her dreams, her ambition and confi- 
 dence. 
 
 She put up her sweet lips, a rose-bud of a mouth, with the gleaming 
 of white teeth behind them, and, while the tears were falling from her large 
 blue eyes, veiled by lashes so long and dark-brown that they swept her 
 white cheeks, she nestled still closer in my unwilling arms, and whisper- 
 ed, - 
 
 " Kisa me, dear Angus." 
 
 Good Heaven ! Here was a real crank, and the most fascinating one 
 that I had encountered in Melbourne. I did not dare to follow her request, 
 although I did permit my arms to encircle her supple waist, and to hold her 
 close to my wildly beating heart. But to kiss such lips as those, when the 
 wealth of good things was intended for another, even if he was unworthy, 
 was something I did not dare to undertake, much as I wanted to. 
 
 " Angus," she whispered, while the company present pretended to turn 
 their backs on us, and engage in mutual congratulations, so that we could 
 have a moment's private conversation, " you do not kiss me, and yet if you 
 only knew how I have cried since three o'clock this afternoon. Oh, when 
 you did not come at the appointed hour I thought that I should die with 
 mortification and shame. I feared that you had repented of your promise, 
 and no longer loved me. That you did not think me worthy to be your own 
 dear little wife, and a countess. I know that I have spoiled what little 
 beauty I had, and that my eyes are red with tears, but now you are here my 
 weeping shall cease, and my eyes shall be as bright as the diamond I gave 
 you the other day. You know, dear, that is not my comparison, but your 
 own. But you flattered your Florry when you uttered such idle sayings. 
 But I forgive you for being late. I have learned all about it. You will nev- 
 er dine with such wild young men again, will you ? Harry, an old family 
 servant, heard Mr. Murclen explain to papa, and came to my chamber, and 
 told mamma and I all about it. He listened at the door, and caught the 
 words, and I was so delighted that I forgot to reprimand him for his fault 
 and impertinence. It is a way he has, but then he has been in our family 
 so long that he does just as he pleases, and says that it is all for love of me. 
 He does love me, I know, for he has watched over me since I was born. 
 But you do not speak to me, dear Angus, and you have not kissed me even 
 
The Belle of Australia. 79 
 
 once since I entered the room, and your arms," she concluded, with a pretty 
 little blush. 
 
 She put up her su eet lips, and then I yielded. Man may struggle and 
 strive to break through the meshes of a pretty girl's love, but he often fails, 
 unless a cold and iron will is inclosed within his breast. 
 
 " Here are some of the good things of this world within my reach, and 
 why should I not take them?" I asked myself. "These kisses were not in- 
 tended for me, and I am obtaining them under false pretences, but the real 
 owner is a mean, pitiful scoundrel, and does not deserve such treasures, and 
 I think that I do, for I could love this little darling better than all the world, 
 and with a love that would endure all changes and reverses." 
 
 Thus I reasoned, because I wanted to be convinced that I was justified 
 in the course I was pursuing. Had the lady been old and plain, with lots 
 of false hair and teeth, I could have reasoned very differently, I suppose, 
 had I tried. 
 
 But I bent my head, and kissed the red lips that were within my reach. 
 The hot blood bounded through my veins, and my face flushed painfully, as 
 our lips met, and, as the first tasted so good, I did not scruple to take a sec- 
 ond, and even a third. I forgot that I was not a lord, but a poor young 
 fellow, with a fortune to make, and that I had no business to hold the lady 
 in my arms, or to press her pure lips ; but men often get absent-minded in 
 such matters. 
 
 "That will do, Angus," laughed Miss Kebblewhite. " I only said one, 
 you know, and you have taken three. Well, only one more then, for you 
 see all the people in the room are looking, and poor mamma will have a fit 
 if I do not keep within the proprieties. But you still love me, dear Angus ?" 
 
 This last in a whisper, and only intended for my ears. Ah ! how musical 
 was her voice. 
 
 " Now for it," I thought. " She knows her lover's voice. She must be 
 accustomed to it, and will see that I am not the person she supposes. 
 " Dear Miss Florence," I saicl, and expected to see her start from my arms, 
 but she did not, only nestled a little closer to my beating heart, " no one 
 could see you, and not love you, no one could converse with you, and not 
 admire you. Happy will the man be who wins you for a wife." 
 
 " Why, you are the one who has won me, you are the one who will have 
 me for a wife. Are you happy at the thought, Angus ? " 
 
 " I should be if " I stammered, and then stopped. 
 
 " Ah, I know you fear that your mother, the Countess of Afton, will not 
 like me, and will not think that I am suitable for an earl's bride, but I shall 
 
8o The Belle of Australia, 
 
 strive to make her love me, and prove worthy of the proud position which I 
 am to occupy. Do you think I shall make a nice countess, and a pretty 
 one? If you say yes you shall have one more little kiss; mind, only a little 
 one, for that horrid Chief of Police is looking at us as though he would de- 
 vour you, or is it me ?" 
 
 She put up her smiling mouth, and gave me the coveted kiss, even before 
 I had answered the important question. 
 
 " Dear Miss Florence," I said, " this lovely head does not need a coronet 
 to add to its beauty. It would be admired in any part of the world, and 
 there are no peeresses who can compare with you for nobleness, and good- 
 ness, and real loveliness, and angelic beauty." 
 
 " How kind of you, Angus, to speak such sweet words to me. There, as a 
 reward, you may put your arms around my waist once more. I do not care 
 if people are looking. In a few minutes you will be my husband, and I 
 shall be your little loving wife, and the Countess of Afton." 
 
 How could I prevent a sigh from escaping from my overcharged bosom 
 as I listened to her innocent anticipations. I could do nothing to dispel 
 the illusion under which she was laboring unless I was prompt. 
 
 " Dear Florry," I whispered, " you are dear enough to be the wife of a 
 sovereign, and if I occupied the most exalted position on the face of the 
 globe, I would gladly share it with you. But you would not love me unless 
 you thought I was noble, and could give you a position in the world." I 
 meant to warn her very gently. 
 
 " I think I should," she answered, after a moment's hesitation. " I know 
 that I love you now, but still," with an artless little smile, " I want to be a 
 countess, and wear a coronet, and make all the girls of my acquaintance 
 turn green with envy when they hear of my presentation at court, and read 
 that the young Countess of Afton has excited quite a ripple in society by 
 her entertainments, and her diamonds, and equipages. Oh, won't we be 
 happy, Angus?" 
 
 " My own little darling," I said as soon as I could recovered my breath, 
 for I did not see how all those luxuries could be supported with the five 
 hundred dollars I had deposited in the Oriental Bank, "do you not think 
 that you would be far happier if you should choose some one for your mate 
 in your own station in society ? Come, give up all ideas of this marriage, 
 and win the love of some good man who will be worthy of you, die for you 
 if necessary, and will never let his passion cool with age." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " she asked, and turned on me in indignant sur- 
 prise. " Do you mean that you want to give me up ? That you are sorry 
 
T/te Belle of Australia. 81 
 
 you are to wed a merchant's daughter? Are you already tired of me ? Is 
 this the love that your lordship professed to feel for me, and hurried the day 
 of the wedding, when you knew that no young lady can get her trousseau 
 ready in less than three months ? " 
 
 This last reflection appeared to be a little more grievous than all others, 
 and there were symptoms of an eruption which I would have willingly 
 quelled. 
 
 " Vot is the matter now, Florry ? " asked the father, hearing his daugh- 
 ter's voice raised a little louder than usual, and seeing that she was agitated 
 by some strong emotion, for tears again made their appearance. 
 
 " O papa," the young lady cried, " his lordship is asking me to release 
 him from his engagement." 
 
 "Vot?" roared the old merchant. "Do I 'ear aright? 'Any, bring me 
 
 my pistols and my nulla ! Quick i I '11 kill the rascal as sure as I 'm 
 
 a gentleman of Melbourne." 
 
 " One moment, Mr. Kebblewhite," said the Chief of Police, stepping for- 
 ward. " We do not want pistols and clubs here on this happy occasion. 
 Miss Kebblewhite has misunderstood his lordship." 
 
 " Sacre nom de Dieu," roared the Frenchman, " right hear do I ? No 
 noces. From the hook slip would he ? Non, non. Carve him will I first. 
 Dam ! The meaning tell to me of this. Vit ! " 
 
 " Keep quiet, all of you," said the calm, powerful voice of Murden. " Do 
 not show a pistol or a particle of violence here. I '11 do all the fighting that 
 is to be done, and am capable of performing my share when there is occa- 
 sion. Listen to me for a moment," and as the Chief advanced, he whisper- 
 ed to me, " My lord, you are a dead man unless you are guided by me." 
 
 "Oui, to the Chief ecutez," cried the Frenchman, waving his arms, and 
 
 displaying some passion. " To him listen. Tout. the language 
 
 Ingleese. I spit on it with contempt, much ! " 
 
 In the mean time, Florence, who was frightened at the tumult which she 
 had raised, woman-like, rushed to my arms to shelter me, and protect me 
 from violence in case it should be offered. 
 
 " Put your arms around me, and hold me," she said. " No one shall harm 
 you except through me." 
 
 God bless the dear little girl. Even in her distress and anxiety she 
 thought of her love and lover. 
 
 " There is a misunderstanding here," the Chief said. " I can explain it 
 in a few minutes. Miss Kebblewhite, have I your permission?" and he 
 bowed very low to the lady. 
 
82 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Yes, sir," she answered, and looked up at my face with a sweet smile on 
 her own, all doubt having vanished. 
 
 " Can I speak for your lordship ? " the Chief asked. 
 
 " Yes," I said, for I knew he would speak at all events, even if I did not 
 consent. 
 
 " I accidentally overheard a part of the conversation which has occasion- 
 ed all this excitement," Mr. Murden went on to say. " His lordship simply 
 told his betrothed that he feared she would be happier to marry one in her 
 own circle, for that he was not worthy of so much grace and beauty, such 
 innocence and sweetness. Am I right, Miss Kebblewhite ? " 
 
 " I think you are," she answered promptly. 
 
 The complimentary terms had struck her as being very appropriate, and 
 she listened to them with pleasure. 
 
 The crafty Chief knew how to win the confidence of women, and keep 
 them in subjection. 
 
 " Parbleu, is dat all ? " muttered the Frenchman. " All fool lovers say de 
 same ding ven court they do. Bah ! Me say dat ding five hundred million 
 dimes, and, damn ! not married yet am I. Too much do I know to catch fox 
 old like me. Elle a beaucoup de douceur, and husband do want. Dat is 
 all right. He is here. He take her, but foolish nonsense he speak first. 
 All men the same do. Make sick me." 
 
 We all waited until the Frenchman had finished his oration, and he was 
 tolerated because he was immensely wealthy, and it was understood that 
 Florence, his favorite, was to inherit his money, made in the wholesale spir- 
 it and wine trade, and still in business on Collins Street. 
 
 " My lord," said the Chief, "you have no idea of breaking the vows which 
 you have given Miss Kebblewhite?" 
 
 " If he has, he must meet me tomorrow morning, and give me satisfac- 
 tion," said the younger Mr. Kebblewhite, speaking for the first time. 
 
 " And me vid der rapier or der broadsword," cried the Frenchman. 
 
 "And I '11 pepper 'im vid a shot gun afore ? e leaves this 'ouse," the old 
 servant kindly remarked, to help make everything pleasant and lively. 
 
 "And I '11 blow 'is brains hout on this carpet, if they is noble brains," 
 yelled my proposed father-in-law, for the sake of keeping the pot boiling, as 
 the boys used to say in the country, when at play. Oh, they were all an ami- 
 able set of cranks, and disposed to make the evening a pleasant one for 
 me. 
 
 " Mr. Kebblewhite," I said, as soon as I could be heard, " I love your 
 daughter so much, even in the short time that I have seen her, that I would 
 
The Belle of Australia. 83 
 
 give all the world, lose all the world, for her sake. I never loved a woman, 
 before. She is the first one to touch my heart, and now that I have seen 
 her, held her in my arms just for a moment, I shall never love another." 
 
 " What a blasted romancer," I heard some one mutter, and I had an im- 
 pression that it was Mr. Murden, and that he was addressing his conversa- 
 tion to me, but I could not be sure, for Florence once more clasped her 
 arms around my neck, and murmured, 
 
 " O Angus, my noble lord, my husband, my lover, I never doubted you in 
 the least. Not even when you did not appear at the proper hour did my 
 confidence wane." 
 
 " These people are not inwited 'ere in wain, now I tell yer," Mr. Kebble- 
 white said, with a slight misunderstanding of his daughter's meaning. " I 
 Ye made hall preparations for a veddin', and a veddin' ve '11 'ave afore many 
 'ours, now I tell yer. Ve vill 'ave no child's play 'ere." 
 
 " O father," remarked his son, " I do wish that you would aspirate your 
 vowels when you are in company like the present. Think of his lordship." 
 
 "His ludshipbe" 
 
 He was about to utter a profane word, but thought that it might not 
 sound well, so changed the subject, and said that he 'd exasperate every 
 person present if they did n't mind what they were about, and that he had 
 but one way of talking, and that was the real old-fashioned English way, 
 and that was good enough for him, or any other British merchant. 
 
 " But, by gar," remarked Monsieur Allete, " vous talke, talke all de time, 
 and do nuthin'. O'ue volez vous ? Is a veddin' tonight ve to have here ? " 
 
 ; - 'Ere 's the parson," announced the old servant. " If the rest of yer a'n't 
 ready 'e is at heny rate." 
 
 Florence started, and turned her sweet blue eyes on my face so beseech- 
 ingly, that I could do no more than give back an answering smile, while at 
 the same time I was more anxious than herself as to the terrible ordeal that 
 we were to pass through. I could see no way to retreat. All protestations 
 were treated with contempt, as merely the efforts of a man to escape from 
 vows which he had nearly repented of. 
 
 " Are you sure that you love me, Angus ? " she asked as a final appeal, 
 not that she doubted it, but because she wanted to know that she was loved 
 for herself alone, and hear the vows repeated. 
 
 " I am now positive of the fact," I answered, and, as I looked at her pure, 
 girlish face, and her exquisite form, I felt that I spoke the truth ; and any 
 good young man would have said the same. 
 
 " And one word more," she cried. " When we are in other climes, in a 
 
84 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 different circle of society from this which has always surrounded me, you 
 will not feel ashamed of your little Australian bride ? " 
 
 " She will always be the ' Belle of Australia ' to me," I answered, and felt 
 every word of it ; and, oh ! how I did wish that I was acting a real character 
 instead of an imaginary one, and that I was an earl, and a rich one at that, 
 for the sake of the angel who stood beside me, with a timid, trusting look 
 on her face. Then I should have been happy. 
 
 " Thank you, Angus," she said, in her simple naive manner. " You see 
 that I have all confidence in our future happiness. It is such a favorable 
 omen to know that you never loved any one but me. I don't believe that 
 all noblemen are so good as you, so pure and constant." 
 
 " I don't think they are, pet, not as a general thing. But you see I am a 
 little different from the real nobility of Europe." 
 
 " I believe you," and I really think that she did, to judge by the expres- 
 sion of her sweet face. 
 
 "One moment, Florence," I said. "Before the ceremony takes place 
 just answer me one question. I have answered yours quite frankly. See, 
 the minister is drinking a glass of wine. In a minute we shall stand before 
 him. If I should not prove to be all that you expect of me as to rank, will 
 you pardon and pity me, and believe me when I tell you that I did not expect 
 to obtain your hand in this manner ? " 
 
 " Yes, certainly," looking at me with wondering eyes, yet still smiling con- 
 fidently. 
 
 " And do you think, dear Florence, that you would love me even if there 
 was no title to tempt you ? " 
 
 " I love you, Angus," was the reply. " Do believe me, it is not the title 
 that I aspire to, although it is not to be slighted, for wealth and rank are the 
 passports to society, and from society to real, elevated happiness, such as 
 the common people cannot appreciate." 
 
 " But if I belonged to the common rank, Florence ? " I faltered. 
 
 " I should still love you, so ask me no more questions. Time will tell 
 that I am right." 
 
 "Yes," I muttered bitterly, "time will tell that I am right in gauging your 
 heart, and that you are wrong. But fate is urging us, and, much as I have 
 struggled against it, I see no way of escape except by giving you my hand 
 and heart at the same time, and let the future take care of itself. I have 
 done the best I could." 
 
 " Florry, dear, are you all ready ? " asked a meek little woman, with a 
 white, anxious face, who now came forward in a timid manner, and bowed 
 
The Belle of Australia. 85 
 
 as though half frightened at her own temerity in being so familiar with a 
 lord. 
 
 This was Mrs. Kebblewhite, my prospective mother-in-law, and I rather 
 liked her looks, and thought that if her stout, red-faced husband was half as 
 refined, and as gentle, that I could even then explain matters, and thus es- 
 cape the catastrophe which I could see in the dim future. She was not the 
 person to yell for pistols and a nulla every time her will was crossed. She 
 would have listened to me, believed me, and pardoned me, and, perhaps, in 
 time would have consented to a happy union with her precious child, whom 
 she dearly loved. I could see that she did in every glance of her gentle 
 eyes, and every movement of her purring hands, as she smoothed Florry's 
 white robes, and re-arranged the bridal veil and orange-blossoms, resting on 
 the wealth of golden hair, the crown and glory of the dear girl's head. She 
 reminded me of my own dear mother, and I imagined how those two prec- 
 ious old souls would have enjoyed a wedding in which they were both 
 equally interested, had they been brought together under ordinary circum- 
 stances, such as usually exist under matrimonial inclinations. How they 
 would have gossiped, and told about the peculiar traits of their chil- 
 dren, and been as happy as the parties most interested. 
 
 " I am all ready, mamma," the daughter answered. " Are you ready, 
 Angus ? " 
 
 She looked up in my face all smiling and blushing, but saw the cloud that 
 was passing over it, and said, 
 
 " Why, Angus, you are shedding tears. This should be an evening for 
 joy, and an occasion for smiles. Have I offended you in any way ? " 
 
 " No, dear, you are perfect in every respect." 
 
 " Then shall we go to the clergyman ? He is awaiting us, dear." 
 
 " If you are willing, Florence." 
 
 She looked a little puzzled, for I held back, in the hope that something 
 would turn up to save me from a fate which I desired, yet dared not en- 
 counter. 
 
 She leaned lightly on my arm, and we had taken one step forward, when 
 Monsieur Allete, who had been drinking wine with Mr. Kebblewhite and 
 the clergyman, suddenly thrust out his arms, as though repelling half a doz- 
 en swordsmen at the same time, and said quite sharply, 
 
 " Arretez. Stop that is. Forget you all ? " 
 
 Here was a brief respite, and I hoped that his sharp eyes had discovered 
 that I was an involuntary impostor. 
 
 " Vot the bloody thunder is the matter now ? " sharply demanded the fa- 
 
86 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 ther of the bride, his anger overcoming his choice of expressions. " 'Arry, 
 bring me my pistols and nulla. There 's a goin' to be trouble 'ere if this 
 thing keeps on, now yer can jist believe me." 
 
 " Pardonne moi, mademoiselle," the French gentleman said. " Forget 
 you some leetle dings ? " 
 
 "'Urry hup, 'Arry," roared Mr. Kebblewhite. "I know I shall 'ave to 
 kill somebody. I feel it in my bones." 
 
 " Yer feels it in yer 'ead, more like," was the cool reply of the old ser- 
 vant, as he stood on the threshold of the door, and did not seem disposed to 
 obey orders unless those orders were to his liking. " Yer 'as lushed too 
 much tonight, that is vot yer 'as. Now jist keep quiet, and give the young 
 kids a chance to do a little chinnin'." 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite sought for the prayer book, but the clergyman was look- 
 ing at it, and the master of the house could n't very well snatch it out of his 
 hands to hurl at the head of the old servant, and the latter knew it, so 
 stood his ground, and looked at us with such a patronizing and gracious air, 
 that I should have laughed heartily under other circumstances. But to 
 smile now was as much out of place as at a first-class funeral. Beside, Mr. 
 Kebblewhite was looking at me, and, confound him, he might get hold of a 
 pistol, after all, and do a little random shooting at his proposed son-in-law, 
 whom fathers do not always love as well as they do their daughters-in- 
 law. 
 
 All eyes were turned on Monsieur Allete, and even the smooth-faced 
 clergyman, dressed in Episcopal robes and bands, looked from the prayer- 
 book to the Frenchman, as though anxious to know what was to happen 
 next. If I hoped for a respite I was doomed to be disappointed, for the 
 French gentleman remarked, in a tone that was intended as a reproach, 
 
 " The diamonds buy I for noces, mademoiselle. Love her do I. Why 
 wear them not she in her leetle ears pink ? Hein." 
 
 " Oh, you dear old ami," cried Florence, " did you think that I would be 
 married without your charming gift? I shall not give you a kiss after 1 am 
 wedded for doubting me. Here, as a reward, you shall put the jewels in 
 my ears, and kiss my hand." 
 
 " I vill do it vid pleasure much, my child. I fear that forget me you do in 
 the hurry of the affair tonight." 
 
 Now I am more than half convinced that, in the delicious anticipation of 
 a wedding, Florence had nearly forgotten the beautiful gems, but, woman- 
 like, she got over the difficulty in such a sweet, natural way, that the 
 Frenchman was mollified, and smiled his appreciation by undertaking the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 87 
 
 task of removing the pearl ear-drops, and replacing them with the great 
 flashing diamonds in the little pink ears. 
 
 " Oh, is that hall? " asked Mr. Kebblewhite. " 1 thought it vos somethin' 
 helse. Yer need not bring the pistols and the nulla, 'Arry/' 
 
 " I don't hintend to," was the satisfying response. "Yer may call for 'em 
 'til yer is black in the face, and then yer von't get 'em. I don't put pistols 
 in the 'ands of men vot 'as been lushinV 
 
 With the gentleness of a lady, and the gallantry of a Frenchman of the 
 old regime, Monsieur Allete changed the ear-drops, and then Florence held 
 out her white gloved hand for the expected salute. 
 
 " Ah, ma chere amie," he said, as he pressed the little hand to his lips, 
 " may life to you be bright as de diamonds, and may sorrow all fly like de 
 gleam of de jewels, ven de light strike 'em full in de face. Now go you to 
 your fiance. He look already jealous of de old friend of de leetle girl, vot 
 used in his lap to sit, and eat de bon bons." 
 
 Florence smiled on her old friend, and returned to my side. I was not 
 jealous, but I did look my disappointment when I found the reason of Mon- 
 sieur Allete's interruption. He, like the rest of them, labored under the 
 same delusion that I was a lord. 
 
 "I wonder if there will be another interruption?" Mr. Murden said to 
 one of the friends of the family, in a half whisper, intended for my ears. 
 " It seems to me this affair looks like a fight where one is afraid and the 
 other dare not come to the scratch." 
 
 I gave the Chief a look that was intended to wither him, but he did not 
 seem to mind it in the least. His nature and sense of delicacy had been 
 strongly perverted by being brought in contact with bushrangers, ticket-of- 
 leave men, and other bad characters. What effect could a boy's scorn have 
 on such a man ? lie was tough as steel. 
 
 " Now, Florry,'' whispered the mother, who had taken advantage of the 
 stay of proceedings to have a little private cry on her own account, " now, 
 darling, be brave, and in a few minutes it will be all over. Now, precious, 
 bear up." 
 
 She might have made some kindly suggestion to me, for I needed advice 
 much more than her daughter, who did not seem particularly overcome at 
 the prospect before her. The mist from her deep-blue eyes had gone, and 
 her bright smile was visible in place of tears. I think that women go 
 through with the terrible and harrowing ordeal of a wedding with much 
 more fortitude than a man. I do not know why it should be so, but it cer- 
 tainly is the case. I suppose it is because man is occupied in thinking how 
 
88 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 he is to obtain the money to keep up that kind of costume, and pay his 
 board bill, and woman does not bother her head over such earthly subjects 
 on the day of all days in her life. 
 
 " Now, Angus," whispered Florence, " I am quite ready, dear. Slow 
 step, you know, and hold up your head, as though you were proud of me, 
 and I am to look down, as though timid and blushing. Oh, how I wish we 
 were in a crowded church, and the organ was playing, and every one was ad- 
 miring me, and saying how handsome she is, and what a sweet pretty dress, 
 and how nicely it does fit. Made in Paris, at an immense expense, you 
 know, and all real lace." 
 
 Not a word about the poor devil of a bridegroom. I gave one glance at 
 the windows, to see if I could make a bolt, but Mr. Murden, confound him ! 
 guarded one, as though suspicious of my object, and Mr. Kebblewhite the 
 younger, and the old gentleman, the others, while the Frenchman was near 
 the door, with a very determined expression on his face, and looking equal 
 to a struggle. There was no hope for it, and I shuddered as if expecting 
 some one to say every moment, " And may God have mercy on your soul." 
 
 We moved along, and knelt at the feet of the clergyman, on soft hassocks, 
 and I felt a little dazed as the minister said, 
 
 " Angus Mornington, Earl of Afton, Baron Midlothian " 
 
 " No, no," I said hastily. "Call me simply Angus Mornington." 
 
 " Veil, I '11 'ave to kill somebody arter hall," roared Mr. Kebblewhite. 
 " 'Arry, bring me my pistols and nulla this time sure." 
 
 No one paid the slightest attention to Mr. Kebblewhite. They all seem- 
 ed too much astonished to heed his repeated calls for pistols and club. 
 
 ** If you wish to be married as Angus Mornington simply, it can be done, 
 although I prefer to use your lordship's titles," the minister said. 
 
 " Never mind the titles. Call me by my proper name. I prefer it to all 
 others," I cried. 
 
 " Very well, my lord. Angus Mornington, do you take Florence Kebble- 
 white for your lawful, wedded wife ? to cling to, love, endower ? " and there 
 was a lot more of useless words, which I do not recall at this late clay, but 
 even then I thought of the five hundred dollars which I possessed, and won- 
 dered what my wife would think of that for an endowment, in case there 
 was a settlement of property. I know that I answered yes, when my dear 
 little bride poked me in the side with her elbow, to awaken me to the fact 
 that it was necessary there should be a response. She must have rehearsed 
 the services to have been so well acquainted with them, and without her 
 prompting I should have blundered in the most shameful manner. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 89 
 
 " Then I pronounce you man and wife" 
 
 I heard the words, and my wife gave my hand an extra squeeze, to re- 
 assure me, and then there was a mist before my eyes, and I realized that I 
 was on my feet, that a pair of warm white arms were around my neck, and 
 that a bright, happy face was turned to mine, and that a s \\eet, pleading 
 voice was saying, 
 
 " O Angus, my husband, my lord, my love, will you not kiss me now that 
 I am all your own dear little wife, your countess ? " 
 
 I do remember that I kissed her sweet lips, and that I heard the sturdy 
 voice of Murden saying, 
 
 " Quick, a glass of champagne for his lordship ! The heat of the room is 
 too much for him. He is a little faint. Great joy and happiness are as bad 
 as guilt and misery for some people's natures. Men are often faint on such 
 blissful occasions." 
 
 The wine revived me. It was cool, and gave me courage to turn my 
 thoughts from the crime I had just committed to the company who sur- 
 rounded us, and offered sincere congratulations. The first to come forward 
 was my respected father-in-law, who kissed his daughter, and offered me 
 both of his hard, large hands. 
 
 " My hid," he said, " now yer is really von of us. I vanted a syphon of 
 rank connected vid my family, and now 'ere yer is." 
 
 "O papa," remonstrated the blushing bride, "you mean a scion, not a 
 syphon." 
 
 " I knows vot I means," was the answer. " There a'n't much difference 
 between 'em, 'cos they is both given to the vaist," and the old man chuck- 
 led at his joke, as he pointed to one of my arms which was still around his 
 daughter. 
 
 One by one the company came forward, and offered their congratulations. 
 I seemed to be in a dream, and could not realize that in just twelve hours 
 from the time I had landed at Queen's Wharf 'I was married to the Belle of 
 Australia, and she was justly entitled to the appellation, for a more charm- 
 ing picture than that which she presented, as she stood by my side, smiling 
 and blushing, was rarely ever seen in the city of Melbourne. Several times 
 I pressed her little hand to be convinced of the reality of the scene, but as 
 each pressure was returned I knew that it was no dream, and then I won- 
 dered how it was to end, and whether so much happiness on her part, and 
 admiration and sudden love on mine, would not result disastrously for us 
 both. How I wished that I was all she fancied me, and that I could give 
 her rank and wealth. 
 
90 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " My lord," said the deep, emphatic voice of Murden, " I too wish you 
 and your countess all the happiness that can be encountered in this 
 world of disappointments. You have won a prize such as is rarely met with," 
 and, as Florence smiled and bowed to the flattering speaker, he said in a 
 low tone, " and to me are you indebted for this. I hope that you will always 
 remember it. Some time I may go to England, and, if I do, I shall call and 
 pay my respects to your lordship, and charming wife." 
 
 Did the Chief suspect me, and did he know that I was only playing a vile 
 part ? Had he hurried on the nuptials for some secret purpose of his own ? 
 No, I could not believe it, for his face looked frank, and his eyes did not 
 have a suspicious glitter. He imagined that I was a real lord like the rest 
 of them. He would not have dared, occupying the position that he did, to 
 countenance such a gross fraud. 
 
 " When I am in England I shall be glad to see you," was the quiet reply, 
 and the Chief retired, and gave place to Monsieur Allete, who was too much 
 affected to even talk as good English as he knew how. 
 
 " Milord," he said, " and Madame la Countess, me heart bust all up in 
 happiness dat wish you I. By and by more shall I say to you. But now, 
 I silent am. I am tuant to you, hey ? To speak be not afraid." 
 
 " You can never be tedious to my well, wife," I said after an effort, for 
 it seemed an effort to utter the word under the circumstances. " She will 
 always remember you with gratitude and affection, and I am sure that I 
 shall," and I added in an undertone, as I looked at the active form of the 
 French gentleman, and his classic, severe face, " when I get beyond the 
 reach of your small-sword." 
 
 " Assez," he replied, with a smile, and a wave of his significant hands. 
 " I am no queteur, and dat learn you some day, hey ? Je ne veux pas 
 more speak now. I proud shall be of your friendship," and he kissed Flor- 
 ence's hand, and retired from our presence by a backward movement, as 
 though he had been paying his respects to a princess, and knew all the cere- 
 monies of court life. 
 
 " Come, 'Arry," shouted the master of the house, " the 'hole thing is 
 hover, and now tell the cook to send hup somethin' 'ot for us. Ve is hall 
 starved, and I 'm as dry as a dust storm. Even 'is ludship looks as if a 
 glass of vine vould do 'im good." 
 
 " Veil, yer don't mean to tell me that yer is goin' to ^^"some more at 
 this 'our of the night ? " asked the servant who stood on the threshold of the 
 door, and beamed on us his blessing, and smiled and grinned in the most 
 imbecile manner. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 91 
 
 " I '11 skoff^tt" was the reply. " Vere did yer pick hup sich vulgar vords 
 as that ? ? ' 
 
 " Yer knows as veil as me vere ve 'card 'em fust. Ven ve vos on the old 
 Bombay Castle"' 1 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite looked the anger that he felt, for he strode toward the 
 old servant, and the latter disappeared down-stairs, to hint to the domestics, 
 who had all been in the hall to see the ceremony, that it was advisable to 
 get a late supper as soon as possible, and iofrappe some more champagne. 
 
 Mr. Murden gave me a sharp look when the servant spoke about the 
 Bombay Castle, but I paid no attention to it, as the matter did not interest 
 me, only so far as I had often heard that that ship was once famous for her 
 India trade, and for landing convicts at Botany Bay, after long and tedious 
 passages from England. There was a deep, remarkable silence in the 
 drawing-room for a few minutes. Even Mrs. Kebblewhite, with her white, 
 patient face, looked startled, and glanced anxiously at her sweet little child, 
 as if fearful that she would notice all that was going on, and had been said. 
 But Florence seemed as unconscious as myself, and then her brother came 
 up, and led her away from me to a distant part of the room, where they con- 
 versed in a low tone, and so for a while I was left without a companion to 
 speak to. I strayed around the vast drawing-room, looking at the pictures, 
 the rare Sevres china, the Japanese objects of art, until at last I seated my- 
 self at the grand piano, and ran my fingers lightly over the keys. The 
 movement seemed to surprise every one, for all stopped talking, and looked 
 at me as though awaiting further developments. I dashed through several 
 little pieces which I could play very well for an amateur, and then recol- 
 lected a song which I had often heard sung in the Bohemian Girl, and, as 
 it expressed my feelings more pointedly than anything else, I sang it to an 
 audience that was as attentive as even a lord could wish for. 
 
 " When other lips and other hearts 
 
 Their tales of love shall tell, 
 In language whose excess imparts 
 
 The power they feel so well, 
 There may, perhaps, in such a scene, 
 
 Some recollection be 
 Of days that have as happy been, 
 
 Then you Ml remember me. 
 
 ** When coldness or deceit shall slight 
 The beauty now they prize, 
 
92 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 And deem it but a faded light 
 
 That beams within your eyes ; 
 When hollow hearts shall wear a mask 
 
 'T will break your own to see, 
 In such a moment I '11 but ask 
 
 That you '11 remember me." 
 
 " Une bon chanson," cried the Frenchman, and there was generous ap- 
 plause, but, before I had concluded, I felt a warm arm around my neck, and 
 a dear little golden head was pressed close to my face. 
 
 "O Angus," Florence said, "you never intimated to me that you could 
 play and sing like this. How cruel to hide such talent from me." 
 
 " Because, sweetheart, our acquaintance has been too recent for you to dis- 
 cover all of my good qualities, if I have any," I sighed. 
 
 " But you told me at one time that you did not care much for music, and 
 knew but little about it." 
 
 " Do you recollect the exact date, dear ? " 
 
 " Several days since, when I offered to play for you." 
 
 Thank fortune there were two accomplishments in which I excelled my 
 mysterious double. I could sing, and had a nice tenor voice. It seems he 
 was not a musician. 
 
 ** Ah, pet," I remarked, " I should be but an ungrateful husband not to 
 be willing to listen to your playing and singing forever. To see you, to 
 hear your voice, to feel the pressure of your little hand is too much happi- 
 ness for any man." 
 
 " Not too much for you," she said, as she nestled by my side on the pi- 
 ano-stool, so that I was obliged to put an arm around her slender waist, to 
 prevent her from slipping off. " You deserve more than I can give. I wish 
 that I were ten times more beautiful, if it would make. you any happier, and 
 love me any better, you, who are so noble and good, pure and true." 
 
 I saw the Chief looking at me, and I imagined that his lips in their- move- 
 ment formed the word " Kitty," but he uttered no sound. 
 
 " I could not love you better than I do, Florence," I answered. " You 
 are far too good for me, and some time you will acknowledge it, and, per- 
 haps, the time is not far distant." 
 
 " Never," was the emphatic answer. " I am very proud of my young 
 husband, and now that I know he is a musician of no mean skill, more 
 proud and pleased than ever. We will practice many duetts together, An- 
 gus, will we not, dear ? " 
 
The Belle of Australia. 93 
 
 ' ; Perhaps, sweetheart. In the coming years there may be such happi- 
 nes 3 granted to me. The past has not been always kind. God grant that 
 the future may be more cheering. I wish so for your sake, dear Florence." 
 
 She did not speak, but allowed her slim fingers to wander over the keys 
 of the piano. Then she said, 
 
 44 You are gloomy and sorrowful tonight, Angus. I thought husbands 
 were usually joyful on their bridal eves. But you are sad, and I have seen 
 tears in your eyes more than once% Am I to blame for your melancholy? " 
 
 " Yes, dear." 
 
 " In what respect, Angus ? " while a look of pain passed over her sweet 
 face. 
 
 '* Your beauty, darling, your goodness, your trusting innocence, and the 
 fear that the time will come when scorn will take the place of smiles, and 
 tears the place of love in your bright eyes." 
 
 "You speak of impossible things, Angus, so change the conversation, if 
 you please. It is not to my liking. I am your lawful wedded wife, and 
 nothing can change my love, or shall diminish it, but one thing." 
 
 " And that one thing, pet ? " I asked, as I held her very close to me. 
 
 " Never mind it now. I will tell you some time." 
 
 " The present is the best, little wife. I wish to be guarded in the future." 
 
 " If, in the fashionable world in which we shall move," Florence said, in a 
 low, grave tone, " you should see a face fairer than mine, and should be at- 
 tracted to it, and should love it better than you now love me, I should 
 grieve, Angus, but I should not hate you, or pester you with complaints and 
 wild recriminations. But I should sorrow and die, dear husband, and, dy- 
 ing, bless you for what you had been, and what I should expect of you in 
 the world to come, when we met never to know the pain of parting." 
 
 She laid her golden head on my shoulder, and I heard a little sob, but the 
 next moment her eyes were cleared of their dampness, and a pleasant smile 
 was lightning all over her sunny face. 
 
 " No more, Angus. Let us speak of music. Tell me, dear husband, who 
 taught you to play so well ? " 
 
 " My mother, pet." 
 
 " Your mother, Angus ? " she asked, in a tone of astonishment. 
 
 " Yes, darling." 
 
 " And who taught you to sing opera music ? " 
 
 " Still my mother, pet." 
 
 "The countess must have devoted much time to you, husband dear. She 
 must be a skillful musician," 
 
94 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " My mother is a proficient artist,'' I answered, quite careful not to give 
 the good lady the title to which she had no right. 
 
 " And you were an apt pupil, Angus." 
 
 " Yes, dear, I have always loved music. I can play as well on the harp, 
 as I can on the piano, and I can torture one with a violin occasionally." 
 
 " Is it customary for ladies of rank in England to instruct their sons in 
 certain branches of education ? " was the next question. 
 
 " I think not, sweetheart." 
 
 " But your mother is an exception to the rule, Angus. The countess must 
 be a remarkable woman." 
 
 " My mother is a good woman. Shall I sing you a little song in praise of 
 mothers, pet ? " 
 
 " I wish that you would, Angus." 
 
 " Then do not press me quite so closely, and I will obey you. I shall 
 have to improvise an accompaniment, for the lines have never been set to 
 music, and the words are stray ones, without an owner that I know of. Lis- 
 ten, dear, and note your own mother's face, and see if she appreciates my 
 singing," and then I sang, 
 
 " There are words that speak of a quenchless love 
 
 Which burns in the hearts we cherish, 
 And accents that tell of a friendship proved, 
 
 That will never blight or perish ; 
 There are soft words murmured by dear, dear lips, 
 
 Far richer than any other ; 
 But the sweetest word that the ear hath heard 
 
 Is the sacred name of mother. 
 
 " O magical word ! may it never die 
 
 From the lips that love to speak it ; 
 Nor melt away from the trusting hearts 
 
 That even would break to keep it 
 Was there ever a name that lived like thine ? 
 
 Will there ever be such another ? 
 The angels have reared in heaven a shrine 
 
 For the holy name of mother ! " 
 
 As the notes of the song died away, 1 heard a sob at my elbow, and turn- 
 ing saw Mrs. Kebblewhite with a handkerchief to her eyes. 
 
 " My lord," she said, " I have feared all along for Florry's happiness, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 95 
 
 when placed in your keeping. I opposed your marriage with her, but was 
 overruled by my husband, but now, after hearing you sing that song, I am 
 satisfied you are a good man, and will love her as she deserves. God bless 
 you for that song,- and noble sentiment, my lord. A thousand times blest is 
 he or she who reveres a mother, and is not ashamed of her. My lord, may 
 I kiss your hand ? " 
 
 "No," I answered, as she would have bent her sweet old head and face 
 to salute my hand. " God forbid that you should do so. Rather let me 
 kneel at your feet, and kiss yours, or, if that does not suit you, let me put 
 my arms around you, and kiss your forehead and cheeks, and thank you a 
 thousand times for your kind words, and to say to you that if ever Florence 
 is really mine, of her own free will, she shall never hear ought but words of 
 love and tenderness from me." 
 
 She looked a little puzzled, but a remark from Mr. Kebblewhite turned the 
 current of her thoughts. 
 
 " Sing, my lud, somethin' about us poor old daddies, vot 'as to find the 
 cash ven our gals is vedded. Ve is ginerally neglected ven the spoonin' is 
 hover. But don't mind me. I can stand it, and I is too 'appy tonight to 
 complain." 
 
 As all the company were listening to the master of the house, and laugh- 
 ing at his remarks, as in duty bound, I took the occasion to kiss my mother- 
 in-law, and in so hearty a manner that even Florence looked a little sur- 
 prised, and laughingly remarked that her mother had lost a daughter, but 
 gained a very demonstrative son, and if I kissed the old lady in such a 
 hearty manner every day, she should feel a little touch of jealousy. 
 
 " Remember, my lord," said Mrs. Kebblewhite, " from this moment I am 
 your friend, and I hope that I shall always be a dear one. Come what may, 
 in me you will find a true mother, and I shall love you next to Florry." 
 
 " There ? s somethin' 'ot on the table," Harry announced. " Ve is hall 
 ready for yer." 
 
 " Ah, that is good news," Mr. Kebblewhite said. " I am 'ungry, and I 
 dare say 'is ludship is a little peckish. Moorsur Allete, vill yer give yer 
 arm to my good vife ? and the rest of yer can foller his ludship and lady. 
 Now then, come on, and don't shilly shally." 
 
 The old gentleman led the way to the commodious dining-room, where we 
 found the table well covered with a collation, and wine in abundance. It 
 was plain to be seen that my father-in-law was determined to make a night 
 of it, but I had no idea of indulging in a drinking bout, and, in spite of the 
 utmost urging, refused to partake of more than a smiple glass of champagne. 
 
96 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 I wanted to have all my senses under full control for the path which I had 
 determined to pursue, as soon as I had a private interview with Florence. 
 I dreaded the moment, but trusted in the honesty of my intentions and 
 frankness to carry me through in triumph. 
 
 Florence was as cheerful and happy as she had been all the evening. 
 When she slipped away from the table, the clock on the mantel was striking 
 half-past eleven. She gave my hand a little pressure at parting, and I felt a 
 chill strike my heart, as I thought how soon that young, sweet face was to 
 be clouded with sorrow and surprise, grief and despair. 
 
 No one noticed her departure. Monsieur Allete was singing the Mar- 
 sellaise in his native tongue, and Mr. Kebblewhite was anxious for him to 
 conclude, so that he could hurl defiance at the land of France, and all the 
 world, by yelling Rule Britannia, in such a boisterous manner, that all the 
 cats and dogs in the neighborhood were awakened, and had several fierce 
 fights in back yards, to the scandal of the neighbors, who knew that Mr. 
 Kebblewhite was to have a daughter married that day, and, as they had not 
 been invited to the wedding, thought such howling and attempted singing a 
 disgrace to the Park, and that the police ought to interfere, and take Mr. K. 
 and all his company to the station-house. 
 
 Fortunately for my ears, I did not have to hear the whole of Rule Britan- 
 nia. The old gentleman was red in the face with exertion and wine, and 
 the Frenchman was the picture of calm, deep despair, when Mrs. Kebble- 
 white, standing near the door, made a signal that I could not fail to under- 
 stand. I delayed noticing it as long as possible, and then quietly arose, 
 drained one more goblet of champagne, arid left the table. 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite, with his eyes closed, and every vein in his forehead 
 swollen like whipcords, was shouting forth to the world that Englishmen 
 would never be slaves, not if they knew themselves, so did not notice me, 
 but the Frenchman sighed as he saw me move away, gave one melancholy 
 smile, and then appeared to devote all of his energies to the polite enter- 
 tainment which his host was furnishing. Young Mr. Kebblewhite had gone 
 to the smoking-room, and the rest of the company did not relax their atten- 
 tion to the fruits and wines which were spread before them. Even Mr. 
 Murden did not look up as I passed him. He pretended to examine the 
 bubbles in his wine glass. 
 
 " My lord," said Mrs. Kebblewhite, with a faint, melancholy smile, as the 
 tears filled her gentle eyes, " Florence would like to speak to you, if you can 
 spare her a moment's time." 
 
 I felt all my blood rush to my face, and it seemed for a moment as though 
 
The Belle of Atistralia. 97 
 
 my heart ceased to beat, and that I should fall at the lady's feet insensible. 
 She noticed the sudden change, and said hastily, 
 
 " My lord, you are faint, you are ill, I fear. Shall I call some one to your 
 assistance ? '' 
 
 " No, no, do not mind me. I am accustomed to such spells. It will soon 
 be over. Do not call any one. I wanted to speak to you for a moment. 
 You are kind, and remind me of my own blessed mother." 
 
 " How 1 wish that she were here tonight to share your happiness," the 
 good lady remarked. 
 
 " God forbid that she should be here to witness my misery ! " I cried, and 
 then, noticing the look of pain on the lady's face, 1 added, " I do not mean 
 that your daughter is not loved by me. 1 do love her so dearly, so truly 
 that even you cannot complain/' 
 
 " Then why are you not happy ? You are married. You are young and 
 wealthy, and can purchase all the pleasures of the world if you desire. Be 
 a true and good husband to my child, and we shall all be happy, ; ou as 
 well as the rest of us." 
 
 " Can't you understand me ? " I cried, taking her hands, and leading her 
 to the other end -of the drawing-room, where no one could overhear us, and 
 where we could look out upon the Park, and the bright moonlight. 
 
 " No, I do not understand you, my lord/' with a wondering look, as though 
 she feared I was insane, or had suddenly lost my senses through drink. 
 
 " I know that you think me mad," I said, " but rest assured I am not. I 
 am just as sane this moment as you -are. O mother, mother, see me here 
 on my knees at your feet, begging your pardon, and praying for one word of 
 consolation, one word of encouragement, at your hands." 
 
 *' My lord, do not kneel to me. Arise, and tell me all your troubles. 
 What consolation can I afford ? Have you been imprudent and reckless in 
 the past ? Then atone for it by the future, as even the blackest sin can be 
 washed away by repentance and deep humiliation." 
 
 " Thank God, O my mother, if you will let me call you such, no serious 
 crimes can be charged to me. Your daughter is the first one that ever 
 moved my heart, or whom I ever loved." 
 
 " Here, be seated on this sofa, and let me know what is oppressing your 
 mind and heart. Confess all to me, and be certain of an advanced pardon. 
 Call me mother, if you will, and be assured you shall have a mother's love, 
 and a mother's sympathy." 
 
 She led me to a sofa, and, as we seated ourselves, the dear old lady took 
 one of my hands, held it for a moment in both of her own, and then asked, 
 7 
 
98 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " My lord, answer me one question before I attempt to console you. Is 
 .this repentance, this unhappiness, the result of anything which you have 
 heard concerning my husband's previous life ? " 
 
 " No, mother, 1 know nothing about his previous life, and care but little 
 for it," I answered. 
 
 "Would it make any difference in regard to your course toward my daugh- 
 ter if you had heard something not forgotten to this day, although the deed 
 was committed years ago ? " 
 
 " No, I love Florence dearly. All surroundings are forgotten when I 
 think of her sweet face." 
 
 "Then Mr. Murden has not imparted the information which, as Chief of 
 Police, he possesses, concerning my family, or, rather, the head of it ? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " No ; he merely spoke of Mr. Kebblewhite as a merchant, and a man of 
 g6od standing in Melbourne." 
 
 She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as I answered her questions, and 
 once more her white, thin hand sought mine, and clasped it quite firmly, 
 and then she would have raised it to her lips had I permitted her to do so. 
 I like to kiss a lady's hand, but to have a lady kiss mine is a little too much 
 for endurance. 
 
 " Now, my lord, you have answered all of my questions in a frank and 
 noble spirit. I feared that you had learned some facts which I could have 
 wished had never occurred, or at least had been forgotten. The memory of 
 the people of Melbourne is long, and those who seek for a higher station in 
 life are not forgotten by men who have not the ambition or the ability to 
 rise beyond the level of the common herd of the city." 
 
 " Will you not tell me of this stain which you say rests upon Mr. Kebble- 
 white's name ? " I asked. 
 
 " No, my son. You will learn of it some day, I have no doubt, and that 
 will be time enough to embitter a portion of your life." 
 
 " And Florence, does she know the great secret? " I demanded. 
 
 " No, thank God ! the dear child is still in ignorance of the blot that rests 
 upon our now good name. It has been kept from her, and I hope will he 
 until the day of her death. She is proud and loving, and it would crush her 
 to the earth. Your strong arm and heart must support her, my lord, if she 
 should be enlightened before she leaves her home for your own." 
 
 " My own dear mother," I said, after a moment's pause, " I, too, have a 
 secret, and a more dreadful one than you can impart. This evening you 
 said that you would be my friend. Do you still adhere to that resolution ? 
 
The Belle of Australia. 99 
 
 Do you still say that under all circumstances you will be a mother to me, 
 and a friend at all times ? " 
 
 " I have seen nothing to change my views. In fact, my lord, I can say 
 with mo.e confidence than before, that I am your friend, and your mother," 
 
 "Then cease to call me a lord, for I have no right to the title." 
 
 " How, my lord ? Do you speak in jest, or in earnest ? " 
 
 "In most serious earnestness, I assure you." 
 
 " But I have seen you in the house a dozen times, and you were intro- 
 duced to Florence at the goverenor's ball as the Earl of Afton, and by the 
 governor himself, as well as Mr. Mattocks." 
 
 " Nevertheless, my dear mother, I am not a lord, and I never entered this 
 house until this evening. I never saw your daughter until she entered the 
 drawing-room in her bridal costume, and then I fell in love with her at the 
 first sight." 
 
 " My lord, are you sane ? " the lady asked. 
 
 " Perfectly, and very unhappy ; but I will do justice to your daughter, and 
 to you, even if it breaks my heart." 
 
 " And your name ? " asked the startled and bewildered woman. 
 
 " Angus Mornington." 
 
 " Why that is the name of the Earl of Afton. Pray, my lord, do not be 
 merry at the expense of an unhappy woman, whose head is almost turned 
 by the events of the evening." 
 
 " God forbid that I should trifle with your holy feelings, but Angus Morn- 
 ington is my name, and under that name was I married to your daughter. 
 She is my lawful wife, but still I solemnly vow to you that I will not take 
 advantage of the events which have forced me to be her husband. n 
 
 " Impossible," Mrs. Kebblewhite exclaimed. " You must be deceiving 
 me, and for a purpose." 
 
 " I swear to you that such is not the case. Do you think that if I was 
 the Earl of Afton I would be here, talking with the mother, when I could be 
 with the daughter, my wife, whom I dearly love ?" 
 
 %i And the earl, who resembles you so much, did you ever meet with 
 him ? "' asked the mother, who appeared to see that my reasoning was good. 
 
 ' Only for a moment. I saw a man this evening who was enough like me 
 in feature, form, and height to be my twin brother. He was hurried into a 
 carriage, and told to leave the city, and never return. He was addressed 
 as ' my lord ' by his companions." 
 
 Why did you not explain everything as soon as you entered the house ?" 
 asked the mother, tears making their appearance on her pale cheeks. 
 
too The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Simply because your amiable husband called for his pistols and a nulla, 
 and would not listen to me for a moment when I explained. Even the 
 Chief of Police shared in the deception." 
 
 " Angus," said Mrs. Kebblewhite, trembling, while she made desperate 
 efforts to prevent her agitation, " I am not entirely convinced by your words, 
 yet I do not believe that you would deceive me willfully. If my daughter is 
 not a countess, who is she, in Heaven's name? " 
 
 " The wife of an American citizen, madame, and an honest man." 
 
 " Are you rich ? " 
 
 " No, I am poor, unfortunately." 
 
 " If you were rich all might be well. Mr. Kebblewhite could be brought 
 around to view you with favor when he found that it was too late to object. 
 He hates Americans." 
 
 " Then we are equal, madame. I detest an Englishman who does not pre- 
 fer a good man as the husband of his daughter, to a blase noble, who makes 
 love to every woman he meets, and then flies when a wedding is talked of." 
 
 " It will break Florry's heart," moaned the mother. " Oh, what can I do ? 
 Oh, what can I say? Let me call Mr. Kebblewhite, and explain all to 
 him." 
 
 " And have him riddle me with his pistols, and pound me with his con- 
 founded nulla. No, he must know nothing of ail this. To you and Flor- 
 ence I confide it. In one half hour I shall leave this house, and never return, 
 unless as a rich man to claim my wife. If I do not come back at the end of a 
 year, or less, let her obtain a divorce, and be free to marry one more worthy 
 of her." 
 
 " Oh, cruel, cruel fate for my poor child," moaned the unhappy mother. 
 " Oh, harsh, unfeeling man to leave her as you intend to on the night of 
 her nuptials." 
 
 " Because it is death for me to remain. In a day or two the deception 
 would be discovered, your husband would murder me, and your daughter 
 despise me. I prefer death to her contempt and scorn, but I will not meet 
 both. Give me a brief interview with my wife, and then good-by, perhaps 
 forever." 
 
 The good woman put her arms around my neck, kissed my forehead, and 
 then, with tears flowing from her eyes, said, 
 
 " Go to her. She is in the front room ; the one over this. God bless 
 you, O my son, for I feel all a mother's love for you, and always shall. 
 But my heart will break when I think of Florry." 
 
GOOD-BY, DEAR FLORENCE," I SAID, AND KISSED HER WHITE HAND. 
 
 PART V. 
 
 A SHORT PRIVATE INTERVIEW WITH MY WIFE. I MAKE SOME EXPLA- 
 NATIONS, WHICH ARE NOT WELL RECEIVED. A PLEA FOR 
 PARDON, AND A REFUSAL. LEAVING THE HOUSE 
 BY THE AID OF A TREE. MR. MURDEN 
 AND HIS PLAIN TALK. A 
 LONG FAREWELL. 
 
 MRS. KEBBLEWHITE had informed me as to the location of my wife's 
 apartments, but, as I started for the broad hall and stairs leading to 
 the chamber, I felt so dazed at the thought of the interview, that I stagger- 
 ed, and would have fallen, had not the kind lady lent me her arm for a sup- 
 port. For a moment I was motionless, and tried to collect my wandering 
 senses, so that I could carry out to a final conclusion the course which 
 I had marked out. Then I was aroused by the lady saying, 
 
TO2 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Angus, my son, you are not equal to the task. Rest here until you are 
 more composed. You are faint and pale, and all of a tremble. Think bet- 
 ter of your purpose, and forego this interview so painful to you and to 
 Florence." 
 
 " No," I said, with an effort. " I must do my duty. O mother, for I 
 must call you by that dear name, bless me, and pity me, for I need both in 
 this hour of utter wretchedness." 
 
 She laid her thin white hand on my head, and I saw her lips move, and I 
 knew that she had granted my request, and was blessing one whom she 
 would have been proud to call her son under other circumstances. 
 
 " Go," she whispered, " and may God bless you, my dear boy, be you no- 
 bleman or plebeian." 
 
 I gained courage from her simple words, and was leaving her, when she 
 asked, 
 
 " Are you sure, Angus, that you can trust yourself alone with Florence ? 
 Do you not fear that you will yield to her tears, and rare beauty ? A man 
 must be very firm to withstand both." 
 
 " My mother taught me to be honorable and truthful above all things. I 
 have not forgotten her early teachings. I will not prove false to them at 
 this late day. Do not fear for me or Florence. With your blessing, and 
 your confidence, I can endure much, and suffer much." 
 
 She sighed, and wiped the tears from her eyes, and motioned me to leave 
 her. As I passed from the drawing-room, I saw Mr. Murden. the Chief of 
 Police, near the hat-rack, as though searching for his cap. He looked up as 
 he saw me, and a smile of peculiar significance passed over his stern, dark 
 face. Had he played the part of an eavesdropper, and heard all that oc- 
 curred between Mrs. Kebblewhite and myself? I thought that such was 
 the case, for he looked at me very intently, and said, 
 
 " Good-night, my lord, and pleasant dreams. I hope that I shall have the 
 happiness of again meeting you at some distant day. This has been an 
 evening of rare enjoyment to me, and to your lordship am I indebted .for 
 all of it." 
 
 I did not answer him. I was in no mood for banter, even from Mr. Mur 
 den. I bowed, and would have passed on, but just at that moment he 
 seemed to have found his cap, and came near me. 
 
 " Remember," he whispered, " not one word about the diamond ring, and 
 Kitty. You can rely on me to keep your secret, and to see that she does 
 not disturb your honeymoon. I will put a detective on her track, and keep 
 her away from this house, and from you, until ready to leave Melbourne. 
 
The Belle of Aiistralia. 103 
 
 There is no fear of discovery, I think, if you are not too confiding, and I do 
 not suppose that you are one to blab everything to your wife. Good-night, 
 my lord," and he bowed low, as he opened the outer door, and glided out of 
 the house into the moonlight, and I heard his footsteps on the gravel walk, 
 and a faint blast from his whistle. 
 
 I paused at the foot of the hard, polished stairs, as brilliant as a mirror, 
 and wondered how a Chief of Police could have such consummate impu- 
 dence as to talk to an innocent man in that manner. Just as though Miss 
 Kitty had been anything to me or I to her. Mr. Kebblewhite was still in 
 the dining room with the Frenchman and the rest of the guests ; and my re- 
 spected father-in-law was roaring out, in tones so deep and awful that the 
 gas flickered in the chandeliers, and the very foundations of the house seem- 
 ed to shake, and the roof to rise, the noble and ear-splitting ballad of, 
 
 " There she lay, hall that day, 
 In the Bay of Biscay, oh ! " 
 
 I imagined the keen anguish of Monsieur Allete, and mentally thanked 
 Heaven that there were people just as miserable as myself for the time be- 
 ing, although I did hear roars of applause at the conclusion of each verse, 
 and I judged that the party was very drunk to encourage such wretched 
 travesty of singing. Even the cats and dogs were again awakened by the 
 noise, and renewed their yells, and barks, and fights, with much animation, 
 and a proportional amount of profanity from the neighbors, who once more 
 voted Mr. Kebblewhite a mean pig, and a person who would rob a China- 
 man, if he had the chance. 
 
 " You still hesitate, Angus ? " asked Mrs. Kebblewhite. who came to the 
 door of the drawing-room, and saw that I had ascended but three steps of 
 the stairs. 
 
 " Yes, mother, but I will hesitate no longer," I answered in a resolute 
 tone. 
 
 I set my teeth together as though about to submit to a surgical operation, 
 and up the stairs I passed, with a strange fluttering at my heart, and a cold 
 perspiration standing on my forehead. At the landing I met a pretty little 
 girl (one of the housemaids), who seemed to have been stationed there to 
 welcome me. and to point out the apartments which my wife occupied. I 
 recollect that I stopped suddenly, and looked at the blushing and smiling 
 little thing, who courtesied, and stole a timid glance at my face, and I 
 thought she deserved a reward for her politeness and vigilance, 
 
104 Tke Belle of Australia. 
 
 "O my lud," she said, " 'er ladyship is in that front room, and she is 
 wery himpatient to speak to yer." 
 
 " Thank you, child," I remarked, although she was older than myself, and 
 then I placed a sovereign in her hand, and, as she looked up with a grateful 
 smile, and a blush of pleasure, bent down, and kissed her sweet lips. I 
 was not accountable for the act, for I did not know what I was doing just at 
 that time, my mind was so distracted. 
 
 " O my lud, that vos wery sweet and kind on yer part," the girl said. 
 " Yer can 'ave two for a sov. if yer vants 'em." 
 
 The temptation was strong, but I recollected that I was a husband, and a 
 very unhappy one, so waived my right, and knocked at the door of my wife's 
 apartment. 
 
 " Come in," a gentle voice said, and, opening the door, I stood in the 
 presence of Florence. She had laid aside her heavy satin dress and laces, 
 and now her white shoulders and arms were covered with a blue silk peig- 
 noir, cut loose, but not so as to conceal her exquisite form, and the round- 
 ness of her arms and neck. Her hair, so beautiful and luxuriant, and rich in 
 hue, was unconfined by comb or pins, and fell in a shower of burnished 
 -gold all around neck and shoulders, and far below her slight waist. She 
 was seated in an easy-chair as I entered, but arose, and came forward to 
 greet me with outstretched arms. 
 
 " I was fearful that papa's singing was more attractive than your wife," 
 she said, with a pleasant little laugh, as though she did not believe her own 
 words. " When papa once commences on his sea ballads he never knows 
 when to leave off, and is offended if his listeners are not as pleased as him- 
 self. I feared that he would bore you, so sent for you. Forgive me, will 
 you not, dear Angus, dear husband ? " 
 
 She put her arms on my shoulders, and laid her fair head on my bosom, 
 and looked up with such a gentle, winning smile, that I feared for my good 
 resolution, and once more grew faint and sick at heart. 
 
 " You do not speak to me, Angus," she said, after a moment's silence, 
 finding that I did not respond to her caresses. " Have you so soon tired of 
 your little wife ? " 
 
 " No, Florence, I should never tire of you, dear," and I kissed her pure 
 forehead, and held her for a moment to my heart, and wished I was what I 
 seemed. 
 
 But such happiness was not for me, and, with a groan of anguish, I re- 
 leased her, and stepped back. 
 
 " Why, what is the matter with you, Angus ? " she asked, her large blue 
 
The Belle of Australia. 10$ 
 
 eyes filling with tears at my sudden coldness. " Are you 511 ? Has papa's 
 champagne disagreed with you ? or are you sorry that you have given me 
 your name, so distinguished through a long line of illustrious ancestors ? " 
 
 " If I had descended from the royal family of Great Britain, I should feel 
 proud of your love, Florence, and proud that you were my wife," I answer- 
 ed. "But" 
 
 " Yes, but what, you silly boy ? " with a glad light in her beautiful eyes. 
 
 " But I am not what you suppose me to be, sweet one, and, in spite of 
 your scorn and contempt, I am about to enlighten you on your marriage re- 
 lation." 
 
 " Am I not your lawful wife ? " she asked. 
 
 "Yes, dear, I think you are." 
 
 "And" 
 
 She hesitated for a moment, as though she would find the right word, re- 
 pugnant though it might be. 
 
 " And am I your only wife, Angus ? Have you deceived me in that 
 respect ? " 
 
 " God forlid, darling. I never loved before I loved you. I never wedded 
 until your little white hand was placed in mine. I would not exchange you 
 for all the women in the world. I would not lose you for all the gold of 
 Australia." 
 
 She uttered a glad cry, and sprang toward me, and threw her arms around 
 my neck. 
 
 " O Angus, my lord, my husband, I will hear of no more explanations. 
 You love me, you are my own, and no power shall take you from me. If 
 you have been guilty of boyish follies, I forgive them, and do not wish to 
 hear of them. I want no confession, except the confession of your love, no 
 repentance, except the thought that we had not met sooner, no kisses, ex- 
 cept those you bestow, as I am certain that you would not care for any lips 
 but mine." 
 
 I winced a little, and hoped that the little girl whom I had met at the 
 head of the stairs would forget all about my confounded fit of momentary 
 abstraction, when I was not accountable for my doings. 
 
 " Florence," I said, "you are a brave little darling, and deserve happiness, 
 and as good and kind and loving husband as I should make; but, my dear, 
 you must hear me, and pay strict attention to my words, for they are impor- 
 tant." 
 
 " Yes," she answered, and looked up at me with a half-frightened expres- 
 sion on her face. 
 
io6 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " I have no follies to answer for," I continued, " but I have a confession 
 to make." 
 
 " No, no, I will not hear it," and she put her white hands over her little 
 pink ears. 
 
 " My dear, you must not be childish in this case," I said, as sternly as I 
 could. " Come, sit down here, in this large easy-chair, and let me, standing 
 by your side, tell you all that is on my mind, and how cruelly you have been 
 deceived." 
 
 " No, no, I will hear nothing, Angus. Do not make me unhappy by 
 speaking of things which do not interest me. You are doing all this to 
 tease your poor little wife, and it is not kind. How would you like to have 
 me pester you by telling you of my old beaux? Would you be jealous ? 
 Do you really love me enough to be jealous of me, Angus ? Oh, that is so 
 jolly. Why, you silly boy, I never loved any one until 1 loved you, although 
 I have flirted a little, just a little, you know, for the innocent fun of the 
 thing." 
 
 "And how much with Mr. Mattocks, darling?" and I smiled a little at 
 her eager face. 
 
 " Oh, you are there, are you, Angus ? This accounts for the grave face, 
 and sober brow. You have heard in some way that Mr. Mattocks paid me 
 marked attention at one time, and would have married me, I think, if I had 
 encouraged him to make a proposal. But I could not love him, and he saw 
 it, and, like the gentleman that he is, soon ceased to make only the most 
 formal of calls. Still I think he is friendly, and do not believe that he 
 would speak of me in any other way than as a good and pleasant young 
 lady." 
 
 " I do not doubt it, deary, but I never heard of your flirtation with Mr. 
 Mattocks, or any other man. After you have listened to me, you will, per- 
 haps, regret that you did not take him instead of waiting for me." 
 
 " Never, Angus," and she put up her red lips for a kiss. 
 
 I was just weak enough to respond to her mute appeal. I was sorry, but 
 could not help it, and resolved to be firmer the next time. 
 
 " One more," she said, as I seated her in the chair, and sat down at her 
 feet, on a hassock, in obedience to her commands. 
 
 Ah, well, it was not worth disputing about one little kiss, even if it was so 
 precious to me. I knew that it would be a long time before I should get an- 
 other supply, if I pursued the course which I had determined upon, but I 
 began to fear that I should \\avcr and fail in my purpose. 
 
 " My dear Florence," I said, taking her hand, and kissing it very tenderly, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 107 
 
 ' I want you to pardon me for what I have done, and to believe that I 
 was forced by circumstances over which I had no control to come here to- 
 night, and unite your fortunes with mine/' 
 
 " Sir, my lord ! " a little bitterly, and a surprised and grieved look. 
 
 I knew that she would put on the dignity, but I did not think that she 
 would display so much feeling when she heard my plain, blunt words. 
 
 She withdrew her hand from mine, and looked at me with an offended 
 air. 
 
 " Do I understand you, Angus, that you would not have married me of 
 your own free will " 
 
 " Not tonight, love." 
 
 She started up, and covered her face with her hands, but I could see the 
 tears stealing down her cheeks, and knew, that her pure heart was wounded 
 at my words. 
 
 " Florence," I said, as I once more attempted to take her hand, and con- 
 sole her, " I am pained to grieve you, but I must tell you all. It is to save 
 you many days of misery and reproach that I now speak." 
 
 " You do not love me, you are ashamed of me, because I am not of as no- 
 ble birth as yourself. O Angus, how can you treat me in such a heartless 
 manner? " and she firmly resisted my efforts to take her hand, or to put an 
 arm around her slight waist. 
 
 Here was a pretty position for a young bridegroom, who loved his wife 
 most devotedly, would be unhappy while absent from her side, and yet 
 would be very miserable if he dared to remain with her, and let the deceit 
 go undiscovered for a few days. For a moment the thought flashed through 
 my mind to run the risk of detection. If I resembled the earl so closely 
 why could I not declare that I was his lordship, and so let the future take 
 care of itself ? But no, I had promised Mrs. Kebblewhite that I would be 
 true to my manhood, true to her daughter, and true to the pledge which I 
 had given before I entered the chamber. I banished all unworthy thoughts 
 as suddenly as they had appeared, and resolved that I would not deviate 
 from the moral teachings of my respected mother. I would do nothing that 
 would cause her to blush for her only child, great as the temptation might 
 be, and, Heaven knows, never was man so tempted before, it seemed to me 
 at the time. 
 
 ' Dear Florence," I said, as she repulsed me. " you say that I do not love 
 you. O my love, my wife, if you could but see my heart, and know the pain 
 that it gives me to speak to you as I do, you would pity me, and help me 
 bear the heavy cross that is now weighing me down, and crushing out all 
 
io8 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 that is joyous and bright from my young life," and then I felt the tears flow 
 from my eyes, much as I attempted to restrain them. 
 
 She heard me in silence, but, as I proceeded, she removed her white 
 hands from her eyes, and looked at me with a more pleasant glance, and 
 then ran toward me, and threw her arms around my neck, and once more 
 nestled her fair head on my bosom. 
 
 " O Angus," she cried, " you do love me. Tell me that I am not mis- 
 taken, that your heart is firmly mine, and that you are not ashamed of me 
 because you are a great lord, and 1 only a plebeian." 
 
 " My darling," I said, " the tears which you now see in my eyes are 
 proof positive that you are loved so dearly that no other woman will ever 
 find a lodgement in my bosom. O sweetheart, I could even now fall down 
 and worship you, happy if you but bestowed a single thought on me, happy 
 and content with an occasional smile, and doubly happy if you would but 
 lay your hand on my head, and call me the best and dearest friend in the 
 world. Do not doubt my love, Florence. It is fixed and immovable. It is 
 not a changeable, boy's love, but that of a strong man, and as a man I must 
 resist it." 
 
 " What do mean, Angus ? " and she started back, and looked at me with 
 renewed surprise. 
 
 " The first time I saw you, when you entered the drawing-room this even- 
 ing, dressed in all your bridal finery, and looking like an angel of beauty and 
 mercy, your bright eyes pierced my heart like a dagger, and I felt you were 
 one whom I could love forever and forever, and, dying, bless. O sweet ! 
 when I felt your white arms around my neck, and knew that you were a liv- 
 ing, breathing woman, and not a visitor from heaven, I could not realize 
 that there was a man in all the world so base as to trifle with your affections, 
 or to deceive you." 
 
 *' Trifle with me ? deceive me?" she asked, in a trembling voice. " An- 
 gus, what do you mean? You speak in a mysterious tone and manner, as 
 though some great wrong had been perpetrated. What wrong have I suf- 
 fered except your failure to appear at the appointed bridal hour? and that 
 you know, dear, was not your fault, but a silly joke on the part of some 
 young men. I have forgiven you for all that, because I know that you will 
 be more guarded in the future. Come, dear, clear your brow of its clouds, 
 and let me see you smile once more, as you can smile when you are happy. 
 You know when you asked me to be your wife I hesitated, because I did 
 not know my heart, and I did not love you then, Angus. I confess it now, 
 dear husband ; but I was ambitious, and I wanted to be a countess, and to 
 
The Belle of Australia. 109 
 
 wear a coronet, and large diamonds, and to be at the head of fashionable 
 society, and have all the young girls of my set envious of my good position 
 and fortune. You know what I said to you, Angus, when you asked for my 
 hand ? " 
 
 I did n't know because I was not present at that important interview. 
 How I wished that I had been there, instead of the other fellow. I made 
 no reply, and she continued, 
 
 I told you that I did not love you then, our acquaintance had been so 
 recent, but that I esteemed you, and would try and love you as soon as I 
 became your wife. I did love the title, Angus, and it was very wrong in me 
 to seek it, but now I love you, dear, and even if you had no title, I should 
 still love you. Are you satisfied, you silly boy ? " 
 
 More than satisfied, darling. It shows me what a treasure you are, 
 and what a noble heart you possess." 
 
 " And, Angus," she continued, with a pretty blush, " do you know, dear, 
 that since I saw you this evening, I have learned to love you very dearly. 
 You appear so manly, and yet so gentle, so respectful and tender, and not 
 as one who presumes on his rank. I have noticed a difference, love, and 
 yet I do not know how to account for it. Will you always be as you are to- 
 night, Angus?" and her lips were put up for another kiss, and I had to 
 give way to the temptation. 
 
 " Yes, dear, I hope to be. In your presence even a savage would be def- 
 erential." 
 
 You are kind to say so : and now let me kiss away those tears, for you 
 have been crying, Angus, and you can't hide it from me. Why should you 
 weep when you say that you love me, and are happy ? " 
 
 " I did not say that I was happy, Florence. I said that I loved you, and 
 in loving you I am unhappy." 
 
 She looked a little puzzled, but once more she laid her head upon my 
 shoulder, and I put my arm around her waist. 
 
 " My dear little wife," I continued, after a moment's pause, thinking of 
 the best way to break the news to her as gently as possible, " when you 
 pledged this dear little hand you thought it was to a lord that it was given, did 
 you not, love ? " 
 
 " What an absurd question. Of course I did. Who else should I give it 
 vo ? " 
 
 " Look at me well, little wife, and see if you can have been mistaken." 
 
 She laughed, as she looked at my face. 
 
 "You provoking boy," glancing up, and smiling, "do I not see the same 
 
1 10 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 brown eyes, the same curling brown hair, the same tiny mustache, you 
 know it is not very ferocious, Angus, but it will grow in time, if you pav 
 strict attention to it, the same clear skin, without the least vestige of a 
 beard, and lastly, but very important, the same white, even teeth ? Now, sir, 
 how is that for a description cf a husband ? The wrinkles will coine, and 
 the hair will turn gray, and fall off, but I shall always think of my husband 
 as I see him tonight, handsome, young, and noble, and may he love me in 
 old age, if we live, just as well as he says that he loves me tonight, with 
 youth and health at his command." 
 
 " Your description is flattering, darling, and I feel proud of it, yet I am 
 not the man who asked for your hand some days since." 
 
 " I do not like such foolish jests," she said with an offended look. " They 
 are not in good taste at the present time. I pray you, my lord, to postpone 
 them for some more fitting occasion." 
 
 " There is no time more suitable than the present, Lwe. Would to Heav- 
 en that it were a jest, or a dream. Then, indeed, should I be happy, be- 
 cause all could be changed in waking. I am serious, Florence. As God is 
 my judge, I never asked your hand in marriage, as God is my judge, I never 
 saw Miss Florence Kebblewhite, the Belle of Australia, until she entered 
 the drawing-room, dressed as a bride, this evening." 
 
 She broke away from my arms, and retreated to the other end of the 
 apartment, moaning, and wringing her hands. 
 
 " O Angus," she sobbed, " what cruel words you utter. As though I 
 would give my hand unsought, as though I would wed a stranger. Have 
 you lost your senses? or does the fumes of the wine still linger in your 
 brain ? " 
 
 " Dear Florence, hear me with patience. I am not insane, neither am I 
 under the influence of liquor. As I hope for God's mercy, as I hope to 
 meet my own dear mother in heaven, as I trust to stand by your side in 
 paradise, and ask your forgiveness for all the wrongs I have inflicted upon 
 you, so do I declare to you, in this sacred place, your bridal chamber, that 
 I never saw you until this evening." 
 
 " O my God, have mercy upon me, a poor, unhappy girl ! " she exclaimed, 
 and fell upon her knees, and buried her face in her hands, and sobbed so 
 piteously, thut I feared once more for my good resolution. 
 
 I went to her. and tried to raise her, but she repulsed me with all her 
 strength. I waited, standing near her dressing-table, until the first burst of 
 emotion had passed, when she looked up, and asked, in a constrained 
 tone, 
 
The Belle of Australia. in 
 
 " Have you any more revelations to make on your bridal eve ? Come, sir, 
 let me hear the rest of this strange romance. I will be calm, quite calm, 
 sir." 
 
 "It is a romance, Florence, but a very eventful and truthful one. God 
 knows what mysterious influence sent me to this city, a.nd caused me to 
 land here this morning. I resemble some one who is rich, young, and pow- 
 erful, but who he is I do not know, except that he is called the Earl of 
 Afton." 
 
 " And do you mean to tell me that you are not the Earl of Afton ? that 
 you are not Angus Mornington ? " she demanded in a haughty tone. 
 
 - I am not the Earl of Afton, but I am Angus Mornington, as my father's 
 name was before me.'" 
 
 " It is a lie ! " she said, with startling distinctness and abruptness. This 
 was not polite or courteous, but it had the merit of being quite frank, if 
 not true. She was angry, and did not choose her words just at that mo- 
 ment. 
 
 I began to feel that I had made a slight mistake in not taking the two 
 kisses from the lady's-maid at the head of the stairs instead of only one, as 
 I really had done. A man never knows his own advantages and disadvan- 
 tages until he is reminded of them in a forcible manner, by being called a 
 liar. 
 
 " You do me a great injustice, Florence,' I said, after a moment's pause, 
 to allow her to recover her temper and composure. " I would not deceive 
 you for all the world, and, because I do not wish to do so, I have made this 
 explanation." 
 
 " And do you mean to tell me that I am not the Countess of Afton ? " she 
 demanded, looking up a little fiercely. 
 
 " I must answer * No ' to that question." 
 
 " Who am I then ? " 
 
 " My wife, dear, Mrs. Angus Mornington." 
 
 " And who are you ? Where did you come from ? " 
 
 " I am an American citizen," I answered, quite proudly. 
 
 " O Heaven," she moaned, " I have married only a Yankee instead of an 
 earl." 
 
 I again felt that I had not received the value of my sovereign, which I 
 had generously presented to the lady's-maid, and regretted the lost kiss. 
 Husbands don't like to be called hard names. 
 
 " You speak in tones of reproach, Florence : but it is far better to be the 
 wife of an American citizen, with a name unsullied by vice and crime, than 
 
H2 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 to wear the coronet of a dissipated nobleman, who did not love his prom- 
 ised bride sufficiently to keep his appointment at the altar. Forgive me, 
 dear, for speaking harshly, but I feel as proud of my title of American as 
 you could feel at being a countess." 
 
 She did not answer me, but arose to her feet, and paced the chamber, 
 wringing her hands, and uttering vehement exclamations. 
 
 " Why," she asked at last, stopping, and facing me, with a look in which 
 love and disappointment strove for the mastery, " did you not explain all 
 this before the wedding ? Answer me that question." 
 
 " Simply because, every time I attempted to do so, your amiable parent 
 called for his pistols and a nulla, if you know what that is, I don't. He 
 thought that I was shirking the union, and even you would not listen to me 
 when I attempted an explanation. Do you not remember, my dear, that 
 such was the case ? " 
 
 " I don't know, I don't understand. I am all in a daze at this moment, 
 and do not realize what to think or believe. Oh, it is impossible that you can 
 be what you represent. Angus, tell me that it is all a comedy to try my 
 love and pride, and still I will forgive you." 
 
 " Would to Heaven it were, Florence." 
 
 " And I am really your wife ? " 
 
 " Yes, my lawful wife. Did you not notice that I told the clergyman I 
 was to be married as Angus Mornington, and not to refer to titles, for I 
 wanted none, and had none." 
 
 "Yes, I remember now, but, as I had never been married before, I 
 thought it was the custom." 
 
 " You will know better next time, Florence," I said a little bitterly, for it 
 seemed that she did love titles after all. 
 
 She looked at me in a wondering manner, as though she did not quite 
 comprehend me, and then her eyes fell upon the diamond ring which I had 
 restored to her at the ceremony, and with which I had wedded her in regu- 
 lar Episcopal style. 
 
 " Look at this," she said. " By this diamond ring do I convict you of 
 subterfuge and deceit." 
 
 Now I was in for it, sure enough- I had not thought of the ring all the 
 evening, or since I had restored it to her. 
 
 " Angus," she said, and her voice was more sorrowful and tender, " I al- 
 lowed you to take this diamond from my finger the day that you placed this 
 signet ring on mine. It was an exchange of tokens of love, or at least of 
 confidence. Your ring has a crest, and the monogram 'A. M.' on the seal, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 113 
 
 and the Latin motto of ' (7t quocunque paratns] or, in other words, ' pre- 
 pared for any event.' Is that motto the one which your house adopts when 
 one of its members wishes to deceive a poor girl ? " 
 
 I was silent. How could I tell her what had been the fate of the ring 
 since it had left her little finger ? 
 
 " This ring," she continued, holding up her left hand, " was given to me 
 one year ago, when I was sixteen years of age, as a birthday present from a 
 father whom, although he is rough at times, and does not use good English, 
 I love and respect as my father, for he loves me dearly. No one had ever 
 worn that ring but myself, and yet I felt such confidence in you, that I al- 
 lowed you to take it, and to carry it away. I have not seen it before tonight 
 since I loaned it to you. Now, sir, if you are not the Earl of Afton, if you 
 did not receive my pledge, how does it happen that you are in possession 
 of a jewel that cost my father one thousand pounds, and which has my 
 name and age engraved on the gold surroundings ? " 
 
 She looked at me with flashing eyes, as though she had caught me in a 
 lie, and was rather proud of it. 
 
 " Florence, 1 ' I said, as I extended my arms to gather her in an embrace ; 
 but she moved backward, and motioned me to keep my distance, a motion 
 that was a little disdainful and cold. 
 
 " Go on, sir," she said. 
 
 " Florence," I resumed, " I did not think of the ring, or the explanation 
 which I must make. My darling, I would spare you all this, but I must 
 justify myself in your eyes, no matter who is injured. I know that your 
 pride and self-respect will be hurt, but far better all this, than that I should 
 suffer from your displeasure. The ring was not given to me, but to the 
 man you call Earl of Afton. This evening, on the street, the Chief of Po- 
 lice, Mr. Murden, accosted and saluted me as a lord. I thought he was a 
 crank, as other people had done the same, and feared that all the citizens of 
 Melbourne had gone mad. I denied that I was the Earl of Afton, but he 
 refused to believe me, or to listen to me, while I reiterated the truth. At 
 last, dear, he spoke of the Belle of Australia, and intimated that I had been 
 guilty of a mean and contemptible trick, in not keeping my engagement to 
 marry you at three o'clock. You are following me, Florence ? " 
 
 " Yes, continue," with a face that was very white now. 
 
 " I denied that I knew you, or had ever seen you, and said that I was on 
 my way to the Victoria, in a dress suit, to see the lady and her husband, 
 who were expected at the theatre, and for whom great preparations had been 
 made. All that I could say had no effect, and at last found that I was vir- 
 
14 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 tually under arrest for the alleged offence of taking your ring, and not re- 
 turning it. This charge was made by your brother, in revenge for the mor- 
 tification which you had experienced in not being married at the appointed 
 time." 
 
 " I knew nothing of this," she said, with a trembling lip, and a disdainful 
 toss of her pretty head. " I desired to urge no man to marry me against 
 his inclinations, not even the Earl of Afton." 
 
 How much I admired her in her queenly role. Never had I loved her so 
 well as now, when she stood before me with just enough disdain on her 
 pretty face, to make it light up like a picture. I began to feel that I had 
 done wrong on my way to her chamber, and hoped that the lady's-maid 
 would never boast of my little wandering weakness, a mere aberration of 
 mind, which time and a good wife would cure. 
 
 "Go on, sir," she said, seeing that I hesitated, and was steadily regarding 
 her. "Go on, and let us hear the conclusion of this strange story, or, rath- 
 er, fable, as I can call it no less." 
 
 " It seems that your brother was determined to bring the Earl of Afton to 
 an account, and put the Chief of Police on his track. By some strange mis- 
 conception he stumbled upon me, and, to prove that he was right, drew 
 from his pocket that diamond ring which you now have on your hand. O 
 Florence, let me spare you the rest of my strange story. I would not bring 
 a blush to that dear face for all the diamonds in the. world." 
 
 Of course this was not exactly correct, because men are not so particular 
 as all that when conversing with their wives in private, but I thought it 
 sounded well, and would touch her heart and feelings, and that she would 
 respect me the more for it. 
 
 " Go on, sir. There are men who should blush for their conduct as well 
 as we poor women, or, perhaps, we should blush for them, as they are inca- 
 pable of such manifestations of modesty." 
 
 I wondered if she had peeped through the keyhole, and seen me at the 
 head of the stairs. But I rejected the idea as unworthy of the sweet lady, 
 although, as a general thing, men can't be too careful as they brush through 
 the world, and meet some of its rough corners. 
 
 "You still insist that I shall continue my story, Florence? " I asked. 
 
 " Yes. I will hear all that you have to say, sir. Go on," she said des- 
 perately. 
 
 "The ring, Florence, had passed from the finger of the Earl of Afton to 
 that of a girl of Melbourne, named Kitty Stukely, a handsome, showy 
 young woman, who lives spmewhere on Lonsdale Street, I think," 
 
The Belle of Atistralia. 115 
 
 She gave a gasp, and I thought that she would faint, but she leaned on 
 the back of a chair, and this steadied her slight form, and it again grew firm 
 and defiant. I waited until her faintness had passed, and resumed, 
 
 It seemed that his lordship loaned, or gave, the ring to the young wo- 
 man a few days after he had received it from your hands." 
 
 She drew the glittering diamond from her finger, and threw it to the oppo- 
 site side of the chamber, with an expression of deep disgust on her burning 
 face, as though the jewel had contaminated her hand by its contact. I felt 
 more proud of her superb and regal beauty than ever, as I witnessed this 
 display of passion and haughty pride. 
 
 " I was informed that there were but two things for me to do," I resumed. 
 " The Chief said that he first noticed the ring on the hand of the girl at a 
 free-and-easy, if you know what that is, I do not, on Market Square, 
 one evening, and he was suspicious that it had been stolen. He took it 
 from her this afternoon at her house, and, on questioning her, she said that 
 a gentleman named Angus she did not know him by any other name 
 had put it on her finger, and told her to wear it. The Chief said I must de- 
 cide whether she lied or not. If she did lie she must go to prison, if she 
 did not, I must answer for the crime of giving away a valuable jewel which 
 did not belong to me. Breach of trust, I think he called it. Florence, do 
 you know what I did? My darling, can you imagine what course I 
 pursued ?" 
 
 " I am not sufficiently versed in the sinuous ways of mankind to even give 
 a guess," was the disdainful answer. 
 
 " I went with the Chief to the home of the young la girl I mean, and 
 there she, too, claimed me as her Angus." 
 
 A look that would have wilted me if I had not been honest and truthful, 
 flashed from my wife's blue eyes. It was like lightning on a summer af- 
 ternoon after a shower. 
 
 ; Of course, dear, I repudiated her, and her story," I continued. 
 Yes. it is so like a man." 
 
 I began to think that Florence had seen much of the world. Perhaps 
 her father had not been all that she could have desired. 
 
 " But when the Chief swore that if I did not acknowledge that I gave her 
 the ring, he would lock the girl up, and hold me as a witness, I saved her 
 and myself, and a terrible scandal." 
 
 " How? No doubt you would save yourself. Men generally do.' 1 
 ' By a falsehood, dear, and I think it a justifiable one under the circum- 
 stances. I said that I had loaned her the ring." 
 
II 6 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " And a few minutes ago you said that you were a man of truth," in a sar- 
 castic tone. 
 
 " And I still claim to be, Florence." 
 
 " Have you told me all ? Have you made a full confession?" she then 
 asked. 
 
 " I have told you all, dear." 
 
 She looked at me with a suspicious eye. I did not think that it was 
 worth while to go into minute particulars respecting all that was said or 
 done at the house. It is always best to avoid trouble and misunderstanding 
 if possible, and women are so unreasonable over little matters. 
 
 " And this thing, this girl, escapes all punishment because you shielded 
 her ? " 
 
 " Yes, Florence," I answered, very humbly. 
 
 "And the mean thing wore my diamond for several days?" my wife 
 asked. 
 
 " So I understand." 
 
 " Eh, I shall never put it on my finger again without an expression of d : s- 
 gust. I will soak it in ammonia to take away the stain. How dare you do 
 such a thing ? " Florence asked. 
 
 " I am doing what I believe to be right, Florence Heaven knows how 
 painful it is to me, for I love you, dear, and had I been the one to have 
 been so honored as to receive such a token of your confidence no power on 
 earth should have taken it from me." 
 
 She seemed to be meditating on all that had been said, but at last she 
 raised her head, and remarked, 
 
 " I can hardly believe you, and yet you seem honest and sincere." 
 
 " O Florence, trust me, dear. I am a young man of good moral and re- 
 ligious character." 
 
 I thought that I would hurl that sentence at her head, and see if it would 
 not have a good effect, but, to my surprise, she did not appear to notice it. 
 I am afraid that a majority of girls do not reverence pious young men, 
 unless they can waltz, and drive a horse with one hand, and eat ice cream 
 and oysters at all hours of the day and night, to the everlasting ruin of 
 their digestions. 
 
 " Now, what do you propose to do ? " my wife asked, after a long pause, 
 during which I could hear Mr. Kebblewhite, still in the dining-room, roar 
 out the highly entertaining and instructive ballad of 
 
 " Cease, rude Boreas, blustering railer." 
 
The Belle o Australia. 
 
 " What would you have me do, Florence ? You are my wife, but a wife 
 vho was obtained by deception on one part, but not fraud on mine. I 
 would have made all clear had I been so permitted. The gentleman, the 
 lord, the coward, who was to have married you, is miles away from the city 
 by this time, and he will never return to claim your hand. If he did a 
 horsewhip should honor his shoulders from my hands, or those of your 
 brother. 
 
 " This evening, Florence, at seven o'clock, or thereabouts, I saw a young 
 man leave the Melbourne club-house. I had but a glimpse of his face and 
 form, and must confess they were wonderfully like mine. He was assisted 
 into a light vehicle, and told to make for Gelong with all speed, and never 
 return again to this city, as he had disgraced himself, and the Belle of Aus- 
 tralia, and all her numerous friends. He was addressed as a lord, and one 
 of the parties who acted as his escort was called Mr. Mattocks. After his 
 lordship had been driven off, the gentlemen conversed together for a few 
 moments, in an undertone, and, when they turned to enter the club-house, 
 saw me for the first time. One of them, to my amazement and surprise, 
 addressed me as the Earl of Afton, and claimed to have been the early 
 friend of the father of his lordship, the old earl. It was then that I 
 learned that I was to have married you at three o'clock in the afternoon, but 
 that I had thought better of it, and fled, or made the attempt, and returned. 
 Just as though I would fly from such a dear, lovely little girl as you, when 
 there was a prospect of making her my wife. Both gentlemen reproached 
 me in bitter terms for my perfidy, and then I discovered that Mr. Mattocks 
 was at one time a suitor for your hand, and still had hopes if I was out of 
 the way. I thought them what we call cranks, or lunatics, and so passed on 
 to meet a fresh one in the person of Mr. Murden. Now, dear, do you won- 
 der that you made the mistake that you did ? and that all your sweet kiss- 
 es were intended for another ? and that the dear hand which I prize so much 
 would have been valueless to the man called the Earl of Afton ? O Flor- 
 ence, take pity on me, and pardon me, for had you not been so beautiful, 
 had I not loved you the first glimpse that I obtained of your dear face, I 
 would have braved death sooner than give my hand where my heart did not 
 also go. You are my wife, but only in name. Can you pardon me for my 
 deceit?'' 
 
 She looked at me as I held out my arms, but still she clung to the back of 
 the chair, and did not change her position. 
 
 " List ye landsmen hall to me," 
 
Ii8 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 came from the dining-room in a roaring tone, and how I pitied that poor 
 Frenchman, unless he was drunk, and under the table. 
 
 I walked to the window, and threw it up, and looked out upon the bright 
 moonlight. 
 
 There was a balcony in front of the window, and near that balcony was a 
 stout tree of the she-oak variety, such as furniture is made of. For a mo- 
 ment I surveyed the scene before me, and inhaled the perfume of the fresh 
 air. While I was standing there 1 heard a neighboring clock in a steeple 
 toll the hour of one in the morning. 
 
 " Good-by, Florence," I said, returning to her side, and offering her my 
 hand. 
 
 She did not look at me, or turn her head. She seemed to be dreaming, 
 for all the signs of life that she showed. I waited for a moment, and then 
 again spoke. 
 
 " Will you let me take your hand, Florence ? " I asked. " I am going 
 away, and we may never meet again." 
 
 She did not answer me, or raise her hand, or make a sign to repulse me. 
 She did not even turn her head, or look at me. 
 
 " If you can pardon me in time, Florence, I shall feel blessed. I now re- 
 store to you your freedom. In a little while you can procure a separation, 
 and marry one whom you can love, honor, and esteem. I shall feel very 
 wretched when I hear of it, if I ever do, but, if your future happiness is de- 
 pendent upon it, I shall remain content." 
 
 Still no word or sign that she heard me, no token of relenting or pity. 
 Her face was set, and her eyes fixed. 
 
 " When I leave you, Florence, I shall go I know not where, and return I 
 know not when. I am poor, and as proud as yourself, and if I am not an 
 English nobleman, I am at least an American gentleman, and should feel 
 humiliated to take advantage of my position, or wonderful likeness to 
 the man you loved, to bring reproach upon your name. Good-by, Florence, 
 once more, O my darling, good-by ! " 
 
 I knelt at her side, and kissed her little hand, but there was no sign of 
 relenting, and if there had been the parting would kave been more painful 
 than it was. I returned to the window, took off my dress coat, and threw it 
 to the ground, for I did not dare to leave the house by the stairs and front- 
 door, fearful of meeting some one of the family, who would demand an ex- 
 planation of my nocturnal wanderings, and, alas ! what could I say more 
 than had already been said ? One glance I cast around the chamber, and 
 saw how beautifully it was furnished, with its blue silk bed-spread, blue 
 
The Belle of Australia. 119 
 
 satin covered furniture, blue damask draperies, and oil paintings on the wall, 
 and a blue decorated marble mantel clock on the marble chimney piece. 
 All this I saw, and then I heard the roaring of Mr. Kebblewhite, as he con- 
 tinued to howl, 
 
 " Sing the dangers of the sea," 
 
 showing that he had not yet escaped from the ballads of Great Britain, and 
 gone into snug quarters for the night. One last glance I cast at my wife, 
 and saw that she had not moved from her fixed position, that she had not 
 turned her head, or appeared to be aware that we were to be separated for- 
 ever, or until God's own time when we should look on each other's faces 
 once more, but whether in heaven or on earth He alone could tell. 
 
 " God bless you, Florence, O my wife," I muttered to myself, closed the 
 window from the outside, and, as I did so, I thought that I heard a fall, as 
 though some one had stumbled, but I paid no attention to it, and the next 
 moment I seized one of the branches of the tough tree, and dropped to the 
 ground, for the bough did not break, but let me fall very gently, and when I 
 reached the earth I found a pair of arms thrown around me, clasping me in 
 an embrace that was like the coils of the South-American python, and fully 
 as resistless. 
 
 I would have struggled with the person who had so suddenly seized me, 
 but I had been taken at a disadvantage, and was nearly powerless to 
 move, and as for shouting, I did not mean to do that, and bring upon my 
 devoted head the great wrath of a man who could sing all night, drink all 
 night, and had pistols and a nulla near at hand, to be used with deadly ef- 
 fect upon the person whom he supposed to be a noble son-in-law. 
 
 I turned my head, and saw the set, determined face and glittering eyes of 
 Mr. Murden, the Chief of Police, whom I supposed home and a-bed long 
 ago. 
 
 " Well," I asked, " what in the devil's name are you doing here ? " 
 
 " Holding your lordship until you promise not to make a noise, and to 
 cease struggling/' was the brief answer. 
 
 " Oh, release your hold of me, for you are cracking my ribs, and I don't 
 like a man's embrace at any time." 
 
 " Promise, my lord." 
 
 " Oh, bosh, Murden, you know that the lord business is all played out, 
 and it is no longer a joke. Let up on me, and I '11 promise anything you 
 ask." 
 
T2O The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Even to walking back into that house, and returning to the room where 
 you belong ? " 
 
 " No, sir, not if you should press the life out of me. So go ahead, and 
 do your worst," J said most determinedly. 
 
 He released me from his tight embrace, and stepped back, so that he 
 could have a better look at my face, and watch its expression. 
 
 " My lord," he said, " I see traces of tears in your eyes, but tears are not 
 always the sign of repentance. Why have you left your young wife at this 
 hour of the night, and in this mysterious manner ? " 
 
 " Because I am a man of honor, and will not stain my good name by pre- 
 tending to be that which I am not. I am the husband of Miss Kebblewhite, 
 but only in name, and no earthly power shall tempt me to claim her as my 
 wife, unless she is satisfied to take me as I am, a person without title, and 
 without fortune." 
 
 " My lord," said the Chief, with a mocking smile, as he removed his cap, 
 and bowed low before me, "if one of my men had stood before me, and re- 
 lated such a yarn, I should have told him that he was a liar, and unworthy 
 of the police force, but as you are a nobleman, and my superior in rank and 
 fortune, I will simply say that I understand your motives, and will take all 
 the means that lie in my power to frustrate them. I suspected something of 
 this nature, and have waited outside of the house to thwart you in the gross 
 wrong which you contemplate." 
 
 " What wrong do I contemplate ? " I asked, astonished at his words. 
 
 "I overheard your pretended confession to Mrs. Kebblewhite while I 
 was in the hall. We policemen sometimes have to be listeners. You told a 
 pitiful tale, and any one but a man accustomed to all kinds of cunning and 
 turns would have believed you. I did not. I saw through your scheme, 
 and determined to defeat it, for your sake, and the sake of the young lady 
 whom you have just forsaken on some mean and cowardly pretext. It won't 
 wash, my lord, so I give you fair warning." 
 
 " I suspected that you had played the part of an eavesdropper, and had 
 listened to a private conversation, Mr. Murden, Chief of Police, but I am at 
 a loss to understand you, when you accuse me of meanness and duplicity." 
 
 " I will explain, Earl of Afton," speaking in a sarcastic tone. " Since 
 you have been in Melbourne you have made some rapid conquests of the 
 young ladies who reside here. I know all that has transpired in the last 
 three weeks, and, if you had the least shame in your lordly nature, you 
 would blush for your evil deeds. But as you are incapable of doing so, we 
 will let that pass. Among all the women you met none fascinated you so 
 
The Belle of Australia. 121 
 
 strongly as Miss Kebblewhite, and the girl Kitty. The former you did not 
 dare to insult with infamous proposals, so you talked to her of marriage, 
 and thought that familiarity with such a sacred tie, would render her less 
 vigilant. You were defeated, and then attempted to shirk the wedding. I 
 put a spoke in your wheel, and made you perform your part of the contract 
 to the letter. The girl Kitty was in the market, and you bought her. Of 
 that I have nothing to say as long as you were a single man. You lavished 
 money on her and of that I do not complain. If ever a man regarded his 
 mistress as something a little better than a dog, you were the person ; but I 
 swear to you, my lord, that if you go near that girl tonight, or any other 
 time, if you speak to her, or make appointments with her, I will arrest you 
 both, even if the lieutenant-governor should issue an edict commanding me 
 not to do so. Do you understand me now, my lord ? " 
 
 " O my God ! " I gasped, and clung to the tree by which I had descended 
 from the window, and then the tears, which I had so long restrained, burst 
 from my eyes, and ran down my cheeks in torrents. 
 
 The Chief stood before me, proud, defiant, and scornful. He thought 
 that I was playing a part, and that he was checkmating it at every turn. 
 
 " Heaven," I gasped at length, " are you a man, or a high-toned devil, 
 fresh from the deepest parts of the infernal regions, sent on earth to drive 
 me mad with your base suppositions ? Wretch, do you believe that I could 
 leave the presence and company of that pure angel, my wife, for the atmos- 
 phere of a mistress? If I had a pistol I would shoot you like a dog for 
 even hinting at such an abomination." 
 
 " But as you have no pistol I am likely to live for some time to come. 
 Other men have done the same thing, and of more distinguished rank than 
 yourself. Even Frederick the Great " 
 
 " Frederick the Great ! " I cried impatiently. 
 
 " With all my heart. He 's no friend of mine, and probably has been 
 damned for many years past. If not, he deserved to be." 
 
 " Mr. Murden," I said, as soon as I could recover my composure, " to 
 you and your devilish craftiness am I indebted for all the misery, and all 
 the unhappiness, I am likely to experience for many long years to come. 
 You have this night woven a web around me that I could not break through, 
 try as I would." 
 
 " I should think not," was the complacent rejoinder. " I weave webs to 
 stay, and not to break." 
 
 " A few hours ago," I continued, " I was happy in the thoughts of the fu- 
 ture, of earning a fair living by my talent and industry, if not in one busi- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 ness at least in another. I was heart whole. I had never loved any other 
 woman except my mother, and I did not desire to. I met you on my way to 
 the theatre, and you were pleased to call me a lord, and to relate to me 
 something which I knew nothing about." 
 
 I paused, and strove to keep back the emotion that would surge from my 
 eyes as I thought of all that I had suffered at the hands of the man who 
 stood before me, with a half-smile on his lips, disbelieving every word that I 
 uttered. 
 
 " Devil that you are, you made me do some things that my soul abhorred. 
 I thought that I could save that poor girl, and still extricate myself from 
 your toils, but in saving her I lost myself." 
 
 '' Bah, my lord ! did you think so poorly of me as to suppose that I would 
 arrest Kitty ? It was a game of bluff, and I held a full hand, and you did 
 not even have a pair. I called when I was ready, and you did no.t respond. 
 That is all." 
 
 " Then you brought me here, to this elegant mansion, and I was received 
 as the wandering bridegroom, with open arms and every demonstration of 
 pleasure and respect." 
 
 " Certainly, why should you not have been ? It is customary in all well- 
 regulated society to treat the bridegroom with honor, unless the old man has 
 especial objections to him. Now my father-in-law was so anxious to get his 
 daughter off his hands, that he got drunk before the wedding, and when I 
 put in an appearance, wanted to kiss me, and to swear eternal friendship, 
 while my mother-in-law declared that I was not good enough for her child 
 and, in her anxiety to get us out of the house, and started on our own ac- 
 count, fell down-stairs, and broke one of her legs, and could n't visit us for 
 three months. There are some bright episodes on earth, my lord, after all." 
 
 " When I would explain everything," I continued, not noticing his long 
 harangue, " you blocked me at every step, and would listen to nothing, or 
 permit others to. You know the result. God of heaven ! I am married to 
 an angel, and must live apart from her. I love her, and can never see her, 
 or speak to her. There does not exist in all the regions of the civilized 
 world a more unhappy, desperate wretch than I, and to you am I indebted 
 for all of it." 
 
 " Of course you are. I was bound to give you a lesson, and I have ac- 
 complished my object. I determined to show you that the people of Mel- 
 bourne could be as sharp as the nobility of England. I have put a stop to 
 your amours and flirtations in this city at least. If you love your wife, I 
 am rejoiced at it, but why you should leave her at this hour of the morning 
 
The Belle of Australia. 123 
 
 is beyond my comprehension. Lovers do not act that way, my lord, and 
 you know it." 
 
 " I give it up," I sighed. " There is no power but a revelation from heav- 
 en can convince you that I speak the truth." 
 
 " Not unless backed by reliable and responsible witnesses, my lord. But 
 now we understand one another. Go your way, if you want to. I have no 
 power to detain you more. Wander where you will, do as you will, but go 
 not near that girl Kitty, or there will be trouble, as sure as my name is 
 Murden. Her house is watched, and will be for several days. Go, my 
 lord," and he stepped back and one side, and removed his cap as he bowed. 
 " Go, and leave a ruined and broken life behind you. You have crushed 
 the sweetest flower in all Australia, and I hope you will be d d for it." 
 
 "O Mr. Murden," I cried, "if you would but believe me. If you knew 
 how much I love my wife, if you would but comprehend my delicacy," I 
 pleaded. 
 
 " Blast your delicacy," was the rough rejoinder. "It won't wash here in 
 Australia. I know something about it, and have heard of it in a dozen dif- 
 ferent cases. But I have had my say, and have done with you and your 
 love affairs. Good-night, my lord. Remember my warning." 
 
 He put on his cap, and walked off in one direction, and I in another, but, 
 as I left the extensive grounds that surrounded the house, I turned, and 
 took one farewell look at my wife's chamber. It was still brilliantly illumi- 
 nated, but there were shadows flitting back and forth, from window to win- 
 dow, and, with a sob of pain, I turned into Victoria Parade, and plodded 
 along until I saw a hansom, with the driver fast asleep on the box, standing 
 on the corner, waiting for a belated customer like myself. I did not know 
 where the Hen and Chickens, my chop house, was located, but I determined 
 to find it, and leave the city as early as possible in the morning. The 
 clock struck two as I awakened the cabman, and told him where to take me. 
 
 " No. short commons for me, yer know," he said. " I vants a crown to 
 take a swell like yer at this 'our, yer know." 
 
 " All right, you shall have it. Drive on. I shall be locked out," I said. 
 
 No danger of that, sir. They is hall nighters at the 'En." 
 
 He drove on through the rough, deserted streets, and not a soul did we 
 encounter, except an occasional policeman, and some huge bullock teams, 
 drawn by eight and ten head of cattle, on their return trips to the country 
 for wool and hides, and other produce. 
 
 In ten minutes we pulled up near the door of the Hen and Chickens. 
 We could not stop just in front of the hotel, for a large covered wagon to 
 
124 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 which was attached four horses, blocked the way. I paid the driver his 
 crown, and even then he had the impudence to demand pourboire, or a 
 glass of beer, and, as I was too miserable to refuse, I told him to go into 
 the bar, and get what he wanted. 
 
 As I entered the tap-room I saw the head waiter seated at a table, and 
 drinking* beer with a man who was evidently the driver of the team standing 
 at the door. He was dressed in coarse woollen garments, trousers tucked 
 in high boots, and a broad-brimmed felt hat thrown back from a face that 
 was unmistakably Irish, but with such a good-humored expression that I 
 was quite attracted by it. 
 
 The head waiter jumped up, and came toward me as I entered. 
 
 "'Ad about given yer hup, sir, for the night," he said. " The chamber- 
 maid 'as been in 'ere a dozen times to ax for yer, and to see that yer vos 
 hall right for the night. She is spoons on yer by a great deal, and she nev- 
 er vos so afore ; but I told 'er that yer vos a swell, and not the kind of 
 game that vould stoop to 'er, and she jist said I vos to mind my hown busi- 
 ness, and not to meddle vid 'ers. But yer is hall right now, and vot did yer 
 think of the play, and the Belle of Australia? Ah, she 's a rum one for 
 good looks, I 'm told, and it 's said that a big swell vos to run in 'arness vid 
 'er. Vill yer 'ave somethin' 'ot or cold, beer and a bit of cheese ? " 
 
 During all this conversation on the part of the head waiter, I had been 
 examining the face of the Irish stockman, until at last he grew restless un- 
 der my scrutiny, and said, 
 
 " Well, young feller, yer will know me agin, I 'm after thinking, begor." 
 
 " No offence, mate," I replied. " I was just wondering whether you would 
 join me in a pot of half-and-half, and a bit of bread and cheese." 
 
 " Sure I will if yer honor will stand the trate," was the reply with a grin. 
 
 The head waiter brought the bread and cheese and beer, and then joined 
 us. 
 
 " Is that your team at the door ? " I asked of the stockman. 
 
 " Sure it is not, but my employer's, sur, bad luck to him for a miser." 
 
 " Do you leave the city tonight ? " I asked, thinking that I saw a way to 
 escape. 
 
 " Faith and I do, in less than half an hour, if I can get through wid me 
 beer by that toime." 
 
 " Where are you going ? " I asked. 
 
 " To the master's shape run, about tin miles from Ballarat. We pass 
 through Slabtown, and have an aisy journey of it, for we goes in the night, 
 and avoid the hate." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 125 
 
 " Ballarat ? Is n't that the place where gold is found in such large quan- 
 tities?" I demanded. 
 
 "Shure it is, sur, when yer is in the luck. But, begor, all a'n't in that 
 way at all. But some makes a stroike once in a while. There was Pat 
 Maguire, he had the divil's own luck." 
 
 "What will you charge to give me a lift on the way to Ballarat ? I want 
 to go there, and try my luck in the mines. I am an American, and a 
 stranger here." 
 
 " An American ? Whoop ! do yer think I 'm a hathen to ax yer a penny 
 for all the ridin' I can give yer ? Shure yer welcome to go wid me, and to 
 stay on the run where I look after the shape as long as yer want to, and no 
 money shall it cost yer. But yer can't go in thim clothes. They be too 
 noice." 
 
 " 1 have others. I will go with you, but shall insist upon paying my 
 passage." 
 
 " Faith, yer may insist all yer want to, but Orish Mike is not the buy to 
 take money from an American, now yer belave it. I has a brother there, 
 and nine fust cousins, and, perhaps, yer knows 'em. They is in a place 
 called New York, and all doin' well, wid lushin's of whiskey every day, and 
 but little to do. Whoop ! but don't I wish that I was there, and perhaps I 
 shall be some day. Who knows ? " 
 
 The head waiter and Mike exchanged significant looks, and then I told 
 the former that I would run up to my room, change my clothes, leave in his 
 charge all the best that I owned, and pay him for taking care of them until 
 I returned. If I never returned, he might keep them, for which generosity 
 the man expressed many thanks. 
 
 The proposed sudden departure was no cause of surprise to the head 
 waiter. He was accustomed to it, and made no objection. He went with 
 me to my chamber, helped me assort my clothes, and dress in gray flannel 
 shirt and trousers, wide-brimmed hat, California boots, and spurs, and belt 
 containing revolver and bowie-knife. The change of costume I thought 
 would disguise my appearance so much that no one would recognize me. 
 The poorest of my wardrobe, with towels, brushes, and hammock, I resolved to 
 take with me, and the head waiter carried all down-stairs, and put them 
 in the cart. I gave him a shilling for his trouble, paid for my refreshments, 
 and then, in the goodness of his heart, the waiter filled my large pocket 
 flask with brandy, and I was ready, and so was Mike. 
 
 ' Come 'ere agin, sir," cried the waiter, as we mounted the wagon. " Hoi- 
 ways glad to see yer. Vot shall I tell the chamber-maid, sir ? " 
 
T26 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Mike awoke the horses, and we were off, so I did not have to send a mes- 
 sage to the girl. 
 
 Through the avenues of Melbourne we rumbled, over the rough streets 
 and roads, across the bridge that spans the Yarrow, out into the country, 
 and on the dry, dusty thoroughfares we plodded our way ; and, while I sat 
 with head bowed on my breast, and tears fast falling from my eyes, how lit- 
 tle I thought that in the mansion I had so recently left there was bustle and 
 confusion > and that lights flashed from many windows, and that in the rich- 
 ly furnished chamber I had entered as a husband, there was lying a young, 
 pale-faced girl, clutching wildly at the cool night air, moaning, and tossing 
 her fair head from side to side, and finding no rest on the soft pillows, her 
 eyes parched, and from which no tears would flow, begging and pleading 
 in incoherent tones to her mother, who knelt by the bedside with trembling 
 hands and bitter sighs, for pardon, for love, and the return to her arms of 
 her young husband, while through the streets of the city hansoms raced 
 from place to place, and three men, all sober from the effects of wine, but 
 drunk with rage and passion, armed with pistols and rapier, went from club 
 to hotel, from billiard saloon to free-and-easy, dance hall to cellar, in every 
 place that a wild, thoughtless nobleman would be likely to frequent, in 
 search of the man who had unwittingly ruined the happiness, the mind and 
 the reason of the Belle of Australia; but neither in dance hall, nor in free- 
 and-easy, in hotel or club house, did the angry men find the object of their 
 search, and, as a last resort, Mr. Kebblewhite routed out Mr. Murden, the 
 Chief of Police, and, in tones that were wild, and trembling with passion, 
 demanded his aid in arresting, and bringing back to his house, the young 
 nobleman who had insulted his daughter, and the whole tribe of Kebble- 
 whites, and a reward of one hundred pounds was offered to the man who 
 should be so fortunate as to lay his rough hands on my shoulder, and claim 
 me as a prisoner, as the reason, health, and happiness of the newly wedded 
 wife depended upon the prompt execution of the order. But of this I was 
 blissfully unconscious, for had I known all I should have returned to the 
 mansion, and by my presence soothed the unhappy Belle of Australia, and, 
 perhaps, even then there would have been pardon and happiness for the 
 young wife and husband. But I did not know all that was transpiring in 
 the city, and so rode onward, and left civilization and comfort, ease and 
 plenty far behind me, and I did not again see the city that sheltered my 
 love for many a long and dreary day. 
 
BAD LUCK TO YER, YER SPALPEEN!" ROARED MIKE AS HE ROLLED OVER THE TRUNK OF THE TREE. 
 
 PART VI. 
 
 A JOURNEY, AND A MOUNTED POLICEMAN'S HALT. THE NOISES OF 
 THE FOREST. A CUP OF TEA AND THE KANGAROO. THE 
 QUAKER AND HIS QUESTIONS. OLD WEBBER AND 
 HIS BLOOMING DAUGHTER. AN INDUCE- 
 MENT. MIKE GIVES ME A 
 SOLEMN WARNING. 
 
 't 1 7HILE Mr. Anderson Kebblewhite, and his son, Mr. Judson Kebble. 
 * * white, and Monsieur Allete, were searching ever}* public and private 
 resort in Melbourne, with vengeance in their minds, and murder in their 
 hearts, and while the white, stern-faced Frenchman was uttering the most 
 fascinating of oaths, in a strange mixture of English and his native dialect, 
 vowing that he would plunge his sharp-pointed rapier in the breast of the 
 noble lord who had dared to trifle with the honor and fair fame of the Belle 
 of Australia, the pride and delight of her father and friends, I was journey- 
 ing through the suburbs of the city, past handsome villas, low drinking tav- 
 erns, stockmen's shanties, sheep stations, native's huts, of grass and branch- 
 
128 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 es, scrub and swamp, tall trees, and extensive farms, occasionally meeting 
 a mounted policeman, who eyed us sharply, but suffered us to pass unchal- 
 lenged, and all that time I had not exchanged a word with Mike, my com- 
 panion. He had seen that I was in trouble, and, with a delicacy peculiar to 
 the sympathetic people of his race, had not interrupted the flow of my grief, 
 or attempted to make me converse. But, as the horses trotted on, and all 
 signs of the city began to disappear, and the country to grow wild and un- 
 cultivated, Mike lighted his pipe, handed a bottle toward me, and said, 
 
 " It 's a sorrowful load yer is carryin' in yer breast, mate, so take a sup of 
 this, and sa if it won't lighten the spell that 's on yer. Whiskey for the 
 man what 's had a misfortune, and tay for them what don't need cheerin'. 
 Come, mate, rouse up, and be a man. Yer is young, and there 's more lass- 
 es than one in the world, and, faith, wid yer swell looks and face, divil a fear 
 but that ye '11 find anither gal what will jump into yer arms, and put her 
 pritty head on yer shoulder. Bedad, don't I know all about it. I Ve been 
 there as often as any buy of my inches, and Orish Mike is still unblessed by 
 praist and the troubles of a wife. Whoop, get up thar, yer blunderin' hold 
 idiots, what don't know no more than to go to slape while walkin' in a road 
 that is na deep in dust, except in the winter when'itis waist deep in mud 
 and water. Away wid yer, cr we won't be home for a wake." 
 
 The last remarks were addressed to the horses, who desired to walk, and 
 go to sleep, instead of moving onward at a steady trot. 
 
 I took a little sip from the bottle to please Mike, and it did delight him. 
 
 " Whoop ! that does me good," he cried. ' No more sorrer for a woo- 
 min, if it 's one that makes yer face look like the winding shate at a wake. 
 Begor, chere up, and it 's lots of fun we '11 have afore we raches the shape 
 run, where I has the charge." 
 
 "Ah, Mike," I said, " I shall never smile again. My heart is broken." 
 
 " Bedad, but that 's a mistake entirely now. If yer heart was broken it 's 
 under the ground yer 'd be, and the daisies growin' at yer head, and all yer 
 relations fightin' for yer property." 
 
 " But I have no property." 
 
 " So much the bitter. We can be more sociable loike. If yer had mon- 
 ey ye 'd not be talkin' wid the loikes of me." 
 
 " There you are mistaken, Mike. I like a man for what he is, and not 
 for what he is worth." 
 
 " Do yer? Well, it 's a mighty queer place yer has come to thin, and it 's 
 not many yer '11 find to kape yer company. But tell me, mate, is yer sor- 
 rowful 'cos the lass has shipped yer, and taken anoother ? " 
 
The Belle of Australia. 129 
 
 ' No, Mike, it s not that." 
 
 " Has yer married her ? or has she dided ? " 
 
 " She is not dead, Mike, but I am married to her." 
 
 " And has she gone off wid anoother man ? " 
 
 " No, she is incapable of such a crime." 
 
 " And yer has not gone off wid anoother woman ? " 
 
 " No, Mike, far from it." 
 
 "Then, bedad, yer jist bate me : but of wun thing be sure, jist as true as 
 the pole points to the nadle, or the nadle points to the pole, I jist don't 
 know which, yer may count on wun thing, and that is yer two will come to- 
 gether agin, no matter whar yer may be." 
 
 " Do you think so, Mike ? " I asked, really hopeful under his rough con- 
 solation. 
 
 " Sure, I know it, sur. A wooman is a strange sort of crature, arter all. 
 If she runs from her hoosband wid anoother man she is always ready for to 
 be forgiven, but if he runs away wid anoother wooman divil a bit will she 
 let up on him. Now, yer has not offended her finer sensibilities, as they 
 call it, and she has not woounded yers, and so there will be a re-union at 
 some time, be sure. A wooman can draw a man all over the globe if she 
 wants to. Sure one drew me to this country, and bad luck to her." 
 
 " How was that, Mike ? " 
 
 " Well, sur, loight yer pipe, and I '11 tell yer. Yer see, sur, I 'm a lag" 
 
 " A what ? " I asked, for I had never heard the word before. 
 
 " A lag, sur. Sure, I spake the word as plain as pussible." 
 
 " Yes, but I do not know what a lag is. I am new to Australia." 
 
 " Yer must be, sur, not to know what a lag is. I thought everybody 
 knew what a lag is. The country is full of 'em, sur." 
 
 " Possibly, but I do not know all the terms you use here. Recollect I am 
 from America." 
 
 "True, sur, and God bless yer honor for comin' from a land where a 
 man can vote, and get elected to the highest office the furst year he lands, 
 and for ivery vote he casts, he gets lushin's of whiskey, as me brother writes. 
 But a lag, sur, is a convict, sure." 
 
 " And you are a convict ? " I asked, with a square look at the frank face, 
 and broad grin, extending from ear to ear. 
 
 " And why not, sur ? There 's plinty of 'em round here." 
 
 " But you are at large. You are free to do as you pleae." 
 
 " Not quite, sur. I 'm not quite free as yet, 'cos I 'm a ticket-of-lave man, 
 and the police kape an eye on me. But next wake, plase God, me time will 
 9 
 
13d The Belle of Australia. 
 
 be up, and I shall be fray to go whar I plase, and do what I plase, and the 
 bloody traps, bad luck to 'em, can't lay wun of their dirty fingers on me. I 
 reported to the office in Melbourne yesterday for the last time, and that 's 
 what sint me to the city wid a small load of wool, and to git a stock of tay 
 and sugar for the run and the min. Whoop ! and won't I be off to other 
 diggin's next wake. I 've had enough shape runnin' to last me for all me 
 loif." 
 
 " But you have not told me why you were transported, and how a woman 
 drew you all the way from Old Ireland to this country," I said. 
 
 " True for yer, sur, I have not, 'cos I kapes that for the last, as it 's the 
 wust of all. Yer see, sur, I was transported to this God-forsaken country 
 for havin' a little crack at a landlord/' 
 
 " Do you mean that you shot at him, Mike ? " 
 
 " That 's what I do mane, sur, and a moighty inane man he was. Yer see 
 he kept puttin' up the rint, and I determined to put him down, and one 
 night I peppered him from behind a hedge. Lord, sur, yer would have died 
 laughin' to see him jump. Me gun was loaded wid small shot, and they all 
 hit him below the belt. He jist clapped his hands behind him, and 
 scrached that loud that yer could have heard him a mile. Will, sur, I was 
 looked arter by the buys, and kept out of the way of the bloody peelers, but 
 wun night I got word that me gurl wanted me to come to her cabin, and I 
 wint, and the furst thing I knowed the purlice had me by the arms and the 
 neck, and I was locked up, and convicted, and that 's the way a wooman 
 drew me to this country, bad luck to 'em." 
 
 Mike lighted his pipe again, took a sip from the black bottle, whistled to 
 h's horses, and, after offering me a drink, which I declined, once more 
 continued, 
 
 " Now, sur," he said, " when yer go back to Amerikee I want yer to take 
 me wid yer. Faith, but it 's a nice helpmate I '11 be for yer, and no wages 
 asked for, and I '11 be the best friend yer iver had in this wourld, man or 
 wooman." 
 
 " You forget, Mike, that I am poor, and have but little hope of making 
 money just at present. I am going to Ballarat to see if I can find a lucky 
 strike in the mines, or at least to look about, and see what 1 can do to make 
 a living." 
 
 *' Divil doubt but that ye '11 have the illegant luck. I see it in yer face. 
 Yer was born under a lucky star, and will be a rich man. and live wid the 
 wun yer is now laviri' miny and miny a year to come. I wants no wages 
 till yer can be ready to pay me, and, let me whisper in yer ear, 1 've a him- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 131 
 
 dred puns in the bank at Melbourne, all of which I have arned since I Ve 
 been a ticket-of-lave man, now eight years, for I was sintenced for tin years, 
 and all that money yer can have, and no questions axed, as long as yer want, 
 to do wid jist what yer plase, and yer shall be the capen, and I '11 be a plane 
 man, and do yer biddin', from crackin' a head to diggin' for gould. Oh, it 
 is illegant times we '11 have, and when yer is rich we '11 go to Amerikee, and 
 ye '11 run for alderman or mayor, and, O Lord ! won't we live on the fat of 
 the land, and won't I make the lads from Limerick vote for yer ivery time, 
 and as often as is necessary. Sure ye '11 be as rich a purson as old Kebble- 
 white, the mane old divil." 
 
 " Mr. Kebblewhite ? " I repeated. " Do you know him? " 
 
 " Know him ? Sure, don't I know him. He 's me master, and owns me 
 shape run, and fifty thoosand acres of land, and twenty thoosand as nice 
 shape as can be found in all Victoria. Sure I ought to know him. I 've 
 worked for him eight years. Oh, but he 's jist lushin' rich, he is, and owns 
 more stores and more wool than any man in the city." 
 
 " Do you mean Mr. Anderson Kebblewhite, Mike, a stout, red-faced 
 man ? " 
 
 u The same, sur. He lives on Victoria Parade, in a big house, and has a 
 nice darter. O my, a'n't she the stepper, and the beauty ? I seed her on 
 the strate, and it seamed that her little foots did n't touch the ground, for 
 she 'd jist skim over it. She 's called the Belle of Australia, and no won- 
 der, for there 's not anoother lass in these parts that can hold a candle to 
 her. Faith, but I wish yer could have sane her. Yer would have sighed 
 wuss than yer do now, and, the divil fly away wid me, but yer two would 
 have made a nice pair, she all goold and white, loike the pale rose at sun- 
 rise, and yer a little brown, loike a stately gum-tree at sunset. Ah me, but 
 she 's not for the loikes of us, as I heard that she was married yesterday to 
 a big swell from the Ould Country, and I '11 bet me hundred puns that he 
 makes her heart ache afore he 's done wid her." 
 
 I turned away my head to prevent Mike seeing the tears that would start 
 to my eyes, as I thought of Florence, and our singular marriage. How lit- 
 tle the Irishman suspected that I was the " swell," as he called the bride- 
 groom, who had wedded the Belle of Australia, and was now flying for his 
 life, and in search of happiness far away from the lady he so dearly loved. 
 
 " Let us hope that she will be happy. Mike," I said, as soon as I could 
 command my voice. 
 
 " Yes, sur, wid all me heart. Sure, if her father is a mane old kermug- 
 gin, the nice young gurl is not to blame. But now I hopes he 's satisfied. 
 
132 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 He always wanted a suction of the harastocracy for his son-in law, and now 
 he has him." 
 
 Mike had made a slight mistake in a word, following in this respect his 
 employer, but it was not worth while correcting him. He was so honest in 
 his opinion, that it was better to let him have his own way. 
 
 " And to think," continued Mike, " that old Kebblewhite should be sich 
 a rich man. He 's jist picked up goold by the shovelful ; and, arter all, Ju 
 was only a lag hike me" 
 
 "What?" I asked, turning on Mike so suddenly, that he dropped his 
 match, and nearly broke his pipe. 
 
 " Sure he was a lag. I thought i very body knew that. He kapes it 
 mighty close, and I heard that he was afeared his swell son-in-law would 
 hear of it, and so skip out. But it sanies that he did n't. Oh, the old feller 
 was given twenty years, him and an old servant what he has, who is called 
 Harry. They was fust-class bugglars, and cracked a bank, and got nabbed. 
 Old Kebblewhite behaved hisself, and got a ticket-of-lave the fust year or 
 two, and he went on a shape run, and saw what was what, and then he start- 
 ed for hisself, and grew rich, and then he bought and sold wool, and made 
 more money, and he kept buying land, and more shape, and stores and land 
 in the city, and when his time was out, that was twenty-six years ago, he 
 was jist bustin' wid wealth. He married a nice wooman, a real lady, I 'm 
 told, who was poor, and had n't any friends, and so was glad to take even an 
 old lag, but I 'm informed that he 's a good husband to her, and loves his 
 darter, and no wonder that he does, for she 's worth lovin', and a credit to 
 any man." 
 
 I had lighted my pipe while Mike was relating this wonderful piece of 
 family history, and now I could understand some of the mystery which had 
 surrounded Mr. Kebblewhite and me. I could comprehend why the Earl 
 of Afton, if there was such a man, had failed to keep his engagement, even 
 if he had any intention to do so. The story of transportation for burglary 
 had reached his ears, and he had fled at the last moment, fearful of casting 
 a blot upon the honor of his house by wedding the true, pure-hearted daugh 
 ter of a convicted felon. This was the cause of Mr. Murden's surmises and 
 questions, of Mrs. Kebblewhite's delicate inquiries at the hour I made 
 my revelations ; and now all was plain to me, why Mr. Kebblewhite desired 
 to form an alliance for his daughter that would raise her out of the ranks of 
 ordinary society, and lift her and her family up to a height that no other 
 merchant in Melbourne could expect to obtain. But his ambitious schemes 
 were frustrated by the very person whom he had counted on to do the work. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 133 
 
 The daughter's beauty had done its part, but pride had proved stronger 
 than love, and the lordly suitor had left the city, and I, in some singular 
 manner, had taken his place, and wedded the girl who was to accomplish 
 such a miracle for her family. Did I regret it ? No, a thousand times no. 
 I would have married her, loved her, and protected her, if I had been a 
 duke instead of only an American citizen, poor and unknown. Her fathers 
 previous history would not have made the slightest difference to me. It 
 was Florence whom I loved and respected, not her wealth and surroundings. 
 She was the first one that I had ever admired and really loved, and I felt 
 that she would be the last. How I prayed that night that God would soften 
 the stroke that had fallen upon her golden head, that God would heal the 
 wounds, which now lacerated her heart, would dry up her tears, and once 
 more bring smiles to the pale, unhappy looking face, so beautiful in its girl- 
 ish beauty on the night that she had placed her little hand in my own, and 
 pledged her heart and herself to be mine forever. Had all the world been 
 against her I would have stood up and loved her, and clung to her only the 
 more closely. But she had repudiated me in the first moment of disappoint- 
 ment, she had turned upon me as soon as she found that I could not lift 
 her up to the position to which she aspired, and when I would have had a 
 kind word for a last fare well, she had not responded by a look or gesture, 
 but had let me go forth into the night without hope or forgiveness. All 
 these things I thought of, and how long: I thought of them I do not know, 
 for I was aroused by the voice of Mike asking, 
 
 " Well, sur, what is yer thinkin' of now ? " 
 
 " The Belle of Australia, Mike." 
 
 "Well, sur, I 'd not think of her at all, 'cos she 's beyond yer rach. She 
 is married, and yer must not think of married ladies, when a good-lookin' 
 feller loike yerself can foind plinty of single ones what would jump at yer 
 loike a kangaroo at a dog, or a native black at an opossum. Come, sur, tell 
 me what yer think of me offer. Will yer take me wid yer, and let me sarve 
 yer?" 
 
 " I don't know what to say to your proposition, Mike." 
 
 " Then say 'Yes.' Yer shall niver repint it. Yer sa, sur, I '11 drive the 
 tame to the shape run, stay me time out, and thin jist pack up me traps, and 
 come to yer at Ballarat. I 'm only tin miles from the mines, and wun of the 
 buys will take me over some day. I '11 find yer, and thin we '11 go in for a 
 fortune, and a good time. I '11 sind for me money, and yer can use it jist as 
 yer say fit, divil a bit do I care as long as yer take care of it for me, and let 
 me go wid yer to Amerikee," 
 
134 The Belle of Atistralia. 
 
 " No, Mike, you keep your money just where it is. Do not remove it 
 from the bank, for I would not touch it on any account. I have a little of 
 my own, and will make that answer until we can look around, and see what 
 we can do in mining." 
 
 " And ye '11 take me, sur ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mike, we '11 link our fortunes together, and see if we can't make 
 some money in the next six months." 
 
 " Whoop ! go long wid yer, yer slapin' brutes. Sure we is both rich men 
 from this moment. There 's luck wid yer sure as my name is Orish Mike. 
 But, bedad, who is ridin' loike that at this hour of the mornin' ? It 's a 
 mounted trap as sure as I 'm a Christian." 
 
 Mike's surmises were correct, for a mounted policeman, horse and rider 
 covered with dust and foam, drew up alongside of us, and checked his 
 steed. 
 
 "Halt," he cried. " I wish to see what you have on board, and to ask a 
 few questions." 
 
 " Sure, yer can look wid all yer eyes, and yer can ask as many questions 
 as yer plase," Mike answered. 
 
 " I intend to," was the gruff rejoinder. " When did you leave Mel- 
 bourne ? " 
 
 " About two o'clock, I think," Mike answered. 
 
 " Have you seen a w r ell-dressed gentleman on the road, traveling on foot 
 or in a carriage ? A young man, good-looking and smooth-spoken ? " the po- 
 liceman asked. 
 
 " No, sur. Me mate here and me has seen no sich purson." 
 
 " Stand up, and let me see you both," was the sharp command. 
 
 " Faith we will sur, if it will plase yer. Stand up, mate, as the gintleman 
 directs. We nade not be ashamed of our good looks, aven at this hour of 
 the mornin', when we has not had our bath or clane linen, or barber to 
 comb our hair." 
 
 " None of your jesting with me, Mike. I know you, and you know me." 
 
 " Faith, it 's none but good yer knows of me, and miny a chop of mutton, 
 and hot damper, I 've given yer, Mr. Larry, and miny a sip out of the bot- 
 tle on a dark, rainy night, when yer has been scoutin' for bushrangers." 
 
 " True, Mike, but I have no time to recall old times. There 's the devil 
 and all to pay in the city. The swell that married old Kebblewhite's daugh- 
 ter has cut and run, and we must find him. A hundred pounds to the offi- 
 cer who secures him," the policeman cried 
 
 "And must I have a crack at him if I should mate him on the road? 
 
The Belle of Australia. 135 
 
 Sure, a hundred puns is much money, and I 'd loike it. L'egor, I has me 
 old musket here in the wagon, and it 's loaded wid six fingers, and I could 
 blow the head off of man or baste, if I wunce drew on him." 
 
 Xot for your life," was the stern command. " He 's a big lord, and a 
 little luny, it is said. He 's to be treated with the utmost respect, but he is 
 to be returned to the city. The Chief wants him. He has sent out twenty 
 men to scour the roads, and find him. Whom have you with you, Mike ? 
 Draw a match, and let me see his shape and make up." 
 
 Mike drew a match, but it did not ignite readily, and, while hunting for 
 another, he continued the conversation, while I sat silent on the seat, 
 dreading an exposure. 
 
 ;> Is it for forgere, bugglary, or murder, sur?" asked Mike. "Sure it 
 must be a bad crime that makes so hot a chase. To the divil wid the 
 matches, I 've no more, I don't think." 
 
 No matter, Mike. I see your mate is a rough-dressed fellow, and so 
 won't bother you. Go on if you want to. I must go as far as Webber's, 
 and wait until daylight." 
 
 The horseman turned to resume his gallop, but Mike stopped him to ask 
 a question. 
 
 Sure, sur, yer don't tell me if it 's bugglary, murder, or decaivin' of the 
 fair sex." he said. 
 
 " I think it must be the last, Mike," laughed the officer. " The swell 
 married the Belle of Australia last night, and it is supposed that the happy 
 couple had a quarrel, and separated. They will sometimes, you know. At 
 any ra'.e he left the house, and can't be found, and now old Kebblewhite, 
 his son, and that Monsieur Allete. all want him, and the Chief worst of all. 
 A hundred pounds to the man \\ho lays hands on the swell, but no violence. 
 He is rich, and is no burglar. He is a young fellow that has been playing 
 the deuse with half the girls of Melbourne. Just like some men, Mike. 
 Now you have had enough of women, since you know what they are capable 
 of. Eh?'' 
 
 " Yer 'd better belave it, sur." 
 
 " Well, solong. I must be off. Hope I shall meet with that hundred 
 pounds before daylight." 
 
 He waved his hand, struck the powerful black horse with his spurs, and 
 was off, riding as easy as a ranche^o of California. 
 
 I uttered a sigh of relief as the policeman disappeared in the bright 
 moonlight, in a cloud of dust. Mike spoke to his horses, and \ve moved on. 
 The driver sat silent for a long time, seemingly cogitating over some matter 
 
136 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 which he was trying to elucidate. At length he lighted his pipe, took a pull 
 at his bottle, and then looked me squarely in the face. 
 
 " Yer honor,'' he said, " that was a narrow squake for yer, and no mistake. 
 If the matches had n't gin out he 'd 'a' knowed yer." 
 
 " What do you mean, Mike ? " 
 
 " Jist what I say, yer honor. Yer is the swell what was married to the 
 Belle of Australia last night." 
 
 I made no reply. 
 
 " I thought it was quare that a swell like yer should walk into the 
 
 Hen and Chickens, change his clothes, and go out wid me in this old tame. 
 Ah, sur, yer has done wrong to lave a young wife the night yer was spliced 
 to her, and not let her know whar yer was goin' ! Go back to the lady, and 
 kiss her, and tell her that yer is sorry, and will niver do so no more, and 
 then love her till the poor little thing will think she 's in paradise, and that 
 yer is the boss angel of her little heaven. Oh, don't let the poor bird flut- 
 ter her wings, and bate them against the scornin' world, with no husband 
 to stretch out his hand so that she can perch on it, and find rest when he 
 whistles. Don't be hard headed when I know that yer heart is riddy to 
 break wid the love that yer has for the young bride, and that yer tears has 
 sprinkled the road all the way from Melbourne loike a rain in spring. Come, 
 yer honor, let me turn the heads of the bastes, and, although I '11 lose time 
 by the token, I '11 bate the lives out of 'em, but I '11 take yer back to the 
 city afore daybreak, and to the white arms and swate face of yer wife. 
 Come, yer honor, let me entrate yer to listen to a man what has been drawn 
 all the way from Ould Oireland to this murderin' country." 
 
 He had stopped his horses, and made a motion as if he would turn them 
 in the direction of Melbourne, but I quieted him by a gesture, which he 
 did not fail to understand. 
 
 " No, Mike," I said, " I must not return to the city at the present time. 
 It would be death to me, and no use to my wife. She married me under a 
 misapprehension ; she made a mistake, a dreadful one for her and me, but it 
 is now too late to remedy it." 
 
 " Sure, people are makin' many mistakes of a loike nature, but they don't 
 disciver them on their weddin' night, as agineral thing, for their eyes is so 
 blinded wid love that they see nothin' but sunshine and flowers, ice krame 
 and cake, a swate smile, and unlimited letters of credit on the stout old 
 bank of love, what was never known to be shaky. Oh murder, be a man 
 and a husband at the same time, and let me return yer to yer home, and the 
 Belle of Australia." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 137 
 
 " Mike," I said, " I would give this island, or continent, if I owned it, to 
 be with my wife at this moment, and think the exchange a cheap one." 
 
 "So would I," was the muttered interjection. 
 
 "But it must not be. There has been a mistake, and I could not rectify 
 it, do all 1 would. She supposed that I was a lord, when I was only a sim- 
 ple citizen of the United States." 
 
 " And a blanked soight better than all the lords in Ould England, or any- 
 other country, except Oireland, do yer moind. Of course I must except Oire- 
 land, and yer don't moind if I do ? " 
 
 " No, Mike, I do not care what you do, as long as you do not betray me, 
 or turn back." 
 
 " Betray yer ? Bedad, if a man should offer to do that I 'd brake his 
 skull wid my shillalah, or shoot his blessed head off wid me musket. But 
 I 'd loike to turn back. Think of yer wife, and her love for yer/' 
 
 " No, Mike, a thousand 'times no. When she found that I was not a 
 lord she would not even give me her hand to say a long farewell. 1 ' 
 
 " The divil she would n't. Will, now, it runs that way wid some woomen. 
 Only to think of that now. Will, will, who would have thought it ? Did 
 yer squaze her a little, yer honor? " 
 
 I disdained to notice this remark. 
 
 " Squazin' does wonders wid some of 'em. They goes all to pieces under 
 a nice, hearty squaze, if yer helps it along wid a few kisses, providin' yer 
 has not bin atin' onjuns. Love and sintiment and kisses don't go hand in 
 hand when a man has been scoffin' onjuns. The woomen thinks there 5 s 
 no true love about a man what wants to kiss her after atin" a peck of 'em. 
 Will yer honor let me smell yer breath ? It 's not jokin' I am, for sure I 
 know every turn of a wooman's heart, as well as I know the faces of me 
 shape, and, do yer moind, every one in twenty thousand has a different 
 look, jist ioike humans. Ye '11 see for yerself, if yer come to me run, and 
 stop for a few days." 
 
 Mike did not insist upon testing if I had partaken of the savory and high- 
 smelling vegetable, but turned his active mind to other matters, of more 
 importance. 
 
 "Now yer sa, sur," he went on, "if yer won't go back till the proper 
 time, we must do all we can to kape it sacret loike. so the traps won't foind 
 yer. When yer gits to Ballarat yer will be swallowed up wid the rist of the 
 miners, and no one will ax who yer is, or what yer is about, or care a blank 
 about yer, at all, at all, unless yer makes a stroik, and thin they '11 flock 
 around, and ax yer to put up the beer. But I '11 be there, and look arter 
 
138 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 yer, so have no fear. But what is yer front name, so that I shall know what 
 to call yer ? " 
 
 "Angus." 
 
 " Hangus ? The divil ! what a name. It would answer for Ould Oireland." 
 
 "Why, Mike?" 
 
 " Because they hang us in that country even for lookin' a landlord in the 
 face, and axin' for a redooksion of the rint. But I '11 be moighty careful, 
 and not make two words of the name while I 'm wid yer at the mines. The 
 buys would think it was a reflection on 'em, for more than half of 'em should 
 be hanged, and the rist should die natural deaths, under the hands of stu- 
 dent doctors." 
 
 And from that time Mike always called and spoke of me as " Hangus," 
 during the many months we were together at the mines, and in Australia. 
 
 "Ah, how I wish we were goin' to the city instead of the shape run," 
 Mike said, after he had remained silent for a few minutes. " Tut we '11 go 
 there sum day, and thin I '11 see yer, and the Belle of Australia on yer arm, 
 jist walkin' around Victoria Parade of an arternoon, as happy as two kittens, 
 and as handsome as birds of paradise, and all the men a takin' off of their 
 hats, and bowin' low, and all the woomen a jist kartesin' and smilin' at yer, 
 and me near yer, all ridcly to bang over the head the fust pusson what did 
 n't pay yer proper respect, and say there was none loike yer in the whole 
 kintry." 
 
 We rode along for a quarter of an hour, Mike being too much occupied 
 with the beautiful and enticing picture he had conjured up, to indulge in 
 conversation, but once in a while I could see his right arm raised in the air, 
 and tremble, as though he was mentally whacking some unfortunate person 
 over the head who had refused to pay court to my beautiful wife, and proper 
 respect to myself. 
 
 We were now in a wild and unproductive part of the country, with some 
 dense woods on either hand, and high, rocky hills in the distance. Occa- 
 sionally we would pass an open space, where the trees had been burned 
 down by the careless use of fire by the native black fellows, and then again 
 we rode through scrub and swamp, where the road was soft and muddy, and 
 badly cut up. 
 
 " In a few minutes we '11 foind a noice clarin',. where there 's runnin' wa- 
 ter, and a place to bile the kittle, and we '11 have a pot of tay, and a bit to 
 skoff, for I 'm that hungry that I could even ate mutton and clamper. I 
 must water the bastes, and give 'em a little rest, for we can't rache Web- 
 ber's afore^ eight o'clock, and we '11 have to stop there till the hate of the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 139 
 
 sun is over, for it 's that powerful that it would melt the heart of even old 
 Kebble white, and that 's putty tough, now I tell yer.'' 
 
 As Mike ceased speaking, I heard, far off in the hills, the loud wailing 
 and sobbing of some person or animal, and then, in the woods on our left, 
 a confused yelping and barking, like the howling of a pack of dogs that 
 were afraid of some formidable foe. 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, what noises are those, Mike ? I never heard any- 
 thing like them in California or South America." 
 
 " No, I should think not," with a tone that was almost boastful, to think 
 that Australia could produce something entirely different from any other 
 part of the world. " They is funny noises, a'n't they? Well, I 'se heard 
 'em enough to tell yer all about 'em, and it 's little I mind 'em now. though 
 the time has been I 'd think the inhabitants of a village churchyard had 
 broke loose, and was trying to spake to each other on the coldness of the 
 weather, and the backwardness of thesason. Do yer moind that cuss what 
 is hickcuppin' like a drunken man ? Will, that is a burd, and it 's called 
 the laugh in* jackass, jist because jackasses don't laugh, but brays. He 
 sints the mornin' air, and, as he can't slape, is tryin' to wake ivery livin' 
 thing that will listen to him. He 's a bad lot, he is, and no man or baste 
 respects him." 
 
 " And the howls on our left, Mike, what are they?" I inquired. 
 
 " Sure, them 's dingos, or wild dogs, and divilish bastes they is whin they 
 gets near a shape run. They '11 kill a whole flock of a night, and sit thou- 
 sands of 'em to runnin' that wild that there 's no gittin' control of 'em agin. 
 Eh, they is a bad lot, too, and wusser than the burd. Sure, I doses 'em 
 with pisen ivery month, and so kapes 'em down. They is loike the wolf 
 and the dog, and not the good qualities of aither. Hear 'em now. Yer 'd 
 think they wus comin' for us, but divil a bit of it. They knows bitter. I 'd 
 loike a shot at 'em wid me old musket, but there 's no chance of that, wid 
 the scrub so thick yer can't sa a hand afore yer. But here we is, Mr. Han- 
 gus, and if ye '11 set still I '11 have the ladin' horses off, and tied up, in no 
 time, and then build a fire. Here 's a putty spot, and there 's water there 
 jist at the foot of the rock. It 's a spring, and all the stockmen in this part 
 of the kintry knows it. Kapc still, yer bastes. Do yer smill the water, 
 and want some ? Will, all in good toime. ' 
 
 Instead of sitting still I got out. and collected some dried. branches of the 
 gum-tree, and started a fire, and soon had a good one, the wood burning like 
 hemp, so full was it of resinous matter. In the mean time Mike had water- 
 ed the horses, by the aid of buckets, and filled a tin teakettle, and put it on 
 
140 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 the flames, and sat down with his back to a bit of scrub, and his face to the 
 fire, while I sat opposite to him. The bright light awakened a flock of parro- 
 quets on a gum-tree, and they chattered and shrieked in a discordant man- 
 ner at being disturbed of their slumbers, while a fat opossum came out of 
 his place of concealment, in the topmost portion of the tree, and looked 
 down at us with his sharp little twinkling eyes, and wondered what we were 
 up to, and if we had any business relations with him that were of impor- 
 tance, and worth his remaining at home. The dingos drew nearer and near- 
 er, but did not show themselves, although it was evident from their barks 
 and growls that they knew of our presence, and wanted to take a look at us, 
 and see if we had any spare provisions. The laughing jackass continued 
 its discordant screams, and then had for a companion in its mirth a solemn 
 owl, that tooted out grave remonstrances every five minutes, at regular in- 
 tervals, while old parrots, with immense beaks of iron-like toughness, gray 
 with age, and red-eyed like drunkards, damned all creation in their native 
 tongues, and the laughing jackass breed of birds in particular. The cold, 
 clear moon was at its full, and looked down on us with evident satisfaction ; 
 the stars twinkled with mirth, and the cool air from the hills, sweet and la- 
 dened with balsams, fanned the flames, and drove all the smoke from our 
 faces and persons, so that we could see each other, and not inhale the 
 smoke at the same time. 
 
 " Now this jist suits me," said Mike. " Ah, how nice it is to have a com- 
 panion in yer jarneys through life, one that yer can rely on in ivery kind of 
 wither, and one that will share the crust wid yer, if yer has one. In a few 
 minutes the taykettle will sing like an ould grandmither cooin' the fust born 
 of her darter on her brist, and imaginin' all sorts of bright futures for the 
 wee thing, in which poverty and unhappiness will have no lot, for we all 
 think our own will be under the protection of the fairies, and that goold will 
 be in their pockets, and lots of sinse in their heads. But when the day of 
 trial comes, when pain " 
 
 He did not finish the sentence. To my surprise and horror a huge, hairy 
 form, with sharp, peaked head, large, fierce eyes, stout, short arms, immens-e 
 legs, and long tail, with one bound jumped from a clump of scrub directly 
 toward us, and, in its flight, hit Mike such a clip over the head with its tail, 
 that he rolled over a log, and then just touched me with its hind legs, 
 and sent me sprawling toward the hot fire and ashes. 
 
 " Had luck to yer, yer spalpeen ! May the clivil fly away wid yer ! May 
 all yer relations be damned, and hung by the neck at the same toime. Holy 
 Moses, but it 's kilt I am, and the vagabond gone off a laughin', wid his long 
 
The Belle of Australia. 141 
 
 tail a shakin' loike a wither vane in a norther ! Now, who 'd V thought 
 the old scamp was thar?" 
 
 What was it, Mike?" I asked, as soon as I could gain rny feet, and 
 draw my revolver, ready to fire at the terrible monster, if I could get sight of 
 him. 
 
 "What was it? The divil ! I thought even a child would have knowed 
 that it was an old-man kangaroo, a wild baste that '11 rip yer bellie out of 
 yer quicker than a butcher can open a pig. Eh, but what a rap he fetched 
 me wid his tail. It felt like a waddy in the hands of a black fellow. But, 
 God be praised, he did n't but jist touch yer wid his hoind legs. They can 
 kick loike a mule, and scratch loike a foightin 1 wooman. The ould divil, 
 he 's been here arter water, and jist waited for a chance to git away. If yer 
 iver mate one, and he backs up agin a tra, and opens his arms, loike as 
 though waitin' for his swateheart, jist kape away from him, unless yer has a 
 gun, and knows how to shoot. He 's all ugliness then, and a match for a 
 dozen of the best dogs that iver hunted for mate. Will, put yer pistol up, 
 ye '11 sa no more of the ould divil this noight, I 'm thinkin'." 
 
 I was about to do so, when Mike suddenly said, 
 
 " Stay a moment, Mr. Hangus. Do yer mind that opossum that is look- 
 in' down on us from the gum-tra? Will, let us sa if yer can put a shot in 
 him from here. They is moighty good atin', and I 'd loike a taste of steak 
 broiled over this fire, and so would yer, if yer only knowed how good they 
 is." 
 
 I suspected that Mike only desired to see what kind of a shot I was with 
 a revolver, and made the opossum an excuse, but I had no fear of disgracing 
 my early training, as I had shot at a mark day after day in California, with 
 a revolver, the same one which I now carried, a heavy Colt, and one that 
 had been owned by my father. 
 
 I threw up my arm, and did not appear to take aim. The cap cracked, 
 there was a loud report, and the opossum fell to the ground with a bullet 
 through its head. 
 
 "Will, holy Moses!" was the exclamation of Mike, but his remarks 
 were suddenly cut short by the appearance on the scene of a new actor, who 
 sprang into sight as quickly as the old kangaroo. Where he came from I 
 did not notice or know, but there, standing before us, was a tall, thin black 
 fellow, with only a cloth around his loins, a long spear in his hand, and a 
 boomerang tied to his back, while his breast was scarred in deep seams, 
 rough and repulsive to view, and showing great disfiguration in his youth for 
 the purpose of producing such beauty spots, and he was as vain of them as 
 
142 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 a lady with a little piece of plaster on her fa;e, to contrast with the delicate 
 whiteness and purity of her skin. 
 
 The black fellow picked up tha dead opossum, threw it over his shoulder, 
 and would have made off if Mike had not sprung upon him, seized his thick 
 shaggy hair, and jerked the native first one way and then another, and, final- 
 ly, drew him to the fire, tripped him up, and then threw him down, and 
 banged him over the head with a club, or waddy. The black fellow did not 
 appear to care any more for the blows than a prize fighter cares for the tap 
 of a woman's fan. He pointed to the opossum, and said, 
 
 " Me." 
 
 " No, yer black thief, it 's not for ' me/ " roared Mike. " If yer head was 
 not so hard I 'd broke it for yer impudence." 
 
 " Me," was the response, and the fellow looked with longing eyes at the 
 dead opossum, which the blacks of Australia love above all earthly things, 
 and \vl.l hunt in a very ingenious and patient manner, and can always tell 
 whether the brute is at home, or has wandered off for a foraging expedi- 
 tion. No matter how high the tree the black fellow can ascend its trunk, 
 and track his prey to the very top. 
 
 Mike did not respond to the last word of the black, but drew a knife, 
 and skinned the game in a very expeditious manner, the native seated at 
 the fire, and watching every movement of the progress with longing eyes and 
 hungry stomach. He did not seem to bear any 511 will for the cruel blows 
 which he had received, or appear to notice them, although they would have 
 crushed the skull of a white man, of that I am convinced. 
 
 As soon as the opossum was dressed, Mike cut off what he desired, and 
 threw the rest of the carcass, entrails and skin, to the native, who gave a 
 grunt of satisfaction, put the flesh and other parts on the ashes, let them re- 
 main there fora few minutes, and then devoured the disgusting mass in a 
 revolting manner, such as would have shamed -a hungry dog. 
 
 Mike paid no attention to the native. He had seen hundreds of them, 
 knew their ways, and just how far they were to be trusted withouf fear of 
 treachery and deceit ; and, to do tWe black fellow full justice, I should state 
 that he paid no attention to his entertainers. He gorged himself, and did 
 not care if we noticed his disgusting eating. He was not at all modest, as 
 far as I could judge by his actions. 
 
 In a few minutes after the opposum -,vas dead, Mike had roasted some of 
 the best portions on a stick, salted them, made a good pot of tea, put some 
 hard tack on a paper (the native tried to steal the bread, and got another 
 rap in consequence, which he regarded witli perfect indifference, as before), 
 
The Belle of Australia. 143 
 
 and then we fell to with good appetites, and devoured all that was before 
 us. But there was plenty of tea and sugar and bread in the v/agon, intend- 
 ed for the sheep run, and the men looking after it. 
 
 " Tell me," said Mike, as we sat over our pipes, after the feast, -was that 
 shot of yers a lucky one, or was it premeditated entirely ? " 
 
 " Oh, I can shoot very well," I replied, " I don't vary much when I 
 fire." 
 
 " Holy Moses, if that is what yer can do nght along, yer can bang most 
 any of 'em round here, and some day I '11 let yer have a shot wid me ould 
 musket, jist as a reward. Sure 's there 's no gun in the country that can 
 stand afore her, when she 's well pinted, and held stidy." 
 
 To show that his boast was not an idle one, Mike brought from the wagon 
 an old rusty musket, that was wheezy and shaky, with a monstrous lore, a 
 barrel that was near six feet long, and spliced and plastered with tin and 
 iron, screws and nails, and a flint lock that was as large as an old-fashion- 
 ed door knocker. I shuddered as I thought of the danger that would over- 
 take a person who should dare to hold it, and fire it with an ordinary load 
 of powder and shot. 
 
 But Mike was delighted with the weapon, and would not have exchanged 
 it for the best rifle that was ever made. Of course I did not tell Mike that 
 I had no desire to endanger my life by firing the musket, for it would have 
 hurt his feelings, but I handed it back to the good fellow with the remark 
 that it looked as if it could kill more ducks than any other weapon of its 
 kind in Australia. 
 
 "True for yer, sur," was the satisfactory exclamation. "I "ve sane it 
 done, sur, toime ancltoime agin on the Darlin' and Murray Rivers.'' 
 
 We could see traces of daylight. The moon began to shimmer like sil- 
 ver, the stars appeared to be sorry for their levity through the night, and so 
 were going to bed, and have a good sleep until the next evening. More 
 birds joined in with their discordant cries, and the dingos were seeking their 
 caves and holes to rest until darkness again appeared. 
 
 In the mean time Mike had been at work in the wagon, and when he 
 came again to the fire, he said that he had made me a nice bed out of some 
 bagging and blankets, and, as soon as we were once more under way, I had 
 got to lie down, and have a good sleep, for 1 needed it, and would feel like 
 a new man when we reached Webber's. 
 
 We hitched up the horses, and started, leaving the black fellow, with his 
 r'eet to the fire, full to repletion, snoring like a New-York alderman, at the 
 Union Square Hotel, after a city feast. 
 
T44 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Now, sur, jist git on the noice bed I Ve made yer, and may slape drive 
 away all care, and may yer drames be as pleasant as those of a young gurl 
 wid her fust lover, or a wooman what is to have a new silk dress, I '11 call 
 yer whin it 's toime. I 'm not slapy, and will look arter the road, and the 
 taime, and smoke me pipe in quiet and meditation, and think of the goold 
 we '11 pick up some toime or other, plase God, when no shape tindin' and 
 tamin' will be naded on me part, or worry on that of yer own. Lay down, 
 sur, and slape, before the hot sun comes out, and burns up the air, and 
 makes it harder to draw yer breath than the cork of a beer bottle what old 
 Webber has had on hand for a twelve-month." 
 
 I was too tired to remonstrate, and so lay down, and shut my eyes, and 
 tried to see the face of Florence in the darkness, and to imagine what she 
 was doing just at that particular hour. Dreaming, I supposed, of the sad 
 mistake that she had made in giving her hand to a man whom she did not 
 love, or even esteem, and thus thinking, I fell into a sound sleep, in spite 
 of the rough road, and jolting of the team, and the last thing I recollect 
 was whispering a prayer for the welfare of my little wife, and her future 
 happiness. 
 
 When I awoke the sun was shining, and the heat was something to be 
 remembered, as we were passing through thick woods, where not a breath 
 of air penetrated. For a moment I could not realize where I was, but, as I 
 raised myself up, and looked around, I heard the hum of voices, and saw 
 that Mike had a companion on his seat, and that he was the most singular- 
 looking man I had seen while in Australia. He was dressed in the habili- 
 ments of a Quaker, broad-brimmed gray hat, low crown, a gray coat, button- 
 ed to his chin, gray trousers, and a shirt-collar that was once white, but 
 time, dust, and perspiration, had changed its color to one that was unknown 
 to chemists or to painters. Fora while I remained quiet, and listened to a 
 conversation which was not very instructive, except as far as the answers 
 of Mike were concerned, and those were original, and, at times, very evasive 
 and peculiar. 
 
 " Is the young man that thou hast for a mate a godly person ?" asked 
 the Quaker. 
 
 " Faith, sur, I think he is, for he can sware loike a bushranger," which 
 was a little imaginative on the part of Mike, as I had not used profanity 
 but in a very mild form, and offensive to no one. 
 
 " It is a pity that one so. young should not fear the Lord. Verily it is 
 saddening to my soul," groaned the Quaker. 
 
 " Don't let it wurrow you, sur, for I don't think that me mate fears the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 145 
 
 divil himself. He 's bound to the mines, and he '11 nade jsomethin' beside 
 goodness to take him through," Mike answered. 
 
 " Has he much worldly goods dost thou know ? " asked the Quaker, as 
 he turned, and glanced at me, and I saw through my half-closed eyes that 
 he had a thin face, shaped like a hatchet, the lankest form outside of a liv- 
 ing skeleton, and the longest arms and legs that were ever put on such a 
 grotesque body. 
 
 " I don't know what yer mane by goods," Mike answered. " I s'pose he 
 is as good as most min." 
 
 " Thou misunderstands me, friend. I mean has he much wealth, that 
 is to say, riches ? " 
 
 " Divil a hapenny to his back, or in his pocket. Sure, what would a man 
 go to the mines for, if he was rollin' in wealth ? Ah, it 's jokin' me yer 
 are." 
 
 " No, friend, I never joke. I 'm traveling around the country collecting 
 money for a meeting-house for the friends, and I thought he might contrib- 
 ute, verily I did." 
 
 As the Quaker spoke, he turned his head so that Mike could not see his 
 face, and 1 never saw such a devilish leer on a person's countenance as that 
 same Quaker had on his. A grin so repulsive and sickening, that I wanted 
 to get up and kick him into the road, and leave him there to plod to his 
 destination on foot. 
 
 " It 's no use axin' me mate for a penny. He 's dead broke, and shut up 
 shop for a moonth, and won't rasame cash payments till his ship comes in, 
 and she has a head wind and sa to contind wid. Let the lad alone, and 
 don't bother him in his poverty." 
 
 " Has thy young friend lived a moral life ? " asked the Quaker. " Is he 
 to be trusted with large sums of gold and of silver ? Has he ever commit- 
 ted crime thinkest thou ? " 
 
 " To the divil wid yer and yer questions ! " roared Mike. " What is yer 
 givin' me on such a run ? Is it sour beer yer is puttin' afore me ? What is 
 yer drivin' at? " 
 
 " Be not riled, my dear friend," said the Quaker. " I asked out of sym- 
 pathy, for, perhaps, I could help thy mate. He has a nice face, and a 
 frank one, and he should have noble sentiments, and a bold heart ; a man 
 that would make a good policeman, or a terrible bushranger." 
 
 "He 's not that koind of mate, I tell yer!" roared the indignant Mike. 
 " He 'd not take a penny what did n't belong to him. A perloceman, indade. 
 To the divil wid yer perlocemen ! " 
 io 
 
146 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " With all my heart," responded the Quaker, with a second grin, that was 
 as slimy as the first I had noticed. " I do not think that all policemen are 
 good. I don't believe that Mr. Murden, the Chief of Police of Melbourne, 
 is honest as the day is long. Dost thou ? " 
 
 " I don't know. 1 've heard him spoken of as bein' a smart officer, and 
 that he 's tracked many a bushranger to a stout prison, and kept them 
 in it as long as he plased. I Ve mit him once, but I 'm not on callin' terms 
 wid him," and Mike grinned. 
 
 " him ! " ejaculated the Quaker, in a sudden burst of passion, and, 
 
 as Mike turned in astonishment to look at the " friend " who had uttered 
 such a worldly sentiment, the Quaker's face changed as if by magic, and the 
 cold, calm smile passed over it. " Such is the violent language that I have 
 heard uttered by the worldly people, when speaking of Mr. Murden," the 
 Quaker said, in an apologetic tone. " I know him not, and do not wish to. 
 He is a man of war and blood, and we deal not with such. But dost thou 
 know where he is, friend ? " 
 
 " In Melbourne, I s'pose. How should I know ? I don't kape track of 
 the traps unless they comes to me run for a bit of mutton, and sup of tay." 
 
 " Then he is not on the road, thou thinkest ? " 
 
 " He may be for all I care." 
 
 "And hast thou met many mounted policemen on the trail the past 
 night? " the Quaker urged. " The roads are not too safe, and I have heard 
 that Black Dick and Slipper Sam are once more on their old beats, and tak- 
 ing many a pound of gold from the honest miners, and the industrious mer- 
 chants. The police should look after them as soon as possible, and stop 
 their depredations." 
 
 " Faith, I 've met but one mounted trap all the night, and he went on to 
 Webber's to stop over on some business that was argent, I think. If Dick 
 and Sam are round it 's many a fat shape I '11 lose durin' the summer, but if 
 they '11 let me alone they 're wilcome, and I '11 not open me eyes very wide 
 whin I foind the skins hangin' on a tra. Will, praise God, there 's Web- 
 ber's, and we '11 be there in no time, and I hope ye '11 stand the beer for the 
 ride." 
 
 " Excuse me, friend, but I do not drink aught but water, and, as I see 
 some flowers that I wish to gather, I 'd even alight here, and thank thee for 
 thy kindness and information," and, without waiting for the horses to be 
 checked, the Quaker jumped over a wheel, and landed in the road, and, 
 with a wave of his long, skinny arm, plunged into the scrub, and disappeared. 
 
 "Mike," I asked, "did you ever meet with thai fellow before? " 
 
The Belle of Australia. 147 
 
 " Ho, yer is awake, Mr. Hangus, is yer ? 1 'm plased yer has had a noice 
 slape, and feels better. We is near Webber's, and there 's the fat Dutch- 
 man in front of his house. No, Mr. Hangus, I niver mit the Quaker spal- 
 peen afore, and I niver want to agin. He 's not a clane man, or I 'm a sin- 
 ner. He pumped hard, but the water did n't come to the spout worth a pen- 
 ny. Whoop, yer fat Dutchman, alive yer is, wid yer big moouth, and bald 
 head. Faith, yer grows younger wid years, and richer wid the days passin' 
 over that head what looks loike a pumpkin gone to sade." 
 
 The Dutchman withdrew his pipe from his mouth, waved it in token of 
 recognition, put it back between his lips, and did not respond by word to 
 our arrival. He simply glared at us with his little gray, pig-looking eyes, 
 and puffed on serenely. 
 
 But as soon as I jumped from the wagon, and went to Mike's assistance in 
 unharnessing the horses, the whole demeanor of the man changed, and 
 from a placid Dutchman he become a raging mountain of quivering flesh. 
 He dashed down his pipe, glared at me in speechless horror, until at last 
 his pent-up feelings found vent in three short words, but they came from the 
 deepest of chests : 
 
 - Vel, I 'm ! " 
 
 As I had never before seen the man, I paid no attention to him, suppos- 
 ing that he was angry at Mike for his somewhat familiar remarks when we 
 drove up, but, as the Dutchman continued to breathe hard, and to inform us 
 
 that he was " " we gave him some of our attention as soon as we had 
 
 removed the harnesses, and turned the animals into a corral, where they 
 could get water and barley, with a handful of hay. We walked toward the 
 house, but Webber, the landlord and owner of the premises, obstructed our 
 path, and, pointing to me, said, 
 
 " Vel, I 'm , but he 's comes here back, in spite of I tell him not for 
 
 to." 
 
 " What is the matter wid the old porpuses?" demanded Mike, surprised 
 at our reception. 
 
 " He comes here last night that ever vos, v the Dutchman cried, still point- 
 ing to me. " He me slaps on der back, on der head, on der arm. all over 
 me, and he says in a tone all loud and all laugh. ' Vel, Dutchy, gibs us 
 some beer and some coffee, and let 's see that putty darter vot yer has here 
 
 all by yerseliY and he say, ' Be quick as ever yer vos about it, 'cos I 
 
 is in a hurry.' And I says, ' I gib yer de beer, and de coffee, and de bread, 
 and I my frcu sends to vait on yer.' and den dat same bad young feller, dat 
 is standin' dar right afore me, says, ' Yer frou may go to and yer, too, 
 
148 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 for all I cares one d bit, it 's de darter vot I vants to see, the pride of 
 old Webber's heart.' Does ding it I stands, ? " 
 
 He shook his fist at me, and turned so red in the face, that I thought he 
 would fall to the ground in a fit of apoplexy. 
 
 " Don't be a fool, yer old blubberer," Mike said. " Sure, the gintleman 
 has been wid me, on the road, all night, and how could he be here ? An- 
 swer me that now ? " 
 
 " He calls for mine Katrine," the Dutchman cried, " and she, like de 
 fool big dat she is, comes, and den afore mine eyes, by damn, dat young fel- 
 ler puts his arm her waist around, and kisses her on de mouth more den ten 
 times afore I could open my lips, and tell him to stop dat. It vant right to 
 do such dings, and de peoples lookin' on. He do dat, and he is not 
 ashamed, much." 
 
 " Sure, Hangus, what does the old fool mane ? " demanded Mike, a little 
 puzzled. 
 
 I knew what it meant quite well. My shadow had been here before me, 
 and, true to his noble instinct, had been making love to the Dutchman's 
 daughter, and quite successfully, it seemed. 
 
 " Katrine," screamed the enraged father, " go and lock in a room mid 
 yerself, as fast as ebber you can, for de bad young feller is here, and he is 
 
 wuss den ebber he wus, him ; and tell yer mudder to bring de long 
 
 gun vot I shoots de kangaroos wid. I fixes him if he any more of his little 
 games comes on vid me." 
 
 " Vy, fadder, vot is the matter vid yer now ? " asked a rather sweet voice, 
 and a flaxen-haired girl, with deep-blue eyes, a form that was rather stout, 
 and far from sylph-like, came from the house, attracted by the row. " Yer 
 makes more noise enough to vake de dead right up," the young girl said, 
 and then, as she caught sight of me, she blushed a rosy welcome, and very 
 deliberately walked up to me, put her arms around my neck, and kissed me 
 three times right on my lips, before I could recover from my astonishment 
 and surprise at her rude proceeding. 
 
 " Gott in hebin," groaned the Dutchman, " did I ebber see any ding like 
 
 dat afore in mine life, all de time? Oh, by , var is mine gun vot 
 
 shoots off ? " 
 
 " Yer goes in de house, and draws de beer for mine friend, and just mine 
 yer own business, yer old fool. Yer dink a young girl no vants a lover all 
 de dime ? Bah ! gets out of dis, 'cos I vants to kiss him some more, right 
 off." 
 
 " Gott in heben, does right I hear ? " groaned the Dutchman. " My Ka- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 149 
 
 trine kisses a stranger, and tells her old fadder to git out. Vel, vel, and she 
 is not to him married a bit." 
 
 Vel, how can I, ven yer stands dar starin' at us? Ve vant to do some 
 courtin', and ve don't want yer lookin r at us. Get out, I tells yer. Go for 
 der beer. Come, mine friend, we has a room all to ourself, de same as last 
 night, and ve talks of love all de time." 
 
 The Dutchman picked up his pipe, put it in his mouth, took it out again, 
 and, in a bewildered sort of way, asked, 
 
 " Vil yer marries her right off now, and no mistake, and I takes yer home, 
 and does vel by yer ? " 
 
 Katrine spared me the pain of a refusal, for she motioned to her father to 
 go in the house, and put up her hand before her face to hide her blushes, as 
 she led me into the building, while Mike followed close at our heels, and 
 muttered, 
 
 " By the powers, but this bangs Banagar. Will, the loikes of that I niver 
 saw afore, and niver shall agin. O Moses, the old roarin' Dutchman has 
 become a lamb, and me mate gets more kisses than all the buys that iver 
 crossed the threshold of the house.'' 
 
 Thanks to the kindness of Katrine, we had a nice breakfast, but nothing 
 could induce me to partake of it without the presence of Mike, for, al- 
 though the landlord's daughter was rather pretty, yet she was also demon- 
 strative, and I did not care to be a party for breach of promise, or to follow 
 in the footsteps of the noble lord who had made love to the girl just to oc- 
 cupy a spare hour, and had then left her, promising to return as soon as he 
 could, and kiss her some more, and talk of their future life. 
 
 It was useless to deny to the girl, or to Webber, that I was not the one 
 they had entertained the night previous. I had tried that argument in a 
 gentle way, but it had been laughed at, and so Mike no longer protested 
 that he had brought me all the way from Melbourne. I learned, however, 
 that my shadow had met two strangers at the house, and that, after a con- 
 ference with them, they had all gone off together on horseback, at about 
 three o'clock in the morning, and that Lary, the mounted policeman, had 
 stopped at the house for a few hours, and then turned in the direction of 
 Ballarat. after making some few inquiries. It seemed that, for reasons of 
 his own, Webber had not mentioned the arrival or departure of his three 
 guests to the officer, which looked a little mysterious, until Mike hinted that 
 the old Dutchman did not tell the traps all he knew unless his information 
 was of no importance, and that he had golden reasons for keeping silence 
 regarding the movements of people who had no known business, and went 
 
The Belle of Atisfralia. 
 
 and came at pleasure, but always sure of powder and lead and provisions, 
 when they had the money to pay for them; and it was also certain that 
 Webber's sheep were never killed, his horses run off, nor his cattle injured in 
 any way by the black fellows, or the bushrangers, who still thronged the 
 country, and intercepted miners on their way to the mines, and returning 
 from them, striking sudden and fierce blows when least expected, so that 
 the only safe method of conveying gold or bills from Ballarat to Melbourne 
 was by the government escort, which went back and forth, too strong to be 
 attacked by even the bold ruffians who frequented the roads, until driven 
 into new quarters by the mounted police. 
 
 The hot day passed in idleness, if I except the violent love which Katrine 
 would persist in making, in spite of my coldness, and attempts to hold her 
 in check. The noble lord who had carried her heart by storm, had made 
 the poor girl believe that he was a victim of her charms, and a more happy 
 girl than she was, under the circumstances, it would have been hard to find. 
 I pitied her, and would have undeceived her, but every time I attempted to 
 do so, she would smile at me, and tell me to be a good boy, and not to talk 
 such foolish "dings." Old Webber did not regard me in a favorable light, 
 but, as I refrained from kissing his daughter more than I could help, he did 
 not talk of shooting me with his kangaroo gun, and even hinted, in a mo- 
 ment of confidence, that if I would marry Katrine, I could have a share of 
 his run and business, but I told him that I was too poor to marry, and that 
 I would think of it while at the mines, and let him know the result. 
 
 Toward sundown, after a good sleep, we hitched up the horses, and start- 
 ed on our journey. I saw tears in Katrine's blue eyes as she kissed me, and 
 whispered that I must come back as quick as ever I could, and that she 
 would wait for me a long time, and always be true and tender, and then she 
 put in the wagon a box of refreshments, such as we should want, and stood 
 by her fathers side, and cried until we were out of sight, and how much 
 longer I never learned. 
 
 " A noice gurl," said Mike, as we struck the rough road, and jolted on. 
 " Begor, if she had made love to me in that way, I 'd have yalcled in no 
 toime. But the female cratur is peculiar, and there 's no accountin' for it. 
 But I did envy yer the kisses, for it was a waste of good material, as yer did 
 not same to care for 'em. Whoop along wid yer, and don't go to slape." 
 
 We jogged along through the night, sometimes sleeping and dozing, past 
 the flourishing village of Slabtown, over steep mountains, and through deep 
 ravines, and shallow streams, meeting black fellows, and a few suspicious 
 characters, but were not disturbed until the third day out, when Mike, just 
 
The Belle of Australia. 151 
 
 at daylight, stopped his horses at a place where half a dozen trails led in 
 various directions. 
 
 " Here we will part for a few days," he said. " I must go to me run, and 
 look arter me shape, and be riddy to lave the place this wake. Take some 
 grub and a bottle of water, yer gun and a blanket, the powder and lead, and 
 kape on this road what yer sa, and ye '11 git a lift in the course of an hour 
 to Ballarat. I '11 take the rist of yer truck, and bring it wid me, whin I 
 come over, and I '11 be all fra and no longer a ticket-of-lave man, the nixt 
 toime we mate. It 's better yer should go fust, so that yer can look around, 
 and sa what is best to be done. Lave word \vU the purlice station where 
 yer is, and I '11 foind yer sure." 
 
 He held out his hand, and his eyes watered, as he continued, 
 
 " The holy saints have yer in their kapin', sur, and don't lave the baten 
 road, as yer vally yer life, don't yer do it. It 's death to be lost in the bush, 
 and don't forget it for a moment. Solong, me mate, and do take care of 
 yerself." 
 
 He waved his hand, and was gone, and I turned and pursued my way to- 
 ward Ballarat, only ten miles distant, and I should have reached the town 
 in three hours' time if I had not left the beaten road, or trail, for the bush 
 and scrub, the very thing Mike advised me not to do, as I valued my life, 
 and the very thing that I should not have done unless acquainted with Aus- 
 tralian life, and its treacherous woods and bush, and vast salt and verdant 
 plains. But I was young, and thought that I could pick my way through 
 dense forests, and scorned the idea of being lost if I did not wander far, and 
 there is where I made a grave mistake, and one that I always remembered 
 while in Australia. 
 
'OH, 
 
 ! MEIE SCOOTIE! YOUE FIGHTIE ! CHINAMAN MUSTIE GOE!" 
 
 PART VII. 
 
 ON THE ROAD TO BALLARAT. A SHORT NAP, AND A LIVELY BLACK- 
 SNAKE. LOST IN THE BUSH. AN AUSTRALIAN CRY FOR 
 HELP. THE TORTURED CHINAMAN. A RESCUE. AN 
 ENCAMPMENT FOR THE NIGHT. A FLYING CHI- 
 NAMAN. THE BLACK FELLOWS AND 
 THEIR FEAST. A TERRIBLE 
 VISITOR. ON THE 
 TRAMP. 
 
 AS Mike and his team of four horses left me, standing in the road, with 
 the thick forests and scrub on each side, the dust of the trails as fine 
 and light as corn-meal, which it resembled in color, with not a soul in sight, 
 I felt more depressed and miserable than at any time since I left Melbourne. 
 To be sure, the forests were alive with the chattering of parrots and parro- 
 quets, and the discordant cries of the laughing jackass, and once in a while 
 
The Belle of Australia. 153 
 
 a bird of paradise, with plumage of gold and silver, and tail like a rainbow, 
 flew over my head, and mocked me with a shrill whistle, or croak of con- 
 tempt, and circling high in the air were vultures and carrion birds, examin- 
 ing each bush and cleared space for a dead bullock, or the remains of a 
 miner, some one who had strayed from the trails, and become lost in the 
 bush, and then yielded to despair and a lingering death. I felt that in the 
 disappearance of Mike I had lost the only real friend that I had in Austra- 
 lia, and very bitter were my reflections as I strapped my blanket over my 
 shoulder, slung my flask of brandy and water bottle around my neck, took 
 my repeating rifle in my hand, saw that it was all ready for use, and then 
 plodded on, with the high peak of Mount Muninyong for a guide, and a firm 
 determination to reach Camp Reserve, Ballarat, before the hot sun should 
 make traveling impossible. 
 
 It was no use to mourn over the departure of Mike. He had promised to 
 join me in the course of three or four days, or a week at the farthest, and, 
 with a heart as light as I could command, I started on my lonely route, and 
 thus hour after hour passed, and I saw no sign of the mining district, nor 
 did I meet with a single person of whom I could make inquiries as to the 
 distances and location. By ten o'clock the heat was so oppressive that I 
 determined to enter the woods, and seek rest under the shade of the trees, 
 and remain there until some team or footman came along to give me a lift. 
 I was not in the least alarmed but that I should reach Ballarat before night, 
 although I thought that Mike had made a bad mistake, and that the dis- 
 tance to the cross trails was more than twenty miles, instead of being only 
 between ten and fifteen. 
 
 The shade of the trees was grateful. There was no dust there, and the 
 sun could not penetrate the gloom. I threw off my load of equipments, 
 took a moderate pull at my bottle of water, lighted my pipe, had a good 
 comfortable smoke, thought of Florence, and wondered if she ever gave me 
 a single pitying consideration, and then went to sleep, as I might have ex- 
 pected, if I had given the matter a second thought. 
 
 When I awoke it was long after two o'clock, as near as I could judge. 
 The heat was still intense, and not a breath of air was stirring. Even the 
 screaming parrots had retired to the deepest part of the forest to escape the 
 sun and glare, and not a leaf trembled, as I sat up, and rubbed my eyes, and 
 wondered how it happened that I had fallen asleep when I intended to l.e 
 very wakeful and alert, and fell a little ashamed of my lack of vigilance, but, 
 as I turned my head to see that my rifle was where I had left it, and that 
 my revolver was in my belt, I saw a strange movement in a she-oak, not 
 
154 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 more than ten feet from me, and then from the foliage was thrust a huge, 
 black head, with open mouth, a quivering tongue, and fierce, blazing eyes, 
 that seemed to be watching my awaking, and to be very angry because 1 
 had stirred, and was disposed to get on my feet. 
 
 " That 's the devil, or a near relative," I thought, as 1 noted the mysteri- 
 ous head, and forked tongue, and then, as the neck was thrust further and 
 further from the foliage, I saw with intense disgust, and some uneasiness, 
 that a monstrous black-snake was coiled around the trunk of the tree, and 
 was watching my movements with much curiosity, mingled with rage, and 
 an evident determination to make a more minute inspection of my person, 
 and if I had not been awakened by some good angel, just at the proper mo- 
 ment, I should not now be writing my history, and thinking of the past with 
 mingled regret and happiness, for the reptile, although not considered ven- 
 omous by the people of Australia, is a powerful biter, has teeth like a saw, 
 and an embrace like an anaconda's, crushing the life out of a sheep, colt, or 
 calf, as easily as a man can crush the shell of a hen's egg, when in a hurry 
 to take an early train, and breakfast at the same time. The snake had seen 
 me sleeping, and glided up the tree to take a more accurate observation 
 from its elevated perch, and also for a leverage when disposed to make a 
 sudden attack, which is a characteristic of the reptile when hungry. It had 
 determined to strike with its powerful jaws, sudden and sure, a blow that 
 could not be resisted by man when off his guard, seize me by the arm or 
 head, and then drag me to the she-oak, and crush my body in its folds, un- 
 til ribs, bones, and flesh were one mass of bruised and bloody jelly, with no 
 semblance of mankind and humanity left, after the powerful folds were re- 
 moved, and the remains had fallen to the ground, quivering but lifeless, a 
 disgusting sight, and one well-calculated to make even the bravest of men 
 tremble with fear and horror. This was the first large black-snake I had 
 ever seen, and I must confess that I derived some little pleasure, now that 
 I was awake and alert, in watching its movements, and the rapid play of its 
 head and shining neck, the swelling of its muscles, and the fiery eyes, and 
 white teeth. As I remained quite still, the snake became more and more 
 emboldened, and at last darted its head toward me, thus exposing more than 
 half of its body, which was as large in circumference as a stout man's thigh, 
 and about fifteen feet long, as near as I could judge from where I sat. 
 
 Apparently disappointed that it had fallen short in its deliberate attack, 
 it hissed at me like an enraged gander, and then drew its body back to the 
 tree, and once more swayed back and forth, and snapped its jaws together 
 like those of an enraged bull-dog, while its breath, as it hissed, was like the 
 
The Belle of Atistralia. 155 
 
 foul odors from an abattoir that had not been thoroughly cleaned through 
 the hot summer months. Every movement that I made was looked upon 
 as a defiance, and a corresponding threat on the part of the reptile, and 
 while it watched me so fixedly I think that I felt a little of its terrible fasci- 
 nating power, and even began to regard its threats as quite harmless and 
 playful, and not disposed to injure me, even if it approached within striking 
 distance. 
 
 But all at once I realized that I was in danger. It seemed as though 
 some good angel had prayed for me, and that her prayers had been answer- 
 ed, for I shook off the weakness that was overpowering me, and turned my 
 head to look for my rifle, although I held it in my hand, and knew that- it 
 was there, yet did not feel quite certain of the fact. A terrible hiss escaped 
 the snake when it saw that its spell was broken. It shook the foliage of 
 the tree as though a whirlwind was passing over the forest, and even the 
 stout trunk of the she-oak bent while the struggle was going on, a struggle 
 in which rage and disappointment were mingled and displayed, like the an- 
 tics of a wild beast, when deprived of its prey, or a spoiled child, when re- 
 fused a plaything. 
 
 " We have had enough of this," I muttered half drowsily. " I think that 
 I will give the black devil something to be angry at." 
 
 I raised my rifle, took a hasty aim at the moving head, and fired. The 
 ball struck near its eye, and passed completely through the skull, and in an 
 instant I was nearly covered with falling leaves, with dead branches, and 
 twigs torn from the oak, and then the whole body of the monster was un- 
 wound from the tree, and launched at me, with open mouth and chattering 
 teeth. 
 
 I had seen the tail uncoiled, and expected some such assault, but nothing 
 so powerful, yet, as a mere matter of precaution, I stepped back, and 
 nearly behind the cedar-tree, at the foot of which I had been sleeping. The 
 head of the reptile struck the trunk, and then, before it could regain its for- 
 mer position, I sent a ball down its capacious throat, and retreated to see it 
 die. The scene was a fearful one, and for a rod in extent the bush and 
 scrub gave evidence of the struggle of the terrible monster. Whole branch- 
 es were mowed from the trees by the snake's tail, and one would not have 
 believed that so much strength could have been excited by so small a 
 body. 
 
 But at length the contortions ceased, the eyes lost their fierceness, the 
 jaws no longer snapped, the tail to quiver, and only the muscles twitched, 
 as if still alive ; and hardly had I noticed all these things, when there was a 
 
156 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 fierce cawing overhead, and a flock of vultures alighted on the trees, and 
 seemed to anticipate a rich treat in the disgusting object before them, and 
 several, more bold than the rest, even alighted on the ground, and pick- 
 ed at the dead snake's eyes, as though anxious to partake of the real delica- 
 cies, or the bonne bouche of a feast, before the others had a chance to dispute 
 their rights. 
 
 I was anxious to hasten away from such a scene, for it was sickening. 
 Once more shouldering my traps, and taking a sip of brandy to remove the 
 taste of the snake's breath, I started for the road, and walked ten minutes 
 before I made the discovery that I was not going toward the trail, but in 
 some other direction, and that I had wandered from the path, and was like- 
 ly to be lost in the bush, the very thing Mike had cautioned me against, and 
 which I had determined to avoid. I stood still, and thought of the matter, 
 so that I should not be frightened, then started in a direction that I knew 
 would lead me all right ; but ten minutes brisk walking, with the perspira- 
 tion streaming down my face and neck, under the intense heat, showed that 
 I had not struck the right trail, and that I was nearly lost, even if I was not 
 quite, and yet I could not understand how such a thing had happened, after 
 all of my precautions to go straight back to the road I had left in the morn- 
 ing. But the encounter with the snake had so flurried me that I had not 
 noticed the land marks, and I was likely to pay for my folly, unless I was 
 remarkably lucky, before sunset. 
 
 Still I was not frightened or nervous. I determined to keep cool, to 
 think of some pleasant subject, instead of the dense bush and forest, and 
 straightway my thoughts went to Florence, and I wished that she was hap- 
 py, and would pray that her young husband might be extricated from his 
 dangerous position, and I laughed aloud at the absurdity of the thought, as 
 though Florence cared where I wandered, or what I did, as long as I held 
 aloof from her, and did not claim her hand, and then I whistled, and pushed 
 my way through the scrub, stopped and took a sip of brandy, and once more 
 went onward, and looked up to see if I could get a view of the sun, or of 
 Mount Muninyong, so that I could shape my way, and, while I was thus em- 
 ployed, I heard some one give the Australian cry, a plain, full "co-ey," long 
 drawn out on the last syllable, so that the sound floats in the air, and trav- 
 erses more space than any other word that the shepherds or stockmen em- 
 ploy. Mike had taught me its use that very morning, and I had practised 
 it until I was perfect in sounding the call, and now I used it for the first 
 time in all seriousness, and then waited for a response. It came at length, 
 full and hard, and, with a responsive cry, I dashed forward in the direction 
 
The Belle of Australia. 157 
 
 I supposed the sound had come from, stopping every few minutes to get an 
 echo, and finding that I was on the right trail, and nearing the person who 
 was in distress. Over fallen trees and rotten stumps, through bushes and 
 scrub, until at last I reached a clearing, where fire had at one time done its 
 work, and there, yelling and groaning, swearing in pigeon English, and Chi- 
 nese characters as big as tea chests, was a Chinaman, fast bound to a tree, 
 with arms and feet so firmly secured that to free himself from the bands of 
 vines and withes, used instead of ropes, was an impossibility. But the 
 bonds were not the only torture to which the celestial was subjected, for in 
 the middle of the clearing was a gigantic ant's nest, more than six feet high, 
 and at least four feet in diameter at the base, the home of the ferocious sol- 
 dier, or bull-dog, ant, the most rapacious and desperate of all the insect 
 tribe, capable of devouring a dead bullock in a few hours, and picking the 
 bones as clean as the inmates of a poor-house, where short rations are com- 
 mon, if the commissioners are of a prudent nature, and care more for the 
 money of their constituents than the health of those whom they have in 
 charge. 
 
 Already the ants had scented blood and flesh, and I saw with horror, that 
 hundreds of them had swarmed over the Chinaman, and were feasting on 
 legs and arms, face and neck, and drawing blood at every bite, and, as the 
 attacks became more and more severe, the struggles of the poor wretch 
 grew frantic, and his pigeon English of the most mixed character. 
 
 " Oh, ! " he yelled, " bitee likee dogie. Bitee likee hotee fie. 
 
 Takee offee. Dammie alle busherange ! Co-ey. Comee quickee, some- 
 bodie, or Chinaman muste goe." 
 
 I did not delay a moment in rushing to the rescue of the poor fellow, 
 whose tortures must have been intense enough to turn the brain of a sane 
 and healthy man in a short time, even if there had been life left at the end 
 of an hour's duration of such misery. I dropped blanket and rifle, drew my 
 sharp-edged bowie-knife, and with a few strokes cut the withes that bound 
 the Chinaman, seized him by his long and thick pig-tail, dragged him to the 
 edge of the woods, out of the course of the ants, and then beat the insects 
 from his flesh with blanket and bush, with hands and feet, sparing not even 
 the celestial's shins, as I kicked at the bull-dogs that would not let go their 
 hold, so fierce were they after once tasting blood. All this time the China- 
 man was aiding me with words, if not with hands, for, as I trampled the 
 ants under foot, and thrashed them with bushes, like a farmer's boy in a 
 hay field, when attacked by hornets, he continued to chatter, and found an 
 astonished listener. 
 
T58 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Ah, date bery goodie. Noice Slingisman ; note alle same busherange. 
 Noe kickie shinie tooe harde. Berrie goodie youe. Alle gonie nowe. 
 Holde upe, I telle." 
 
 Not until I trampled out the life of the last of the ants that were on the 
 person of the Chinaman, did I relax my endeavors, and, even after I had 
 killed all, made the celestial remove his blue jumper, to be sure that no ants 
 were between that and his skin, and all this while the fellow's almond-shaped 
 eyes were fastened on me in a strange, stupefied sort of glare, as though he 
 had seen me before, but could not tell where, or just under what circum- 
 stances, or else was wondering what could have induced a " foreign devil " 
 to lend a helping hand to a poor and despised Chinaman, who receive as 
 many cuffs in Australia as they do kicks in California. 
 
 " Now, John," I said, " off with those blue dungeree trousers. Be quick. 
 We must make clean work of it, and then get out of this place as soon as 
 possible. Come, move," seeing that the fellow was looking at my face with 
 more attention than his own injuries. 
 
 " Ah, noie, can'te doie datie. Meie modiste manie, youe knowe. Noie 
 takie offe trousie fore manie. Allie rightie nowie. busherange." 
 
 Seeing that the fellow was not suffering any further inconvenience, I did 
 nor insist upon his removing the large and flowing garments which he wore 
 to protect his legs, and make him an ornament for decent society, but gath- 
 ered up my traps, and sought safety in a hasty flight to a different clearing, 
 where there were no ant's nests. But even as we started to move in anoth- 
 er direction, the savage bull-dog insects were getting ready to make a fierce 
 and more concentrated attack on us, for they swarmed from their gigantic 
 home in thousands, and sent out scouts in all directions, to call in the lag- 
 gards and warriors, and to consult as to the best method of dealing with the 
 common enemy, and obtaining a good stock of food for the colony. As the 
 bull-dog and soldier ants are about an inch long, and as hard as iron, the 
 noise they made in swarming was like the flapping of pigeon wings at a noted 
 resort for the birds, or the humming of a country school in summer time. 
 
 I was tempted to give them a dose of fire, but feared to spare the time, 
 as I hoped to get out of the bush before the sun set, and already it gave 
 tokens of leaving us before many hours, and in total darkness it would be 
 useless to attempt to travel in the woods. 
 
 I soon found a clearing, and then stopped, unloaded, and turned to have a 
 good square look at my companion. He was like all the rest of his race, 
 almond-eyed, smooth-faced, about thirty years of age, stout built, very mus- 
 cular for a Chinaman, dressed as they all dress, with blue blouse and 
 
The Belle of Atistralia. 159 
 
 trousers, celestial shoes, and long and very thick pig-tail, the latter hanging 
 down his back, and braided, with a blue ribbon to keep the ends from 
 working loose, and all the rest of his head, except the queue, shaven quite 
 clean, as if the operation had been but recently performed by a barber. I 
 saw that the man's face was still blotched from the bites of the ants, and 
 that there was some blood on it, and knew that he must be suffering, al- 
 though not a sign of pain and uneasiness did he manifest, except by his con- 
 stant watching of all my motions, and a surprised look in his dark, half- 
 closed eyes, as if he was a little suspicious of me, and waited to see what 
 my next move would be on his account. But I did not pay much attention 
 to his grunts, and wandering glances, as all Chinamen are a little diffident 
 in the presence of strangers. 
 
 I gave him about half a wine glass of brandy. He drank it like a heath- 
 en, with a gasp, a sob, and a gush, and then rubbed his hand on his sto- 
 mach, and said, 
 
 "Dat bellie goode," and grinned like an idiot, an exasperating grin, 
 which made you feel like kicking him. 
 
 I wet a cloth with the brandy, and washed the bites and blood away from 
 the fellow's face and neck, and that must have relieved him, but still he 
 could not keep his eyes from my face, and once he muttered, 
 
 " Bellie strange dis manie." 
 
 " What is strange, John?" I asked. 
 
 " Noie John. Meie Gin Sling," was the answer. 
 
 At least it sounded like Gin Sling, and I won't swear that it was or was 
 not, but as Gin Sling came as near to what he called himself as anything I 
 could think of, he ever after went by that spirited and liquid name, and, as 
 he did not repudiate it, I am satisfied that he was content, and thought that 
 a high honor had been conferred on him by his 'Melican man associate. 
 
 " Bellie strange," repeated Gin Sling, still looking at me, after he had 
 said that he felt very well, and that the wounds did not smart as much as 
 one would suppose. 
 
 " What is strange, Gin ? Out with it." 
 
 " Youe." 
 
 " Me, Gin ? What is there strange about me ? I cut you loose, and 
 saved your life, for in an hour's time the ants would have picked your bones 
 quite dry. I would have done the same for any one," I said. 
 
 " Ah, bute youe sitie stille and seee meie tied upe. Youe once saye, ' Noie 
 kille John. Lete goie, or tiee upe. Hie notie worthie muche. Letiegoe." 
 
 " I said all that, did I, Gin ? " I asked. 
 
160 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Yesie, bute de udder dammie busherangie say, * Kille John Chinaman. 
 Hee noie usee to onie bodie. Heie ruinie de workie people.' " 
 
 I wondered if my bete noir\\z,& taken part in the persecution of the Chi- 
 naman, and had saved his life as far as having him tied up was concerned. 
 
 " Are you sure that I am the person who said, ' Let him go,' Gin ? " 
 
 "Yesie, yesie," with many nods, and a wise, half-cunning look in his 
 dark eyes. " Meie sure allie timee youe de manie. Noie foolie Gin 
 Sling." 
 
 "Well, Gin, you are mistaken. I am not the one. I never saw you be- 
 fore, and had no part in persecuting you." 
 
 " Alle rightie, sir. Meie dinke alle sarnie. Youe sete on tree, and seeie 
 de udders lookie alle over meie for goldie duste." 
 
 " Did they find any, Gin ? " I asked, with a little more interest. 
 
 " Noie," with a grin, and a cunning look in his eyes. " Meie goe from 
 Ballarate for citie, and dis mornie dree menie sayie, ' Stoppie, you dammie 
 Chinaman, and gibie use allie youe golde dustie, or we puttie bailie in youie 
 headie, youe coppie-colorede sonie gunie ; ' and I saye, * Meie noie goldie, 
 meie poore manie,' and dey takee meie in de woodie, and lookie alle over 
 clothesie, and no finde duste or monie, and denie twoe bigie menie wantie to 
 killie meie, bute youe saye, ' Noie, lete John goe,' and de udder menie saye, 
 ' Dammie, hee noie c;oodi <i anie howie. Noie one carie for Chinaman. Tiee 
 upe, and leavee heree for de buggies." 
 
 I could now understand him. The Earl of Afton, I suppose, or my 
 double, as I have said, had left Webber's two days before in company with 
 some suspicious characters. The party had met the Chinaman on the 
 road, and determined to rob him of all his possessions, but, as they had 
 found nothing, the two desperadoes had taken him to the bush, and tied him 
 up, about the time that I had laid down, and went to sleep. Had I been 
 half an hour earlier, I should have met the party on the trail. They had 
 tied the poor fellow near the ant's nest for the purpose of having some 
 sport, and witnessing the Chinaman's contortions, as the ants bit him, but 
 the sound of my rifle, as I fired at the snake, had disturbed the calculations 
 of the two ruffians, and they had made off, under the impression that a num- 
 ber of mounted traps were on the road, or that some miners were out from 
 camp, looking for stray cattle. 
 
 " What did the men say when I told them not to hurt you ? " I asked, for 
 I saw that the Chinaman was as big a crank as to my being some one else as 
 the more enlightened people I had met. 
 
 " Oh, the twoe uglie menie saye, ' Youe jiste shute upe, or wee fixe youe 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 likie Chinaman,' and youe laughe, and takie alle sarnie onie jokie, and saye, 
 4 De debbie youe willie. Youe bettie notie if youe knowie whate goodie for 
 youselfe.' " 
 
 Jt seemed that his lordship was not in the least afraid of the bushrangers, 
 and I began to respect him for his courage. But what he was doing with 
 them puzzled me. Unless he was very careful he would find himself in a 
 worse position than when he left Melbourne in such haste, to avoid mar- 
 riage. If the police once laid hands on him in company with noted bush- 
 rangers, it would require some high interest to get him out of his difficul- 
 ties. 
 
 " Gin," I said, very slowly and distinctly, " I was not the person who was 
 with the bushrangers. I would not be with them. I am a good man," 
 and I hoped this would convince him, but it did not. 
 
 " Yese, - goodie ! Alle righte nowe. Youe comee backe, and 
 savie lifee Gin Sling. Nowe meie paye youe for alle. Youe takee in wel- 
 comee. Meie goe and gete moree." 
 
 He gave his thick pig-tail a flirt, unbraided it with a rapid motion of his 
 hands, and from the mass of hair dropped a razor and comb, a piece of cloth, 
 a stick of something like caustic, a bag containing ten sovereigns, and, most 
 wonderful of all, a thin wash-leather purse, at least ten inches in length, and 
 as large round as a stout man's thumb, containing at least three pounds of 
 gold dust and small nuggets. Gin Sling had beaten the bushrangers, for he 
 had secured his treasures so carefully in his cherished pig-tail that the ruf- 
 fians had not thought of searching it, and, rather than give up his gold, he 
 had determined to lose his life, or to run his chances of a rescue. 
 
 " Youe takee alle," Gin Sling said, as he put everything in my hands. 
 " Youe save meie lifee. Nowe takee, and keepe. Youe dammie goodie, 
 meie knowie, bute meie noie leavie youe morie. Alle righte. Chinaman 
 havie heartie as big as Slingisman annie timie daye." 
 
 " Gin," I said, " I don't want your property. Keep it, and when you go 
 back to China you will be a mandarin.'" 
 
 " Noie, wille note takie. Alle youe. 'Noughe said aboute it" 
 
 He looked so determined that I had hard work to make him understand 
 that I would not take his money on any account. Then he showed disap- 
 pointment and dejection, and seemed undecided what to do with his treas- 
 ures. At last his almond eyes brightened. He had hit upon an idea. 
 
 " Alle righte. Meie keepe fore youe tillie goe Ballarate. Thene youe 
 takie alle. Date farie." 
 
 He braided his hair once more in so skillful a manner that I could not 
 
1 62 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 detect the treasures which it contained, and, after he had concluded, I look- 
 ed to my revolver and rifle, saw that the charges were all right, and that \v. y 
 knife had not lost its keen edge. By that time it was near four o'clock, and 
 the woods began to appear dark and sombre, and the birds and animals to 
 show themselves in the cool of the evening, after their long siesta during 
 the hot hours. We should be moving, but I did not know in what direction 
 to go to find the trail. I had become completely lost as to all points of the 
 compass. 
 
 " Gin Sling," I asked, " do you know where we are ? " 
 
 " Oh, yese, in der bushe." 
 
 " Do you know in what direction we should go to strike the road that 
 leads to Ballarat ? " 
 
 " Meie noie strikie nobodie," was the reply. " If I doie badie Slingisman 
 
 hite backie, and saye, ' ratie eatie Chinaman.' Noie, meie noie 
 
 strikie folkes unlese meie cane lickie." 
 
 It was useless to expect assistance from Gin Sling. He either did not 
 understand me, or was cunning enough to pretend that he did not, so that 
 he would not be forced to take any responsibility in the difficult task of find- 
 ing our way out of the bush, and gaining the right road. I knew that peo- 
 ple had been lost in the woods, and wandered around in a circle for days, 
 and at last had died, within sound of their own homes, dazed and bewilder- 
 ed by the fact that they were lost, and did not know which way to turn, or 
 how to regain the hidden trails. 
 
 Down went the sun behind the tall trees, and darkness was almost upon 
 us. I thought it useless to attempt to move until daylight, for we could ac- 
 complish nothing, and should get more tired and bewildered stumbling over 
 fallen trees, and through dense scrub, beside running the risk of being bit- 
 ten by a diamond or whip snake, the only two poisonous reptiles in Austra- 
 lia, of the crawling species. I determined, therefore, to remain where I was 
 until the next day, and then make a renewed attempt to escape from our 
 imprisoHment. 
 
 "Gin Sling," I asked, "are you hungry?" 
 
 " Meie beflie hungie. Alle same Chinaman begger. Eeatie muchie nowe, 
 if havie." 
 
 Just at this moment a fat white rabbit entered the clearing, and sat up, 
 and looked at us with as much astonishment as its little pink eyes could as- 
 sume. I fired a rifle shot at it, and the poor little timid tiling sprang into 
 the air, and fell dead. 
 
 "Oh, , bute date goodie," and like a hungry dog the Chinaman 
 
The Belle of Australia. 163 
 
 fell upon the carcass, and, with the aid of my knife, commenced stripping 
 off the pelt. 
 
 " Gin," I said, " we shall have to remain here all night." 
 
 " Alle righte. Where youe staye meie staye. Makie fie, and habie 
 meatie for grubie. Blerie goodie meatie." 
 
 \Ve gathered some dead branches, and made a fire, for the Chinaman had 
 a stock of matches and a lot of cheap tobacco in some mysterious pockets 
 of his blouse, and, by the time the sun had set, we were feasting on broiled 
 rabbit, and making a very fair supper, for I had a few cakes of hard tack 
 and a pinch of salt, in my packages, which Mike had insisted I should take 
 with me, in case I wanted a lunch on the way to the mines. Gin Sling ate 
 like a person who had fasted for a week, and when we had concluded our 
 repast every vestige of the rabbit was consumed. Then, with a small al 
 lowance of brandy and water, very precious because I did not know when I 
 should see any more, I spread my blanket near the fire, and lighted my 
 pipe, while Gin consoled himself with smoking some of the vilest home- 
 made cigarettes that ever turned the stomach of a well man, and caused him 
 to yearn for fresh air, and a stringent death penalty on all who indulged in 
 such profanation of the art of smoking. But Gin was not educated up to 
 the art of using good tobacco, and was as happy in his ignorance as some 
 people who claim to belong to the land of Christians and churches. 
 
 The stars came out, and twinkled as though rather glad that we were in 
 such comfortable quarters ; the moon shed a little light in the open space 
 where we sat on opposite sides of the fire, a thick bit of scrub, and a gum- 
 tree just back of Gin Sling, and a high bush of flowering acacia in my 
 rear, sending its fragrance all around us, and even overpowering the stench 
 of the tobacco which Gin was enjoying af'er his hearty supper. In the 
 trees that surrounded us on all sides the old gray-headed parrots scolded at 
 each other, and rebuked the giddy and thoughtless parroquets, which were 
 coquetting a little on some she-oaks, and mocking their elders for 
 their propriety, acting very human in this respect, while once in a while a 
 sly. quiet opossum would slink down from a gum-tree, and glide off to pay 
 his respects to a female neighbor. A stately white owl, on a tall cedar, 
 tooted out doleful complaints because the moon in its brilliancy interfered 
 with its nocturnal pursuits, and far off in the distance the dingos were 
 howling, and calling to each other for a friendly ramble in search of sheep 
 and helpless cattle. Once in a while a snake would glide out of the scrub, 
 and, seeing the fire, would hiss its displeasure, and retreat in the thickets, 
 with no disposition to cultivate our acquaintance, when backed by flames 
 
r 64 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 and smoke. The insects began to hum, and sharpened their beaks for the 
 feast that they saw in store, as soon as we should sleep, and prowling near 
 us, but keeping out of sight, an animal called the " hairy tail," a species of 
 Australian panther, small, but compact, and a good fighter, when aroused, 
 growled ominously, as though gathering courage for an attack, yet did not 
 like to commence one, for fear the fire would take a hand, and decide the 
 contest in our favor. But I had no fear of it, with a huge revolver at hand, 
 and a repeating rifle at my side, and Gin Sling seemed to have no cares after 
 his hearty meal, except the fear that his tobacco would give out, and he 
 should not be able to obtain another supply at some convenient point in 
 the bush. His confidence in me was so unbounded that he was like a child 
 in his careless simplicity. 
 
 Thus we sat and smoked until near nine o'clock, Gin Sling chatting in 
 pigeon English, not forgetting to damn all bushrangers, as he thought of 
 the outrage that had been perpetrated on his celestial person, and I was 
 just about to nod, and let my head fall upon my breast, tired and oppressed 
 by the labors of the day, when there was a humming noise in the air, like 
 the flapping of swan's wings when rising from a sheet of water, and whiz 
 came a spear from out of the scrub, passed over the fire, just grazing the fat, 
 black, plump pig-tail of Gin Sling, and buried itself in the trunk of a gum- 
 tree, some two feet from the ground. 
 
 For a moment there was a breathless silence, and then, as Gin Sling re- 
 alized how narrowly he had escaped a sudden and violent death, he gave 
 one spring, shouting as he did so, 
 
 oh, ! meie scootie ! Youe fightie ! Chinaman muste goe." 
 
 I saw the form of the celestial, as though it had taken wing, dart through 
 the air, his body almost horizontal, his feet covered with coarse wooden 
 shoes, his legs extended like a pair of shears half opened, his arms out- 
 stretched as a skillful diver about to make a plunge, his queue erect and 
 stiff, resembling a cat's tail when suddenly confronted by a war-disposed 
 dog, and then my friend the Chinaman had disappeared behind the thick 
 bit of scrub, and all was silent for a while, but if I had died the next mo- 
 ment, from the thrust of a spear, I could not have prevented the shriek of 
 laughter that escaped me, so much was I amused at the sudden flight of 
 Gin Sling, and so comical was his disappearance. 
 
 But. even while roaring with laughter, I did not neglect all proper pre- 
 cautions for my own safety. I had seen something of Indian life in Cali- 
 fornia and Oregon, and knew that a camp-fire was a bad place for a person 
 who was ambushed, so, with a quick movement of the body, I rolled under 
 
The Belle of Australia. 165 
 
 the shelter of the acacia-bush, and awaited further developments, and did 
 not have to wait long. From out the shelter of the forest came six black 
 fellows, with terribly scarred breasts, and scant clothing, spears and boome- 
 rangs in their hands, and heavy waddies and nullas hung around their necks, 
 and trailing after them came a gin, or old female, the wife of one of the 
 black fellows, and on her back she bore a load of game, and some packages, 
 which I could not make out, and over her shoulder was the tail of the black 
 snake that I had killed in the afternoon, and which she was dragging along 
 the ground for the purpose of forming the basis of a rare old gorging feast, 
 such as the natives of Australia indulge in when they have an opportunity, 
 and the supplies. 
 
 I could have killed the whole of them, and escaped unhurt, I verily be- 
 lieve, if I had opened fire, but the black fellows did not seem hostile, or to 
 care for my presence. They knew that I was under the acacia-bush, but 
 they did not come near me, or threaten me with their spears, as they might 
 have done, so I concluded that they had made the attack on the Chinaman 
 through accident, or else with the idea of frightening us from the fire, so 
 that they would not have the trouble of rubbing two sticks together for the 
 purpose of producing a blaze. 
 
 The blacks laid aside their weapons, the^z dropped her load, the men 
 gathered wood, and made a roaring fire, and then the old woman threw the 
 body of the snake on the flames, and the odors of burning flesh were soon 
 as obnoxious as the fumes of Gin Sling ? s tobacco. By and by one of the 
 dirtiest of the tribe made a movement as though to sit down on my blanket, 
 and, as I did not care to have it stained by the filth on his person, I got up, 
 and went toward him, revolver on the cock, determined to shoot if there 
 was the least sign of hostility. 
 
 But there was none. The natives merely grunted a welcome, and point- 
 ed to the burning snake, as an invitation that I could share their disgusting 
 meal, or that I had killed it, and they were greatly obliged to me for the 
 trouble that I had taken in their behalf. I jerked the blanket away from 
 the fellow, and he did not show signs of resentment. He seemed to take it 
 as a matter of course from a white man. I did not then know that the 
 blacks, so near a mining camp, were not always dangerous, but that those in 
 the remote districts did not hesitate to spear a man, or to crack his skull 
 with a waddy if the humor seized them, and there were no mounted police 
 near to revenge the murder by killing ten natives to one white. 
 
 As the black fellows were so well disposed, 1 did not molest them, but 
 gathered all my property, and placed it near me, so that they could not 
 
1 66 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 steal it, and, as one old fellow came near, after I had sat down, I said, 
 
 " Ballarat." 
 
 He understood me, and pointed in a direction the very opposite from the 
 one I should have taken, and then nodded, and repeated the word, and 
 pointed a second time. He seemed to comprehend that I was lost in the 
 bush, and wanted to find the way out. An Australian black fellow can 
 find his way through the densest of scrub and the darkest of woods, and not 
 lose his course, and can track a child's footsteps over a plain, or through a 
 morass, and never drop the scent for a moment, so when the old man gave 
 me the direction, I took my bearings, and determined to follow his course 
 in the morning, unless I was murdered in the night, which I certainly did 
 not expect to be, unless appearances were deceitful. 
 
 Presently the black-snake was done to a proper degree of crackle and ten- 
 derness, for the old gin had attended to its cooking personally, and knew 
 that her reputution depended upon this, one of the proudest moments of 
 her life, and when she pulled the remains from the ashes, arid asked her 
 friends if they had ever seen such a delicate tid-bit, there was one universal 
 grunt of approval, and they fell upon the meat before them, as the alderman 
 falls upon the turtle soup, which the tax payers settle for. It made me al- 
 most sick to see the brutes gorge themselves. There was enough for all, 
 and, as they tore off large pieces of the white flesh, I will confess that it 
 did not look so bad as one might have expected. After all, is the flesh of a 
 snake much worse than civilized tripe or pig's feet? 
 
 But, although an Australian native can eat enough at one meal to cause 
 even an Esquimau to turn green with envy, there is a limit to his capacity, 
 yet some people have doubted it. In this respect the younger and more 
 vigorous eaters gave out first, like impulsive youths who did not know how 
 to husband their strength, and then the elderly men dropped off one by one, 
 until only the old gin was left, and she continued to pick a bit here and 
 there, a little back-bone, or a delicate slice from the stomach, a sip of brain, 
 or a thread of entrails, like a sweet young lady who is examining the con- 
 tents of a box of bon-bons, and knows not what to choose, there being so 
 much richness before her. The old woman's face was so dirty, that even a 
 New- York street-cleaning contractor would have thrown up his job in de- 
 spair, but it beamed with oily satisfaction as she licked her fingers, and 
 sighed to think that she could eat no more at that time, much as she would 
 have liked to. They all sat around the fire, and chatted in their guttural 
 tongues, but sleep was stealing over them, and one fellow, whose stomach 
 was distended until it looked like the bass drum of a musician on a dress 
 
The Belle of Australia. 167 
 
 parade, dropped his head upon his scarred breast, and snored so loudly that 
 one of the younger members of the tribe got out of patience, like his white 
 and Christian brethren, and jabbed his grandfather in various parts of his 
 body with a small spear, only partially awakening the old man, and causing 
 him to utter curses at his relative, in the choicest of Australian dialects. 
 
 "Alas," I thought, as I reposed on my blanket, under the shade of the 
 acacia-bush, "how very human and natural that action is. It proves most 
 conclusively that we are all descended from one common origin, with the 
 same desires, the same antipathies, and similar persecutions for all who 
 make night hideous by snoring. Only substitute sharp, white elbows for a 
 spear, and the likeness is complete, and can be accepted in our world, on a 
 brass bedstead, in an elegantly furnished chamber, or in the bush of an 
 Australian forest, with the ground for a resting place, and naked natives as 
 actors/' 
 
 The moon was low behind the tall gum-trees; it had passed its zenith, and 
 \vas hurrying toward the horizon as though fearful it would not be on time 
 to meet an important engagement in some distant part of the \vorld. -The 
 wind sighed mournfully through the tree-tops, the owl hooted in more cheer- 
 ful tones, as it thought of the feast it was to enjoy as soon as darkness 
 stole through the forest ; the parrots and parroquets were still quarreling, 
 but in more subdued tones, as if tired of domestic wrangling ; the dingos 
 were making lively work for some stockman's sheep, far off on the plains, 
 as they were all yelping in chorus, trying to get up a stampede of the timid 
 animals, and answered by howls of defiance and rage from the domestic 
 dogs, which have no love for their wild relatives, and fight them on all occa- 
 sions, unless the odds are too grea<; the savage "hairy tail " had not yet 
 deserted our neighborhood, but lingered near, and sniffed the good things 
 that sent forth their foul odors from the fire, and grumbled and growled as 
 he saw morsel after morsel disappear down the throats of his enemies, and 
 feared that his share would be but small when moving time arrived ; the 
 fire burned low, and was not replenished, each native being too full for ac- 
 tive exertions; the shadows flickered over the clearing as the trees bent 
 their boughs, and the flames danced up with expiring efforts, only to sink 
 down, and make the dim light a little more dense, and, while 1 was more 
 than half inclined to nod, and trust my life to an unseen power, I saw a 
 sight that sent a chill to my heart, and made me shrink still further under 
 the shelter of the acacia-bush, and to drop my revolver, and clasp my hands 
 in a vain attempt to remember a childhood's prayer, for moving slowly into 
 the dark, open space, where the natives were nodding and sleeping, glided 
 
1 68 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 a hideous phantom, something so terrible, that I would have cried out, and 
 fled, had I not been powerless to move hand, foot, or tongue. I made an 
 attempt to grasp my revolver, but could not do so, and, with eyes distended, 
 and limbs shaking, watched the unearthly visitor as it approached, a 
 skeleton, with ribs of fire, streaks of flame on breast and face, eyes that were 
 like burning coals, cheeks that were ever changing and flashing, as the 
 thing moved, with blue flames issuing from mouth and nostrils, and arms 
 and hands covered with shining, will-o'-wisp light, that trembled, flickered, 
 and went out, only to re-appear more vivid than ever, and, as the phantom 
 waved its hideous arms around its fiery head, and uttered a groan so un- 
 earthly that even the owl was frightened, and flew to other quarters, where 
 such devilish visitants would not disturb its nightly meditations and repose, 
 I wanted to shriek, but could not; I wanted to fly, but my limbs refused to 
 obey my will, and so I was forced to remain, and fancied that I could feel 
 the sulphurous and fiery breath of this fiend from the infernal regions, for it 
 die not look like anything earthly. If his satanic majesty resembled the 
 skeleton that was before my eyes, I resolved to be a sincere Christian for 
 the remainder of my life, for I had no desire to meet such an object in the 
 next world, and determined to avoid it if possible. 
 
 " Uoogh ! uoogh ! uoogh ! " groaned the midnight visitor, and up went 
 its arms in rapid gyrations around its head, and sparks and flames seemed 
 to fly in the air, and to play around the naked skeleton, and to fall to the 
 ground, and run along the dry leaves, then leap back to the terrible being, 
 as if for a parting embrace, and a benediction, before dying, and disappear- 
 ing from sight. 
 
 One of the sleeping black fellows leisurely opened one eye, and glanced 
 around. His gaze fell on the skeleton of fire, and, with a yell that could 
 have been heard even by the quarreling dingos, a mile distant, he gave a 
 mighty bound over the scrub, and disappeared in the bush. 
 
 His cry awakened the remainder of the natives. They supposed at first 
 that their companion was suffering from an attack of indigestion, or a mild 
 form of night-mare, and, as they roused up to rebuke the fellow who had 
 disturbed their rest and dreams, and, possibly, to whack him over the head 
 with a waddy for his rudeness, their eyes sighted the terrible apparition. 
 There was a sudden and general rising of the whole tribe. Even the old 
 gin staggered to her feet, and rubbed her gummy eyes, and looked her ter- 
 ror and astonishment. 
 
 " Nackietite / " was the exclamation from every mouth, as near as I 
 could understand the word, and I may be wrong in leaving off one or two 
 
The Belle of Australia. 169 
 
 syllables, but I suppose the real translation is, Well, the divil has got us 
 at last, sure," and over the scrub went every black fellow, showing his heels 
 and feet in the air, as he made a most wonderful plunge, head first, for a 
 point of safety. 
 
 All but the gin. I suppose that her womanly delicacy prevented her from 
 plunging into the bush in the presence of a stranger, or, perhaps, she was 
 too full for a lively, standing jump, such as her relatives had accomplished. 
 But of one thing I was assured, she could scream the heads off of her com- 
 panions, and not half try, like a delicate young lady, who can't speak above 
 a whisper in company, and yells like an Apache warrior when she encoun- 
 ters a mouse in her bed-chamber or on the stairs. The sharpest loco- 
 motive whistle in the country could not equal that old hag's yell, as she 
 made an effort to jump, but, being over-weighted, could not, so clapped her 
 hands upon her extended stomach, and waddled off, as fast as she could, to 
 find her friends, leaving spears, boomerangs, waddies, and bundles near the 
 fire, thinking only of personal safety, and not of personal property, and 
 through the dry bush I could hear the natives plunge, uttering the most dis- 
 mal howls as they thought of the hideous devil that was after them, and 
 likely to devour them, and then all sounds died away, except a low, chuck- 
 ling laugh, a sort of grunt of satisfaction, and, looking toward the terrible 
 visitor, I saw that the fire which had bathed its whole mass of ribs and 
 bones had died away, and a voice that I was familiar with said, 
 
 " Blackie fellie muste goe, Chinaman staye. Notie muchie foolie 
 
 'boute meie. Hi yah ! " 
 
 " Gin Sling, you wretch, is this you ? " I demanded, springing toward 
 him, and as much surprised as I was pleased to see that the terrible visi- 
 tor was flesh and blood, and my friend the Chinaman. 
 
 " Oh, yesie, meie comee backie to lookie arter youe. Lordie, howe 
 blackie fellie runnie whenie seie meie," and he laughed as heartily as a 
 Chinaman ever does, their laughter consisting of a series of chuckles, grunts, 
 and strangling sensations, as though a fish-bone was lodged in their throats, 
 and then the fellow proceeded to tell me that he had fled but a short dis- 
 tance, and, after his panic had subsided, returned, and saw that I was not kill- 
 ed as he feared was the case, and then determined to scare the black fellows 
 who had frightened him so badly. For this purpose he had taken from his 
 pig-tail the stick of Chinese phosphorus which had attracted my attention 
 when he first unbraided his queue, a caustic that resembles the same kind 
 of fiery compound as is used in this country by match makers, but is more 
 vivid and strong, and much more easily applied to the skin, leaving no scars, 
 
I/O The Belle of Australia. 
 
 or black marks behind. He had annomted himself from head to foct, even 
 taking the trouble to remove trousers and blouse to make a more hideous 
 appearance, waiting patiently until the moon had disappeared behind the 
 trees, and the natives were partly asleep, before venturing upon his ghostly 
 mission, and even then he feared that he would frighten me away as well as 
 the others, if he should be so fortunate as to escape a shot from my revolv- 
 er, of which he had a wholesome dread. But he had determined to risk all 
 for the sake of having a little quiet Chinese fun, and had succeeded beyond 
 his most sanguine expectations. 
 
 " Nowie gibbe meie a ittie drinkie of rume, and thene takie sleepie tille 
 lightie. Blackie fellie noie comee backie heree noie morie. Too muche 
 runnie for datie." 
 
 He had a pull at the brandy, and a sip of water to help it down, and then 
 extinguishing the fire, so that it would not attract other wanderers, we went 
 to sleep, and slumbered until sunrise, and the screaming of the birds, the 
 chattering and scolding of the parrots, and the hoarse calls of the birds of para- 
 dise awakened us. No one had visited us during the time we had slept, 
 and, as we had no toilets to make, we were soon ready to move, and endeav- 
 or to find a trail that should lead us to safety. 
 
 The spears and boomerangs were lying just where the black fellows had 
 left them. There were also half a dozen waddies and nullas, but we did not 
 need them, so left everything, and were about to start, when I kicked one 
 of the packages which the old gin had borne upon her back when she en- 
 tered the clearing, trailing the snake, the night before. As the package, 
 covered by a mat of dried leaves, did not yield to my energetic movements, 
 in fact it rather hurt my toes, reminding me of the people in civilized coun- 
 tries, who kick at hats on sidewalks, on the first day of April, and then hob- 
 ble away on one foot, convinced that a mistake had been made somewhere, 
 and damning the boy who invented the trick, so I uttered an exclamation 
 that sounded like a blessing, and then stooped down, and examined the ar- 
 ticle that had excited my ire. I tore off the leaves, and then stood and 
 looked at the package in such astonishment that I could not speak, for 
 there, lying at my feet, was a nugget of gold, the like of which I had never 
 seen before or since, for purity and beauty of form. It was as large as a 
 man's big fist, and resembled it in many respects, with not a speck of dirt 
 or quartz to be seen on the surface. It was a lump of pure gold, without 
 alloy, and could not have been more precious if it had just come out of a 
 refiner's crucible. 
 
 " Gin Sling," I said, " look here, and see this nugget." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 The Chinaman approached, saw the nugget of gold, and fell down, and 
 touched his lips to it, as though it was a sacred idol, and he was the most 
 devout of worshipers. 
 
 " By - ," he cried, "nebbe sawe de likie aforee. Youe riche nowie. 
 Hi yah ! blackie fellie leavie, and runnie 'waye. Alle youe. Niggies no 
 comee backie, and if they dide noie habbie." 
 
 I lifted the treasure from the ground, and examined it in every part. Al- 
 though so small, it \vas very heavy, and I judged that it weighed about 
 twenty-five pounds, troy weight, and afterward I found that I had made a 
 neat guess, it weighing just twenty-five and one-half pounds, or three hun- 
 dred and six ounces, troy, containing twelve ounces to the pound. It was 
 valued at twenty dollars an ounce, amounting to the neat sum of six thou- 
 sand one hundred and twenty dollars, but, owing to the peculiar formation 
 of the nugget, I sold it for much more to an agent of the Melbourne Geolog- 
 ical Society, as a rare curiosity of gold formation, one that had never been 
 equaled or excelled in any respect. But of this I shall have to speak here- 
 after, and in its proper place. 
 
 I did not lose time, but hunted for more nuggets, hoping that I might find 
 an additional one, thus affording another illustration that a man's passion 
 for acquiring wealth never ceases, for an hour before I should have deemed 
 myself rich if I had had five hundred dollars in my pocket, in addition to 
 what I had in the Oriental Bank. But no more lumps of gold were found, 
 much to my regret, for I wanted riches for the sake of the dear young lady 
 I had left in the city, and whom I hoped to win if I should be lucky at the 
 mines ; and here was a windfall that was well calculated to encourage me to 
 persevere, for I did not expect to see the natives again, and certainly I 
 hoped I should not, for I calculated that the gold would do me more good 
 than the barbarous blacks, who could not know the value of the nugget, 
 and had probably picked it up in some dry water course. Ah, if I could 
 have induced the black fellows to pilot me to the spot where they had dis- 
 covered it how I should have rejoiced. But there was no hope of that, so 
 wrapping the precious treasure in my blanket, and tying the ends of the 
 latter so that the gold would not escape, or be seen, I slung the burden 
 over Gin Sling's shoulders, took my bearings, and once more commenced 
 my journey, and how happy I should have felt had I but been sure that I 
 could find the trail. 
 
 I followed the direction that the old black had given me. tramped along 
 sturdily, and with hope, the Chinaman chattering like a magpie, and con- 
 demning to everlasting punishment all bushrangers, black fellows, and 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Slingismen " who took a fancy to punch a celestial's head if just in the 
 humor. 
 
 On we went, over trees that were so decayed that it was dangerous to 
 step on them for fear of snakes and ants, skirting scrub, and dodging unde- 
 branches, disturbing animals in their forenoon naps, and receiving many ; 
 hiss from an angry snake, and guttural toot from a blinking owl, until at 
 last I was forced to stop and consider whether I was on the right course. 
 If I was not, my lump of gold would be a cheap exchange for the correct 
 road, if we could find any one willing to make the trade. 
 
 Gin Sling looked at me as we stopped, and wiped the perspiration from 
 . his brow. He saw that I was troubled, but his face lighted up with a grin, 
 as if to encourage me not to lose all heart. 
 
 " Noie fearie," he said. " Wee comee oute alle rightie. Seeie, youe 
 waitie ittie whilie. Meie goie upe treeie, and seeie whate I shalle seeie." 
 
 The idea was a good one. He selected a gum-tree that was at least two 
 hundred and fifty feet high, the monarch of the forest in that vicinity, with 
 branches that extended almost forty feet from the ground. The Chinaman 
 removed his blouse, so as to refrain from soiling it, kicked off his thick 
 shoes, and up the tree he crawled, in a style that would have made even a 
 black fellow, the most expert tree climbers in the world, feel envious. Up 
 he went, hardly pausing to take breath, until at length the top of the tree 
 was gained and I awaited with a trembling heart for his verdict of life or 
 death to us. He looked long and anxiously in all directions, and I began 
 to feel that death stared us in the face, when he uttered a dinner-gong-like 
 laugh, and shouted, 
 
 " Alle rightie nowie. Seeie Ballarate, de roade, and alle dings plainie. 
 Dis waie. Youe notie for surie." 
 
 He pointed in a direction a little to the right of the one which we had 
 been pursuing, showing that the old black fellow had given me the right 
 course, but that we had deviated from it, as all people do who have no fixed 
 object to steer for. Our right feet had taken a little longer pace than our 
 left, and thus, in the course of time, we should have been wandering around 
 in a circle, and surely lost, like hundreds and thousands of people in similar 
 circumstances, not only in Australia, but this country. 
 
 Once more I took bearings, and this time determined to keep well to the 
 right, and, when Gin Sling descended, I asked him how far we were from 
 the road, and was delighted to learn that it could not be more than half a 
 mile, and that Camp Reserve was not more than two miles from the spot 
 where we were stopping. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 173 
 
 " Alle rightie nowie. Comie onie," said Gin cheerfully. 
 
 We resumed our journey, and in an hour's time saw sunlight shining 
 through the woods, and then heard the crack of a stockman's whip, and a 
 hoarse voice roaring at cattle, the bark of a dog, and the whinnying of a 
 horse, and the whistling of some light-hearted person, possibly a miner on 
 his way to the city, with enough gold-dust in his buckskin bag to make 
 things lively for a while, when he would again return to the mines, and la- 
 bor for more, and repeat his useless enjoyments. 
 
 " Gin Sling/' I said, as we halted on the edge of the wood, but still out of 
 sight of the road, " don't mention the gold nugget." 
 
 "Alle rightie; meie noie foolle. Chinaman sabie muchie some- 
 
 timee,'' and the fellow showed his teeth, and grinned. 
 
 We felt thirsty and tired, and, for the last time, took a pull at the brandy 
 and water, and then, refreshed and encouraged, we stepped from the woods 
 into the road, and were met by a mounted policeman, who sat on his horse 
 in the middle of the trail, and was whistling to relieve the monotony of his 
 long, dull, and dusty beat, at the same time keeping a bright lookout for all 
 who passed him, going to Ballarat, or in another direction. We came upon 
 the man so suddenly that we could not have avoided him had we been so 
 disposed. But we were tired, and needed rest and water, and so I put on a 
 bold front, and astonished the mounted trap by our unexpected appearance 
 from the forest ; and strange-looking objects we must have been, covered 
 with dust and dirt, our clothes torn in many places, and that peculiar look 
 on our faces which people have after being lost in the bush for several days, 
 a look half of despair and half of terror, as though fearful that the human 
 beings you met were enemies, and had some designs on your life and for- 
 tunes, and half inclined to run away from the dearest of friends, and this 
 sensation usually lasts several days. But we had not suffered enough to 
 feel all such effects, or we should have avoided the policeman, and his 
 cheerful whistle. 
 
"KITTY, MY POOE CHILD!" i CRIED, AS I LAID A HAND VERY GENTLY ON HER HEAD. 
 
 PART VIII. 
 
 BALLARAT AND ITS MINES. HOW THREE OLD PIRATES SOLD A CLAIM 
 
 AND MYSELF AT THE SAME TIME. HOUSE-CLEANING MADE EASY. 
 
 A NEWSPAPER'S ACCOUNT OF MY WEDDING. MISS KITTY 
 
 STUCKLY MAKES ME AN UNEXPECTED CALL, AND 
 
 WANTS TO TALK OF LOVE, BUT I DECLINE TO 
 
 LISTEN. THE ARRIVAL OF MR. MUR- 
 
 DEN AT MY SHANTY IN THE NIGHT, 
 
 AND WHAT HE SAID. 
 
 A S the Chinaman and myself struck the road, close to the mounted po- 
 ** liceman, he gave us a glance, and then laid his hand lightly on the car- 
 bine which he carried at his saddle bow. We would have passed him with 
 but a nod and a word, but the man was not disposed to let us go without a 
 few questions, which might prove of interest to one in his calling. 
 
 ' Hullo, mate," he said, looking me all over, and ignoring the Chinaman, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 175 
 
 as being of no account, and hardly worthy of notice ; " not so fast, if you 
 please. I want a word with you. Where did you come from ? '' 
 
 " From the bush, where we have been for two days, and hard work we 
 had to find our way out. Thanks to your gentle whistle, as sweet to our 
 ears as the tones of vesper bells to the Sicilian, we have struck a trail, and 
 want food and water as soon as we can get them/' 
 
 "None of your chaffing," was the response of the stately policeman. 
 " Never joke with a police officer when he is on duty. If you want a drink 
 take one from my canteen, and in welcome," and, as he spoke, he handed 
 me a water-bottle that held about two quarts, from which I took a long and 
 refreshing pull, and then passed it to Gin Sling, who followed suit wih. 
 quiet alacrity, to the intense disgust of the officer, who said, 
 
 " You might have let that heathen wait until you reached the camp." 
 
 " And see him surfer ? " I asked. 
 
 " It is not much matter if he did. There are too many of these fellows 
 in the mines at the present time, and not one in a dozen pays a tax. The 
 copper-colored rascals look so much alike that we can't tell them apart, and 
 when we go for their taxes one license answers for twenty, as they pass it 
 from hand to hand, or else burrough in their claims like squirrels. They 
 are a bad lot, buy nothing, spend nothing, live on nothing, and take out of 
 the country all that they can steal or earn, blast them ! I don't like them, 
 and no one does." 
 
 This was the prevailing opinion of the Chinese at the time, and I do not 
 think there has been a change of sentiment for the better since I was in 
 Australia. They were disliked by miner and stockman, shepherd and la- 
 borer, policemen and officials, but, even while the officer was thus express- 
 ing his true sentiments, Gin Sling was listening with unmoved face, but at 
 his flat, puggy nose was placed a thumb, and four fingers gyrated in the air, 
 like a saucy boy in our cities some years since, when such a movement of 
 the thumb and fingers expressed doubt and contempt, distrust and defiance. 
 In fact, I think that it is even used at the present day by some men, for I 
 recently saw a grave and dignified professor put his thumb to his nose, and 
 whirl his fingers, to show his disgust at some question asked him by a 
 friend. 
 
 I-Uit. while Gin Sling was thus gravely poking fun at the policeman, whose 
 back was turned, he did not let the official catch him at such ambiguous 
 practices, but dropped his hand like a flash when the officer looked in his 
 direction. 
 
 " Have you seen any suspicious-looking horsemen near the bush ? " asked 
 
176 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 the officer, whom I now discovered was Larry, the same man who had over- 
 hauled Mike and myself the night we left Melbourne. 
 
 "No, we could not very well see horsemen while we were in the bush," 1 
 answered. 
 
 " True, but men sometimes leave their horses at the edge of the scrub, 
 and enter the bush on foot. Three bushrangers are in the neighborhood, 
 Black Dick, Slipper Sam, and a young fellow we can't locate. He must 
 be a new man, as we never heard of him before." 
 
 As I had not seen the persons described, I was about to resume my jour- 
 ney, when the officer again stopped me with a question. 
 
 " Have you seen a young and genteel-looking swell on the road, or in the 
 bush ? " he asked. 
 
 " No, we have seen no one," I replied. 
 
 " All right, only I 'd like to meet him. Send me word if you see such a 
 swell, and I '11 do a favor for you some time.' T 
 
 " What is he wanted for? " I asked. 
 
 " Oh, blessed if I know. Some confounded woman scrape, I believe. 
 There 's a reward for his arrest, but, if taken, he 's to be treated with great 
 respect and kindness. Fed on champagne and fruit, I suppose. The force 
 is going to the devil, there 's so much kindness shown to Chinamen and 
 prisoners." 
 
 He was about to trot off to patrol his district, when I asked a question. 
 
 " Shall I have to obtain a license to mine for gold ? " 
 
 "Yes, five bob a month, and payable in advance, at the mining office, 
 where you will be allotted a claim, and you can work it for all that it is 
 worth, clear down to the world underneath us, if you want to, but most peo- 
 ple are satisfied with striking a reef of rocks, and stopping there. But don't 
 attempt to dig gold until you get a license. It might cost you all the dust 
 and nuggets you gathered. If you expect to make your fortune at mining 
 take the blessing and good wishes of a policeman, for even small things are 
 not to be despised in such a case." 
 
 He laughed, and rode off, leaving me to infer that mining was not such a 
 profitable business as I had anticipated, but, with the nugget of gold al- 
 ready in my possession, I felt that I could afford to meet a few disappoint- 
 ments, and yet not feel very poor, even at the end of a year. 
 
 " Youe seeie, alle folkes hatie Chinaman," Gin Sling said, as we trudged 
 along. " Allie causie wee livie cheapie, and noie drinkic rummie, and raisic 
 devitie." 
 
 As I did not understand the question that had been raised at that time in 
 
The Belle of Australia. 177 
 
 Australia, I marveled at the policeman's dislike, but afterward found that 
 the celestials were a little tricky in paying their taxes, but the white miners 
 were not immaculate in that respect, and took every occasion to cheat all 
 who belonged to the government, and land grabbers seized on every acre of 
 available territory, and laughed at the officials who meant to be as honest as 
 possible, consistent with a full pocket. 
 
 About ten o'clock we struck Camp Reserve, and passed down Sturt 
 Street, looking to the right and left for a stopping-place. Gin Sling was 
 well acquainted in the Chinese quarter, but he said that it would not suit 
 me, and that I must keep away from it. Some men there, he said, would 
 st^al the teeth out of my head, unless I kept my lips locked up with a pad- 
 lock, and threw the key down a deserted shaft. At last I saw a rough 
 house, that looked a little neater than the rest, and on a sign the information 
 was given that travelers could have good beds and board, on reasonable 
 terms. I found that a stout English woman kept the place, and that, while 
 she was willing to receive me, if I would pay by the day, and in advance, 
 she was decidedly opposed to making a tea-box of her quarters to accommo- 
 date Gin Sling, and the only way that I could satisfy her was to say that 
 the celestial was my servant, and that I could not remain unless he was 
 permitted to do so. I said that he could sleep on the floor in my room, and 
 eat as best he could, until I found a place to pitch my tent, and go to min- 
 ing, the method that all miners adopted unable to erect a shanty. 
 
 " Now, Gin," I said, after we had taken possession of a room that was 
 about six by six, destitute of bed or chair, " do you stay here, and take care 
 of the gold, and let no one steal it from you, while I go and get a license to 
 mine, and see where we can locate." 
 
 " Bellie goodie. Meie doie," and, taking possession of my revolver and 
 rifle, he sat down, and prepared to watch the precious deposit. 
 
 I found my way to the office where licenses were issued, paid a tax for 
 Mike, Gin, and myself, said that I did not know where I should sink a 
 shaft, so did not want any allotment just then, but would look around. 
 There were a dozen men in the room, some waiting for allotments, others 
 to transfer their claims to new-comers. As I was leaving the office, a bat- 
 tered, piratical-looking sailor touched me on the arm, and said, 
 
 " Was yer lookin' for a good claim, mate ? " 
 
 " Yes, that is just what I am looking for," was my response. 
 
 "Well, mate, I has a claim that is jist rotten with richness, but yer see I 
 'se hurted my right hand, and can't work, and the doctor says I must go to 
 the city, and get into a hospital, where a bloody old saw-bones can have a 
 
178 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 look at it, and my mates they wants to go with me, 'cos they has got a good 
 many shots in the locker, and they don't want to work all their days in this 
 blasted old hole." 
 
 Alas, I was fearfully green as to the tricks of the Ballarat miner. A week 
 later I should have laughed at the old pirate, and left him to attempt swin- 
 dling some one else, but now I stopped and listened, the very thing I should 
 not have done. 
 
 " Yes, mate," said the dirty, grisly old scamp, " we has a claim that is 
 forty by forty, and a shaft that is down twenty feet, and we can jist scoop 
 up the gold nuggets and the dust every time. We a'n't doin' much now, 
 since I hurtedmy hand, but we has all we wants, and there goes with the 
 claim a nice shanty, that won't leak unless it rains very hard, and it has three 
 bunks in it, and a table for the grub, and pots, and pans, and chairs, and 
 everything. It 's jist like a royal palace, it is now, I tell yer." 
 
 " And what is the price for all ? " I demanded. 
 
 " Well, mate, the whole is worth twenty sovs, but you can have it for 
 ten." 
 
 " Let me see your license," 1 said. 
 
 He showed it to me, and also the allotment to mine on lot one thousand 
 and eight. I went to the clerk, and asked if the papers were correct, and if 
 the old fellow owned such a mine. He grinned, and said that everything 
 was correct. 
 
 " You are in a hurry to be rich, a'n't you ? " the clerk asked, still smil- 
 ing. 
 
 "Yes: why?" 
 
 " Oh, nothing, except seeing you buy a valuable piece of property. O 
 Jack, Jack, you '11 kill some of us before long," and the clerk laughed and 
 winked at the pirate, who turned his back, and was gazing at the mining 
 camp, as though much interested in such a show of industry as was spread 
 all over the plain. 
 
 " Come and look at the plant, mate," whispered the pirate. "The clerk 
 is a joker, and likes his laugh, but when he sees yer wuth millions he won't 
 grin so much, I tell yer." 
 
 I was not really suspicious that I was being sold, and the reason was be- 
 cause I did not feel in immediate want of money, but still was determined 
 to be rich as soon as possible, and wanted to purchase a claim where a shaft 
 had been sunk, and thus save time and labor. 
 
 " Come with me, mate," repeated the old pirate. " J '11 show you the 
 Ban k-of- England Mine," 
 
The Belle of Australia. 179 
 
 "Why did you name it such a high-sounding title ?" I asked. 
 
 " Oh, 'cos the parties what owns that 'ere mine will be able to buy out the 
 bank, if they works it long enough. It 's jist bustin' with richness, that 
 mine is." 
 
 The claim was on Sturt Street, some distance from the rest of the miners 
 and shafts. Two other villainous-looking scoundrels were seated at the 
 door of a shanty, engaged in a game of all fours, at a shilling a game, 
 and when pirate number one said that he had offered the whole establish- 
 ment for ten sovereigns, the two others dashed down their cards in a rage, 
 and vowed that they would n't submit to such a swindle. They would have 
 twenty sovs, or not a penny. The first pirate said that his hand was bad, 
 and he must go to Melbourne, and have it looked arter, and it was devilish 
 hard on a pard, which had done as well as he had by his mates, to have to 
 stand in the gap, but the two rascals were firm, and took me out to see the 
 shaft, and the windlass to draw up the dirt, and the heavy bucket, and the 
 nearness to the stream, and the abundance of shafting wood that was close 
 at hand, and at last one old scoundrel said that he would not sell at any 
 price, as he wanted to make a few more thousands before he knocked off 
 work for good, an:l become a swell in some great city, so that he could have 
 his grog, and his pipe, and his bit of land, and a tidy lass to keep him com- 
 pany. 
 
 Upon this the first pirate set up a howl, and said that it was a bloody 
 shame, and that his hand would drop off with the dry rot unless he had re- 
 lief, and his old friends to take care of him while he was on the sick list, 
 and then the obstinate pirate said he would n't be hard-hearted, and he 'd sell 
 for twenty sovs, and not a penny less, and then the others agreed that the 
 sum was low, and that they would n't take anything different. 
 
 " Let me see a specimen of the gold that you have taken from the mine," 
 I said, and this demand, instead of staggering them, seemed to brighten 
 them up. for one of the pirates went to his bunk, and took out a bag, and 
 showed me three or four pounds of nuggets. This looked like business, 
 but, as the old scamps had made so much talk, I determined to retire, and 
 not buy their property unless I could do so at my own price, and on very 
 liberal terms. 
 
 " Look you, mates, I said, " I don't want to take such valuable property 
 from you, so will let some other person buy it. I will look around, and see 
 what I can find in another quarter.'' 
 
 The faces of the three men changed. I was not so green as they had 
 supposed. 
 
I So The Belle of Australia. 
 
 "Oh, take the mine for ten sovs," all cried, with one accord, when they 
 saw me moving off. 
 
 " No, I don't want it," was the reply, as I edged away from them, as if 
 indifferent. 
 
 " What will you give for it ? " was the next humble question. 
 
 " Five sovereigns," was my cautious answer. 
 
 " Sold : it 's yours," all shrieked, in chorus, as though they feared that I 
 would decline, and not come to the scratch. 
 
 I saw the game then, but, as the shanty was worth something, I did not 
 think that I had been swindled to any great extent, and had no doubt but 
 that I could get my money back when I wanted to sell. I went to the of- 
 fice, and had transferred to me, in proper form, the Bank-of-England Mine, 
 and, as the clerk handed me the document, and I paid the pirates, he laugh- 
 ed, and said, 
 
 " You 're the tenth person who has bought the mine in the past two 
 weeks, and 1 Ve no doubt but that you '11 get as sick of it as the former 
 proprietors, in the course of a few days." 
 
 " But there has been considerable gold taken from the mine," I said. 
 
 " Not even a penny worth," was the response. " It 's a sell, and those 
 three old sharpers will again take possession when you leave, renew their 
 papers, and dispose of the mine to some other new-comer. They have not 
 done a day's work for months, and they do not need to. They get enough 
 to buy rum and tobacco, and that is all they care for." 
 
 " But I saw a bag full of nuggets. They showed them to me, and said 
 they came from the mine," I cried. 
 
 " The nuggets were manufactured ones, made for this market, and used 
 to salt mines with. There was not a shilling's worth of gold in the whole 
 lot," was the frank communication. 
 
 " But it seems to me that the police should protect new-comers," I re- 
 marked. 
 
 " We should have to employ a thousand men to do that. The best that 
 we can do is to prevent miners from jumping each other's claims. 
 Then we come down on them like a thousand of brick, and make the law 
 felt, even if we have to shoot a few jumpers. Hope you will have better 
 luck next time, and that you will keep your eye peeled on the chances. 
 Good-day." 
 
 As I walked out of the office, a little ashamed of my verdancy in being 
 swindled by three such vile old sinners, I saw the pirate whose hand was 
 rotting off, raising a pot of beer to his mouth with the very hand that was 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 so bad, and all three of the villains bowed to me, and drank to me, and then 
 roared \vith laughter, and told every person in the ale-house how nicely 
 they had swindled me, while -the old fellow whose hand was so bad that it 
 was liable to decay, unless medical attendance was promptly resorted to, 
 waved that member in a free and hearty manner, to show that he had re- 
 covered its use in a miraculous manner. 
 
 Of course I did riot show any of the vexation that I really felt. I would 
 not give the pirates the satisfaction of supposing that I was disappointed 
 in my purchase, so passed the fellows in silence, and left them carousing in 
 the saloon, drinking bitter beer, and making plans for catching new green- 
 horns as soon as 1 got tired of my bargain, and abandoned the claim and 
 shanty. To be sure, I had paid but little for both, but that was the secret 
 of the financial success of the gang, for, had they asked a large sum, the 
 would-be purchaser might have made inquiries, and had his eyes opened at 
 the attempted fraud. 
 
 I found Gin Sling carefully guarding the nugget, and the few articles I 
 had left in his charge, and when I told him that I had bought a claim, and a 
 shanty, he nodded his head, and said, 
 
 " Bellie goode. Goe npwe." 
 
 " No, Gin, we will go there tomorrow, and clean up the place, and get it 
 in order, to commence work in the course of a few days. But I 'm afraid 
 that we sha'n't find much gold in the mine." 
 
 " Noie cane telle. Alle luckie. Wee seeie by by." 
 
 I had dinner, and received some congratulatory remarks from those whom 
 I met on the Bank-of-England Mine, and there were many laughs as I was 
 asked what I should do with the gold that I took out of my claim, while the 
 landlady, who had taken quite a fancy to me, expressed her firm intention 
 of scalding the old pirates if they ever came near her residence, and then 
 rebuked me for not confiding in her, like a mother, before I made a move 
 toward business. I answered all in good nature, never lost my temper fora 
 moment, and at last had the satisfaction of seeing the current of opinion 
 change, and to hear some hard-faced, John-Bull-looking men declare that it 
 "was a bloody shame, and that the police should stoo such business as tc 
 allow new-comers to be swindled." 
 
 As we were very tired, and the afternoon was excessively warm, Gin and 
 I had a nap, and, after a refreshing sleep, I went through the town, and 
 learned the art of mining, as far as 1 could in the short space of time that I 
 had to spare. I found that all shafts were sunk until a ledge, or reef, as 
 they called it, was reached, and, if gold was not found on the ledge, "he 
 
1 82 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 shaft was abandoned as useless, and all labor was lost, and the unlucky 
 speculators had to locate a new claim, and try once more, unless funds, or 
 credit, gave out. 
 
 The ledge, where the largest nuggets were found, sloped toward the 
 stream, and, whileTin some places a depth of four feet only would be re- 
 quired to reach it, yet, twenty feet from the spot, it was necessary to dig 
 down thirty or forty feet, and even as deep as eighty or a hundred feet, 
 where water was found, and had to be pumped out to permit the miners 
 to work with safety. Most of the shafts had buckets going up and down, 
 the owners being too poor to buy pumps, and slow, laborious work it was 
 to keep the mines from overflowing. All grumbled at their blasted luck, as 
 they called it, and only in three or four instances did I find men who would 
 acknowledge that they were making good clay wages. Such a thing as a 
 ten-pound nugget had not been seen for many days, so they all said, al- 
 though some of two or three ounces in weight were met with occasionally, 
 and fine scale dust, such as I had mined in California, was almost unknown, 
 except on the banks of some of the streams, or in the dry diggings, near the 
 foot of the hills. 
 
 When I went to sleep that night it seemed to me that Florence was a long 
 distance from me, and that I should never overtake her, but still I dreamed 
 of her, and must have called her name in my sleep, for Gin Sling, in the 
 morning, said, with a grin, 
 
 " Youe talkie alle timee 'boute onie gallic, and wante to kisse, and shee 
 noie lete. Youe comee China withe meie, and meiefindie ittie gallic, footie 
 noie bigie thane babie. Youe likie kisse alle daye," and Gin smacked his 
 lips, as he thought of the dark-eyed females of his country, whose feet, if 
 of the first families, are so small that their owners cannot walk without as- 
 sistance, and such deformity is called beautiful in the eyes of Chinamen, 
 but the women don't pinch their waists. 
 
 After breakfast we went over to my new purchase. The pirates had 
 moved out, and taken up their quarters in an ale-house, waiting for events. 
 Gin looked very grave as he glanced at the property, at the shaft, and the 
 little prospect there was for gold. But he noticed that I was not in good 
 spirits, and did not make any comments except to say, 
 
 " Noie goodie. Notie worthie a ." 
 
 I tried the bucket at the shaft, and found that it was in fair order, and 
 that the notched stick of timber, to enter and leave the mine, was safe. I 
 went down twenty feet, and, by the aid of a candle, saw that no one had 
 worked the mine for months. The shovels and pick-axes were rusty, and 
 
The Belle of Australia. 183 
 
 half-covered with debris that had fallen, and then, suddenly, an idea entered 
 my mind that was worth adopting. 
 
 ' Gin," I said, speaking so low that he could just hear me as he leaned 
 over the windlass, "lower the big nugget down. This is* the place to con- 
 ceal it until I am ready to use it. No one will ever think of looking for it 
 here/' 
 
 " Alle rightie." was the answer, and down came the lump of gold, still 
 wrapped in the blanket. I covered the precious treasure with some old sail- 
 cloth that I found at the bottom of the shaft, and then spread a layer of 
 dirt over all, sent the tools to the surface to be cleaned from rust, and once 
 more rejoined Gin. Then we took a survey of the shanty, and saw that it 
 needed soap and water, and plenty of them, before I should dare to inhabit 
 it, for I feared contamination. 
 
 Gin understood the art of house-cleaning. He got out a big pot, filled it 
 with water, made a fire in the rough fireplace, just out-of doors, stripped off 
 his blouse, shook out his pig-tail, gave me his bag of gold, and begged me 
 to keep it for him, and to do what I pleased with it, until he called fDr it, 
 pitched out-of-doors all the old dunnage that the pirates had left, tables, 
 chairs, and bunks, hunted up a bar of soap, and a brush, and said that he 
 would scrub everything clean while I wandered clown the street in search of 
 furniture, such as we should require, and a few dishes to use upon the table 
 when we took our meals. 
 
 While I was looking up odds and ends, I saw a substantial building, and 
 a large sign on it, giving notice that it was a branch of the Oriental Bank, 
 Melbourne. Before the door stood an armed policeman, and, on asking 
 him if the institution was all right, he said that it was as good as the Bank 
 of England. 
 
 " Not the mine of that name, but the mother of all banks in England, the 
 old lady herself," and the officer grinned, and I had no doubt but that he 
 recognized me as the unfortunate purchaser of the mine with the substan- 
 tial name. 
 
 " Have you got out enough gold to make a deposit so soon ? " asked the 
 officer. "If you have you have done better than the former owners. It is 
 a sell, and don't you waste time on that mine. It is no use." 
 
 " Well, I shall give it a fair trial," I said. " I am in no hurry to leave it. 
 I like the place, and intend to stay there for the present, at least." 
 
 The officer laughed as I walked into the bank, and saw that it was quite 
 an extensive establishment, with bright scales and massive safe, and a seri- 
 ous-looking man as cashier. 
 
1 84 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " What are you paying for gold this morning ? " 1 asked. 
 
 " About eighty shillings an ounce, if pure," was the answer. 
 
 I emptied Gin's gold-dust on a sheet of white paper. The cashier went 
 all over it with a magnet, and then examined each nugget with great care, 
 for fear of fraud. 
 
 "I will give eighty shillings an ounce for it," the cashier said. "It is 
 pure, and a good lot." 
 
 " If I leave the money on deposit will you allow me interest for it ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes, I will allow you ten per cent if it is left on deposit longer than a 
 month," was the satisfactory answer. 
 
 " Take it," I said, and the dust was weighed out, and I found that Gin 
 had three pounds and a half, or forty-two ounces, worth about eight hun- 
 dred and forty dollars. I took out a certificate of deposit in my own name, 
 with the understanding that I could transfer it to the Chinaman at any 
 time, and that he would be paid as readily as myself. I determined that 
 Gin should not lose his hard-earned gains by gambling (a vice that no Chi- 
 man can resist), if I could prevent it. 
 
 Then I went and purchased some rough but decent chairs, a table, some 
 dishes, coffee and tea, pots, knives and forks, tin pans, three palm-leaf mat 
 tresses, blankets, pails, and dippers, and, by the time I had completed my 
 bargains, and shipped them to the mine, it was twelve o'clock, and every- 
 body was out of the bowels of the earth, and eating dinner, such as they 
 could obtain. 
 
 I found Gin with an assistant in the person of a young Chinaman. He 
 had picked him up in the course of the forenoon, and set him to cleaning. 
 They had made a visible improvement in the shanty. The bunks were torn 
 down, the walls and floors scrubbed clean, not a trace of dirt to be seen 
 anywhere, excepting the deep stains of weather and decay, and Gin was 
 hard at work widi hammer and nails, putting up a shelf here and there, 
 hooks and pegs to hang clothes, a closet for dishes, strips on the roof to 
 keep out the rain, if we should have one, new boards on the sides of the 
 imposing shanty, so that inquisitive people could not see what was going 
 on inside, and, while working, he was driving his countryman by words and 
 actions to make greater exertions in his labors, shooting at his head all 
 sorts of pigeon English, and a mixture of guttural sounds, that reminded 
 me of an eager boy, who wants to talk when his mouth is full. 
 
 Where the lumber came from I did not know, but I think that Gin com- 
 pelled the young Chinaman to go and find it, and bring it to him. He 
 
The Belle of Australia. 185 
 
 might have stolen it, or he possibly got trusted. I never heard the full par- 
 ticulars, and received no bill. 
 
 " Gin," I said, as he stopped to rest for a moment, " where did you pick 
 up your countryman ? " 
 
 " Oh, hee bellie goodie manie. Meie knowie hime muchie. Noie paye for 
 alle dis workie. Gibe hime grubbie, dat alle." 
 
 I could well afford to do that, and he had a square meal at the boarding- 
 house, and by sundown all of our furniture was in place, the table set, our 
 few clothes hung up, the mattresses spread on the floor, candles lighted, a 
 good pot of tea ready, some hard tack, and a can of preserved meat opened, 
 and we were all ready to 'commence housekeeping in earnest, or just as 
 soon as Mike made his appearance, and he could be looked for any day. 
 The Chinamen would not sit down to the table with me, although I invited 
 them to do so. They preferred to wait, they said, until I had concluded my 
 frugal meal. They evidently felt that I was some person of importance, and 
 I fear that Gin Sling romanced to his companion when telling of my re- 
 markable deeds in the forest. At first I did not know but that the China- 
 men had concocted a little scheme to steal the big nugget, and murder me, 
 but then I thought Gin would not have intrusted to me all his savings, and 
 asked for no account of the same, and I was the more persuaded that no 
 harm was intended by his covering the mouth of the shaft with some lo[s 
 which had been hauled to the mine by the previous owners to keep the 
 sides of the shaft in place in case the depth required it. 
 
 " Tomorrowe," said Gin, as I rose from the table, " meie builde onee ittie 
 roome fore youe. Den bellie goode fore alle." 
 
 I liked the plan, and said that I would find some lumber. It would give 
 me a room to myself of an evening, or when I wanted to read and write. 
 The expense would be but a trifle, and three of us could build the annex in 
 a day. 
 
 We moved from the boarding-house that night, and took up permanent 
 quarters in our shanty, and, after we had lighted our room with candles, it 
 did not look so bad and uninviting, and I rather felt proud to think that I 
 was the owner of such a unique establishment. Gin Sling and his friend 
 wanted to rim over to the Chinese quarters, and see some of the disciples 
 of Confucius, and, as I had no objection, off they went, and I was left with 
 my pipe, and a late Melbourne paper. The Boomerang, which my landlady 
 had given me just as I took leave of her. I did not expect to see in the 
 journal anything that would interest me, but I spread it on the table, and 
 the first article that my eye fell on was the following : 
 
IS6 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE. We learn that the young and wealthy 
 Earl of Afton was united in holy wedlock last evening to the beautiful and 
 accomplished daughter of our affluent and respected fellow-citizen, Ander- 
 son Kebblewhite, Esq., wool merchant, Collins Street. The lady has been 
 known for the last two years as the Belle of Australia, and she is justly en- 
 titled to that flattering distinction, as her beauty is something to be remem- 
 bered for many years if seen but once. The wedding was quite private, 
 only the immediate family friends being present. This announcement will 
 cause some heart-aches in our city, when it is read by the young gentlemen, 
 who have followed in Miss Kebblewhite's train ever since she entered soci- 
 ety, some two years ago, and numerous have been the handsome offers 
 which the young lady has received, but to all she turned a deaf ear, until his 
 lordship arrived here in the frigate Carrysford, a passenger and friend of 
 Lord George Pollock, the captain, last from Hong Kong, China, just four 
 weeks since. This is quick matrimonial work, but proves that love is im- 
 pulsive, and not to be restrained by society's formal demands for delay. 
 The earl is only nineteen years of age, and has an income of three hundred 
 thousand pounds a year, beside castles, lands, and jewels, all of the value 
 of two or three million pounds sterling. He is the sixth Earl of Afton, we 
 believe, and has a mother living, the dowager Countess of Afton, but no 
 brothers or sisters. This wedding has made a great sensation in the city, 
 and is considered the best match of the day, for while the noble bridegroom 
 has birth, the bride has great beauty, more than enough to counterbalance 
 her husband's rank and wealth. Thus another tie is formed of flowers and 
 gold, silk and happiness, to bring our prosperous colony nearer and nearer 
 to the mother country. Our reporter was not able to see the bride, as the 
 wedding was private, but one of the servants said that she 'looked 'eaven- 
 ly,' and no doubt but that she did, still it would have been a little more in 
 accordance with our free institutions if the doors of the mansion had been 
 thrown open, and the press invited to enter, and take a few notes of the. 
 dresses, the bridal-chamber, and other matters which would interest our 
 fair lady readers. Neither is it just such treatment as our reporter is ac- 
 customed to, to have the outer door slammed in his face, when he asks a 
 few pertinent questions of a very uncivil man servant, or butler, as the peo- 
 ple of Victoria Parade now call any human being clothed in livery. We do 
 not want a bloated aristocracy in Australia at any time. We can get along 
 without it, just at present, and for years to come, and we will state, for the 
 information of whom it may concern, that the threat to set a bull-dog on the 
 person of a gentleman of the press, did not cause a particle of fear in the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 heart of a man who has faced the enemies of Her Majesty, God bless her! 
 in more ways than one, and is ready to do so again, if necessary. Our citi- 
 zens like fair play, and will sustain the press in protecting the liberties of 
 the people, even if they have to wade through blood knee deep to accom- 
 plish their object. We do not mention this matter because we care to 
 participate in the festivities of a wedding in high life, but simply as one of 
 our rights, and will have them, regardless of uncivil menials, or threats of 
 bull-dogs. Where there is news to be had we shall endeavor to obtain it, 
 regardless of expense, and so we dismiss this wedding in nigh life, with the 
 wish that the young couple may enjoy the future as they have the past, and, 
 when they visit England, will exert their influence for some modification of 
 the postal laws, so that a newspaper, as valuable and useful as ours, can be 
 sent through the mails at half the present rates. The Earl of Afton is call- 
 ed a very handsome young gentleman. We were presented to him at the 
 governor's reception, and would have explained to him many things that re- 
 late to the welfare of Australia, but his lordship was wearied by the bores 
 who surrounded him, and only gaped and yawned as he saw that they were 
 determined to talk him to death. It is a little singular that some of our 
 well-meaning people do not know enough to take a hint when in the pres- 
 ence of first-class society. However, we have been reliably informed that 
 his lordship reads our valuable journal every morning at the breakfast-ta- 
 ble, and no doubt he has noted our able leading articles, and reflected on 
 them, and will avail himself of the knowledge which they contain to be used 
 hereafter in the House of Peers. Our old-fashioned contemporary, always 
 a year behind in news and enterprise, never yet enjoyed the distinction of 
 being perused by a real earl, at breakfast, or at any other time. We shall 
 still keep the price of our journal at one penny a single copy, or one pound 
 ten shillings a year, in spite of the expense which we are constantly adding 
 to our establishment, to produce a paper second to none in the world. This 
 may cause our poor, spiritless contemporary to squirm, but talent and en- 
 terprise will succeed, and we shall be found willing to give an account of 
 the lady in her boudoir, her dresses and toilettes, as well as the grave compli 
 cations at the government house, by a fractious ministry, disappointed and 
 angry at being foiled in an attempt to rob the people of their rights. Papers 
 in wrappers can always be had at the counting-room." 
 
 " THE VERY LATEST. SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS, AND REMARKABLE. 
 Just as we were going to press, at three o'clock this morning, a report 
 reached our office of so remarkable a nature, that we sent a special messen- 
 
1 88 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 ger to a free-and-easy, where our reporter .was presiding, to summon him to 
 the office for active service. There was no time to lose if we would keep at 
 the head of the journals of Melbourne. It seems incredible, no doubt, but 
 the young Earl of Afton suddenly and mysteriously vanished a few 
 hours after his marriage with the handsomest lady in the country. He dis- 
 appeared, and no one knew where he had gone, or his reasons for going. 
 Our reporter was instantly despatched to the mansion of Mr. Kebblewhite, 
 to learn the full particulars of this unhappy affair. He saw that the house 
 was all blazing with light, and that people were moving back and forth, as 
 though much excited, while every few minutes a hansom dashed up to the 
 front-door, and some one alighted, and went into the mansion for consulta- 
 tion, and then re-entered the carriage, and was driven off at a rapid gait. Our 
 reporter, sheltered by a cedar-tree, and thus out of sight of the inmates of 
 Mr. Kebblewhite's house, knew that it was useless to apply at the front- 
 door for information, so skipped around to the rear, and saw one of the 
 young ladies connected with the household, holding the important position 
 of chamber-maid, or assistant seamstress. She was questioned very closely 
 by our reporter, and told that she need not say anything to implicate or 
 criminate herself in any way, but that she must speak the truth, and be very 
 quick about it, if she would save much trouble to herself, and the whole 
 family. Upon this cheerful assurance the young lady said that she had 
 been stationed at the head of the front stairs, to indicate to his lordship the 
 room he was to occupy, and that at a late hour she could not be assured 
 of the precise time, although questioned very closely on that point by our 
 reporter, who has attended many sessions of the police court his lordship 
 came up-stairs, all smiles and blushes, but when he saw the young lady 
 who acts as assistant seamstress, or chamber-maid, his smiles suddenly 
 ceased, and he looked at her fixedly, without saying a word, for several sec- 
 onds. Then he sighed deeply, put his arm around her waist, and kissed 
 her several times in rapid succession, before he let up. The young lady 
 was so astonished at this remarkable act of a nobleman on his bridal night, 
 that she did not offer the least resistance, and could not have screamed if 
 he had kissed her a dozen times more, only she was fearful her * missus ' 
 was looking through the keyhole. Then his lordship slipped a sovereign 
 in her hand, and told he:- to keep mum (and she always should), and she 
 showed our reporter the sovereign, and told him the date that it bore, but 
 refused to let him take the coin in his own hands, even under a sacred 
 promise to return it the next day, and then a still more solemn obligation 
 to hold it but for a few minutes. The young lady's word can be implicitly 
 
The Belle of Australia. 189 
 
 relied on, as she has been in the country for fifteen years, and her sentence 
 expired some three years ago, having been transported for setting a house 
 on fire, in the hope of burning her father and new step-mother. Upon be- 
 ing asked, quite candidly, what she supposed was the real cause of 1 is 
 lordship's sudden disappearance, she blushed quite vividly, and hesitated, 
 but our reporter pressed the question home to her, and then she thought 
 that the young earl had suddenly felt as though he had made a mistake in 
 marrying so hastily, and before he had looked around a little, and seen 
 some young ladies, who might not be rich, yet had just as much beauty as 
 some other young ladies who were wealthy, and that after he had seen her, 
 and kissed her, he felt that there was no longer any happiness in this world 
 for him, and he had fled the house, and committed suicide. Upon being 
 asked if the earl had ever seen her before, she said that she had at one 
 time met him in the hall, and that his lordship had looked at her quite fix- 
 edly, and then stumbled over a dust-pan, and said a wicked word, a method 
 which noblemen have of paying a compliment to women whom they like. 
 Upon being further pressed the young lady said that the word sounded like 
 ' damn.' She was quite certain that his lordship was sober when he came 
 up-stairs. He had been drinking freely, but he could walk straight, and 
 talked quite nicely. She had freed herself from his 'embrace as soon as she 
 thought of the keyhole, and she saw him enter the proper chamber, and she 
 had listened at the door for half an hour, or more, she could not tell which, 
 and she heard low talking, but could not make out any words, and all at 
 once her mistress tumbled down, and she ran in, and saw that his lordship 
 had fled through a window, and that her young lady was lying on the floor, 
 nearly speechless, and crying out that she * wanted her mamma.' Of course 
 there was a tumult, and a doctor was sent for, and Mr. Kebblewhite and 
 his son, and Monsieur Allete, searched the whole city to find his lordship, 
 and punish him, and we are glad to know that they did not, for we want no 
 lynching in Melbourne, or blood shed. The law is sufficient to protect the 
 highest, and the lowest, the rich and the poor. The press must frown upon 
 such meditated violence, no matter where it comes from. 
 
 " After squeezing the young lady quite dry, our reporter visited several 
 of the houses situated on Victoria Parade, and, after hard ringing and 
 pounding on the doors, was enabled to arouse the inmates, and put ques- 
 tions to them as to the disappearance of his lordship. Most of the neigh- 
 bors did not seem pleased with the Kebblewhites, and so told our reporter 
 to go to a hotter place than Australia, and that the whole tribe of Kebble- 
 whites might follow, for all they cared. As it was near four o'clock in the 
 
1 90 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 morning, it is probable the good people felt a little annoyed that they \verc 
 not invited to the wedding, and so have a chance to read their names in 
 print. We thank our fellow-citizens for answering our reporter's questions 
 so plainly, but the elderly party, who emptied a pail of slops on his person, 
 will be looked after if he is ever before our police court, and his whole 
 record, from the time he was transported until the present period, will be 
 brought to light. 
 
 " Of course our reporter found our able, efficient, courageous, and gentle- 
 manly Chief of Police, Mr. Murden, in his office, and smoking a choice ci- 
 gar, from the store of Cabbage & Growem, Russell Street, first door on the 
 right. He was asked for all the facts connected with the case, and he said 
 that he was not prepared to furnish them just at that time, as such informa- 
 tion would defeat the ends of justice. We can assure the citizens, how- 
 ever, that the Chief has his eye on his lordship, and could put his hand on 
 him at any time, if it was really necessary. His lordship has not committed 
 suicide, and there are twenty mounted police on his trail, and they will be 
 heard from in due time. The Chief says his lordship had one peculiarity 
 which was not generally known. After he had drank three bottles of cham- 
 pagne, or more, he was liable to be troubled with aberration of mind, and 
 not to know where his home really was located, and to mistake other peo- 
 ples' wives for his own, and to deny that he was a lord, but still no alarm 
 need be felt. He was married to the Belle of Australia, and that lady is 
 now the Countess of Afton, whether he returns to the Kebblewhite mansion 
 or not. Our efficient Chief of Police will give our reporter the first infor- 
 mation that is received, and our citizens can be assured that as long as we 
 have as active, as brave, and as gentlemanly a person as Mr. Murden for 
 Chief of our police force, no wrong-doer will escape punishment, whether 
 he be nobleman or plebeian. 
 
 "We hope to have a few more facts in time for an extra this forenoon, 
 but can't promise, as our reporter, tired and wet, is now drinking unlimited 
 quantities of gin and sugar to keep out the cold. Of course, after this, \vc 
 shall raise his salary five shillings a week, thus making him the munificent 
 donation of fifteen shillings a week for his services, and they are worth it. 
 Hereafter he will be able to dress so as to mingle in the best society, and 
 will be comme il faut as regards costume, which, for the information of our 
 contemporary, as it neither understands French, nor the best of Queen's 
 K.ijilish (God bless her), means that our reporter will be about as good as 
 they make them, and able to hold up his head with the best in the land, at 
 the governor's house, or private residences. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " In the mean time we tender our sympathies to Mr. Kebblewhite and his 
 distressed family, and especially to that young wife who has thus early real- 
 ized how hard is the road to happiness when a coronet is in perspective. 
 No steps, we hope, will be taken for a divorce until after a full explanation, 
 and, in the mean while, we offer our columns to the lady, the noble lord, or 
 the father, for a full and free discussion of the merits of the affair, reserv- 
 ing to ourselves the privilege of writing quite freely for or against either party, 
 and, in the mean time, our paper will be sold for one penny single copy, or 
 at the usual yearly rates, and advertisements inserted on liberal terms, with 
 displayed head lines." 
 
 When I had finished reading this delectable piece of scandal, my pipe 
 was out, and my happiness, also, for I could have shed tears of vexation at 
 the manner in which Florence's name had been introduced by the reporter 
 of the paper. It was evident that the affair had created an intense excite- 
 ment in town, and that I was looked after quite sharply by the police, and 
 others, but I did not anticipate that any one would discover in me the no- 
 ble lord who had made so much trouble in the city. How my heart beat for 
 my poor little wife, and I wondered if she suffered much on my account, 
 and if she was really ill from mortification and grief? and then I remember- 
 ed her beauty and her grace, and I could see her sweet smile as she looked 
 up in my face on the night of the wedding. 
 
 While I was musing over my misery, and the unfortunate publicity of my 
 kissing that confounded chamber-maid, and wondering why she should lie 
 so outrageously about the number of times my lips met hers, when I was 
 ready to swear on the Bible that I had kissed her but once, and then un. 
 der a slight aberration of mind, the door opened unceremoniously, without 
 the formality of a knock, and in walked an old man, bent, wrinkled, and 
 gray, and none too clean. 
 
 " Evenin', mate," he said. " I 'as called in a friendly way, 'cos yer is a 
 neighbor of mine, and I makes it a pint to call on all the green ones, and 
 give 'em a little bit of adwice. Yer 'as got a bad claim, but don't yer be 
 put hout as long as yer 'as me to adwise yer. A bit of 'baccy vould n't 
 be bad jist now, and a little sumthin' to drink vould not be amiss, but don't 
 yer trouble yerself. I '11 take rum or beer." 
 
 I gave him a pie(fe of tobacco and a pipe, and a glass of beer, and my 
 caller made himself at home in a very cool manner. 
 
 u Yes." he said, although I had not addressed him, "as yer say, I 'm the 
 oldest miner at Ballarat. I vos 'ere ven the fust gold vos taken hout, and I 
 
192 
 
 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 'elped to do it. A little more 'baccy, please, and another glass of beer. 
 Thank yer, sir. 'Ere 's to yer, and my respects, and all that." 
 
 MINERS SPORTS. 
 
 He blew out a cloud of smoke, and then resumed the thread of his re- 
 marks : 
 
The Belle of Australia. 193 
 
 "Lord, vot times ve did 'ave, to be sure, ven the gold vas fust diskiver- 
 ed 'ere. Ve took it hout by the pound, and I 'as made as much as a 'un- 
 dred puns a week, and my mates as much more. O Lord, the fortunes vot 
 ve has squandered. Three times J 'as 'ad all the money vot I vanted, and 
 three times it 'as gone. Ve used to jist go to a store, and clean it hout, and 
 then pay for heverything vot ve smashed. Did yer notice the ' Digger's Rest ' 
 place, jist to the right of us ? Vel, sir, me and my mates 'as jist gone up 
 there of a hevenin', taken all the champagne vot the cove 'ad on 'and, and 
 then set the bottles up, make believe they was ten-pins, and ve vould throw 
 bottle arter bottle at 'em, and smash 'em to the right and left, and the min- 
 er vot did the most damage vos the best feller. I 'd like some of that vine 
 now, sir, to treat yer vith, and some of the money, too, vot the sport cost 
 me." 
 
 He reached out his hand for more tobacco, and then left me, after bor- 
 rowing a shilling until the next day. He did not return the money, but 
 was a frequent visitor to my quarters after that introduction. But his 
 story, as I afterward learned, was true. He had been just so extravagant. 
 
 After the old miner had left me, I sat all alone, and smoked my pipe, and 
 so the evening passed away, and was thinking of retiring for the night, when 
 some one knocked very lightly at the door. Wondering who my caller was, 
 I got up and opened the door, and saw a woman standing before me, in the 
 dark, with a shawl and veil on shoulders and face. She did not speak, but 
 stood there looking at me very attentively. 
 
 " Have you made a mistake in the place ? " I asked, as I raised the can- 
 dle, so that I could get a view of my visitor's face, and wondered if it was 
 young and handsome. 
 
 " No, Angus, I 'as made no mistake," was the reply, and, to my surprise, 
 the veil was brushed aside, and I saw before me the pretty face of Miss Kit- 
 ty Stukely. 
 
 I started back, and could only look at the girl, and wonder what sent her 
 to Ballarat, and what evil genius had brought her to my shanty, the very 
 person whom I did not wish to see, situated as I was, with the suspicious 
 Chief of Police likely to drop in on me at any time, and to accuse me of 
 breaking my word. 
 
 " Yer do not treat me, Angus, as though yer vere glad to see me,' : said 
 the girl. " Yer do not even ask me to enter yer 'ouse, yet I 'ave come many 
 miles at yer request." 
 
 " My request, Kitty ? Surely you have made a mistake. I sent you no 
 request," I cried. 
 
 '3 
 
1 94 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Vill yer let me enter the 'ouse ? " she asked, " and I '11 soon prove that 
 yer sent for me, or I should not 'ave dared come." 
 
 I motioned for her to enter, and she came in, and threw off her shawl, and 
 sank down on a chair with a weary sigh. She looked tired and distressed, 
 and I felt a pang of pity for her unfortunate condition. 
 
 " I vould not 'ave come, Angus," she said, " if yer 'ad not sent for me to 
 meet yer. But now that yer did vrite for me to come, I hexpected that yer 
 vould be glad to see me." 
 
 " Kitty, my poor girl," I cried, " I did not send for you. 1 never saw 
 you until the evening I called with the Chief of Police. There is some 
 strange mistake in the matter." 
 
 " There ha'n't no mistake in the matter at all," she replied, while a tear 
 trickled down her face, and she could only keep back her sobs by a power- 
 ful effort. 
 
 She put her hand in her bosom, and took out a letter, stained and frayed. 
 
 " Read that," she said, " and see if I 'as made a mistake." 
 
 I read the note, a few lines asking her to meet her dear friend Angus 
 at Webber's as soon as possible. It was dated four days before, and ! 
 must confess that the writing closely resembled mine, so much so that un- 
 less I had known most positively that I had not written it, I should have 
 supposed that I was the author. 
 
 " Veil ? " she asked, after a long pause. 
 
 " Kitty, I did not write this note. Some person who resembles me did, 
 but I am not the one." 
 
 " You are married, Angus ? " she asked in a low tone, and with a gasp. 
 
 " Yes, Kitty, I am married." 
 
 " And yer fled from yer vife the wery night yer vos vedded ? " she con- 
 tinued. 
 
 " That is a matter I do not wish to discuss with you, Kitty." 
 
 " Vos it because of me, Angus ? " 
 
 " It had nothing to do with you, Kitty." 
 
 " Vos it 'cos yer loved me better than yer vife ? Hanswer me that. 
 Angus." 
 
 I felt a thrill of indignation at the question, and was about to express it, 
 when I saw that the girl was sincere in putting the interrogation, for her 
 eyes were filled with tears, and her pretty face was troubled. 
 
 " Kitty, I love my dear little wife with all my heart, and all my soul, and 
 be assured that I do not love you, that I never have loved you, and never 
 can." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 195 
 
 She uttered a faint cry, and a bitter sob, and fell into a chair, and laid her 
 fair head on the table. I waited for her to recover her composure, but made 
 no attempts to console her for my blunt, plain words. At last she raised 
 her face, and, although she showed how much she suffered, said, 
 
 " Yer leaves yer vife on the night of yer veddin', yer sends me a letter to 
 meet yer at Vebber's, and yet yer say yer don't love me. I don't hunder- 
 stand it. Can yer hexplain ? " 
 
 " Yes, Kitty. I am not the person who has made love to you. It is 
 somebody who resembles me, but I am not the man. Of that be most thor- 
 oughly assured." 
 
 " And yer hexpects me to believe hall that ? " she demanded, in an in- 
 dignant tone. 
 
 " Yes, Kitty, I expect that you will, because you are a sensible little 
 girl, and know that I would not deceive you." 
 
 She gave a sniff of scorn, and tossed her head. She was not convinced 
 by my words, I could see that very plainly. 
 
 " Angus," she said, trying to speak calm and firm, although it was with 
 an effort, " 1 met Mr. Murden, the Chief of Police, the night yer was mar- 
 ried. 'E told me that yer vos vedded, and 'e 'inted that yer might come 
 and seek me, and that if yer should I was to refuse to see yer, and he made 
 some strong remarks in case I did. I promised that I vould not let yer 
 'ave a hinterview vid me if yer come to my 'ouse that night, and 'e vent 
 avay satisfied that I vould keep my vord. I vos wery unhappy, until the 
 next mornin' ven I sees by the paper that yer had cut and run for it, and 
 left yer vife in the lurch. I felt quite 'appy ven I reads hall that, and I vos 
 still more pleased ven I gets this letter from yer to come to Vebber's. I 
 'as but little money, Angus, but I knows that a great swell like yer vill 'ave 
 enough for me ven I sees yer, so I takes the mail coach, jist as soon as I 
 could, and starts, and ven I gets to Vebber's a bold, flat-faced Dutch girl 
 says that yer is 'ers, and that I 'as no business to go around the country 
 a lookin' for men, and she vould n't 'ave me in the 'ouse, but I learns that 
 yer 'as gone on to Ballarat, vid a man named Mike, and I follows in the 
 next coach, and ven I gets 'ere I axed and axed, and at last I finds yer, and 
 'ere I am, Angus." 
 
 " And here you must not remain, Kitty. No money could induce me to 
 give you shelter for even one night. You must go," and I spoke firmly. 
 
 " Leave yer? " she asked, in tones a little louder than necessary. 
 
 Yes, Kitty." 
 
 " But yer sent for me, yer know." 
 
196 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " No, Kitty, I did not send for you. I have told you that I did not sever 
 al times, and you will not believe me." 
 
 She uttered a wail, and wrung her hands. I dreaded a scene, but now 
 that one must come prepared for it. 
 
 " Angus," she cried, falling on her knees, and clasping my hands, " do 
 'ave pity on me, do love me a little. Please not send me avay from yer, 
 Let me stay 'ere, and be vith yer. I vill vait upon yer, do yer 'ousework. 
 take care of yer if yer is sick, and love yer hall the time, and never be un, 
 'appy if yer vill but smile on me. I knows that I am a poor girl, and a'n't 
 vorth the love of a swell like yer, but yer von't never find no one vot loves 
 yer like me. Don't turn me avay from yer, Angus. I 'm poor, and I 'as 
 not dosh enough to takes me back to Melbourne, unless I valks, and that 
 vould not be safe for me ven so many bushrangers is round. They vould 
 not respect me, if they should meet me in the road. Let me kiss yer 'and, 
 Angus, and bless yer for being kind to the un'appy girl vot did not love no 
 one till she met yer at Jobber's free-and-heasy. Yer knows the night, don't 
 yer, Angus ? I did not hexpect a swell like vot yer vos to take notice of 
 me, and ven yer did, I thinks that life vos more pleasant for me, and that 
 the sun shone brighter, the flowers looked sweeter, and that hevery one vos 
 more 'appy. Yer taught me to love yer, and now let me teach yer 'ow to 
 love me. I 'm a poor girl, Angus, but I is rich in 'avin' a varm 'eart, and its 
 varmth is hall for yer." 
 
 She held my hands, and kissed them in the most tender manner, and I 
 could not release them without exerting all of my strength, and, as soon as 
 I did succeed, she clasped my knees, and held me fast, so that I could not 
 break away from her firm embrace. 
 
 What to do I did not know, yet I was just as firm in denying all knowl- 
 edge of the girl, as when she first entered the hut. I would not yield, be 
 the temptation what it might. I had a wife, a dear little wife, and as long 
 as the union was undissolved I would revere her, and be worthy of her, 
 even if she repudiated me, and did not respect me. I loved her, and it was 
 useless to attempt to supplant that love while her face was ever before me, 
 glorious in its beauty and innocence. Yet here was a poor girl, kneeling 
 at my feet, and begging for a word and smile, simply to make her happy. It 
 was hard, but I had to be firm, and do what few men of my age would have 
 done. It made my heart bleed, but the sacrifice had to be made, and the 
 quicker the better. 
 
 " Kitty," I said, as sternly as I could. 
 
 " No, no, do not speak to me in that tone," she cried. " I can't endure 
 
The Belle of Australia. 19; 
 
 it. Be kind to poor Kitty, and remember that she 'as traveled night and 
 day to join yer, thinkin' of yer love and yer 'appiness. Let me rest at yer 
 ieet until I am assured yer vill take me to yer 'eart." 
 
 " Kitty, you poor child," I cried, as I laid my hand on her head, and put 
 an arm around her waist, lifting her to a chair, "you must be calm, and lis- 
 ten to me as attentively as you can. I am not the person who made love to 
 you simply to occupy a leisure hour. Be assured of that. I am a poor 
 man, have come here to seek my fortune, and hope to find it in time. If I 
 was the person you suppose, do you think I would be in this miserable hut, 
 wearing these rough clothes, and prepared to search for gold in mud and 
 water ? It is absurd, and your good sense should teach you different. There 
 is a man who is said to resemble me, and he is called an earl, and very rich. 
 He has caused all this trouble, and all your unhappiness and mine. He is 
 young and thoughtless, and thinks it sport to play with a woman's heart. I 
 do not, Kitty, and you should see the difference between us without this 
 long explanation. Trust me, Kitty, and be assured that I speak the truth. 
 Come, be a good little girl, and clear your eyes of tears, and then smile once 
 more." 
 
 " And vill yer love me ? " she asked, looking up, hope once more beam- 
 ing on her bright face. 
 
 She did not believe a word that I said. I could see it in her eyes. She 
 thought I was lying to her. 
 
 " Do not talk of love to me, Kitty," I said. " Let me be a friend to you, 
 one who will advise you, and be kind to you, but not a lover. Do not 
 speak of love." 
 
 " I don't care vot yer calls it, if yer vill only love me," she answered, and 
 I sighed to think what little progress I was making in trying to set things 
 right. Every instant I expected the two Chinamen back, and Mike might 
 arrive at any moment. How could I explain to them the presence of the 
 girl ? She must leave the. hut, and I would find her comfortable quarters 
 until the next day, and then ship her home by the mail carriage, which 
 made the run between Melbourne and Ballarat in ten or fifteen hours, ac- 
 cording to the condition of the roads, and darkness of the nights, and will 
 of bushrangers. 
 
 " Kitty, you can't remain here tonight," I said. " You must be under the 
 protection of a good woman, who will take care of you, see that you have 
 some supper, and a good night's rest. I will furnish you with the money to 
 return to the city, and pay all your expenses here. This is the best that I 
 can do for you, poor child, but do not talk to me of love, for I swear to you 
 
198 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 that you can have no place in my heart. My wife alone occupies it, and 
 ever will." 
 
 She uttered a loud wail, and shed more tears, and begged, but I was firm, 
 and at last got her calmed down until she agreed to go with me to the board- 
 ing-house, and remain all night, under the protection of Mother Higgins, as 
 the boys called the old English lady who carried on the establishment. 
 
 We set out, Kitty half-crying and half-begging me to once more take her 
 into favor. It was eight o'clock when we reached the house, and I took 
 Mother Higgins aside, and asked her as a favor to me to give shelter to 
 Kitty, and to see that all her wants were supplied, and to look to me for 
 payment of her bills. 
 
 Mother Higgins sniffed, as though she smelled something disagreeable, 
 and then she looked at me, and sniffed some more, and glanced at Kitty, 
 and sniffed louder than ever. 
 
 " I know what you suspect," I said ; " but I swear to you that your sus- 
 picions are unjust and cruel. Would I be likely to come to a lady like you 
 if there was wrong? This poor girl has made a sad mistake in coming here 
 in search of a lover. She has not found him, and is in distress. Will you 
 not let your big, motherly heart expand for one unfortunate ? " 
 
 She sniffed worse than ever, but finally consented to take charge of Kitty 
 for the night, and give her a shake-down in her own room, and would also 
 get her a good supper, and a cup of tea. This was all that I could expect, 
 and I thanked the old lady for her kindness. 
 
 " Humph," cried Mother Higgins, as she rubbed her nose with a bit of 
 tallow from the candle she held in her hand, and looked at me, and then at 
 Kitty, in wondering surprise, " I 've been married three times, and am now a 
 widow woman, and open to a good offer, and 1 '11 say this, that you are the 
 most wonderful man I ever saw, or you are the biggest hypocrite. I don't 
 know which, but time will tell." 
 
 " I hope that time will convince you that I am just what I seem, an hon- 
 est young man, of moral and religious character," I replied. 
 
 I thought that would have some effect on her, just as I had tried it on my 
 wife, but Mother Higgins only snorted harder than ever, and told me not to 
 give her " sour beer," or any more of my gab, for she really believed I was 
 as big a devil as any of 'em, and none of 'em were any too good for this 
 world. 5'ie knew: she had tried three men, and she doubted if either was 
 in heaven, or likely to get there. Most of them, when alive, cared more for 
 swipes tran they did for her, and, in fact, she rather hated men, after all, 
 only she really had rather have twenty men boarders than one woman, as 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 the latter were always grunting and groaning about the house, and turning 
 up their ridiculous noses at the grub, and wanting to wash in the kitchen at 
 all hours, and to put on irons just at the most inconvenient moment. In 
 fact, she did not care for the whole human race, man or woman, and thought 
 the world would be better off without either. But still the old lady patted 
 me on the shoulder, and said I was a good boy, and she would be a mother 
 to me as long as I was in the mines ; that I must be careful and not make 
 love to every girl I met, for I had such a look as would induce the fools to 
 think I was in earnest. 
 
 ^ Good-by, Kitty," I said, when ready to go. " I hope you will have a 
 good night's rest. I will see you in the morning, and arrange about your 
 passage to Melbourne," 
 
 " Good-night, Angus, and God bless yer. I believe that yer means veil 
 by me.'' 
 
 She gave me her hand, and put up her lips for a kiss. Mother Higgins 
 sniffed, and turned her head. I kissed the girl, and left the house, and, as I 
 was leaving, I thought that I heard the old lady mutter, in a doubting 
 tone, 
 
 " Humph ! Moral and religious character is he. Well, they all like to 
 kiss the girls if they do put on high-peaked airs." 
 
 The Chinamen had not arrived at the shanty when I returned, so I light 
 ed my pipe, and sat down and had a smoke, and when Gin and his friend 
 did come back it was nine o'clock, and time to turn in ; but I was not sleepy 
 after the adventures of the evening, and once more I took up the Boome- 
 rang, and read the account of the wedding, and the report of my escape 
 from the matrimonial bonds, and there was no chance for me to write to the 
 truthful journal, and set the editor right as to my motives for leaving so 
 suddenly, and I could not even send a line to Florence, and deny the mon- 
 strous story that the chamber-maid had told, and I blamed myself for doing 
 as I had done, and promised to be more careful in the future, if I had a 
 chance to meet a smiling little girl at the head of a pair of stairs. 
 
 " Alle Chinaman saye disc noie goode minie," Gin remarked, as he re- 
 moved his heavy, wooden-soled shoes, and kicked his countryman for mak- 
 ing so much noise when he knocked over a chair. 
 
 " I have heard the same thing before, Gin," I remarked, a little impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 " Stille, onee verie wisee Chinaman saye hee dinke somie golde rounde 
 herie. Hee saye diggie, and seeie whate youe shalle seeie. Berrie wisie 
 manie datie Chinaman. He clrmkie morie teae, and seeie morie thingies, 
 
200 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 thane any manie meie ebber seeie," and Gin went to bed with his compan- 
 ion. 
 
 I had put out the light, and was just dropping off to sleep, when a loud 
 rap at the door started me. 
 
 " Gin, get up, and see what is wanted," I said. 
 
 " Noie meie goe therie. bushrangie arter Gin Sling." 
 
 With a muttered anathema on the courage of the Chinaman, I got up, 
 lighted a candle, took my revolver, and went to the door. 
 
 " Who is there ? " I demanded, in a stern tone. 
 
 " Open in the name of the law," was the reply, and, throwing back the 
 bolt, I opened- the door, and in stalked Mr. Murden, Chief of the Melbourne 
 Police, booted and spurred, and covered with dust and perspiration, as 
 though just from a long ride over the dry roads and trails, and the look he 
 gave me as he entered was not a pleasant one, for I expected trouble, and 
 found that it had come upon me before I was ready for it. 
 
: IS IT A YANKA TRICK YER SPAKE OF, BUYS?" CRIED A FAMILIAR VOICE. 
 
 PART IX. 
 
 MR. MURDEN EXPRESSES HIS OPINION QUITE FREELY. KITTY'S DISAP- 
 PEARANCE. THE NUGGETS OF GOLD, AND HOW MUCH THEY 
 WERE WORTH. A SALE OF THE MINE. MY WIFE AND 
 HER FATHER, AND HOW THEY WENT AWAY. 
 A SCHEME TO CAPTURE FLORENCE AND 
 HER FATHER BY BUSHRANGERS. 
 MIKE WANTS TO FIGHT 
 SOME ONE. 
 
 THE Chief of Police of Melbourne did not wait for an invitation to enter 
 my humble quarters. He stalked in as though he had a right to come 
 and go where he pleased, arid at all hours of the day and night. As the 
 door opened I caught a glimpse of two mounted officers, and that one of 
 them held the horse that the Chief had just dismounted from, covered with 
 foam and dust, like its rider. Mr. Murden raised his cap as he entered, 
 and looked at me in a curious way, as though rather puzzled to see me in 
 
202 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 my rough, miner's garb, for 1 had not removed my clothes when lying down, 
 and the two Chinamen, who dreaded the sight of a trap's uniform as they 
 did a boy with a live rat tied by its tail, sat up on their mattresses, and turn- 
 ed more sallow than ever from fright, for they feared imprisonment, and 
 punishment, for some former invasion of the mining tax, which they hoped 
 had been forgotten by the police. 
 
 The Chief stared at me long and minutely, and I returned his fixed glance 
 without flinching or speaking. At length he said, 
 
 " We have met again, my lord." 
 
 " So it seems. To what am I indebted for this unseasonable visit ? " I 
 demanded. 
 
 " Can you ask, my lord ? " 
 
 " Yes, and very emphatically," I said. 
 
 " Do you remember our last meeting, my lord ? Think for a moment be- 
 fore you speak." 
 
 "I do. It was an unhappy one for me, and I hoped never to have the 
 pleasure of seeing your face again." 
 
 "You are complimentary, my lord," with a short, sneering laugh. 
 
 " I do not mean to be. I speak just as I feel. You promised to no lon- 
 ger molest me, and yet I see that you have followed my trail, and run me 
 down, for what purpose I know not." 
 
 " You shall soon be enlightened. You must return with me to Melbourne, 
 and to the countess, your lawful wife." 
 
 " Did she send you to arrest me, and drag me into her presence ? " I ask- 
 ed, and for a moment I trembled, and felt a little faint, at the anticipation 
 of meeting her. 
 
 " She desires to see you," was the short answer. " A reward is offered 
 for your return. Did you know it ? " 
 
 " So I have heard. You naturally wish to earn the reward," I said, in a 
 bantering tone. 
 
 A dark flush showed itself on the Chief's face, but he could command his 
 temper, and did. 
 
 " I have no desire for the reward, but I wish to make an unhappy lady 
 happy, if it is in my power to do so. My lord, you will return with me." 
 
 " I shall not do so unless you have a letter from the lady saying that she 
 forgives my deception, and desires to see me. Have you such a letter? " 
 
 " No, my lord, I have not," was the prompt response. 
 
 " I did not suppose that you had.'' 
 
 " Nevertheless, my lord, I trust that you will go with me. You have 
 
The Belle of Australia. 203 
 
 caused much distress in a good family, and now you should make all the 
 reparation in your power. That can be done by returning with me without 
 delay.- 
 
 " And you still think, wise Chief that you are, that I am the Earl of 
 Afton ? ',' I asked, in a bantering tone. 
 
 " My lord, I know that you are. I have followed you foot by foot all the 
 way from Melbourne here. I kept just in the rear of the girl you wrote to, 
 asking her to join you at Webber's. You were suspicious that I would be 
 on your trail, and sent word to Kitty, by an old Quaker, that you would meet 
 her near Ballarat, on the road, somewhere between this place and the cross- 
 roads. I thought it was a blind, and did not fall into what I supposed was 
 a trap. At Webber's I had learned two things, that you had been seen 
 talking with two suspicious persons, and then I also learned from Web- 
 ber's daughter that you had arrived at her father's in company with an 
 Irishman, a fellow called Mike, whose ticket-of-leave has just expired. I 
 got information that you had made love to Katrine. Nay, man, don't frown 
 at me in that manner. It is true, and you know it. I am aware of all that 
 has transpired since you left the city. I trailed you to the cross-roads, and 
 then lost sight of you, but I suspected that you had gone to your father-in- 
 law's sheep run. where Mike has charge. I paid it a visit in the night time, 
 for I did not desire to give you warning. I found Mike, but he was closer 
 than the bark of a she-oak-tree, and pretended to know nothing about you, 
 except that he had given a lift to a poor young fellow, who had left him on 
 the road, and gone he knew not where, but he thought to some sheep sta- 
 tion, to find work, but in what location he could not imagine. You are pay- 
 ing strict attention to all that I say, my lord? " 
 
 " Oh, yes. It interests me to see what an immense amount of trouble 
 you have taken to earn that hundred pounds. I would have given you more 
 to let me alone, and let my name die, and be forgotten, as I hope it will af- 
 ter a while." 
 
 " All that will happen in good time, my lord, if you continue your present 
 disgraceful career. I am not working this thing for money, but for fame. 
 I would not accept a penny for what I have done, but I will receive a grate- 
 ful woman's thanks for saving her husband from numerous follies, such as 
 he is old enough to avoid. I am responsible for your marriage, and, as I 
 am thus responsible, I mean to hold on to you by the powerful arm of the 
 law until you cease to play the madman, and make Irishmen, miners, and 
 stockmen's daughters the objects of your idle life. When this is done we 
 will separate, and not until then." 
 
2O4 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Go on," I said. " I feel quite interested in your struggles for my wel- 
 fare. Have you more to say ? " 
 
 " Yes," the Chief cried, in a burst of passion. " In spite of being baffled 
 and misled, I followed, and traced Kitty to this shanty, and here she is. 
 My lord, you promised me most faithfully never to see that girl again. 
 Have you kept your word ? Answer me that. " 
 
 " Yes, as far as was in my power," I replied. 
 
 "Then why did you write to her, and ask for an appointment?" the 
 Chief demanded. 
 
 " I did not write to her, and did not ask for an appointment," I said, 
 boldly and calmly. 
 
 " My lord, you should weigh well your words. The letter Kitty received 
 I read before it reached her hands." 
 
 " Then you tampered with her correspondence, and opened a letter in an 
 unlawful manner. It should cost you your commission, Mr. Chief." 
 
 " I run my risk for the sake of the public good. I suspected that I could 
 find you through the girl. My surmises were correct. I watched for let- 
 ters, and found the one you sent to her. It was unmanly, my lord, and is 
 not to your credit, after your pledges." 
 
 ft Mr. Murden," I said, as calmly as I could, " the girl has made the same 
 mistake that you have. She sought me, I did not seek her. She has been 
 here this evening, and I need not tell you that from the bottom of my heart 
 I pity her, and would help her in her hour of trouble, if I could do so in a 
 manly manner." 
 
 " She is with you, and you must give her up," was the stern command of 
 the Chief. " I shall take her from you." 
 
 " She is not with me, but under the protection of a Mrs. Higgins, a good 
 and kind woman, who keeps a boarding-house in this place." 
 
 The Chief nodded, and then glanced around the room, as though expect- 
 ing to see Kitty. 
 
 " I know whom you mean. She is a good-hearted woman. But you will 
 permit me to search your room. I wish to be positive, my lord, that Kitty 
 is not here." 
 
 The Chief took the candle, and with a motion of his booted and spurred 
 foot indicated to the Chinamen that they must get up. They responded 
 with alacrity to the command, for they knew that if they did not a kick would 
 hasten their movements. 
 
 " Lift up that mattress," Mr. Murden said to the Chinamen, in a harsh 
 tone. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 205 
 
 Gin Sling obeyed, but I am sure that he said something wicked in his 
 native tongue, for he did not dare to swear in English to the officer. 
 
 The Chief examined the floor long and earnestly. He suspected a trap 
 in the badly fitted boards, and that I had concealed the girl beneath them. 
 He went over the walls, and then, feeling satisfied, put the candle on the ta- 
 ble, and looked at me a little puzzled. 
 
 " Are you satisfied ? " I asked, for I had remained standing all this time. 
 
 " Yes, that the girl is not here." 
 
 " I have convinced you that 1 spoke the truth. Now let me further prove 
 to you that I am not the person you think I am," I said. 
 
 "You will have a nice time to do that, my lord," with a grin that was 
 very provoking. " Did you, or did you not, marry Miss Kebblewhite ?" 
 
 " I did marry the ladv. I do not deny it, and very proud I should be of 
 the fact under other circumstances." 
 
 The Chief shrugged his broad shoulders, and smiled. 
 
 " Go on," he said. 
 
 " Do you think that if I was a lord, and had all the money that a lord is 
 supposed to possess, that I would be here, in a miner's costume, and con- 
 sorting with Chinamen?" I demanded. 
 
 " Noblemen have queer freaks. You are not the first who has led a wan- 
 dering life, and associated with the scum of the earth," motioning to the two 
 Chinamen, who were listening with wonder depicted on their yellow faces, 
 yet did not dare to move or speak. 
 
 " I have heard of such insane freaks ; but did you ever know a noble 
 lord to write to a young girl for an appointment, and when she came put her 
 under the care of an honest woman, so that she could be returned to her 
 friends in the morning ? " 1 demanded. 
 
 The Chief thought of the question a few seconds before he asked, 
 
 " You have done all that, my lord I " 
 
 " Yes, sir, I have done all that, and have nothing to feel ashamed of as far 
 as that young girl is concerned." 
 
 " I don't think that I ever heard of a nobleman acting as you say you 
 have done unless insane, and blank me if I don't believe that you are," was 
 the blunt exclamation. 
 
 " No, Mr. Murden, I am not insane, but I am honest, and try to be good. 
 Of that be assured." 
 
 " Oh, stock it," was the reply, as though such words grated on his ears. 
 *' Don't preach, my lord, or I swear I shall suspect you of worse crimes 
 than those which you are supposed to have committed. Whenever I hear 
 
206 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 a man prating of his goodness and virtue, I always tell my officers to watch 
 the fellow, and see what lay he is on. As a man of the world you have no 
 occasion to act a part. Be natural as you can." 
 
 " I am not acting a part, Mr. Murclen, but I am trying to render myself 
 worthy the wife I have deserted." 
 
 " Well, my lord, don't play it too fine, for, as a general thing, I don't be- 
 lieve that wives want perfect husbands. One who can lie a little, just 
 enough to cast a shade of doubt on his lodge-night operations, is the man 
 who is worshiped in domestic circles, not the one who reads prayers three 
 times a day. The fact of it is, women like a little of the devil in mankind, 
 because it agrees with their ideas of what they would be if men. You fol- 
 low me, my lord ? " 
 
 " No, I do not. I am too much in love with my wife to entertain those 
 odious ideas for a moment," I said, a little proudly. 
 
 " Time will cure you of all such weaknesses, my lord. You are not the 
 first one who has been in love with a wife, but you are the first one who re- 
 fused to return to a wife as charming as the Belle of Australia. You will 
 go bade with me, my lord ? " 
 
 " No, not until a year has elapsed will I appear before her. Then she will 
 have learned to forget me, or to appreciate me for what I am." 
 
 The Chief shrugged his shoulders, his favorite protest. 
 
 "Your masquerading may have a design in it," he said. " I do not pre- 
 tend to understand the whims of the quality. They are so mysterious that 
 even a police officer can't spot them. But I will talk to you on this subject 
 tomorrow. I have ridden all day under a hot sun, and am tired. I need 
 rest. I can't endure as much as formerly. In the morning we will discuss 
 the subject of your return to Melbourne. Have I your lordship's word that 
 you will make no attempt to avoid me until then ? " 
 
 " Certainly. I am here to stay, and to win a fortune, if possible. God 
 grant that I shall." 
 
 " Your good fortune lies in Melbourne, and there I hope to see you soon. 
 Your wife is far from well, and would welcome you most cordially, forgive 
 you very cheerfully, and forget the greatest insult that can be inflicted on a 
 woman, desertion on her bridal eve." 
 
 "She would welcome me as the Earl of Afton, I suppose?" I asked, a 
 little bitterly. 
 
 " Of course, the countess should welcome her husband by his title. I 
 don't know if people in high rank say 'duck, 'and ' sweetness,' or simply 
 ' my lord,' and ' my lady.' I used to call my wife ' old woman,' and she was 
 
The Belle of Australia. 207 
 
 accustomed to it, and rather liked it, but when she retaliated, and called me 
 'old man,' I thought it was time to stop, and return to first principles. 
 Well, good-night, my lord. I will see you in the morning, I hope. Shall I 
 kick the Chinamen out of the hut? " 
 
 " No, they are useful to me, and I have need of them. They are honest 
 and industrious." 
 
 " You do not know them any more than you do the people of Australia. 
 I tell you there is treachery in every glance of the fellows' eyes, in every 
 movement of their hands. Keep them at a distance, if you know what is 
 good for yourself. If you desire, I will leave one of my men here tonight 
 to see that no harm happens to your lordship," the Chief said. It was evi- 
 dent he did n't love Chinamen. 
 
 " It is unnecessary, sir. I rescued one of the men from a terrible fate, in 
 the bush, the other day, and J do not think he has forgotten the act quite 
 as soon as this. I will run all risk, and, even if the Chinamen are as bad 
 as you represent, I have a revolver to defend myself." 
 
 " Bah ! " with an expression of disgust, "do you think the fellows would 
 face you and your revolver ? They are not of that kind. They attack in 
 the rear, and use an axe or hatchet. I know them as well as I know the 
 tricks of the black fellows. Come, my lord, be advised by me." 
 
 " Please do not call me a lord again, Mr. Murden. I am plain Angus 
 Mornington, arid do not wish to sail under false colors. As such I married 
 my wife, and as such she must receive me, if she ever does." 
 
 " As you please, sir. But I will see you again in the morning," and then 
 the Chief bowed, and left the shanty, and the terrified Chinamen laid down, 
 and whispered in tea-box Chinese, and I once more went to sleep, and did 
 not awaken until long after sunrise, and then I found that Gin Sling had 
 arose, and got breakfast, and that it was waiting for me, with a nice pot of 
 tea, and some hard-tack, and broiled mutton, the latter obtained from a fel- 
 low who hawked sheep through the camp, and made a profitable business 
 out of it, as he stole most of his stock. 
 
 After breakfast the two Chinaman went to work on the annex of my 
 hut. I bought a deserted shanty near mine for a song, tore it down, and 
 removed the best part of the rubbish to my claim, and. after the celestials 
 had got to work, went over to Mrs. Higgins's to make arrangements for 
 Kitty's return to Melbourne by the noon stage. 
 
 To my surprise Mrs. Higgins did not respond to my good-morning with 
 as much cordiality as she had exhibited the night before. In fact, she look- 
 ed cross. 
 
208 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " How is Miss Kitty this morning ? " I asked, with a winsome smile, and 
 not a particle of guile in my heart. 
 
 Mrs. Higgins gave a sniff that could have been heard all along Sturt 
 Street, and then expressed her opinion very forcibly. 
 
 " I said last night," she cried, " that you were either a fool or a hypocrite, 
 and that time would show which. Time has shown." 
 
 ' My dear Mrs. Higgins," I began, but the lady silenced me with a sniff 
 that was like a steam-whistle 
 
 " Don't dear me. I 'm an honest woman, thank God, and keeps a re- 
 spectable house, and when I take people in 'cos other people want me to, 
 and when those other people put on a soft look, and talk smooth, they can't 
 come it over me but once, now I tell you," and there was a whole volley of 
 sniffs. 
 
 " Will you explain what you mean, dear Mrs. Higgins ?" I asked, quite 
 humbly. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I will. I said I 'd be a mother to you, but I take it all back 
 from last night. I '11 not be a mother to the likes of you," and there was a 
 terrible sniff. 
 
 " Why, what have I done ? " I demanded in astonishment. 
 
 " O Lord, hear him ask what he has done ! You did n't come back to this 
 house about nine o'clock last night, and say that you must see your Kitty 
 without a moment's delay ? You did n't rouse her out of bed, and catch her 
 in your arms, and kiss her, and say that you had made a mistake, and did 
 n't meet her just where you expected to ? Oh, no, you did n't do all that, 
 and then carry the girl off to a rough cart, and drive away ? Oh, no, Mr. 
 Innocence. Of course you would n't do such a thing," and her sniffs were 
 something terrible to an honest, timid young man like myself, who thought 
 that he had found a true friend in the motherly landlady, for had she not 
 noticed me above all of her lodgers ? 
 
 "Yes," she continued, her rage increasing as she talked, and thought of 
 the great wrong she fancied I had done her, " I put confidence in your 
 smooth, gentle ways, and your smooth, nice face, and your quiet, polite 
 manner, and I thought that if ever there was an angel of a youn^ man that 
 you were one, and yesterday if you had asked me to be your own, true, 
 hard-working wife, I should not have hesitated one moment to put my wo- 
 manly trust in your keeping, and to have reposed my modest head on your 
 breast, and found that rest that only a good, quiet woman like me can ex- 
 pect to find in one of your sex. But, bah ! you are all alike. False as Sa- 
 tan where a female with a pretty face is concerned ; and now let me tell you, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 209 
 
 you mean, deceitful scamp, that if you should go down on your knees I 
 would not marry you, so don't ask me. I 've had three husbands, and I 
 know what men are capable of, I do." 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me that Kitty is gone ? " I demanded, almost be- 
 wildered at the information, and the tirade of abuse. 
 
 " I mean to tell you that she is gone, as you well know, and she is where 
 you well know, and for what purpose I don't wish to know. So there 
 now. " 
 
 " The man who took her away resembled me, did he ? " I asked, still be- 
 wildered. 
 
 A scornful sniff, that knocked all preceding sniffs into a .cocked hat, was 
 the answer, accompanied by the words, 
 
 " It was you, and there 's no use talking about it. Go away from me, and 
 don't speak to me again." 
 
 " Yet, Mrs. Higgins, you are mistaken. It was not me, I do assure you 
 most faithfully." 
 
 " And a pretty time I had of it this morning," she said, " when Mr. Mur- 
 den called on me to see the girl, and found that you had run away with her. 
 He swore awfully, and galloped off with a black tracker to find the trail. 
 He said that you was the biggest liar on the face of the earth, and, faith, for 
 once I agreed with him, for I think that way myself. Well, well, I 'm ready 
 to believe anything of men now. Drat your impudence, what do you mean 
 by insulting a respectable woman, who works hard for an honest living, and 
 who has buried three husbands, by coming here with your innocent ways, 
 and your smooth words, and making my home a place for your mistress ? 
 I Ve a good mind to shake you as ever I had to eat my dinner. Get out of 
 here, or I '11 scald you." 
 
 Mrs. Higgins was getting angry, and she had reason for her rage, if she 
 really believed me capable of all that she charged. The Earl of Afton had 
 played a mean trick, and I could not defend myself, strive hard as I 
 would. 
 
 " The Chief has gone in search of me, has he ? " I asked, after a mo- 
 ment's pause. 
 
 A sniff, and an angry look. 
 
 " He need not have gone far to <ind me, Mrs. Higgins. I did not leave 
 my shanty from eight o'clock last night until an hour since, as I can prove 
 by the two Chinamen, who slept in the same room with me." 
 
 " And do you think that I 'd take a Chinese heathen's word any sooner 
 than I 'd take yours? You have only to lie, and they "d swear to it for half 
 
210 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 a crown. Such testimony don't go down with me, now I tell you, so go 
 along about your business, and don't come here with your innocent airs any 
 more, or I '11 hurt you. You 'd corrupt a girls' boarding-school in a week's 
 time, if you had your way." 
 
 She turned her back upon me, and was about to resume her usual hard 
 day's labor, when 1 said, 
 
 " At least you will let me pay for the trouble the girl occasioned you last 
 night." 
 
 " You tossed me four sovereigns last evening when you went away, and 
 that is pay enough. I 'd scorn the money, but you might use it for a worse 
 purpose than giving it to a hard-working woman, who has lost three hus- 
 bands, and is as honest as the day is long, and would n't marry a fourth un- 
 less he was more moral, and better than you in every respect. But go your 
 way, you good-looking imp of Satan, and don't provoke me, or I shall get 
 mad. I have trials and temptations enough every day of my life, without 
 standing here, and seeing your looks of pretended surprise, corrupting my 
 servant girls, leading them into temptation, and I know not what. I am a 
 woman of few words, as all of my dear, dead husbands frequently used to 
 say, and I never spend my time talking to man or woman, especially the 
 latter, for they are too mean to live, some of them, and are just as bad as the 
 men, only they won't own it, more is the shame for them, and if I had my 
 way, I 'd find a place for all of them good-for-nothing huzzies, mighty quick," 
 and then Mother Higgins paused to take breath, and I put in a word. 
 
 " Please, my dear friend, don't think me as bad as you would make me," 
 I said, very humbly. 
 
 " Don't dear me, sir. I 'm not one of your dears, I 'd have you to know. 
 I 'm an honest widow woman, and have buried three husbands, and you need 
 n't think that you '11 be the fourth, I can tell you. Now, there. Get out of 
 my sight." 
 
 There was no more to be said, and, with a muttered malediction on my 
 double, who was causing me all this trouble, and intense annoyance, I turn- 
 ed to leave the house, and had the satisfaction of hearing two stout Irish 
 girls utter shouts of disparagement on account of my guilty conduct, yet 
 both of those girls were on probation, and had been taken by the really 
 good and motherly Mrs. Higgins, in hope of saving them, and of ultimately 
 marrying them to sedate and elderly miners. 
 
 I returned to my hut and Chinamen in no enviable mood, and all day long 
 labored at the addition to my shanty, and by night it was all ready for occu- 
 pancy, washed and dried, papered with some old illustrated journals, and it 
 
The Belle of Australia. 211 
 
 had quite a gay and comfortable appearance when my bed was made up on 
 the floor. I had now determined to remain at the mines, for I saw two or 
 three chances to make money, and 1 needed a home, even if gold-digging 
 was not a success. But I should require Mike's assistance to carry out my 
 plans, and waited for him quite anxiously. If all other schemes failed I re- 
 solved to cut and haul timber for bracing the deep shafts, as it brought a 
 high price, and was scarce. 
 
 Several days passed, and we were kept busy cleaning up the rubbish 
 around the hut, building a cooking-house, and fireplace, and constructing a 
 bathing-hole on the banks of the stream, so that I could take my bath after 
 the labors of the day, and feel all the better for it. My Chinamen were not 
 as fond of the water as a Japanese, but I made them wash, although some- 
 times they shirked and lied about it. 
 
 In the mean time the three pirates used to visit us regularly every day, 
 and sit on a log, and smoke, and banter us for not working the mine, and af- 
 ter they tired of such pleasant amusement, they would go to the nearest ale- 
 house, and get drunk, and boast of their rascality. Still Mike did not put 
 in an appearance, and I began to feel a little worried about him, as bush- 
 rangers were reported on the road, and doing a lively business in robbing 
 all who were not strong enough to resist an attack. 
 
 " Gin Sling," I said, one morning after breakfast, " how much longer 
 does that Chinese friend of yours intend to remain here ? " 
 
 " Hee goie nowie s'posee youe noie wante." 
 
 " Then let him go, for we have no more work for him. How much shall I 
 pay him for what he has done ? " 
 
 " Notie. Hee likie meie, hee likie youe, and hee workie ittie nowie. Hee 
 goie workie wide Chinaman againe." 
 
 The friend of Gin took his departure after breakfast, and then I deter- 
 mined to bring to light my big nugget, and have it in the bank before night, 
 for I did not know how soon Mr. Murden might return, and make trouble 
 for me, as I knew that he would not accept my assurances that I had noth- 
 ing to do with the abrupt departure of Kitty. Mr. Murden was a very good 
 man, but he was as obstinate as Mrs. Higgins about some things. He 
 thought that he could not be wrong. 
 
 I sent Gin down the shaft, and told him to dig thirty or forty buckets of 
 gravel, and send them up, and when I gave a whistle, he was to load in the 
 nugget, and then come to the surface. While I was working the windlass, 
 and emptying the dirt, the three old pirates came along, as usual, and sat 
 down on their accustomed log, and almost went into convulsions of laughter 
 
the Belle of Australia. 
 
 when they saw me laboring, and looking over the gravel, as I emptied it, in 
 the hope of seeing the color of gold, or a small nugget. 
 
 J paid no attention to the fellows, and all their harsh words did not pro- 
 duce a reply. Then one of the pirates went to the " Digger's Rest," and 
 returned with some beer, and a fresh supply of tobacco, and then drank to 
 my health, and to my exertions, and said some profane things and blew 
 clouds of smoke toward me, and laughed, and wanted to know if 1 would 
 sell out cheap, and to let them know when I got tired of such stupid play. 
 Even Mother Higgins, who, I think, had a little motherly feeling for me, 
 after all her harsh words, came toward the shaft, and looked at me kind of 
 sorrowfully, as though she wanted to make up, and be good friends, but 
 when I smiled at her in a pleasant way, she gathered her petticoats around 
 her, and sidled off, but stopped long enough to say, 
 
 "Now, Mr. Angus, don't be a fool any longer. I know you are wicked 
 and immoral, but still you might reform, and then, perhaps, I 'd listen to 
 you. I Ve buried three husbands, and neither of them would take advice 
 when living, and you see the consequences. They Ve dead, but, perhaps, 
 the fourth would outlive me, and I should leave him all of my money," and 
 with this shot she was off. 
 
 " Veil, of all the cussed fools that ever I did see," one of the pirates said, 
 and just then I gave the signal, and the big nugget was loaded into the 
 bucket, and I made a seeming effort to draw it to the surface, pretending 
 that it was much heavier than it really was. 
 
 " He 's got a bite, Jim," said the old ruffian who had sold me the claim. 
 " He 's cotched a gudgeon, or a vhale." 
 
 I said nothing, but drew the bucket up, and emptied the nugget on the 
 ground, a big shining lump of solid gold. 
 
 " It 's a whale this time, mates," I cried as I lifted up the treasure, and 
 carried it into the shanty as quickly as possible. 
 
 " Hullo ! vhat in the devil are you doin' vid that ? " roared the three ruf- 
 fians, and came toward me, and three more surprised pirates were never 
 seen. 
 
 " That 'ere belongs to us. Ve only left it there to keep till ve vas ready 
 for it. Jist yer hand that over, or the vust for yer, now I tells yer." 
 
 "Yes, it 's hours," they all roared together. " Yer jist give it up to us. 
 Ve von't stand any of yer bloody games on us." 
 
 They would have entered the hut, and seized on the nugget, but I had ex- 
 pected all that, and was prepared for it. 
 
 " Mates," I said, as I stood in the doorway, and raised my heavy revolv- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 2 13 
 
 er, " if you dare to enter this shanty, or to cross the threshold, I '11 shoot 
 you dead. Mind what I tell you, for I 'm in earnest. Gin, go for a trap, 
 and tell him to come here immediately, and help escort a big nugget to the 
 bank. Run for it, and let no one stop you." 
 
 " Meie offe," was the answer, and away he went, although one of the ruf- 
 fians did attempt to intercept him, but failed, for Gin was like an eel in his 
 movements. 
 
 " It 's a bloody Yankee trick, a - mean Yankee trick, and yer a 
 
 rascal to take adwantage of three 'onest men, vhat are hold and poor, and 
 'as no money but that 'ere nugget to get 'em in a 'ospital." 
 
 " Is it a Yanka trick yer spake of, buys ? "' cried a familiar voice. " Will, 
 here 's a rael ould Oirish one, and, bedad, I hopes yer loikes it. Take that, 
 yer beggars, and that, and that, and thin tell me if yer loikes it as will as 
 the Yanka trick that yer spake of?" 
 
 There was a whistling sound in the air, some solid blows, and I saw a 
 stout stick flourishing around the heads of the three pirates, and then pro- 
 longed howls, as the old ruffians tumbled to the ground, and, as they at- 
 tempted to rise, were helped along by several vigorous kicks, that must have 
 hurt, for Mike wore heavy boots, and the toes were sharp, and very thick. 
 
 " Do yer want some more of the same kind, yer dirty spalpeens, that in- 
 sults a true-blooded American, that honors the country by comin' here at 
 all, at all ? Git out wid yer, afore I commits bigomy, and murders every 
 blessed one of yer. Don't stop to spake, but go, for I can't restrain my 
 shillalah when once it gits to workin', and I 'm jist spilin' for a fight, for I 
 have n't had one since me time was out, some tin da\ x s ago. Whoop, let me 
 git at 'em agin." 
 
 But the three old pirates had taken the hint, and gone, as fast as their 
 legs could carry them, to the ale-house, and then related the wonderful 
 news that I had found a nugget as large as a barrel, and worth at least 
 twenty thousand pounds, but, as most of those present thought the fellows 
 drunk, or lying for a purpose, no notice was taken of them, and this was 
 fortunate for my plans, for, as soon as I had welcomed Mike, I told him to 
 run to the tax-office, and take out claims, each side of mine, one in his 
 name, and the other in that of Gin Sling. 
 
 "And who is Gin Sling, sur ? " asked Mike. 
 
 " A Chinaman, who is working for me,'* I replied, although it was no time 
 to answer questions. 
 
 " A hathan, sur ? " 
 
 " Yes, but a real good fellow, and one you will like. Now run as fast as 
 
2 14 The Belle of Aiistralia. 
 
 you can. Here is the money to. pay for the tax. Remember, Gin Sling. 
 Don't forget." 
 
 " Sure, I '11 remember. It 's a very spirited name. One don't forget the 
 gin. Faith, 1 wish 1 had some now, for it 's tired I am. But I 'm off, and, 
 if yer honor would jist sa that me parsonal property is taken from the tame, 
 and give the lad what brought me here a little drop of somethin', I '11 tell 
 yer all about meself when I return," and he was off. 
 
 1 helped unload the team, and found my hammock and clothes-bag all 
 right, and that Mike had among his effects the long, rusty musket that he 
 thought so much of, and which he had promised I should fire some day, as 
 a great personal favor. 
 
 I gave the driver a drink of beer, and something to eat, and learned that 
 he was a shepherd on Mr. Kebblewhite's run, and that Mike had delayed 
 leaving his place until the last moment, because a party of bushrangers, 
 some four in number, had raided on the sheep, and killed quite a lot, just 
 out of pure wantonness. Mike and the others had laid in wait for the fel- 
 lows, assisted by an old Quaker, but had not been able to encounter the 
 robbers, and, as they appeared to have left that part of the country, Mike 
 packed up, and joined me. 
 
 While I was talking with the stockman a mounted police officer returned 
 with Gin Sling, and offered to escort me and the nugget to the bank. The 
 man was astonished at the lump of gold, and declared that it was the purest 
 specimen of the kind that he had ever seen in Ballarat. 
 
 I packed the nugget in a blanket, on the Chinaman's back, and walked to 
 the bank, and astonished all who saw it by demanding that the gold be 
 weighed, and estimated as to its value. 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me that this came out of the Bank-of-England 
 Mine ? " asked the cashier in astonishment. 
 
 " That is what I mean to say," was my reply, and I spoke the truth. 
 
 " Well, some people are born lucky, and you are one of them," the cash- 
 ier said. 
 
 " Oh, that is a mere baby to what I intend to find," was my careless reply, 
 but I must confess that I had no idea that my words would corne true. I 
 was only bluffing a little for the benefit of those who had laughed at me so 
 heartily when I purchased the mine. 
 
 All the bank officers left their usual avocations to question me, and to 
 examine the nugget. They were delighted with it, and seemed really pleased 
 with my good fortune, and not a man present said a. disagreeable word 
 about my being a Yankee. After all we do like to congratulate a person on 
 
The Belle of Australia. 215 
 
 his good luck, almost as much as we like to learn of a dear friend's misfor- 
 tune, and loss of money, and influence in the political world, and, when 
 every one had guessed the weight of the nugget, the old miner came in, the 
 same one who had borrowed several shillings of me, and forgotten to return 
 them, as his memory was failing him quite fast as respects money matters, 
 but still he could remember many things that were not of near so much im- 
 portance as returning loans 
 
 The old fellow pushed his way to the front rank, looked at the lump of 
 gold in silence, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, for his agitation 
 caused drops of water to fall from his lips, and then he said, in slow, delib- 
 erate tones, as if to impress each one within his hearing of the truth of his 
 yarns, 
 
 " I 'm an old man, and if any one 'as a bit of 'baccy about 'em, 'e can't do 
 better than to bestow it on me, and a glass of beer or rum, but I prefers the 
 last, if it is all the same to yer, 'cos on an occasion like this peoples should 
 be generous, and all that. Thank yer, sir, yer is wery kind. Now the 
 rum. Vait must I ? All right, sir, but I 'opes yer '11 make it two glasses 
 vhile yer is about it, for the information I 'm about to impart is wery walua- 
 ble, and no one hever 'card the story afore now. It 's just goin' on for ten 
 years, sir, since I 'elped find the ' Velcome Nugget,' in this wery camp, and 
 I '11 tell yer all about it, sir. Yer see, I vos down in the mine, and I seed 
 it fust, and I jist sit right down, and could n't speak for a full 'our, and if 
 some one vould give me a lush of rum I could talk much better than I does 
 now, as it 's dry work." 
 
 " Oh, clear out, old chap," said the cashier of the bank. " We have heard 
 your lies for the last five years, and you never tell a story twice alike. You 
 never saw the ' Welcome Nugget,' or lent a hand to mine it. Git out," and 
 the old man was waltzed out by a trap, in spite of his protestations, but, 
 just as we thought we had got rid of him, and when we were all patting the 
 nugget, and guessing at its weight, the old miner once more edged his way 
 through the crowd, and took up his position near me, and again resumed 
 the thread of his discourse, only interrupted by being turned out of the 
 room by the policeman. 
 
 " Yes, gents," he said, " as I stated afore, I could n't speak afore an 'our 
 or two, I vos so surprised, but I called for some lush, and my mates kinder 
 thought I was faint-like, and they sends me down a nip of rum. I vish 
 some of yer gents vould do the 'andsome thing by me at this time. I could 
 go on vid my sermon a little more lively if yer vould." 
 
 " Officer, run that old fraud out of the room," roared the cashier. " We 
 
216 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 have no time to fool with him. If he won't go, kick him out. He will cor- 
 rupt the whole of us with his outrageous lies." 
 
 The trap run the old fellow out once more, and then returned to feast on 
 the sight of the nugget. 
 
 " Ven I fust seed the ' Velcome Nugget,' " a familiar voice cried, and, on 
 looking up, we saw that the old miner was perched on the window, outside, 
 holding on by his hands, and looking in on us, in a very benevolent sort of 
 manner, as though he had no animosity toward us for our cruel treatment 
 to him. " If any gent vill be kind enough to give me a small piece of 
 'baccy, and a glass of rum or beer, rum preferred, if jist as handy, if not, 
 beer vill do. Thank yer, sir, but that 's not the kind of go vot I vants," for 
 some one threw a sweet potato at his head, and it just missed him, and 
 came near breaking the glass. 
 
 " Clear out, you old liar, or I '11 have }ou locked up in jail," roared the 
 cashier, and the trap started to haul th * miner down, but the people out 
 side the building began to enjoy the fun, and would not let the officer inter- 
 fere, and it was not worth quarreling over, so the old chap held on, until 
 one of the bank officials asked him if he would clear out for a shilling. 
 
 " Yer jist try me, that 's hall," was the response. " A good von, yer know. 
 But I 'd rather tell yer hall about the ' Velcome Nugget,' if it 's hall the 
 same to yer, and I von't charge yer heny more, except some von vants to 
 give me a little piece of 'baccy, and a lush of rum, or '11 take beer." 
 
 " Take the shilling, and be off," some one said, and the veteran put it in 
 his mouth, and vanished. 
 
 The nugget weighed just a little over three hundred and six ounces, or 
 most twenty-six pounds, and was valued at twenty dollars per ounce, but, as 
 the lump was a great curiosity, the cashier said that he would give me sev- 
 en thousand dollars for it, in our money, but I told him I thought I could 
 do better, and then a gentleman came forward, and said that he would buy 
 it for a historical and natural history society, of Melbourne, and, after a 
 little banter, I was offered ten thousand dollars for the prize, and as this 
 was more than its intrinsic value I closed with the bid, received my money, 
 placed it on deposit at an interest of ten per cent, bought a draft for two 
 hundred pounds in my mother's name, and felt quite satisfied with my day's 
 work. I afterward learned that the nugget changed hands at a large ad- 
 vance, and I think that it is still in Melbourne, and if it is not there is a fac- 
 simile m one of the institutions, and an account relating all the facts as to 
 the finding, but I think the black fellows could have told a different story. 
 However, I never heard of them, or that they made a complaint of their loss, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 2i? 
 
 for the native black is a wanderer, here today, and on the sea-coast or in 
 the interior tomorrow. Ever moving, and restless, without homes or huts, 
 they go where the most food is to be had, and remain until the stock is ex- 
 hausted, caring nothing for wealth or clothing, and taking pride only in 
 their boomerangs, their spears, nullas and waddies. 
 
 By the time ] returned to the hut Mike had arrived from the tax-office, 
 with all necessary papers, and I found quite a crowd assembled around the 
 shaft, and all discussing the wonderful luck which 1 had experienced, and 
 then the laugh changed, and the old pirates were objects of derision, and so 
 badly were they ridiculed that they packed up what few traps they had, and 
 \\ent to other mines, where their little game was unknown. 
 
 Of course a hundred miners, as soon as they heard of the lucky find, 
 rushed to the tax office to take out claims next to mine, but found that they 
 had been forestalled, and were compelled to accept of lots some little dis- 
 tance off. But I had what I expected, cash offers for Mike's and Gin 
 Sling's claims, and from one hundred pounds the bids went up to five hun- 
 dred pounds each, and on that basis I sold, took my cash, and put it in the 
 bank, and let that go on interest also. Thus in one day I had banked fif- 
 teen thousand dollars. I began to feel that the firm was able to hold up its 
 head, and, in honor of the event, I told Gin to go and buy materials for a 
 good dinner, a dozen bottles of ale, and also such fruit as he could lay his 
 hands on, for we would do no more work that day. Then I listened to 
 Mike's wonderful adventures with the bushrangers, his desire to be with 
 me, and his sense of duty that kept him looking after the sheep of his em- 
 ployer. While telling Mike of my being lost in the bush, and of finding the 
 Chinaman tied to a tree, I forgot to mention all about the nugget that the 
 blacks had left behind them when they fled. I did not think it desirable to 
 let the story have too large a circulation, and Gin had received a hint to 
 keep his mouth closed. A Chinaman can keep a secret much better than a 
 lover, or a young woman. Even a cork-screw can't draw out of him what he 
 does not want to be known, so I had no fear of his talking too much. 
 
 " So the hathan is to be wi:l us ? " asked Mike, as soon as he had learned 
 all the particulars of my adventures. 
 
 "Yes, Mike. Gin is a useful fellow, and can work as hard as the rest of 
 us. You will like him." 
 
 " P'aps I shall, sur," was the cautious answer: "but I 'd loike him better 
 if the craturhad some little religion in him. He 's a hathen, anyfiow, and 
 blank a hathen that 's no religion." 
 
 Mike got over his prejudice after a while, and he and the Chinaman were 
 
 10 
 
21 S The Belle of Australia. 
 
 good friends, although Mike always called Gin by the name of ; ' Hathen," 
 to show that the celestial was not quite up to his standard in matters of theol 
 ogy and salvation. 
 
 While Mike and Gin prepared dinner. I wrote to my mother a long and 
 minute account of my travels, my landing at Melbourne, my sudden mar- 
 riage to a beautiful young lady, who supposed me somebody else, my mis- 
 fortunes, because I resembled an English nobleman, of Scotch ancestors j 
 how I had been traduced, and made to suffer, On account of that mysterious 
 person, and asked her to write to me fully and frankly why two men, of the 
 same age, the same name, yet one an Englishman, and the other an Amer- 
 ican, could look so much alike that one was constantly being mi -taken for 
 the other. I also wrote her that, what was still more singular, the father of 
 the nobleman had been the first lieutenant on board the line-of-battle ship 
 Asia, and that I knew my parent had been first lieutenant of the line-of-bat- 
 tle ship Ohio, and that I had heard him speak of lying at Naples, alongside 
 of the Englishman, for more than two months, or until he thought that both 
 ships would get aground on the beef-bones thrown overboard. I said that I 
 should remain in Australia at least three years, that I had done well so far, 
 and sent her a draft on the Oriental Bank in hopes that she would use 
 it to her advantage, and that I would send her more money just as soon as I 
 learned that she had received my draft, and answered my letter. I hoped 
 that she would approve of my conduct in leaving my wife on the evening of 
 my nuptials, considering that Florence had wedded me through a great mis- 
 take, but that I loved the lady very dearly, and hoped that is time she 
 would love me, but that I was not sanguine, and should avoid her until she 
 sent for me, and forgave, and acknowledged me as her husbsnd, without 
 feeling mortified at her choice. 
 
 All this I told her, and many other things which I knew would interest 
 her, and, before dinner was ready, I had mailed my letter, and saw it go out 
 in the midday coach, dashing along the dusty road on its way to Melbourne, 
 and from thence by steamer to England. 
 
 Our dinner was a great success. The mutton chops were not as tough as 
 some that we had had, the tea was no more smoky than I had drank before, 
 the fruit was about as hot and wilted as one could expect in the mines, and 
 the hard-tack was venerable, and a little inclined to be weevily, but this, the 
 Chinaman said, was an advantage, because you could get more for your 
 money than you otherwise would. But the ale was good and lively, and, 
 the first bottle Mike opened, two-thirds of its contents flew over Gin, and 
 covered him with foam, until he looked as though he had been through a 
 
Belle of Australia. 219 
 
 typhoon in the China Sea, and was hopelessly shipwrecked. The only re- 
 gret expressed was the loss of the ale, and a wet rag soon restored the Chi- 
 naman to a proper state of cleanliness. 
 
 " Did yer moind the smooth-tongued Quaker, Mr. Hangus ? " asked Mike, 
 while we were at dinner. "The divil that rode a pace with us near Web- 
 ber's ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes. What of him ? " 
 
 Will, he *s bin on the shape run for a wake past, and said he 'd help 
 tackle the bushrangers, but when we ? d go for 'em wid him in company, 
 sure there was no findin' of 'em. But what puzzles me ontirely is that I 
 saw yer one day, Mr. Hangus." 
 
 " Me, Mike ? " I demanded, astonished at the information. 
 
 " Yes, sur. Sure I sung out to yer to come to yer friend Mike, but yer 
 only laughed, and took to the woods; and why did n't yer spake to me, Mr 
 Hangus?" 
 
 " It was not me, Mike, but the person who is supposed to look like me. 
 Do you think I 'd refuse to speak to an old friend like you ? I have not 
 been absent from Ballarat." 
 
 " Will, now, it puzzled me, it did. I could have sword it was yer, Mr. 
 Hangus. But, as yer say that it wa'n't, I 'm bound to belave yer. But the 
 loikeness was wonderful. Bedad it was," and here the subject was dropped. 
 
 In the afternoon we received many visitors, and all were interested in the 
 big nugget. We had many offers to sell the mine, but I declined them all, 
 as I did not wish to swindle people too outrageously, out of revenge for the 
 small sell that had been put on me. But I will say, in this connection, that 
 the two claims adjoining us, and which I sold at large figures, did turn out 
 very well, and netted the proprietors a handsome profit, so they had no 
 cause of complaint. 
 
 That night I slept in my old hammock, in the annex, and left Mike and 
 Gin the dining-room to themselves. I could hear them talking, and boast- 
 ing of their countries, until long after ten o'clock, and then I went to sleep, 
 and, as usual, dreamed of Florence, and that she was pleading for me to re- 
 turn to her arms. 
 
 The next day we worked rather languidly at the mine, but did not see a 
 speck of gold, and so on for days and days, and at length I began to grow 
 weary of always bracing the shaft, as it grew deeper, of pawing over dirt, 
 that did not contain gold, of hoisting up gravel and mud, which were worth- 
 less, and I really began to debate whether I had not better sell out, and try 
 a new location, when an incident occurred that set the whole camp in mo- 
 
, 
 
 220 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 tion, and produced the greatest excitement that was ever known in the min- 
 ing region of Ballarat. 
 
 One morning I had gone to the bottom of the shaft with Gin, leaving 
 Mike to do the hoisting. I did not feel very good-tempered, for I saw week 
 after week pass over my head, and no addition to my fortune, while there 
 was constant expense to feed all three of us, and a certain sum that I had 
 agreed to pay Mike and Gin, as long as they remained with me. The 
 wages were satisfactory to both of them, higher, in fact, than was paid at 
 Camp Reserve, and the work not half as hard, but I could not operate alone, 
 and needed the assistance of both men. 
 
 I took up a pick, and struck a spiteful blow on the gravel, and felt the 
 point of the tool touch hard rock, a substance we had been looking for for 
 some days past. 
 
 " Hollo, Gin," I said, "we are down to hard pan, and now we shall see if 
 we are to find gold." 
 
 I withdrew the pick, and caught a glimpse, by the dull candle-light, of a 
 yellow color, that looked like gold. I stooped down and felt of it, and held 
 my candle close to it, and worked away the dirt and gravel, and, by Jove, it 
 was gold, and a big nugget at that, so large that I could only say to Gin, 
 who was stoping, with his back toward me, 
 
 " Wee catchie muche golde at laste, Gin." 
 
 It was my pigeon English, and he turned to grin at my efforts, but he 
 saw a sight that made his almond-shaped eyes start almost out of his head, 
 for there, lying at my feet, was a nugget that seemed to exceed in size all 
 nuggets ever heard of before or since, yet it was not half uncovered. 
 
 Gin uttered an awful howl of joy, fell on his knees before the lump of 
 gold, and " chin-chined " to it, just as he would have done to Joss, one of 
 his heathen gods. 
 
 " What is the matter, yer hathen ? " asked Mike, who was listening at the 
 windlass, and did not know what to make of the tumult. 
 
 We did not return any answer, for we were scratching away the dirt, 
 with naked hands, and as though we feared the nugget would vanish from 
 our sight unless we tore it from its long resting place, and held it firm. 
 
 " What 's the matter, Mr. Hangus ? " again cried Mike. " Is the hathen 
 hurtin' of yer ? " 
 
 " O Mike," I. said, " we have found the grandmother of all nuggets. 
 Don't say a word, but come clown the ladder as soon as you can." 
 
 "Whoop, divil a word will J say at all, at all. The grandmother of 'em 
 all, did yer say ? O murder ! but a'n't that noice ? " 
 
The Belle of Australia. 221 
 
 " Stop your noise, you lunatic," I shouted. " You will have the whole 
 camp on top of us if you keep on that way." 
 
 Xot another word will I say, sur," was the response. " The grand- 
 mother of 'em all. Poor ould grandmother. Faith, she 's rested in her 
 bed a long time, and now let 's start her round doing good." 
 
 Down the ladder he came, and found us on our knees, scraping away the 
 earth, regardless of the skin and nails on our hands. Mike joined in with a 
 will, and the three of us soon had the monster exposed to view, and such a 
 sight I never saw before or since. It was a mass of bright, shining gold, 
 as large as a ten-pound shad, and about the same form, long and flat, with 
 head and tail like a fish, and fins on sides and back, with a few white specks 
 of quartz, which looked like scales. It was a singular formation, and show- 
 ed the intense heat to which it had been subjected at one time, when the 
 earth was convulsed with internal fires, and an upheaval had occurred 
 which produced the peculiar metal called gold, a metal that men have wor- 
 shiped, and women adored, for thousands of centuries, and will be rever- 
 enced for centuries to come, unless the tail of a comet knocks us out of 
 time to eternity. 
 
 We sat around that inanimate nugget, and just worshiped it, and rubbed 
 it with our hands, and talked to it as though it had been a living being, and 
 then we lighted our pipes, and puffed away in silence, and looked at each 
 other with greedy eyes, as if we feared that a conspiracy was being mentally 
 formed to spirit it out of sight, and so lose the results of our lucky find. 
 
 " Faith," said Mike, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, and getting on 
 his feet, " I thinks that if we stay here long there '11 be murder in our 
 hearts, and all for a lump of gold. Let me out of this as soon as yer plase, 
 for I want no more thinkin' in this dark hole, wid the hathen's eyes lookin' 
 loike a tiger's, and his hands a workin' loike a kangaroo's hind legs, when 
 pushed by dogs, and its back is agin a tra. Up I go, and don't stay here 
 any longer, Mr. Hangus. Go wid me, and let the hathen load it in the 
 bucket." 
 
 I could hardly bear to part company with my treasure, but did, after a 
 long and affectionate glance, and climbed up the ladder, and then had to 
 drink a wineglass of brandy to steady my nerves, and quiet my imagination, 
 for I was all of a perspiration, and as weak as a child. But we gained 
 strength at last, and slowly hoisted the nugget to the surface, and when it 
 was safely landed Mike could no longer control his feelings, but let them 
 find vent in one general howl of delight, and a dance that would have driven 
 wild with envy half the boys of Tipperary. 
 
222 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Mike's yells attracted the notice of all the people at work on the adjoin- 
 ing claims, and they Hocked to our place in crowds, to see what was the 
 trouble. Their sensations when they saw the gold found vent in exclama- 
 tions of astonishment and delight, and some few of envy, but the majority 
 of the miners, carried away by enthusiasm, yelled themselves hoarse, and 
 the shouts sent every mounted trap to our claim in hot haste, thinking that 
 a Chinese war had again broken out, and that the celestials were being mur- 
 dered by infuriated miners. 
 
 "Form a procession, boys," shouted one man, who had a claim which I 
 had sold him. " Fall in, lads. We '11 escort this nugget around the camp, 
 and then to the bank," but just at that moment the old miner put in an ap- 
 pearance. He had been disturbed, in the " Miner's Rest," by the noise, and 
 now came, as fast as his tottering limbs would permit, to take his usual 
 share in all the public celebrations. 
 
 " Coves, hall," he shouted, as soon as he learned that a nugget had 
 been found. 
 
 " Who in thunder do you call coves ? " asked one brawny miner, and he 
 threw a decayed orange at the ancient miner's head, but it missed him, and 
 landed full on the flat face of a Chinaman, much to his astonishment and 
 indignation, for the juice made him look more yellow than ever. 
 
 " Veil, then, gents hall, if that suits yer better, although I 'as seen the 
 time ven cove vas good enough for me. That vos ven ve found the ' Vel- 
 come Nugget,' and, as I 'as never told a soul about it, I vill jist relate hall 
 the circumstances as they took place," and the old miner mounted on a bar- 
 rel, the better to get off his speech, 'and to overlook the crowd. "Veil, 
 gents hall, ven I fust seed the ' Velcome Nugget ' I vos that surprised that 
 I could n't stand, and so I jist sets down " 
 
 " As you do now," some one said, and over went the barrel, and the min- 
 er with it, and he was heard of no more until we got to the bank, then he 
 once more came to the front, and began to relate his story, but I gave him 
 a shilling, and a piece of tobacco, and he went back to the saloon, and told 
 lies all the evening, to the intense amusement of his audience, who filled 
 him so full of beer, that at last he swore his Wei ~:ome Nugget weighed one 
 thousand pounds, and that he knew where there was another just like it. 
 
 " Fall in, boys," cried the miner who was disposed to boss the procession, 
 and who was really a clever fellow. "We goes with the nugget to the 
 bank." . 
 
 The suggestion was adopted. The miners dropped their tools, one man 
 ran to his shanty, and brought buck a drum, another had a banjo, a third a 
 
The Belle of Australia. 223 
 
 trombone, on which he could not play, yet produced the most hideous 
 sounds ever heard outside of the Chinese quarters: some got hold of penny 
 whistles, and blew on them until their eyes started out of their heads, and 
 one fellow seized on a tin kettle, and pounded it until the bottom fell in, 
 which he did not mind in the least, but banged on sides and every available 
 part, until the whole thing fell to pieces. Even Mrs. Higgins came over to 
 us, and sniffed, and said that if I was not immoral she would kiss me, but 
 that her reputation would not surfer such a strain, and so she must decline, 
 which was quite good on her part, as'no one had asked for the chaste em 
 brace, or even thought of it. But Mother Higgins was a peculiar woman, 
 and was not so much offended with me as she pretended. I believe that 
 she would have married me had I pressed her to accept my hand, then and 
 there, before all the miners. But I did not. 
 
 We extemporized a litter, on which the nugget was placed, and, with 
 Mike and Gin at the handles, and I at the head, marched through Camp 
 Reserve, down Sturt Street, up Lydiard Street, through the principal min- 
 ing camps, the procession constantly receiving additional recruits, until at 
 last we halted in front of the branch of the Oriental Bank, where a strong 
 detatchment of police kept the crowd back, and prevented it from overrun- 
 ning the outer room of the institution, and frightening the officials out of 
 their wits. To enable all to see the nugget the miners were formed in 
 some kind of order, and walked past the treasure, and the various comments 
 that were made on the lump of gold would fill a book of the size of BAL- 
 LOU'S MAGAZINE, small type. 
 
 But at length all had seen the " Old Grandmother," as it was called, and 
 many returned to their labors, while others lingered around, and talked over 
 the matter, and then adjourned to ale-houses, and drank more beer than 
 was good for their heads or stomachs. 
 
 Mike, Gin, and myself were admitted to the bank with the nugget, and 
 waited impatiently to see it tested, and to know its value. The officers did 
 not have enough weights, and were compelled to send to the branch of the 
 bank of Australia, and borrow all the troy weights it owned, before the 
 scales would balance, and then, amid a silence so profound that it was pain- 
 ful, the cashier read off the figures, one hundred and twenty-eight pounds 
 and six ounces, or fifteen hundred and forty-two ounces, and worth, as the 
 bank officer stated, the snug little sum of near thirty-one thousand dollars, 
 and he said that he would allow me that for the nugget, and take it without 
 further question-ing. But I concluded, as it was the largest mass of gold 
 that had ever been found in Australia, except one, the Welcome, it was 
 
224 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 worth more than that as a curiosity, so told the officers to lock it up in their 
 vault, and I would think the matter over, and decide what to do with it in 
 the course of a day or two. It was just as well that I came to that decision, 
 for a consultation of the bank officials and a few gentlemen took place im- 
 mediately, and then I was offered just an even forty thousand dollars for 
 the nugget, and I accepted the bid at once, received my money, paid it back 
 to the bank, and had it go on interest with the rest. 
 
 I do not know where that wonderful nugget is now. Those who pur- 
 chased it took it to Melbourne, claimed that they had dug it out of their 
 mine, and gave lectures on gold, and its formation, and exhibited the treas- 
 ure at the same time. The admission fee was one shilling, and some days 
 the owners made as much as one hundred pounds by their enterprise. It 
 was carried to all the principal places in Australia, Sydney, Gelong. Ade- 
 laide, Bathust, Port Phillip, and other cities, and finally sold to the British 
 Museum, although I will not state positively that such was the case, as the 
 sale had not been effected when I left the country, but negotiatious were 
 being carried on at a large advance from what I received. 
 
 I began to feel that I could hold my head up, and that I was not such a 
 bad match for Mr. Kebble white's daughter, after all. I had over fifty 
 thousand dollars in the bank, and it was growing every day, at the rate of 
 ten per cent interest, beside the one hundred pounds in the bank at Mel- 
 bourne. Well, fortune had favored me, and 1 resolved that my dear, good- 
 hearted mother should share in my prosperity, and I again wrote to her in 
 full, and sent another draft, for a thousand dollars. She might not need it, 
 but women can get away with an awful sight of money, if they set their 
 minds seriously on the subject, and give their whole attention to it. 
 
 " I tell yer what it is, Mr. Hangus," said Mike at sapper, " yer has the 
 divil's own luck, and it 's me opinion that things will come around all roight 
 in time. But we must wait wid patience, and we '11 sa what we shall sa. 
 Now, sur, I 've a hidea." 
 
 " Hee hase a hideae. Bellie goodie. Wee wille heare ite," said Gin, 
 who had a little fun in his disposition, even if he was a Chinaman. 
 
 " Shut up, yer hathen, and don't interrupt one of yer Christian betters 
 when he spakes. Now, sur, I Ve heard that when yer find one big grand- 
 mother of a nugget, yer is apt to foind two or tra grandchildren near the old 
 lady, to kape her company loike. Begor, I belave that 's so, and what if we 
 should foind more nuggets in the Bank-of-England ? " 
 
 " I have heard such a report, Mike, but it don't seem as though luck 
 could strike us many more times." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 22$ 
 
 " Meie knowe onie Chinaman whoe makie fortunee in onie moone," cried 
 Gin, but Mike wanted to monopolize the conversation, and was not dis- 
 posed to listen to the heathen just at that time. 
 
 " Kape that big mouth of yern shut while I 'm spakin', yer hathen. It 's 
 wisdom ye '11 hear fall from me lips if yer listen. Now, it 's me opinion that 
 luck is loike an Australian freshet, all fuss and fury, and if yer swim wid it 
 all roight, but if yer try to stand agin it down yer go. It is soon over, but 
 if we take the water when it 's on the run we shall land on a bank, or in a 
 tra-top, quite safe. We is swimmin' wid it now, and whin the flood is done 
 and gone, we want to be high and dry, and that remoinds me that I 'm dry 
 now, so pass the tay, yer hathen, and don't talk to me iny more about yer 
 Confusiones, after listenin' to me, for I can bate all the China philosophers 
 that iver ate rats, or roasted poor puppies, and sarved 'em up at the big 
 fastes." 
 
 " Onie liee ! " cried the Chinaman, indignant at the reflection cast 
 
 upon his people. 
 
 " Don't yer ate shark-fins ? " demanded Mike, in a lordly way, as though 
 he could floor Gin in a moment, and by a pertinent question. 
 
 " Yese, blerie goodie," and Gin smacked his lips at the recollection of 
 the feasts he had enjoyed. 
 
 "And don't yer ate burd-nists ? " persisted Mike, leading the heathen on, 
 in a quiet manner. 
 
 " Yesie, datie nicie alle timie," was the confident answer, as though he 
 knew what he was talking about. 
 
 " And now answer me this, yer hathen, and none of yer shyin'.off. Don't 
 yer ate the dirty slugs what is found on the sa-shore ?' 
 
 " Datie blerrie goode alle timie. Meie cooke somie fore youe, if youe 
 gete," was Gin's kind answer. 
 
 " Don't insult me, yer ignorant barbarian," roared Mike. "I 'ma 
 Christian, and ates Christian food, and drinks Christian whiskey (whin I can 
 get it), and yer should know that min loike me don't take to rats and pup- 
 pies the same as the hathen of yer ould country, what has 'em on their ta- 
 bles at all times of the day, cold and hot, the dirty pigs." 
 
 Gin made a gesture of contempt at such a reflection on his people, but 
 passed the tea, and let Mike talk until he was tired, and then we went to 
 bed with the firm resolve to find those grandchildren nuggets, if they were 
 in our mine, and to commence next day the laborious search. 
 
 But the grandchildren were bashful, not like grandchildren of our own 
 flesh and blood, but such as are made of precious metal, and refused to 
 
226 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 exhibit themselves, although we toiled day after day, in searching for them. 
 We did not work hard, and I did not enter the mine at all, unless it was to 
 give directions how to stope. I was getting above such common labor, but 
 still I worked the windlass, and answered all questions that were put to me 
 by wondering visitors, and also declined all offers to sell the Bank-of-Eng- 
 land Mine at a price that would have made me think I was rich at one time. 
 
 But at last the grandchild arrived, and Gin had the honor of welcoming 
 the little stranger. It was a magnificent specimen of gold, nearly pure, and 
 weighed eighty-five pounds, or one thousand and twenty ounces, and I may 
 as well say that I sold it as a specimen for twenty-five thousand dollars, and 
 there was no fuss over the trade either, on the part of the buyers. 
 
 After that I hired Gin Sling's friend to come and work for me, and to 
 tend the windlass, and to do the cooking. I was growing rich, and did not 
 propose to hurt myself with hard labor. I saw a chance for quiet specula- 
 tion, once in a while, in certain articles, and I did not fail to take advantage 
 of every turn to increase my wealth. I wanted Florence, and I supposed 
 that 1 could obtain her through money, and it looked as though the latter 
 would not stand in my way unless I met with some misfortune, or my bank- 
 should collapse. 
 
 In the mean time I had not heard a word from Mr. Murden, or from Mel 
 bourne. The parties who had purchased the three large nuggets claimed 
 that they dug them, so their names went into the papers instead of mine, 
 and thus the Kebblewhites did not hear from me, or know where I was. 
 Once in a while I would receive a report that a gang of bushrangers were 
 seen near a Mr. Smith's run and house, but that the rascals always took to 
 the bush when the mounted police put in an appearance, and so escaped. 
 As the fellows never came nearer than ten miles of Ballarat, none of us 
 paid much attention to them, our gold being safe, and sent to the city under 
 armed escort, so strong that the bushrangers did not dare to attack it. 
 
 The wet season of July had set in, but, except when it rained, the weather 
 was pleasant, and the country assumed a most beautiful appearance. The 
 trees looked greener, the grass sprung up with marvelous rapidity, the wild 
 flowers covered the plain, the acacias were all in bloom, and filled the air 
 with perfume, the roses were sweet, and nodded a welcome from every high- 
 way, and garden, and violets and tulips struggled for supremacy with modest 
 rivalry. The dry water-courses were now full of life, and the streams rolled 
 and tumbled toward the Darling or the Murray, as if glad of the chance to 
 seek a wider sphere of usefulness where they could see the world, and mix 
 with it, and enjoy life by giving vitality to the thirsty soil through which 
 
The Belle of Australia. 227 
 
 they passed, blessing every one in their onward course, and at last losing all 
 individuality by mixing with the deep-blue ocean, and then twisting and 
 turning through Bass's Straits, until dashed upon the bleak shores of New 
 Zealand, or Japan, thence rebounding, and crossing the Indian Ocean, or 
 taking a look at the China Sea, and a fierce typhoon. 
 
 On the tenth day of July we found the third nugget we had looked for FO 
 long. The last of the grandchildren came to light, and our mining was 
 about over. It was near ten o'clock in the forenoon when Mike came upon 
 it, at the depth of forty-five feet, and just ten feet, by stoping, from the spot 
 where the old grandmother had been found. We took the good luck quiet- 
 ly, and made no demonstration whatever, but carried our precious treasure 
 to the bank, and had it weighed. The bank officials had now got so ac- 
 customed to my appearance with a nugget, that they simply said, " What ! 
 another ? How long do you intend to keep this thing up ? " and put it on 
 the scales, and called out, " This is only a sixty-five-pound nugget,'' and 
 treated it almost with contempt. But it weighed seven hundred and eighty 
 ounces, and was the fourth largest nugget ever produced from the mines of 
 Ballarat. I sold it for eighteen thousand dollars, as a specimen, and some 
 one proposed to give it to the lieutenant governor, and the scheme would 
 have been carried into effect, I think, but just at that time the governor gave 
 a soiree one evening, and promenaded with the good-looking wife of a mer- 
 chant of Melbourne, and did not even offer his arm to the wife of the gen- 
 tleman who wanted to make the presentation speech. She was old and fat, 
 and had a mustache and chin whiskers, and the handsome lady w r as beard- 
 less, and lively. Perhaps the governor never knew what he lost for the 
 want of a little attention. The proposer, early the next morning, after the 
 party, in a wild sort of manner, as though he had passed a sleepless night, 
 withdrew his subscription, and would give no reason for such a singular 
 course, but he was properly punished, for he was an applicant for the office 
 of the ninety-ninth readjuster of the public lands, at a salary of five hun- 
 dred pounds, and nothing to do except hear the squatters swear once a 
 month, that they were ruined. The husband of the handsome lady obtain- 
 ed the prize, and the beauty received marked attention at the government 
 house until the opposition said some hard things on the subject, and the gov- 
 ernor had to banish her to a less exposed place, and call in the evening. 
 
 The same day that the last nugget was found, a party of capitalists com- 
 bined to purchase the Bank-of-England Mine, and made me a handsome 
 offer, but I said that I wanted five thousand pounds for the mine, and 
 should hold it until 1 obtained that sum. Then they agreed to buy it at 
 
228 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 that price, if I would take some stock, but I did not care for stock in that 
 mine, although there was a bare possibility of more nuggets being found, 
 but I considered the chances a little weak from what I knew of mining in 
 Ballarat. But, after a long and spirited conference, I sold the mine for 
 five thousand pounds, or twenty-five thousand dollars, all in cash, and the 
 papers were passed, and I no longer had a home, and yet, rude and humble 
 as it was, I did not like to leave it, for it had sheltered me so many 
 months, and there I had experienced the only happiness 1 had known in 
 Australia, the happiness of thinking that at some distant day Florence 
 would acknowledge me as her husband, and love me with a little of the de- 
 votion that I felt for her. 
 
 I determined to keep my people together until we returned to Melbourne, 
 for all had been faithful and true to me, and I would not cast them off. I 
 could afford to pay them their wages, even if they were not employed, for I 
 was worth near two hundred thousand dollars, and it was not lying idle by 
 any means. I hired quite a respectable house, and had Gin and his friend, 
 whose name was Ah Sugar, to look after my welfare, and to do the cook- 
 ing, while Mike bossed the two, and made himself useful in various ways. 
 
 One day Gin came in, his face looking like a scraped pumpkin, with a 
 candle in it, on a dark night. Such as country boys delight in at the fall of 
 the year. 
 
 " Ah, meie seeie bellie putte gallie, and shee looke at meie, and laughie. 
 Meie dinkie date sheie falle in lubie wid meie," he said. 
 
 " Shut up, yer hathen," roared Mike. " What would a gurl fall in love 
 wid the loikes of yer for, whin there 's a buy loike me around ? " 
 
 I went to the window to see the lady Gin had alluded to, and the sight of 
 her face almost made me stagger, for there sat Florence, looking pale and 
 sad, in a carriage with her father, and Monsieur Allete, the Frenchman. 
 They had stopped the vehicle opposite my house, and were asking some 
 questions of a gentleman who was connected with one of the banks. The 
 party did not suspect my presence, and I dodged back so that they could 
 not see me, but still I kept my eyes fastened on the dear, sweet face of my 
 wife, and could only, by a powerful effort, prevent crying out, and rushing 
 into the road to meet her, to fall down on my knees, and beg her to look 
 kindly upon me, if but for a moment. But no, she would repulse me, and 
 upbraid me, and that would render me more unhappy than ever, for my love 
 was too strong to be met with indifference. 
 
 How handsome she was as she sat there in her carriage, apparently in- 
 different to all her surroundings, and not noting the questions her father 
 
The Belle of Australia. 229 
 
 was asking and answering. She was very pale, and her face had lost some 
 of its fullness, but there was the same clear-cut features, the large blue 
 eyes, and the wealth ot golden hair falling over neck and shoulders, bur- 
 nished by the bright sun, until she looked like some sweet saint who had 
 visited the earth for the purpose of showing that the great hereafter was 
 one of angels and perpetual joy and beauty. How I remembered the last time 
 I had seen her, on her bridal eve, and the manner in which I had left her. 
 
 At last the carriage drove away, toward the best hotel in the place, and I 
 lost sight of the vision, and all seemed dark and drear, and when Gin came 
 to call me to dinner, I did not hear him until he had spoken several times, 
 and then astonished him by saying that dinner could be cleared away, for 
 1 wanted none. He thought I was ill, and brought me a pot of hot tea, but 
 tea could not cure a wounded heart, and all that day I remained in my 
 room, and tried to crush out the love that was devouring me. But it was 
 useless, and at dark I wandered out, and toward the house where I sup- 
 posed Mr. Kebblewhite and daughter were staying, and then I learned, to 
 my great surprise, that the whole party had started homeward at sundown, 
 intending to reach Smith's place, and pass the night. 
 
 " Good Heaven, 1 ' I thought, " if they should be attacked by bushrangers 
 what would be the fate of Florence ? " 
 
 I turned to go home, and start in pursuit, when a man's hand was laid on 
 my arm, and a voice whispered, 
 
 " Vot 's yer little game now, old feller ? " 
 
 " Who are you ? " I demanded, shaking off the man's hand, and fingering 
 my revolver. 
 
 " Oh, don't yer know a cove ven yer sees 'im, cully ? Vot is yer arter 
 'ere?" 
 
 By the light from a saloon I saw that the speaker was the old Quaker 
 who had ridden with Mike and myself on our trip from Melbourne. 
 
 " Say," whispered the Quaker, and, although dressed in that quiet garb, no 
 longer used Quaker language, "vot is yer doin' 'ere at this time o' night? 
 Vere is the boys ? and is they hall ready ? " 
 
 " The boys are all right," I answered at random, and anxious to learn 
 some news. 
 
 " Does they know that old Kebblewhite and gal vill be on the road to- 
 night ? " the Quaker asked. 
 
 "Yes, they said something about it. Where will the boys meet them?" 
 I demanded, with an anxious heart. 
 
 " Near Smith's, the stockman's place. It yill be a rich 'aul, now I tell 
 
230 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 !? 
 
 yer Twenty thousand pounds ransom, and no mistake, and then ve is hoff 
 to other climes. I 'se sent a man to tell the boys, and means to foller in a 
 little vhile. Vill yer show up vid us, or is yer on another lay ? " 
 
 " I expect to be with you," I answered, and most assuredly I did hope 
 to be there. 
 
 " All right, my friend. I thank thee for thy kindness to a poor old man, 
 who wants a little money to build a meeting-house for his order in the city. 
 Heaven will bless thee, and thy friend, Aramena Meully, will remember 
 thee in his meditations," and this was uttered in a whining tone, because a 
 policeman strolled near us, and was listening to our conversation quite at- 
 tentively. 
 
 The change was sudden, and the long, lank form, with the straggly arms, 
 and huge feet, shuffled off, but I could not help looking after the fellow, and 
 wondering what had come over him so suddenly. At one moment he had 
 used the slang of the lower class, and the next the pure and simple words 
 of the Quaker. What could be the meaning of such a change of base ? 
 And then I recalled the time he had rode with Alike and myself in the team, 
 when we stopped at Webber's, and the daughter of the latter had mistaken 
 me for her lover, and kissed me to the indignant surpise of her father. It 
 also flashed across my brain that Mr. Murden, the Chief of Police, had 
 spoken of meeting a Quaker on the road, that Kitty had received a letter 
 from his hands, and that Mike had alluded to the same person, when lying 
 in wait, on the run, for bushrangers, and that all attempts to capture them, 
 while he was in their company, had signally failed, as though some warning 
 had been given to the desperadoes to keep them out of the way. It was 
 singular, to say the least, and I jumped to the conclusion that the Quaker 
 was a sham, but the policeman merely said, 
 
 " I think that 'ere Quaker is a rum one," and passed on, toward the 
 Chinese quarters. 
 
 It was evident that Mr. Meully had mistaken me for some other party, 
 and that he was acting two parts in the town of Ballarat, where he had been 
 sent as a spy. 
 
 But Florence was in danger, and how could I aid her? The police ? No. 
 The superintendent would not detail a man in my behalf, on such evidence 
 as I presented. I must act with what force I could rally at short notice. 
 Mike and my two Chinamen. They mus't aid me, and now was the time for 
 them to show their friendship. 
 
 I ran to the house, and entered like a whirlwind, to the astonishment of 
 all three. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 231 
 
 " Mike," I said, " my dear little wife is in clanger, and we must go and 
 fight for her." 
 
 " Yer wife is it ? " he demanded, starting up. 
 
 " Yes, Mike," breathless with haste. 
 
 " I thought she was in the city, sure I did." 
 
 " Don't ask any questions now. She is in danger, and we must fight to 
 save her from the bushrangers." 
 
 " Foight is it? Whoop ! I 'm the man for that, now moind yer, and I '11 
 
 bate the loife out of all the bushrangers in this divil's own country 
 
 if they touch a hair of her blessed head. Whoop ! up wid yer, yer hathens, 
 and get some blood in yer hearts, for the master's wife is in danger, and 
 we is the buys that '11 save her. Give me me shillalah, and me ould mus- 
 ket. I 've got 'em, and now I 'm riddy. Whoop ! come on yer hathens. 
 Amerikee, Ould Oireland, and the land of rats and puppies foriver ! and if 
 yer iver felt loike havin' a real good foight, now is the time to show it, for 
 Orish Mike will lade the way, and yer nade not fear to foller him ! Whoop ! 
 yer hathens, this night yer shall sa how one of the real ould stock from 
 Limerick can handle his stick and his gun, for the sake of Mr. Hangus's 
 pretty wife. Hit me, somebody, or '11 bust ! " 
 
THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS REPORT AT MY SIDE, A SHEET OF FLAME AND SMOKE. 
 
 PART X. 
 
 A DISAGREEABLE NIGHT RIDE. FINDING THE TRAIL. THE BLACK 
 
 TRACKER. THROUGH THE BUSH. THE BUSHRANGERS' CAMP. 
 
 THE SUDDEN ATTACK. A HAND-TO-HAND BATTLE. 
 
 THE CHINAMEN'S BLOOD DELIRIUM. A 
 
 VICTORY. THE HIDDEN TREASURE. 
 
 FLORENCE RECOGNIZES HER 
 
 HUSBAND, AND IS VERY 
 
 FAR FROM BEING 
 SATISFIED. 
 
 T T 7HILE Mike was expressing his determination to smash all the bush- 
 * * rangers in Australia into everlasting smithereens, as he expressed it, 
 the two Chinamen did not seem enchanted at the prospect of an all-night's 
 tramp, and, perhaps, a savage fight in addition, as one would suppose. 
 They exchanged a few words with each other, in their native tongue, and 
 
The Belle of Australia. 233 
 
 then stared at Mike as if under the impression that they saw a first-class 
 crank before them, and, as he continued to flourish his shillalah in close 
 proximity to their heads, they dodged around the small room, and uttered 
 many exclamations of wonderment and alarm. 
 
 Mike," I asked, as soon as he became calm, " do you know where 
 Smith's run is ? " 
 
 " Sure, I do, sur. It 's tin miles from here, and old Smith was a lag 
 once, but now he 's a rich man, and a mimber of parliament, and the divil 
 knows what, and he has tin thousand as noice acres of land as can be found 
 in the country, and foive thousand shape, and lots of other animiles. I 
 know the place well. It 's off en I 've been thar." 
 
 "Well, we must start for his run at once. I have heard that a gang of 
 bushrangers is on the road, and that it intends to capture Mr. Kebblewhite 
 and his daughter near Smith's run. We must prevent them." 
 
 "Wid all me heart, sur; but I don't care much about ould Kebblewhite. 
 Sure it would n't hurt him if the bushrangers jist laid their paws on him for 
 a little while." 
 
 " But, remember, he is the father of my wife, and I must do all that I can 
 to save him." 
 
 " True for yer, sur; but could n't yer get the gurl better if the ould one 
 was out of the way ? " 
 
 This reasoning of Mike's was so original and wicked, that I did not care 
 to adopt it ; and then we sat down for a moment, and laid out our plans for 
 our campaign, the Chinamen listening with patience and calmness as we 
 adopted them. We thought that we might pick up a mounted trap or two 
 on the way, and secure their aid, but of that there was no certainty. We 
 should have to depend on ourselves, perhaps, and when I thought of Flor- 
 ence, and her danger, it seemed to me that I could endure any risk, and en- 
 counter any odds, if I could but show my love for her, and prove to her 
 satisfaction that I was worthy of her hand. But, while I was so eager for 
 the encounter that I expected, I did not intend to neglect any precautions 
 that a prudent man would be likely to take. I knew that bushrangers 
 fought like pirates, with a halter around their necks, and that they were 
 desperate men, and cruel as they were determined, and that if we failed to 
 conquer them by surprise, they would show us no quarter. When we went 
 forth we went with our lives in our hands, and expected rough treatment. 
 Mike had no fear as long as he had his old musket and club, while I depend- 
 ed on my heavy revolver and rifle to do some powerful work in case of 
 necessity. 
 
234 fhe Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Gin," I asked, " will you go with us, or stay at home ? " 
 
 "Wee goe," was the reply. " Chinaman fightie likie debble whene hee 
 noie runie. Yese, wee goie." 
 
 " What do you want to fight with, Gin? " I asked, pleased at his reply. 
 
 The Chinaman took from a box two enormous knives, curved and heavy, 
 like a farmers sickle, the backs nearly an inch thick, while the edges were 
 keen as a razor. I had never seen the weapons before, as the Chinaman had 
 kept them secreted, as they did all of their valuables. They were dreadful 
 looking instruments, and capable of taking off a limb at a blow, and as clean 
 as a surgeon's knife, in the hands of a skillful operator. 
 
 " Can you and Sugar use pistols ? " I asked, as I felt of the edges of the 
 knives. 
 
 "Noie wante pistol. Wee usie udder dings muche bettie pistol. Hite 
 bushrange hee thinke debbie gote hee," and Gin Sling's eyes looked per- 
 fectly fiendish, as he run his bony fingers over the edges of the knives, 
 and then, for fear they were not sharp enough to inflict deadly wounds at 
 the first blow, produced a whetstone, and proceeded to put a little more 
 keenness to the terrible weapons. 
 
 I remembered Mr. Murden's warning, when he had paid my hut a visit, 
 about the time I first arrived at the mines, and how he had cautioned me 
 that the Chinaman's method of attack was not an open one, but a sudden 
 assault, with axe or hatchet, and I began to think that there might be some 
 truth in his words, for here had I resided in the same quarters with the 
 two celestials, and never suspected for a moment that they owned such 
 formidable and "murderous-looking knives as they now displayed for the 
 first time, and I must confess I felt a little singular for a moment, as I 
 thought how many times the Chinamen might have murdered me while I 
 slept, and dropped my remains down a deserted shaft, where they would 
 never have been discovered, as no one ever entered them, and time and 
 dust filled them up, or, if too dangerous, the police hired some one to shov- 
 el in some of the refuse matter that was lying around the camp, for when a 
 miner deserted a shaft, he felt too much contempt for the mine to make it 
 safe, and, consequently, accidents were of frequent occurrence, especially 
 when drunken men attempted to reach their homes by short cuts across 
 lots, during dark nights. 
 
 But I dismissed the hideous idea that Gin Slin-^ and Ah Sugar would be 
 guilty of such terrible ingratitude as to have even thought of taking my life, 
 and I believe to this day that I am right, and that Mr. Murden was wrong, 
 although he would never acknowledge that such was the case, and always 
 
The Belle of Australia. 235 
 
 considered that I run a great risk in consorting with the celestials, with no 
 one but Mike as a. companion, but I never heard that a Chinaman at JBalla- 
 rat committed deliberate murder of a white man, although in the celestials' 
 quarters there were some bloody frays, and death might have resulted from 
 them, but no one cared enough to investigate the details, and even the po- 
 lice turned a deaf ear to many reports that might have been investigated, 
 and guilty parties punisbed. 
 
 Gin, do you know how to use those knives, in case we have a lively 
 fight ? " I asked, and the Chinaman smiled a terrible, blood-curdling smile, 
 and simply said, 
 
 " Youe seie. Meie cute de debble oute deme bushrange," and he gave 
 his knife a swing that would have lopped off an arm. 
 
 I did not p'ay much attention to this boast at the time, but remembered 
 afterward, for I was preparing my arms, and seeing that they were care- 
 fully loaded, and that I had powder, balls, and caps in abundance, and that 
 my bowie-knife was in good condition, while Mike was loading his beloved 
 musket with a miscellaneous assortment of slugs, fine shot, and a bullet as 
 large as a crab-apple. 
 
 "The saints help 'em if that hits' 'em," said Mike, piously, and I thought 
 that the Lord would have to protect the one at the breech of the gun as 
 well, and I mentally resolved to get behind a tree, and remain there, if Mike 
 should persist in discharging that old irfusket, while I was near him. To 
 have expressed adoubt of the goodness of that gun would have set Mike 
 wild with indignation, so I remained silent. 
 
 As the roads were in very bad order from the heavy teaming and rains, 
 it was thought best to hire a one-horse covered carriage, so that we could 
 keep out of sight, and, in case of more rain, dry at the same time. 
 
 I sent Mike to a place where I knew such a carriage could be obtained, a 
 sort of an express wagon, and then set the Chinamen to work putting up 
 luncheon and drink in baskets, and, by the time we had packed all that we 
 needed, Mike was at the door, and we piled into the cart, after locking up 
 our premises, and were off. 
 
 Luckily the night was clear and crisp, no rain having fallen for a day or 
 two, but we had to proceed at a walk most of the distance, owing to the gul- 
 lies in the roads, about as hard traveling as could be found outside of Cali- 
 fornia in the wet season. We met but few teams, as all had hauled up for 
 the night, but once in a while we encountered a lumbering wagon, drawn by 
 ten and twelve yoke of oxen, and it was hard work for even such a string as 
 that to get through the mud, and for miles, in the stillness of the night, we 
 
236 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 could hear the sharp snap of the stockman's peculiarly formed whip, all 
 lash, and very little handle, and then the fierce roar of angry voices, and 
 strong profanity, as the cattle got stalled in some deeper quagmire than 
 usual. 
 
 Once we met a mounted policeman, and asked if he had seen Mr. Kebble- 
 white and daughter, and he reported that he had, just at sunset, and that no 
 bushrangers had been heard of for several days, and it was thought that the 
 gang had separated, and gone toward the Murray. Only two persons had 
 been found murdered in the last week, and that was considered good evi- 
 dence that the roads were more fully protected than ever. 
 
 It was about twelve o'clock, I judged, when we suddenly pulled up to ex- 
 amine something that was lying on the side of the road. It was white 
 enough to attract attention, and required investigation. Mike jumped out, 
 and picked up the object that had caused us to halt. 
 
 " It is nothin' but a bit of rag, sur," he said, in a disappointed tone, and 
 was about to throw it away. 
 
 " Let me see what kind of a rag, Mike. Gin, light the dark lantern, and 
 we will take a look at it." 
 
 The lantern was lighted, and handed to me, and the rag proved to be a 
 white linen pocket handkerchief, and in one corner I saw the name of Mon- 
 sieur Allete. 1 jumped from the wagon, and examined the ground carefully, 
 and saw that my worst fears were realized. There were tracks of the car- 
 riage drawn by two horses, which I had noticed that very day in front of my 
 house, and which had contained Florence, her father, and Monsieur Allete, 
 and there were marks of horses' feet, as though mounted men had suddenly 
 dashed from the scrub and bush, and taken the lady and gentlemen by sur- 
 prise, for there were no evidences of a struggle, or any signs of bloodshed, 
 in the thick mud. 
 
 " Mike," I said, " we need go no further at present. The villains have 
 captured the lady and her father." 
 
 " Sure, I wish 'em joy of ould Kebblewhite. They '11 wish they 'd let 
 him alone, for a maner man niver lived." 
 
 I was too much grieved to rebuke this fling at my father-in-law, for all my 
 thoughts were of Florence, and her fate. Could I save her ? and how ? 
 
 By the aid of the lantern I was enabled to study out the whole situation. 
 The bushrangers had waited in ambush at an angle of the road, where the 
 scrub was thick, and, warned by some one who had kept track of Mr. Keb- 
 blewhite's movements, had made a dash, stopped the team in the dusk of 
 evening, caused the occupants to dismount, and follow the robbers into the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 23? 
 
 forest. I could see that there were six horsemen concerned in the affair, 
 that the animals were not well broken to such work, for they had danced 
 around, and splashed the mud in all directions, as though restless, while not 
 one of the horses had on a shoe, a sure proof that they had been taken from 
 some stockman's run, in a half-wild state. I could even see the place 
 where one of the bushrangers had dismounted, and then helped Florence 
 on his horse, while the two other prisoners had been compelled to step into 
 the mud, and wade to solid ground the best way they could. It was at this 
 point the Frenchman had dropped his handkerchief, like an old campaigner, 
 in hope that some one would find his trail, and rescue him. This he had 
 done unobserved by his captors, or, if they had noticed the act, they had 
 been in too much of a hurry to pay any attention to it. It is quite probable, 
 however, that Monsieur Allete had chosen his own time, for an old and ex- 
 perienced bushranger is as sharp as a native black fellow, and takes no 
 great risks when he is on dangerous ground, or thinks the traps are on his 
 trail. 
 
 I followed the track of the horsemen into the scrub, and saw that it led 
 to the thick brush, and was then lost to view in the darkness. There was 
 nothing to do but wait, and I need not say how heavily the time dragged by, 
 nor how impatiently I wished for dawn. At least a dozen times I was deter- 
 mined to start on my own account, and seek the retreat of the bushrangers, 
 but a moment's reflection showed how useless such a measure would be, 
 and how helpless I must be in a forest of which I knew almost nothing. I 
 should be lost and bewildered before I had proceeded a mile, unless some 
 one undertook the task of acting as guide. For this important duty I 
 trusted to Mike, as he said we were on part of Smith's run, and that he had 
 tracked wild cattle in this very bush, and thought that he knew enough of 
 it to prevent going far astray. But that did not trouble him so much as 
 following the trail of the robbers, and so take them by surprise, and before 
 they would have time to commit any of their devilish acts, for he did not 
 think that they would proceed to extremities until they had rested, or day- 
 light appeared, to see what their prisoners were like. 
 
 If the bushrangers were in search of money, they would seek it on the 
 persons of their prisoners, and, if in a good-natured mood, let them escape 
 without bodily injury, as they had been known to do, or else held them for 
 a heavy ransom, but I could not hope that the gentle, loving little Florence 
 would be thus kindly treated. Her beauty would not melt the hearts of 
 Slipper Sam, and his fiendish companions. A price was set on their heads, 
 and they knew it, and were also aware that one crime in addition would 
 
238 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 have but little effect on the verdict of a jury ; that death was just as sure to 
 end their careers, as though they saw themselves standing under a halter, 
 or with a rope adjusted around their necks, or else a lucky shot from the 
 carbine of a mounted policeman would do the work, for no quarter was 
 asked for or expected when bushrangers and officers of the law met at close 
 quarters. It was for Florence I feared, and I would undergo all risks to 
 save her from a fate that made me almost wild when I thought of it, and 
 more than once that dark night did 1 pray mentally for her welfare, and for 
 daylight, so that I could move onward in my search, and hope of a speedy 
 rescue. 
 
 " Oh, if I only had a black feller what I knowed," muttered Mike. " He 
 'd take us to the spot loike a burd, and not turn his head one way oranoother, 
 but land us ricrht down on 'em. But it 's useless to wish, for the feller is 
 now slapin' under the la of some scrub, and will not open his dirty eyes till 
 the sun is up, Many is the good turn he has sarved me, and many is the 
 shape what was all broken down wid the rot, has I gave him for a noice 
 little fade. Ah, if wishes would do any good, sure it 's in Ould Oireland 
 I 'd be at this moment, or else in the land of the fra, with a moighty good 
 glass of whiskey in one hand, and a bloomin' wife in the other. But cheer 
 up, Mr. Hangus, by the blessin' of Heaven we '11 come out all roight yet, 
 and the darlin' will have her own agin." 
 
 Mike stopped his harangue to light his pipe, and, after listening to the 
 heavy breathing of the two Chinamen, who were in the wagon fast asleep, 
 he was about to resume his speculations, when a dark, thin, naked form 
 glided out of the scrub, and said, 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 " Give me the bull's-eye, Mr. Hangus," Mike said, "and don't fire for the 
 loife of yer, till I sa what kind of a divil it is that is near me. It 's a black 
 feller or a baste, and I don't know which." 
 
 As I opened the slide of the lantern the light fell upon a naked native, 
 who was squatting beside Mike on the damp grass, and appeared in no way 
 startled at being discovered. 
 
 " Holy Moses ! " cried the Irishman, "but yer have only to spake of the 
 divil, and he appears to yer, Mr. Hangus. I 'm murdered if it a'n't the 
 black tracker what I was tellin' yer of. The thaef of the world must have 
 seen me face, and heard me swate voice, whin I loighted a match for me 
 pipe, and come straight for me, for the vagabonds can sa as well in the 
 dark as at noonday, although yer may not belave it. They can come and 
 go loike the cats, and are jist as quiet. What brings yer here, yer black 
 
The Belle of Australia. 239 
 
 son of the divil ? " asked Mike, turning to the native, and speaking thus 
 pleasantly to him. 
 
 " Back," was the answer, short and sweet. 
 
 " Ah, I thought so. Yer would smell terbac if yer was miles away, and a 
 miner was smokin' on the top of Mount Muninyong. Mr. Hangus, we 
 must hold on to the feller till daylight, and it 's most here. We can do it 
 by a dose of rum, and numberless pipes of tobacco. He 'd smoke his bless- 
 ed head off if he had the chance, and niver lave yer as long as yer gave him 
 a pipeful. It 's in luck we are, if the thafe will only stick to us, and do his 
 duty, and I '11 break his ugly head if he don't, and that 's no idle boast, for 
 their skulls is loike bull's, and nade a stout club and strong arm to crack 
 'em. If yer don't belave it, take ins shillalah and try it. Fetch him a 
 heavy one roight on the crown of his head, and ye '11 sa that he won't so 
 much as wink. He '11 think yer is foolin' wid him, or else crackin' the 
 bastises that 's in his hair. They is the divil's own for standin' up under a 
 blow, and sure, if I had a skull loike one of 'em, I 'd be the bist man at all 
 the wakes and fairs in Quid Oireland, and care nothin' for a dozen buys at 
 the same time. Hit him a good one, Mr. Hangus, and it 's complimented 
 he 'd be, for the harder yer struck the better he 'd loike yer, and have the 
 more respect for the power of yer arm. Faith, 1 'se sane two big fellers 
 stand up afore each other, and fust one would whack over the head, and 
 thin the other, a dozen blows or more a pace, before they 'd yaild, and it 
 would n't as much as give 'em a headache, and only a few drops of blood 
 would foller the wake of the clubs. We used to match 'em at me run, to sa 
 the fun, for it made us think of ould times in Oireland. whin we was at the 
 wakes and fairs, and every buy was as good as another, until he was proved 
 not to be, and thin he 'd fall back, and wait till he was ripe, and could play 
 wid a stick loike an ould hand. Ah, will, thim days is passed, and I '11 sa 
 'em no more, but it was innocent reckeration for the buys, and kept 'em at 
 home, and out of diviltry, and thin the whiskey was good, and a man could 
 n't drink enough to hurt him, even if he was full of it, and I wish I had 
 some now." 
 
 I handed Mike a flask, and he took a good pull, and then said, 
 
 "And where was I, Mr. Hangus?" 
 
 " Breaking heads, and drinking whiskey," 1 I answered, anxious to hear 
 the man talk, so that my thoughts might be diverted from the painful busi- 
 ness of the night. 
 
 " True for yer, sur. Why, for a dead shape, or one what had dieded from 
 some disease, yer know, tor we would n't give noice mutton to the loikos of 
 
240 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 thim fellers, what prefers their mate a little strong, yer know, jist so it \\on "t 
 hold togither, and is all tinder-loike and juicy, I have sane this black divil 
 butt wid a ram, and a big one at that, and the ram did n't hurt him if he 
 struck fair, headfust, but the horned brute was c"unnin'-loike, and would 
 dodge one side, and hit him on the shoulder, and the black would claim a 
 foul, and yer 'd have died a-laughin' to see 'em as they came together, and 
 "rolled over and over, and yer could n't tell which was the most surprised, 
 the ram or the black. Ah, it was great sport for us, whin we were a little 
 homesick-loike, and there was no whiskey within fifty miles, and the ta was 
 out, and the run hot enough to burn the brains roight out of yer, and the 
 dingos was troublesome. Yes, that used to cheer us up a bit, attoimes, and 
 now, Mr. Hangus, will yer jist hit him a stunner, and sa that I spake the 
 truth, and pass the flask, tor the ground is damp, and I 'm feared that I '11 
 take a bit of cold, settin' here on the grass." 
 
 I declined the invitation, for I did not want to injure the poor black, yet 
 it is quite probable that if I had banged him over the head with a club that 
 I should not have hurt him in the least, for I have seen them receive terrific 
 blows from each other, and never flinch, or appear in the least damaged. 
 
 I gave the black fellow a pipe, and a glass of rum, and he settled down 
 to real enjoyment, while Mike by words and gestures endeavored to explain 
 the service we required. But the fellow smoked on, and only grunted out a 
 few English words, such as he had picked up among the stockmen, and I 
 regret to say that most of his vocabulary consisted of expressions that 
 would not be admitted in good society, and in the presence of ladies of an 
 aesthetic and sun-flower turn of mind. We could not speak his tongue, and 
 even Mike acknowledged (a rare thing in an Irishman) that he only knew a 
 few words, and those not of a scriptural nature. 
 
 But the black fellow smoked, and held out his pipe for a fresh supply of 
 tobacco, and swallowed the smoke, and strangled under its influence, and 
 gasped and groaned, and altogether had a terrible time of it, but all the 
 same he enjoyed every moment, and every whiff, and seemed to express by 
 his actions that if he ever had a boss evening it was when he fell in with 
 such sincere friends as we had proved ourselves to be. And then he would 
 motion for more rum, but that was a prohibited article, after the first glass, 
 as we wanted him sober and not drunk, and, while the black can endure 
 much tobacco, he is not steady under a deep cargo of rum. 
 
 At last we saw glimpses of daylight, and very thankful we were, for I had 
 not been able to restrain my impatience, but had paced back and forth in 
 the damp grass, and listened to all the animal sounds that abounded in the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 241 
 
 deep and dark forest. At last the dingos gave a final howl of disgust at the 
 appearance of light, and went to bed, and then the parrots and parroquets 
 commenced grumbling, and soon hundreds of birds were skimming along 
 over the tree-tops, in search of that early worm, which economical fathers 
 are continually holding up to their sons and daughters as good, wise lessons, 
 in season and out of season, just as though human beings wanted to get out 
 of warm beds in the winter for the sake of giving point to a very old and 
 very stupid moral, which no one obeys unless obliged to by the stern law of 
 necessity. 
 
 In fifteen minutes it was light enough to see a trail even in the dark 
 woods, and by this time the black fellow had smoked so much^tobacco that 
 I feafed his stomach would turn, and revolt at the sight of a pipe, but it did 
 not, for he wanted more when I insisted that we should be on the move. I 
 could no longer control my impatience. The Chinamen were awakened, 
 and yawned, and looked as though they had been kneeling before one of 
 their gods all night, and he had not answered their prayers to their perfect 
 satisfaction, while Mike, after a short pull at a wicker flask, said that he 
 was all right, and ready to fight at a moment's notice. 
 
 ' Ask the black fellow if he will follow the trail for us, in case I pay well 
 for the trouble, a bottle of rum, and a pound of real plug tobacco," I said, 
 as I knew that such gifts would be considered a fortune by the native. 
 
 And now commenced some of the most extraordinary pantomime that was 
 ever witnessed on the stage of real life. Mike used tongue, arms, eyes, 
 hands, and feet in the effort to make the native understand what was 
 wanted. 
 
 " Do yer sa this now ? " said Mike, with a gesture of the thumb and 
 
 fingers. " We go follie now, right off, catch bushrangers. Do yer 
 
 understand phat I 'm sayin' to yer, black divil that yer are ? " 
 
 Mike run away with the same idea that many other people do who endeav- 
 or to converse with one that does not speak or understand English. He 
 thought that if he shouted loud enough, and broke his words into little 
 pieces, and scattered them all around the person whom he addressed, there 
 was no doubt but that a perfect understanding could be arrived at, and if 
 not, it was no fault of the speaker. 
 
 " Rum, yer divil," yelled Mike, " and bacce, bacce, bacce. Sa, a big pace. 
 All yer." 
 
 The native grunted, and reached out his hand for the prizes, but he was 
 not destined to secure them until he had performed his part of the con- 
 tract, and at last, by showing the black fellow the footprints of the horses, 
 
242 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 and the trail in the scrub, he comprehended the work that was required of 
 him, and signified that he would do what was desired, but he must have a 
 drink as earnest money, and that he received, and then coolly going to a 
 piece of scrub took from it a spear, boomerang, and waddy, weapons which 
 he hid the night before, for fear we might consider his visit hostile if he ap- 
 peared before us armed. 
 
 We took the horse from the wagon, and hitched him to a tree, and drew 
 the vehicle to the cover of some high scrub, and, once more examining our 
 arms to see that they were in good order, followed the black, who, with 
 head down, and trailing spear, trotted along, neither turning his face to 
 the right nor left, never puzzled or confused, and just as confident of finding 
 the resting place, of the bushrangers, as a business man, who lives in New 
 York, is confident of meeting his merchant neighbors at the nearest free 
 lunch at one o'clock every day except Sunday. 
 
 On we went, through scrub, and in some places where the trees were 
 large, but not dense, the native leading, I close at his heels, and the two 
 Chinamen in a dog-trot, which they can keep up for hours, swinging their 
 ugly-looking knives, and having all the appearance of two men who wished 
 that they were well out of the affair, yet did not feel like turning and run- 
 ning for it. 
 
 For an hour we tramped and toiled along, as noiselessly as possible, 
 avoiding dry sticks, and rotten logs, yet never uttering a word above a 
 whisper, until at last the black tracker raised his hand, and signified cau- 
 tion, and then we knew that the trail was getting warm, and that we were 
 not far from the camp of the bushrangers. 
 
 " Mike," I whispered, " if we come to a brush, and I am sure we shall, do 
 you think we can depend upon the Chinamen ? " 
 
 " Divil a bit do I know, yer honor. If they was pin'd up, and had to 
 foight, it 's hathens they 'd be wid their bloody sharp knives, a-choppin' 
 and a-slashin' the loif out of a body, and hittin' a man whin he was down, 
 and losin' their heads as they hacked a feller all to paces. It 's demons 
 they is whin they can't run, but for a rale square foight I suspicions 'em, 
 I 'm afeared." 
 
 " And the native will he lend us a hand, do you think, Mike ? He looks 
 like a stout fellow." 
 
 " Divil a bit, yer honor. As soon as he pints out the thaves of the world, 
 an.l gets his rum and bacca, he '11 return to the wagon, and stale all we left 
 thare, and it 's not much he '11 git, for I hid phat we did n't bring wid us. 
 But it 's his way, and there 's no help for it." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 243 
 
 " So we must depend on ourselves, Mike ? " 
 
 " That 's about the soize of it, yer honor, and we '11 make the thaves 
 squale if we gets at 'em, so don't be so sorrowful-loike. Sure, we is good 
 for any six of 'em, and lave out the Chinamin entirely. Jf they helps, so 
 much the better, and if they does not, we '11 do the best we can. If I gets 
 a fair crack at 'em wid me musket, I '11 blow the divil out of 'em, now be 
 sure of that." 
 
 " Hist," said the black tracker, and he pointed with his spear to a bit of 
 scrub, and just beyond it we saw a light smoke ascending, and mingling in 
 the morning vapors that were arising from the bushes and swamps. 
 
 44 Bushers," he uttered, that being about as near as he could pronounce 
 bushrangers, and then held out his hands for the prizes. 
 
 " The hathen will go no furder," whispered Mike. " He ? s not disposed 
 to risk the noomber of his mess for us, and who can blame him ? Give him 
 the rum and bacca, and let him go. He 's kept his word, and we '11 kape 
 ours." 
 
 I relieved Gin of one of his flasks, and gave it to the tracker, and also a 
 plug of tobacco, and, with no more concern than if we had never met, the 
 black turned, and retraced his steps, and did not even look behind to see if 
 we had moved from the place where we had halted. Bushrangers or 
 miners, it made no difference to him. One was as friendly as the other, al- 
 though, perhaps, as a general thing the robbers were a little more kind 
 when they wanted a favor, and very ugly when they did not require one. 
 
 It must not be supposed that we were standing in an open space when 
 this conference was going on. That would have been very poor leader- 
 ship, for we did not know how many pickets were lying in the bushes, and 
 ready to give an alarm if we advanced. No, we stood under the shelter of 
 a thick she-oak, and did not move from it until the black was out of sight, 
 and we had matured our plans. 
 
 Those plans were soon made. We were to crawl on our hands and 
 knees, difficult as the task might be, through the scrub and bushes, until 
 we could get within range of the ruffians, if ruffians were really there, as we 
 supposed they must be, and then let events take their course, governed en- 
 tirely by circumstances, but under no consideration were we to retreat if we 
 saw that Florence was a prisoner. That was settled quite firmly in my 
 mind, and in the mind of Mike, while the Chinamen said but little, but lis- 
 tened hard enough to make up for lack of conversational powers. 
 
 After these preliminary measures, we dropped on our hands and knees, 
 and crawled, Indian-like, toward the smoke, and our movements appeared to 
 
244 
 
 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 excite the utmost astonishment in a couple of laughing-jackass birds, that 
 sat on a cedar-tree, and derided us in no measured terms for our snake-like 
 contortions, while an old-man kangaroo, all covered with scars, and driven 
 from his harem by some younger member of the family, looked at us in 
 such amazement that he took a few playful leaps in our direction, and then 
 stood still, and dared us to follow him, or even to fight him in a regular 
 stand-up battle, in which he should have the privilege of using his hind 
 legs if necessary. 
 
 THE OLD-MAN KANGAROO. 
 
 But we paid no attention to birds or animal, crawling on as carefully as 
 we could, and at last gained the scrub, went through it, and then saw that 
 we were close to a burnt clearing, and that there was a fire near the centre, 
 and around that fire sat six of the most desperate ruffians that I ever saw, 
 outside of a penitentiary or a slave-ship. They were all busily engaged in 
 cooking their breakfast, as the smoke and smell of burned mutton tainted the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 24$ 
 
 morning air while on the ground, near the fire, was the carcass of a fat 
 sheep, showing Smith's run had been raided on the evening previous, to 
 furnish supper and breakfast for his troublesome neighbors, the bushrangers, 
 and as one scoundrel would cut off a strip of flesh, he would place it on a 
 stick, and broil it on the coals, and, when about half done, would tear it 
 from the skewer with his strong teeth, and let blood and fat and burned flesh 
 mingle with the juices of the meat, and run down his face, thus rendering it 
 more repulsive than ever. Dirtier it could not be. All were engaged in the 
 occupation of eating, and the sheep was fast disappearing under their com- 
 bined attack^ : but their savage onslaught on the mutton did not occupy my 
 time and attention. I was looking for Florence, and at last saw her under 
 the shelter of an acacia-bush. There was some regard for her comfort, for she 
 was seated on a blanket, and on a leaf for a plate was a huge piece of half- 
 broiled mutton, sprinkled here and there with ashes and coals so as to give 
 it piquancy and relish for a delicate young lady's appetite, but as Florence 
 did not appear to have hunger for a sauce, the mutton remained untouched, 
 much to the delight of a vulture, that perched over her head, and hoped he 
 would have a chance at that which was so coldly rejected. 
 
 As soon as I saw that Florence was alive, and to all appearances unin- 
 jured, I glanced around to see if Mr. Kebblewhite and Monsieur Allete 
 were near, and found that the two men were very securely lashed to trees, 
 hands and feet, and even necks, so that they could not turn their bodies or 
 heads, and yet they had not been gagged, a strong threat being suffcient to 
 keep them still, if disposed to make a noise, which they were not, as they 
 knew it would be useless. 
 
 More wretched-looking beings than Mr. Kebblewhite and the Frenchman 
 it would have been difficult to find all through Australia, just at that mo- 
 ment. . They had been tied to the trees all night, they had been dragged 
 through the bush and mud, they had had no chance to wash, and the insects 
 had preyed on their faces and hands until they looked like patients from a 
 small-pox hospital, wandering around in a delirium of fever. The French- 
 man could give vent to his sufferings in a language that the robbers did 
 not understand, and so cared nothing about, while every time Mr. Kebble- 
 white spoke in tones of remonstrance, he was emphatically told to "shut 
 up." and the order was enforced by anything that happened to be near at 
 hand, a bone, a club, and once a quart tin pot, that a bushranger had just 
 drunk out of, and, therefore, had no further use for it. 
 
 All this time, while I was scanning the camp, and locating the people 
 who occupied it, I did not lose sight of Florence, who sat with bowed head, 
 
246 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 trying to forget the misery and degradation of her situation, she, the Coun- 
 tess of Afton, as she supposed, the petted daughter of a rich and influential 
 Melbourne merchant, yesterday traveling in her father's private carriage, 
 and indifferent to all of her surroundings, every wish of her heart gratified, 
 her slightest will law in her household, and now the prize of the most hard- 
 ened ruffian who should claim her, and back h!s claim with determination 
 and strength. Good Heaven ! what a change, and no wonder she sat upon 
 the blanket, to protect her petite form from the damp earth, with her fair 
 head bowed upon her little white hands, and wished for death, or a speedy 
 deliverance from her miserable condition. 
 
 How I pitied her, and longed to take her in my arms, and kiss away the 
 tears that were falling from her eyes, and to tell her that her husband would 
 share her fate, welcoming death if it was by her side. But I knew how use- 
 less it would be, and that I should neither save Florence nor myself by such 
 a rash course, and once, when it seemed as though I must make a dash for 
 the clearing, and encounter all six of the ruffians, Mike laid his hand on my 
 arm, and warned me that I was getting too excited for the leader of an ex- 
 pedition where coolness and presence of mind were required. 
 
 "Wait, my buy," he whispered, " and don't yer do it, for the loif of yer. 
 It 's death and damnation to the rist of us. The toime will come if yer but 
 kape cool, and wait till I get me ould musket in place, to blow the bloody 
 heads off of the spalpeens. Look at 'em now, a'n't they beauties, wid their 
 darty faces, and their darty paws ? " 
 
 " If I was only free, and had a pistol in one hand, and a sabre in the oth- 
 er, I 'd make short work of some of these dogs," Monsieur Allete muttered 
 in his native tongue, but loud enough for us to hear. " The beasts, the 
 cowardly ruffians ! How I 'd like to punish them ! " 
 
 " Keep quiet, Johnny Crapeau," said one of the bushrangers, a powerful 
 man, with enormous shoulders, and a face as dark as a Spaniard's. " Don't 
 get excited, you frog-eater, for it won't do any good, and it would be a little 
 more respectful to the company if you would use English when you wish to 
 express your feeling." 
 
 The speaker I supposed to be Black Dick, whom I had heard of several 
 times, for whose head a reward of one thousand pounds was offered by gov- 
 ernment, dead or alive. He had been a broker's clerk, in London, and 
 transported for life, for forgeries. He had escaped to the bush some two 
 years before, and had led a most eventful life, defying capture, and gather- 
 ing a band of men around him as desperate as himself, and committed mur- 
 ders and robberies in every section of the country. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 24? 
 
 " i '11 give five thousands pounds if yer vill release us, and let us go free," 
 Mr. Kebblewhite said. " Only think, five thousand pounds for our freedom, 
 and the money shall be paid to yer jist as soon as I can reach Melbourne." 
 
 " We knows a trick that is better than that," remarked another bush- 
 ranger. " We means to have more money, and we has it in our hands 
 afore you gets out of this, now I tell you." 
 
 "How much?" demanded Mr. Kebblewhite, while Florence raised her 
 white face, and listened with eager interest to the conversation. 
 
 "Twenty thousand pounds, and not a penny less," was the reply, and a 
 shout of laughter was the response to a deep groan from the father, as he 
 made a rueful face, but said, 
 
 " Yer shall 'ave it, but no wiolence to us, and safety to my child." 
 
 " Oh, the kid is safe enough. We '11 take care that no harm comes to her. 
 We all loves her like a sister, don't we, boys ? " 
 
 " We does," roared the wretches, and then one clapped Black Dick on 
 the back, and laughed, as though some terrible meaning was concealed 
 beneath the words. 
 
 I made a movement to spring into the clearing, and begin the struggle 
 that I knew must commence, but Mike laid his hand on my arm, and held 
 me back, and whispered, 
 
 " Don't spile all, Mr. Hangus, wid yer fiery temper, and dasire to foight. 
 Sure I 'm not the one to hold back whin the blows fall thick and fast, but 
 we must kape cool, hit 'em unaware loike. There is time enough for us, if 
 we has to wait a full hour. All that I ax of yer is to kape quiet, 'cos yer 'd 
 miss 'em now, yer shake so much, as though yer had the ager. Be guided 
 by Oirish Mike, and sa the rare gineralship he '11 show yer whin the time 
 comes." 
 
 I yielded to his pressure, and listened to some of the bushrangers' con- 
 versation, although it made me almost wild with rage and fear that I should 
 fail in saving the dear little girl who looked so wretched. 
 
 " Look a here," growled one of the scoundrels, whom I supposed was the 
 second leader of the gang, Slipper Sam, so called because he had a peculiar 
 habit of slipping out of every prison in which he had been confined, and 
 from the custody of the mounted police, whenever arrested, "yer don't 
 mean to say that we divides all the prize money quite even, and that one 
 cove is to have the gal and his share of the dosh too ? I don't stand that, 
 now I tell yer. The cove what takes the gal don't get the same as the rest 
 of us. That 's fair and ship-shape. Give me the gal, and five thousand 
 pounds, or Dick can take her, and the same sum." 
 
24% The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Who put up this job? " asked Black Dick, turning to his companion in 
 crime, and speaking in a tone that was a little threatening. 
 
 ".Yer did n't," retorted Slipper Sam, in a sneering way. " I did n't, and 
 yer did n't. The Quaker planned the whole thing, and yer know it. He is 
 willing to take a thousand puns for his share, and he shall have it, and Jack 
 shall have his thDusand, and the other two mates shall have their thousand 
 each, and the cove what takes the gal must pay for her. I '11 stand no non- 
 sense about this thing. A cove can't have all the luxuries, and the dosh at 
 the same time." 
 
 For a moment I hoped the bushrangers would quarrel among themselves, 
 and fight for the possession of Florence, as such robbers have done ever 
 since men were vile enough to steal and murder, but the Quaker saw the 
 storm brewing, and allayed it by a few words. 
 
 " Don't let thy evil passions -arise, my dear friends," he said. " We will 
 divide the money, and then put the girl up at auction, and the highest bid- 
 der shall take her, or we will all ask her to favor us with her smiles and 
 kisses." 
 
 A roar of laughter greeted this rude speech, and I could hardly control 
 my indignation, but just at that moment, away off in the direction of the 
 hills, J heard the deep and powerful bay of a blood-hound. 
 
 " It 's Smith's dog," whispered Mike. " I know the brute well, and he 's 
 as big as a calf, and as ugly as one of them murderin' villains. What is up, 
 I wonder? The baste is kept chained day and night, onliss there 's 
 trouble." 
 
 The bushrangers heard the deep bay of the Siberian blood-hound, and it 
 seemed to surprise them, for two of them started up, and listened very at- 
 tentively. 
 
 " Now, Mike, give them Hail Columbia," I whispered. " We can wait no 
 longer. Aim well, and fire." 
 
 I discharged my rifle, and just at the same instant there was a tremen- 
 dous roar at my side, a sheet of flame and smoke, a concussion that brought 
 down upon our heads dead leaves and branches of the trees under which we 
 were concealed, and then 1 caught a glimpse of Mike revolving like a circus 
 acrobat, cart-wheel fashion, all legs and arms, in the air, as though seeking 
 to separate from the body, and thus he whirled over and over until he 
 brought up against a tree, and, finally, stopped, and then I heard a voice, 
 and saw a face blackened with powder, and the voice said, 
 
 " Bedad, there 's not in Ould Oireland, or any other country, a gun that 
 can shoot loike that, now do yer moind ? " and then I turned, and saw one 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 of the bushrangers throw up his arms, and pitch headlong into the fire, while 
 the other, who was standing up at the time of the discharge, presented the 
 dreadful appearance of a man whose face was entirely shot away, and who 
 was groping with outstretched hands for something to support his form, 
 which swayed and reeled like a person on a ship in a storm, before he has 
 got his sea-legs on, then, finding no support to grasp, fell all in a heap, and 
 rolled over and over, yelling with pain and rage, blinded and bleeding, 
 and no longer capable of offering resistance. 
 
 There was surprise and consternation in the camp of the bushrangers, 
 and the Quaker, a long, slim man, with thin arms, and immense hands and 
 feet, dressed in gray, yelled out, 
 
 " The traps are on us. Each man for himself. I 'm off, and advise the 
 rest to move." 
 
 He started to run, and, as he did so, I gave him a shot with another 
 barrel of my revolving rifle, and down he tumbled with a broken leg, and a 
 howl of pain. 
 
 " Stand firm, boys," roared Black Dick. " We '11 beat them at their own 
 game. Fire a shot into the bushes, and I '11 take care of the woman." 
 
 He discharged his pistol, as he spoke, in our direction, and then, with 
 the smoking weapon in his grasp, dashed toward Florence, waving a long 
 knife in his left hand. 
 
 The two remaining bushrangers poured a discharge of buck-shot in the 
 direction we were supposed to be, but, as their aim was hasty, and we were 
 concealed, no one was injured. I glanced over my shoulder to see how the 
 Chinamen stood the fire, and, to my consternation and deep disgust, saw 
 that they had disappeared, struck their colors, and fled at the first fire, and 
 only Mike and I were left to continue the fight with the three uninjured 
 robbers. 
 
 I should not have minded this if my rifle had not failed me just at that 
 moment, and when I most needed it. The lock had become disarranged 
 by the falling splinters from the trees, and one piece had lodged in the re- 
 volving part, and remained there, and no effort that I could make seemed 
 capable of dislodging it, and restoring the gun to its usefulness. With a 
 malediction I threw the rifle aside, and drew my revolver, and then, looking 
 UD, saw that Black Dick was near Florence, and that he was flourishing a 
 knife, and shouting, 
 
 " If you fire again I swear to you that I '11 kill the girl, and all the prison- 
 ers. Come out of the bush, and give yourselves up, or I '11 cut her throat 
 from ear to ear.' 1 
 
250 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 He raised his knife as he spoke, and there was the look of a demon on 
 his face, as he stood waiting to see if his request was complied with immedi- 
 ately. 
 
 " Fire one more shot," he yelled, "and my knife shall drink this girl's 
 blood ; even if it is with my last breath I '11 kill her. Come out of the 
 scrub, and let us see who is the strongest, and then we '11 settle the matter." 
 
 " Wait till I load my ould Ebenazar," Mike said, " and then I '11 blow 
 him to smithereens, and be hanged to him for a bloody villain." 
 
 " Dog," I yelled, jumping from the bush, and rushing toward him, " touch 
 but a hair of that lady's head, and you shall be torn to pieces ! " 
 
 " Hullo ! what traitor and spy have we here ? " Black Dick asked. " Give 
 him a shot, boys, and then 1 1 11 cut his comb at my leisure. There 's only 
 two of them, and they are half whipped already." 
 
 Luckily for me the bushrangers had not had time to load their guns, or it 
 would have gone hard with me, but one of them raised a pistol, and I gave 
 him a shot as I passed, and it must have touched his hand, for he dropped 
 the weapon, and uttered a howl, and the next instant I heard Florence 
 scream, and the bushranger had his hand on the golden hair of her head, 
 but, as I ran toward him, he did not strike the fatal blow, but hurled the 
 long, keen knife toward me, and, as it whizzed through the air, it struck me 
 on the arm by which I held my revolver, and I felt the point penetrate the 
 flesh, and then the knife hung quivering in my shirt-sleeve for a moment, 
 and dropped to the ground at my feet. I stopped for a second to pick it up, 
 and, almost before I had recovered an upright position, the huge bush- 
 ranger was upon me, clasping my arms, and holding them to my side as 
 though he possessed the strength of half a dozen ordinary men, and, as I 
 felt his hot breath on my face, and saw his fierce eyes blazing with rage and 
 triumph, I knew that my chance for life was a slim one unless I could pre- 
 vent my opponent from hurling me to the ground, and stamping out my ex- 
 istence by means of his heavy boots. 
 
 " Now, you, I have you fast," the bushranger said, and as he 
 
 spoke he raised me in his arms, and sought to dash me to the earth, but I 
 avoided the fall, and bounded on my feet, and did not spend my strength in 
 resisting his terrible efforts to put an end to my existence. 
 
 Three times Black Dick raised me in the air as easily as he would have 
 lifted a baby, and three times I avoided the deadly fall, and clung to him 
 with the desperate hope that I could use my pistol or knife, but I was held 
 in too firm a clasp to work with either, but once, while I was swinging in 
 the air, I did manage to give him a little thrust with the knife, but it only 
 
The Belle of Australia. 251 
 
 acted on him as a spur to a fiery horse, rendering him more fierce and terri- 
 ble than ever. 
 
 " You would, hey ? " Black Dick growled, the white foam falling from his 
 lips, as he felt the point of the knife. " I '11 pay you for that, and other 
 things, my lad, be assured," and once more he strove to dash me to the 
 ground, but, failing in this, exerted all of his immense strength, and clasped 
 me in his arms in a desperate attempt to crush in ribs and chest, and thus 
 end the contest. 
 
 One hug he gave me, and it seemed as if all the blood in my body rushed 
 to my head, and that it would burst with the terrible pressure. I think that 
 if it had not been for Florence I should have wilted under that anaconda 
 embrace, but the thought of her sufferings and danger saved me, and as his 
 arms relaxed I once more breathed freely, and the blood receded from my 
 brain, and I was ready for another trial. 
 
 " Jack," shouted Black Dick, " come here and give the spy a clip with 
 your knife. He is a hard egg to crack, and I will waste no more time with 
 him. I wanted to take him alive, and then burn him at my leisure. But I 
 can't fool around here all day." 
 
 " I '11 see you , and then I won't," was the sullen response. " I 
 
 don't lift a hand agin that lad for all the gold in the country." 
 
 This was a cheering assertion, and Black Dick uttered a curse so horri- 
 ble, that it does not seem possible the English language could be tortured 
 into such blasphemy. 
 
 " Whoop ! I 'm comin', Mr. Hangus, with ould Ebenazar loaded nearly 
 half full, and I '11 finish the bastes in no time," I heard Mike shout, for, so 
 particular was he about that old kicking, worthless musket, he had stopped 
 to load it, and nearly forgotten that I was close to death's door by his de- 
 lay. He thought that I was strong enough to take care of myself in a 
 scrimmage, where a hand-to-hand encounter was necessary, but he had for- 
 gotten that I was almost a boy, and Black Dick a grown giant, with sineus 
 of steel. 
 
 " Don't fire, mate, I hist the white flag," shouted the man Dick had called 
 Jack, and who had refused to aid the leader. 
 
 " All roight, throw up yer arms, and stand at rist," responed Mike, and 
 then my opponent saw that the day had gone against him, and that if he 
 would live to fight another time he must get out of our power, and take to 
 the bush, and hide in the scrub, until the excitement and pursuit had sub- 
 sided. 
 
 For a final effort he sought to bend me back until my spine should yield 
 
252 The Belle of Aush.ilia. 
 
 to his brutal force, but, just as he commenced the task, his eyes on Mike, 
 who was covering his prisoners, and preventing their escape, I saw two 
 nearly nude dark bodies, glistening with oil and perspiration, glide from the 
 bush like spirits of the night, armed with the terrible, heavy knives I had 
 seen for the first time at my shanty the night before. 
 
 They were my Chinamen, and they meant business, as I could tell by the 
 angry gleam of their tigerish eyes, no longer half-closed and sleepy with 
 opium, but open to their widest extent, like a cat's when stealing on a bird. 
 
 Without a word or a sound, bare-footed, and only wide trousers on, their 
 bodies annointed with oil, or fat, so that an opponent could not seize and 
 hold them, in case of a hand-to-hand contest, the Chinamen glided toward 
 Black Dick, whose back was toward them, and all unnware of the danger in 
 his rear. 
 
 "Look out, Dick," yelled the fellow whose leg*I had broken with a rifle- 
 ball, and who was lying near us, watching the fight with much eagerness, 
 even if he did suffer intense pain. " The coves in the rear is arter yer." 
 
 But Dick was too much occupied in attempting to escape to hear the 
 warning, and, while I was suffering severely, and weakening every moment 
 from the loss of blood, for my arm was bleeding badly, I would not give the 
 ruffian the satisfaction of asking for quarter, which I knew 1 could not get, 
 nor yet release the bushranger so that he could escape, by sudden bounds, 
 to the bush, and thus end all pursuit. But, as the fellow continued to exert 
 his immense strength, and to bend me back, slowly but surely, expecting 
 every moment to bear my bones crack, I shouted, 
 
 " Shoot the scoundrel, Mike." 
 
 " Bedad, but I will, and which one shall I pop at ? " 
 
 " Don't fire at me," roared the prisoner called Jack. " I Ve got my hands 
 up, and give in." 
 
 " Then, bedad, I '11 have to have a hack at the uther," I heard Mike mut- 
 ter. " But if I do phat will become of me prisoners ? Will yer kape quiet, 
 yer blaggards, if 1 take me eyes off of yer ? " 
 
 But help was arriving in another quarter. The two Chinamen glided to- 
 ward us, carefully, and with timid steps, as if fearful Black Dick would turn 
 on them, and catch them in a trap, but, as they saw that his attention was 
 fully occupied, they quickened their paces, and, with a sudden bound, 
 crouching and like the spring of an animal, they jumped upon the bush- 
 ranger, and commenced hacking him over head, neck, arms, and shoulders, 
 blows raining down upon the brute like the wings o f " mill during a stiff 
 gale. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 253 
 
 Flesii and blood cou.ld not stand such an assault as that, and not turn and 
 defend itself if possible. Dick released his hold of me, and turned, and, as 
 he did so, I placed my revolver to Irs back, and fired. There was a loud 
 report, a splash of blood through the thin shirt, and the bushranger plunged 
 forward, only to be received on the edges of the sharp knives, which the 
 Chinamen continued to wield, as though crazed and dazed by the smell of 
 powder and blood. They did not mind where or how they struck, but hack- 
 ed and hewed, cut and slashed, without mercy, or, seemingly, without know- 
 ing what they were doing. White foam flew from their lips, like that from 
 an enraged boar, or mad dog ; their eyes snapped and sparkled as those of a 
 dangerous and murderous lunatic, and their yellow faces worked and writhed 
 as if convulsed by a fit of epilepsy. 
 
 Black Dick, in spite of his wounds, struck out with his hands, but the 
 blow was weak and uncertain, and, even as the poor wretch made an effort 
 to die fighting, like the desperate being that he was, one heavy blow of a 
 knife struck his wrist, and the right hand fell to the ground, and a large 
 stream of blood gushed from the terrible wound, and then the bold bush- 
 ranger, the terror of miners and police for years, fell to the earth, an oath 
 on his lips, and defiance still in his heart, and, before he could do more than 
 utter one bitter curse, death came to his relief. In the mean time the mad 
 Chinamen did not relinquish their dreadful work, but continued to foam and 
 rage, and hack at the dead body, as though they feared it would resume life, 
 and punish them for their ferocity, and, even when I called upon Gin Sling 
 to stay his hand, and Ah Sugar to cease his butchery, they paid no attention 
 to me, while stout-hearted Mike, who had removed his gaze from the pris- 
 oners, to see the fight, uttered an exclamation of horror and deep disgust, and 
 shouted, 
 
 " Stop 'em, yer honor. The hathens is blood crazy, and don't know what 
 they is doin'. They '11 cut the body into mince-mate afore they quits, onliss 
 they comes out of the spell. Spake to 'em, yer honor, or they '11 turn on us, 
 for they don't know friends from foes whin they is crazed with the smill of 
 blood." 
 
 I darted forward, caught the two Chinamen by their pig-tails, and jerked 
 their heads backward, and then dodged one side, and it was well that I did, 
 for the crazy devils turned in my direction as savagely as if a new foe had 
 come upon them, and, with uplifted knives, hacked and slashed at me. 
 
 " Gin," I shouted, as I put my pistol on a level with his ear, " drop your 
 knife, or I '11 blow the head off your shoulders. Don't you know me ? 
 Hold still for a moment, and listen to reason. Oh, would you ? " as Ah 
 
254 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Sugar made a lunge at me with his heavy knife, and missed me, owing to 
 his crazy blindness, and my watchfulness. 
 
 I struck the fellow so heavy a blo\\ with my revolver barrel that he fell 
 all in a heap, bleeding like a pig that has just received the coup degiace 
 from the hands of a skillful butcher. 
 
 " Hit him agin," roared Mike. " He a'n't got no friends whin he 's on a 
 rampage." 
 
 But there was no occasion to do so. Gin Sling saw his countryman fall, 
 and he lay where he fell without moving, and, as his eyes cleared, and 
 the foam stopped issuing from his lips, he recognized me, and made no offer 
 to renew the attack. He rubbed his forehead, and let the knife drop from 
 his hand. 
 
 " Alle bloode aforie meie eyes," he muttered, and then tumbled down in a 
 dead faint by the side of his friend. 
 
 Now I was free to turn my attention to our prisoners, and those whom we 
 had rescued. Thank Heaven, Florence was in a swoon, and knew nothing 
 of what was going on, and had not witnessed the terrible hacking of flesh 
 and blood, which the Chinamen had indulged in. I wanted to run to her 
 assistance, but did not dare to, for fear that, in spite of all my exertions in 
 her behalf, she would spurn my advances, and think I desired to plead with 
 her on account of my services. No, I would not go near her just at pres- 
 ent. I wou'd wait and see how she acted when she revived ; but I hasten- 
 ed to Mr. Kebblewhite and the Frenchman, and cut their bonds, and set 
 them free. 
 
 " Young man," said my father-in-law, " I think yer made a bloody good 
 fight of it, and I 'd like to 'ave 'ad a 'and vid yer. Yer did veil, and I '11 not 
 forget it ven it comes to the money part. Any time yer vants a 'undred 
 pounds to spend do yer come to me, and yer vil get it. Do yer under- 
 stand ? " 
 
 J did not answer him, but Mr. Kebblewhite continued, as he wiped the 
 dirt and dust from his face, 
 
 " Ven it comes to money I can be as free as any von, now I tell yer. Yer 
 has freed us, and yer shall be paid for it. Yer jist draw on me for a 'un- 
 dred pounds at any time. But, let me see, vere 'as 1 seen that face ot yern 
 afore ? I thinks I knows it." 
 
 "You had better hurry to the assistance of your daughter," 1 said, n:,t 
 caring to enlighten him as to where he had seen me the last time. 
 
 " I vill. My poor child 'as suffered intensely, and I fears for her 'eulth. 
 I '11 get 'er hout of this as soon as possible. But vere 'as I seen yer face 
 
The Belle of Australia. 255 
 
 afore, young man ? It seems to me quite familiar like, but I can't hexactly 
 place yer. Did yer ever borrer any money of me, and forget to repay it ? " 
 
 " I think not, Mr. Kebblewhite. If I had ever asked you for money it is 
 quite probable that you would have refused my request," I said. 
 
 " Veil, I don't know, yer know. If yer 'ad the right kind of security, I 
 don't know but I might 'ave let yer 'ave a few pounds. But yer woice 
 sounds like von that I 'as 'card afore, and vere I can't for the life of me 
 tell. Vere 'as I met yer, young man ? " 
 
 " I have no time to explain all the circumstances of our first meeting," I 
 answered, "and, if I did, you would not feel very friendly toward me, I am 
 afraid, even if I have saved you from the bushrangers, and your daughter 
 from a terrible fate. Suppose that you delay all questions until a more 
 proper time, and then I may be inclined to answer some of the most impor- 
 tant ones." 
 
 He stared at me a moment, and would have spoken again, but I turned 
 my back to him, and he left me, and went to his daughter, muttering, and 
 soon I faced Monsieur Allete, who had waited quite calmly until I had 
 concluded my conversation with his friend, and then he addressed me, hat in 
 hand. 
 
 " You are a brave homme" he said, " and thank you I do much very. 
 Hope I that you escaped have all injuries. But I before have met you. 
 Yes, sure am !. It is milord. Parbleu, but droll is it, to meet here you 
 fighting the bushrangers, and giving them assez. Ah, well did you do. 
 Had I a son you like much, proud I would be of him. You good man 
 must be, milord, to save us, and your petite femme. Me your friend from 
 this time. Ah, fight you well. Sans doutt\ je merci vous. Shake hands 
 you will. Ah, good that is. I fly to madame to tell the good news to her." 
 
 " No, monsieur," I said, detaining him. " Will you please not mention 
 to madame that I am here? Let her discover me if she desires to.*' 
 
 " I understand it not. But, je ne veux pas, if you wish. But fly you 
 should to her arms. The petite has suffered much on your account, I think. 
 Milord go on the night of his noces. Bad that is for him. But he explain 
 will. Think I well of him now. Fights he like the great Napoleon, to 
 conquer." 
 
 He shook hands, and offered me a pinch of snuff from his gold snuff-box, 
 which the bushrangers had not despoiled him of the night before on account 
 of the darkness, and the lateness of the hour. Then the Frenchman put on 
 his hat, and walked toward Florence, who appeared to be reviving under 
 the careful administration of her father. 
 
256 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 As I passed .the wretch whose leg was broken, he uttered a whimper of 
 pain, and begged for a drink of water, but I had none to give him at the 
 time, for the Chinamen had charge of the water-botties, and had left them in 
 the scrub somewhere, when they had stripped, and oiled themselves for 
 the fight. 
 
 Mike was still keeping guard over his prisoners, one a sailor-looking fel- 
 low, whose face I had seen before, I thought, although I could not place 
 him, keeping that wonderful old musket at a charge, and ready to pour 
 its entire contents into the bodies of the men if they moved an inch without 
 his consent, while close to him, holding his hand, and suffering intense 
 pain, was the bushranger I had shot though the wrist on my run to save 
 Florence. Both ruffians were not disposed to make trouble. They had 
 hacl all the fighting they wanted for the day, and seemed cowed, and only 
 anxious to save their lives. 
 
 " Mike," I said, " we have whipped them, but it was a narrow escape for 
 us. I would not like to try it over again." 
 
 "Will, sur, I don't know but that I would. Yer sa, whin me ould Ebena 
 zar gets started it don't want to let up for a whole hour, and, faith, did yer 
 iver sa so illegant a gun in all your loife, sur ? It shoots of itself whin once 
 it gets started." 
 
 " What made you so long in the scrub, Mike ? I thought it was all up 
 with me at one time." 
 
 " Faith, sur, I had me oye on yer all the time, and well yer done, and I 
 don't loike to spile a man's sport, and thought I 'd give yer a fair chance. 
 Besoides, sur, I was loadin' me gun, and that takes time, if yer want it to 
 do its duty loike a man." 
 
 " It 's all right, Mike, but the next time I 'm in a ti^ht place, 1 wish you 
 would think more of me, and less of your gun. A few minutes more, and 
 even your gun could not have saved me." 
 
 " Faith, sur, no man could think more of anither. Ah, would yer, yer 
 beggar? Put up yer hands this minute, or I '11 blow a "hole through yer big 
 enough to throw in a family Bible, and half a dozen prayer-books, yer dirty 
 spalpeen." 
 
 This remark was addressed to the sailor-looking prisoner, who had drop- 
 ped one of his hands to brush away a troublesome insect that had settled on 
 his nose. But Mike did not admit of such liberties, and up went the man's 
 hands in a hurry. 
 
 I went to the scrub where I had left my revolving rifle, found it, and 
 soon removed the splinter from the part that had obstructed its working, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 257 
 
 and then re-loaded rifle and revolver, and was ready for a fresh attack, in 
 case one was made. 
 
 " I knows yer, sir," said the sailor prisoner, as I finished, and was wonder- 
 ing what I should do with the captives and the dead. 
 
 " Where did you ever see me before ? " I asked. 
 
 " I was on the old Iowa, sir, what brought you here. Don't you remem- 
 ber Jack, sir, what got a batting at the wheel one morning, and you came 
 forward and dressed his cuts ? I 'm the man, sir. I knowed you at once 
 sir, and then when Black Dick sung out for help, 1 did n't turn to, now did 
 I, sir?" 
 
 " No, Jack, you did not. I am glad to see you, but not in such poor com- 
 pany as this. What induced you to turn bushranger ? " 
 
 " Well, sir, after we got to Hong Kong I deserted, and found a hooker 
 that was comin' here, and I shipped on her, and, arter knockin' about Port 
 Phillip a while, I went out for a shepherd's work, and, while I was on the 
 run, I met Dick, and he persuaded me that there was money in bushrangin', 
 and, faith, there is ; but what use is money when yon can't use it ? I had 
 money but no fun with it, and here I am, and a hard course I Ve got to 
 steer for the next ten years, I suppose." 
 
 " 1 'm sorry for you, Jack, and will do what I can for you, if I have the 
 chance. How long have you been with Dick ? " 
 
 " Only three months, sir, as you must know, 'cos I 's spoken to yon many 
 times, but yon did n't seem to remember me, and never would own up about 
 the old Iowa afore, for some reason, and Dick told me you was a swell, and 
 not to bother you when we met on the run where you stopped with the 
 girl." 
 
 " It was not me, Jack, that you spoke to, but some other person, who re- 
 sembles me." 
 
 " P'aps so, sir, but I 'm mum if you wants me to be. I '11 swear I never 
 seed you afore, if you wishes to get out of a scrape/' 
 
 " Does any of the rest of the men recognize me ? " I asked. . 
 
 " No, sir, exceptin' Slipper Sam, whose face and eyes was shot away at 
 the fust fire you give us, and who is gone to Davy Jones's locker. That 's 
 him, sir. Jist turn him over, and see what a sight he is. He and Dick was 
 the only ones what met the ' swell,' as they called you. But once I was 
 sent to you on a message, and I seed you and the lass at the hut, but you 
 would n't hail me, and so 1 clawed off, and never seed you agin till this min- 
 ute. You was actin" with the traps all the time, was you, sir ? *' 
 
 " No, Jack, I was not acting with the traps, and I am not the person you 
 
258 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 think. I came here to save that young lady and her friends, and I am glad 
 that I have done so." 
 
 " You know best, sir, what is all right and ship-shape, but I s'pose lands- 
 men has as good a right to have a wife in every town, as a sailor in every 
 port." 
 
 Jack was like the rest of them, he would not believe my statement, and 
 thought that I had been acting, for reasons of my own, as a spy, for the 
 purpose of finally destroying his gang of bushrangers. 
 
 I did not accept of the sailor's kind invitation to turn Slipper Sam over 
 on his back, and examine his mutilated face, for the sight must have been a 
 revolting one, the whole charge of shot and slugs lodging in it, and tearing 
 the flesh in every direction, and some of the lead penetrating the brain, thus 
 causing a painful and speedy death. 
 
 "Jack," I said, "we must place you in irons, or in other words, lash you, 
 and the man with a wounded wrist, to trees, until we can get assistance. I 
 would n't do it if we could depend on you." 
 
 " All right, sir, I 'm willin'. Tie me where you please. I 'm rather glad 
 that my bushrangin' life is over. It was a bloody unsartin one, and no fun 
 to be on the tramp night and day, expectin' the traps to tumble on you 
 every moment. My vige is ended, and now I 'm being paid off, and it will 
 be a topsail-breeze sentence, I 'm thinkin'." 
 
 " Hope for the best, old shipmate. It shall go hard if I do not have a 
 word to say in your behalf." 
 
 Mike and I lashed Jack and his companion, a fellow who had none of the 
 good qualities of the sailor, to a couple of trees, tying them so firmly that 
 they could not escape, and, while I was thus occupied, my friend Jack whis- 
 pered, 
 
 " A word with you, Mr. Angus. Don't pretend to mind what I 'm sayin' 
 to you, but listen, and believe me, for it 's the bloody truth I 'm speakin', 
 as sure as I 'm a sailor. You have done me a good turn, and now I '11 do 
 you one, if you will but believe me, and it 's God's truth I 'm tellin' you, 
 though you may not think so. Let me whisper to you, sir, and mind every 
 word I say. Under that smudge of a fire, sir, about two feet deep in the 
 ground, is a big box, and that box is nearly filled with gold coins, gold-dust, 
 and bank notes. It 's the result of Black Dick and Slipper Sam's robber- 
 ies for the past two years. I 've seen 'em bury their plunder there many 
 a time, and they did n't know I was watchin' of 'em. There 's thousands 
 of pounds, and no one knows it but me, now that Dick and Sam has slipped 
 their cables. You take it, and keep it, and you '11 be rich. I shall never 
 
The Belle of Australia. 259 
 
 live to put my fists on it, and it 's a pity to let it lay in the ground when it 
 can do so much good to a kind-hearted mate like yerself." 
 
 " But is there no way by which it can be restored to its rightful owners ? " 
 I asked, hardly able to give credence to the story. 
 
 " Not a ghost of a way," was the confident answer. " Dick and Sam al- 
 ways burnt up the bags and pusses what held the money, and dumped all in 
 together, and it would puzzle a sea-lawyer to tell which from the other. No 
 one can claim the dust or coin, and the bank bills are few, and of no ac- 
 count, if the numbers has been taken." 
 
 " Are you speaking the truth, Jack? " I asked. 
 
 " As I hope for a good watch below, sir, I 'm not yarnin'. You '11 find the 
 treasure there all right, for no one knows of it but me now the others is 
 dead." 
 
 " But why should they bury it under the fire ? " I asked. 
 
 " Because it is the last place any one would think of lookin' over. Don't 
 you see, the ashes is removed, the box taken out, put .back agin, and then 
 the coals is returned, a new fire is started, and who is to know what is un- 
 derneath ? It is not as though you broke ground every time, as that is 'Hire 
 to attract attention. Dick knew what he was about when he selected this 
 spot for his headquarters. He did n't think a trap could find his way 
 here." 
 
 " And we should not have discovered you had it not been for a tracker, 
 who led us here. We could not have found you without his aid if we had 
 hunted all clay." 
 
 " I don't think you could, sir. We had our landmarks and courses as 
 much as a ship near the shore, or at sea." 
 
 " And do you mean to keep this matter a secret, Jack ? " I asked, in a 
 careless tone, although I was anxious to test his story, and, if possible, to 
 add to my wealth. 
 
 " Yes, sir. I *11 not whisper it to another man but you, not even if my 
 life depended on it." 
 
 " Then I 'II see if your yarn is a correct one some day, when I have time. 
 But, true or false, Jack, I '11 not forget to look after your welfare." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," and Jack dropped his head on his bosom, and appear- 
 ed to dream of his early days, when he had hopes and ambition of a bright 
 future. 
 
 In the mean time the two Chinamen had recovered from their blood de- 
 lirium, and were smoking, and talking over the events of the day, one of 
 them with a damaged head, and the other still greasy and stained with gore 
 
260 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 from Dick's wounds. They were quiet enough now, and had put their 
 murderous-looking knives out of sight. 
 
 " Gin," I said, " go and get the water-flasks. You know where you left 
 them." 
 
 " Youe bettie Chinaman fighte likie deble whene hee wante. Seie, Ah 
 
 Sugar gettie clippe frome bushrange. Hee noie minde. Brave 
 
 mane, Sugar. Alle samie likie meie. Wee lickie dozen mene alle samie 
 timie." 
 
 The Chinamen did not appear to remember that I had pulled them from 
 the dead body of Dick, and, in order to save myself, and the remains from 
 further mutilation, had been obliged to knock Ah Sugar down with the bar- 
 rel of a pistol. They had been so delirious with rage, that the past was a 
 blank to them, excepting their hacking at the bushranger with their knives. 
 Now they boasted of their courage. 
 
 I did not think it was worth while to hint to Ah Sugar that I had nearly 
 fractured his skull, for Chinamen sometimes take sudden and terrible re- 
 venge for injuries, real or imaginary. 
 
 " Youe seie that blamie rascale ? " asked Gin, as he arose to go in search 
 of the water flasks. " Hee onie bade bushrange whate tiee meie upe in the 
 bushe whene youe comee lete meie goe. Noe tiee upe morie Chinaman," 
 and the fellow grinned as he pointed to the dead robber, and then walked 
 off to find the water, which we all stood in need of just at that moment. 
 
 I saw that Mr. Kebblewhite and Monsieur Allete were still endeavoring 
 to calm Florence, whose nerves had received a severe shaking, and I was 
 just about to go to her, and offer a drop of brandy, when I heard a renewal 
 of the baying of the hound, and this time it was quite near. 
 
 "Holy Moses," cried Mike, "the bloody baste is loose, and comin' this 
 way, and, if he is on the trail of the bushrangers, it 's a moighty lively toime 
 we shall have. Take yer rifle, Mr. Hangus, and shoot onliss the baste 
 recogknizes me voice, and comes to me. He 's the divil and all his imps 
 whin he 's on a scint." 
 
 Mike took his old gun, and I cocked my rifle and revolver, and took my 
 position in front of Florence, to defend her if necessary. 
 
 " Vot is it now, young man ? " asked Mr. Kebblewhite. " No more bush- 
 rangers, I 'ope ? Remember, if yer vants a fifty-pun note at any time call 
 on me. I 'm a man vot never forgets a favor, and I 'm not the von to let 
 this 'ere affair slip hout of my mind. If Tcould 'ave got at 'em, I 'd 'ave 
 made 'em sing small for it, but I vaited to see vot the scamps vould do. I 
 'm a terrible man ven I 'm aroused, as hall my relations vill tell yer, if yer 
 
The Belle of Australia. 261 
 
 ax 'em. My friend here, this poor Frenchman, vill let yer know vot I can 
 do, if I 'as a mind. Speak hup. moorsur, and inform this young person 'ow 
 I told yer to be calm last night, ven the gang grabbed us." 
 
 " Yes, talk much did you," the French gentleman answered, with a terri- 
 ble shrug of his shoulders. " To me say you all the time, ' Don't mad much 
 make them, or they us kill.' For the petite keep I quiet. Fear much for 
 her do I. Attendez, think I. Time enough my life to give away ven they 
 lav hand on de lady. Fight I den if die I for it. People some there is not 
 fear de death Monsieur Allete die not for fear ven de lady is danger in. 
 If de fadder talk much, he fighte less den he talk. But I love de petite, like 
 daughter to me." 
 
 " Yes, yes, ve knows hall that," my father-in-law said. " Give me a 
 chance to speak vonce in a vile. I am liberal, and tells this young person to 
 come to me for fifty puns. Ve hall hunderstands, and 'e does. Don't 
 talk no more on the subject." 
 
 " But talks vill I," Monsieur Allete said, his calm face flushing with an- 
 ger at the curt suggestion of his old friend, and the father of the young 
 lady whom he worshiped in a manner that seemed incredible to one who 
 knew how many snubs Mr. Kebblewhite gave him in the course of 
 twenty-four hours. " To save de petite give her all dat I have. To her 
 hair prevent being hurt, my life risk I vil. Do you that? Bah! The 
 shentleman has mlich fight for us. To him give we money much. Speak 
 have I." 
 
 "Veil, then, speak in yer hown name, moorsur, and not for Mr. Kebble- 
 white. I knows vot I 'm about as veil as yer does, and fifty puns is a 
 fortune to this young man. It is quite probable that he never seed so much 
 money in hall 'is life at von time. Vy, I commenced business vid less than 
 that sum, and look at me now." 
 
 "Yes, I see, by gar!" the Frenchman said, with a shrug of his shoul- 
 ders that was eloquence itself. " I look at you all de time, and vender dat 
 de petite father like you have. Parbleu" 
 
 " Not a penny more than fifty puns," growled Mr. Kebblewhite, and he 
 turned away, with a look of determination. 
 
 He was falling in his debt of gratitude quite fast: but just at this moment 
 Florence looked at me. for the first time, and suddenly threw up her 
 arms, and exclaimed. 
 
 u O Heaven, my husband ! " 
 
"TO THE DIVIL WID YER, YER BASTE OF THE WOORLD !" MUTTERED MIKE. 
 
 PART XI. 
 
 AFTER THE FIGHT. ARRIVAL OF THE POLICEMEN, AND MR. MURDEN 
 PUTS IN AN APPEARANCE, AND EXPRESSES HIS VIEWS. MY OLD 
 SHIPMATE. SOME THINGS ARE EXPLAINED, AND OTHERS 
 A MYSTERY. THE HIDDEN TREASURE. A BOLD 
 PROPOSITION. A WOOL SPECULATION. FLOR- 
 ENCE IS OBDURATE. SMITH'S HOME, 
 AND ANOTHER FEMALE CRANK. 
 A BOLD CLAIM FOR A 
 HUSBAND. 
 
 A S Florence uttered the soul-stirring cry of " O my husband ! " I felt all 
 ^~* my resolution weaken, and should have run to her, and fallen at her 
 feet, if Mr. Kebblewhite had not sprung up in an excited manner, and cried 
 out, 
 
 " Vere is 'e ? Show 'im to me somebody. Vere 's my pistols and my 
 nulla ? Let me get at 'im ! " 
 
 " Faire la moue, vous stupide ! " roared the Frenchman, but he might as 
 
The Belle of Australia. 263 
 
 well have talked in native Australian for all that Mr. Kebblewhite knew 
 about French. " Quiet keep, tell you I. You are an imbecile. Nothing 
 know you. Bah ! you use not de pistols last night when de rangersbush 
 take us. The petite has more of the courage than you. Now, call you 
 for your pistols, and for what ? " 
 
 " To shoot the man that 'as vronged my darter," was the savage reply. 
 
 " Bah ! the petite has not been wronged much. The gargon is an hommc 
 brave. Fights he like a Frenchman at the barricades. He is friend mine. 
 Speak I for him. He shall have the petite if he wants her, and know I that 
 he loves her." 
 
 " O Angus," I heard Florence say, but just then I had to turn my back 
 to her, and, kneeling on one knee, await the onset of the blood-hound, 
 whose bays were growing more distinct, as he neared our quarters. 
 
 " Look a-here," Mr. Kebblewhite said, as he laid a hand on my shoulder, 
 " is yer the Hearl of Afton, and my darter's 'usband \ Jist hanswer that, 
 vill yer ? " 
 
 " Be quiet, man," I cried. " I will attend to you, and your questions, as 
 soon as this danger is passed." 
 
 :'.. Vot danger ? There ? s no danger now, is there, sence I scattered and 
 killed the bushrangers ? Vot ever does yer ludship mean ? Let me see the 
 danger, and go and meet it ! " Mr. Kebblewhite roared. 
 
 " In a minute or two an infuriated blood-hound will burst upon us, and 
 woe to the one who gets in his way. He is a tiger in his wrath, and nearly 
 as powerful. I shall remain here, and defend Florence." 
 
 " That is right, yer ludship. Always take care of yer vife ; but, as I 'as 
 none 'ere, and as yer vill look arter Florence, I think that I '11 run hup a 
 tree. Fight for 'er, my lud, and don't forget the fifty puns. If yer need 
 'elp I '11 come down, and take a 'and." 
 
 He left me, and went up a cedar-tree with wonderful rapidity, considering 
 his age and size, and rotundity. 
 
 " Faith," muttered Mike, "if it wa'n't for the lady I 'd lave the ould spal- 
 peen to fight it out as best he could. He 's jist fit for the saints, or the div- 
 il, and I think the last will get him. Oh. I knows him well, the ould lag. 
 He is the mane one." 
 
 " Hush, Mike. Don't let the lady hear you speak disrespectfully of her 
 father. She loves him, and he has been a good parent to her," I said. 
 
 Mike sniffed disdainfully, but just then Monsieur Allete came to my 
 side with one of the Chinamen's immense knives. He had found it. and in- 
 tended to use it, in case the dog was mad, or disposed to attack us. 
 
264 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 "Ve vill save the petite, milord, above all other things else. Ve vill 
 side by side stand and fight, like at Waterlo ) the Old Guard." 
 
 He reached out his hand, and gave my fingers a squeeze, then took a 
 pinch of snuff, and offered his box to me. but I could not accept his hospi- 
 tality just then, as a fit of sneezing would disarrange my aim. 
 
 "Don't foire at the baste till I try it wid a koind word," said Mike. 
 " Sure, I Ve spoken to the dog quite offen, and, may be, he '11 know me, I 
 don't know. Smith kapes him chained up, unless the black fellers get at 
 his shape, or the dingos is round, or the bushrangers is a little too fra wid 
 the mutton. Thin he lets him go, and a divil of a row he makes of it. 
 Holy Moses in the bulrushes ! but here he comes, like a tornado, butt end 
 foremost." 
 
 " O Angus, dear Angus, come to me, and protect me," moaned Florence, 
 who began to be alarmed at the terrible bays which the dog uttered, and 
 at the sudden stillness of the party that stood in front of her, while the 
 bushrangers, who were tied up, and wounded, uttered fearful howls for pro- 
 tection from the savage beat, as they thought he would be likely to tear 
 them limb from limb in his rage, unless we stopped him in his course. 
 
 "Let Angus alone, vill yer," impatiently exclaimed my respected father- 
 in-law from his safe position. " 'E 's honly doin' 'is duty, and vot does yer 
 vant to make 'im give hup for jist now? There '11 be time enough for hall 
 hexplanations ven the danger is past. Remember the fifty puns, my lud, or 
 votever yer calls yerself, and if 'arm comes to my darter yer don't get the 
 money. Call on me if yer vants 'elp. Oh, 'ow I vish I 'ad my pistols and 
 nulla 'ere. I 'd meet the dog hall alone, and down him in a hinstant." 
 
 ** Faith," cried Mike, " there 's room for all of yer. If yer want to fight 
 we can accommodate yer. Sure, no one will take the bread out of yer 
 mouth. But here is the dog, and we '11 sa what we will sa." 
 
 As he spoke, the huge animal, his eyes like balls of fire, and his mouth 
 covered with foam, sprang into the clearing, and, with nose close to the 
 ground, ran on until he found the dead body of Black Dick in his path, and 
 this seemed to surprise him, for he sniffed at the blood for a moment, tak- 
 ing no notice of us, and then sat down on his haunches, and uttered a deep 
 and prolonged death howl, a howl that was more dreadful than one of rage, 
 such as he had expressed while following the trail. 
 
 " Rover, Rover, good, noice doggie," cried Mike, in a conciliatory tone, 
 that he intended should be very effective, but the dog only looked at him 
 for a moment in quiet contempt, and renewed his howls, deep and un- 
 earthly. 
 
. The Belle of Australia. 265 
 
 "To the divil \vid yer, yer baste of the world,'' muttered Mike. " Who 
 cares for yer anyhow ? " 
 
 I heard a movement in a she-oak at the edge of the clearing, and, looking 
 up, saw that the two Chinamen had taken refuge in the topmost branches, 
 and were looking down on us with much complacency and independence, 
 while, confound them, they had the two water flasks around their necks, 
 and were taking quiet drinks, as though they enjoyed them, and the specta- 
 cle before them, at the same time. 
 
 " Let me have a shot at 'em wid me ould Ebenazar ?" pleaded Mike. " I 
 '11 bet a pound I could tumble 'em out of the tra, pig-tails and all, at the 
 first fire. Only half a shot, yer honor." 
 
 ; There are horsemen approaching us, Mike. Listen. I can hear them 
 galloping through the scrub, and splashing in the swamp. Who can they 
 be ? " I remarked, ignoring the request, and yet full of anxiety for those 
 who looked to me for protection. 
 
 " Begor, it must be the traps, and they has followed the dog. Sa the 
 baste. He sabes more than a hathen Chinaman, arter all, for he don't stir 
 from the side of the one he trailed to this spot, and he knows there 's no 
 more fight in him. Thunder and Moses ! here they comes, the traps, six 
 of 'em, and don't they ride illegantly. Look at the lader, and sa him 
 jump the scrub. Whoop ! well that. I could n't have done bitter meself, 
 and I was the divil's own buy for a staple chase in Ould Oireland, some 
 years ago." 
 
 The six mounted officers rode into the clearing, jumping the rude ob- 
 structions as easily as circus horses leap over the low barriers placed in the 
 ring, and, as they drew up, each policeman with a light carbine on the pum- 
 mel of his saddle, and ready for immediate use, they did present the ap- 
 pearance of being a formidable and courageous body of men, capable of 
 making a good fight in case of necessity, while at their head I saw the well- 
 known face of Mr. Murden, Chief of the Melbourne Police, and the man 
 who had given me more trouble than any other in Australia, from the day I 
 landed on her shores, until he had met me at the mines in Ballarat, and ac- 
 cused me of enticing Miss Kitty from the city, by the aid of a love-letter. 
 
 " Well, it looks to me as though there had been a lively little brush here," 
 said the Chief, as he dismounted. 
 
 " Thank "eaven yer 'ave come,'' cried Mr. Kebblewhite, dropping out of 
 the tree. " Ve 'as 'ad a devii of a row, and no mistake. I 'as 'ad fightin' 
 enough to last me for the remainder of my life. In a minute more I should 
 'ave killed that bloody 'ound, yer know." 
 
266 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 "What, while you were in the tree ? " asked the Chief, with a grin. 
 
 "Veil, yes; yer see I vent up there to be hall ready to drop on Mm, and 
 mash 'im, if 'e come near my darter. Arter ve killed the bushrangers ve 
 'card the dog, and did n't know but vot 'e belonged to 'em, so got hall 
 ready for Mm. But 'e did n't show no fight, and yer comes up, and saves 
 Mm." 
 
 " Jist hear the ould divil lie," muttered Mike. " In a few minutes he 'Jl ; 
 swear he did all the fightin', and we only looked on." 
 
 But Mr. Murden did not appear to take much stock in Mr. Kebblewhite's 
 assertions, for he walked toward me, gave me a sharp look, touched his cap, 
 and said, 
 
 " Pray, my lord, how does it happen that I find you in such distinguished 
 company ? The last time I saw you was at Camp Reserve, and you then 
 gave me a promise which you did not keep. You broke it in less than two 
 hours." 
 
 " If you had returned to the mines, instead of hunting in the bush, you 
 would have found me, and learned that I kept my word then, and as I al- 
 ways shall," I said. 
 
 The Chief shrugged his shoulders, and then bowed low to Florence, who 
 came forward, and placed a hand on my shoulder. 
 
 " Mr. Murden," she said, " we owe our lives to this gentleman, who is 
 my husband." 
 
 " I can swear to that, madame, for I saw you married," the Chief remark- 
 ed, with an encouraging nod. 
 
 Florence kept back her tears as well as she could, but still allowed her 
 hand to remain on my shoulder. But she did not once glance at my face, 
 as though she feared her resolution would fail just when she needed it 
 most. 
 
 " This gentleman," she continued, "and this brave Irishman " 
 
 "Whoop ! that 's ma," yelled Mike. " Thra chaers for the Belle of Aus- 
 tralia." 
 
 Mike called for the cheers, but no one joined in with him. The police 
 did not dare to, or could not for laughter. 
 
 " And the two Chinese," continued Florence. 
 
 "The hathens what is up in the tra. Yer can jist sa their heads stickirf 
 out from the laves like howls," interrupted Mike. 
 
 The Chief gave him a look, and he wilted for a moment, but Florence 
 continued, 
 
 " We were captured last night just a^fter sunset, and brought to this place, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 267 
 
 as the bushrangers said, to be held for a ransom of twenty thousand 
 pounds." 
 
 " I 'd seed 'em blanked afore I 'd paid it," muttered the lady's father. " I 
 'd fit 'em single- 'anded fust." 
 
 " Mr. Angus, or my lord, I know not which, learned of our danger, and 
 started in pursuit. The result is before you. We have escaped outrage, 
 and are free. For all this I owe him my deep, my heartfelt thanks, and he 
 has them." 
 
 " And is that all, Florence ? " I asked, as she paused, and withdrew her 
 hand from my shoulder. 
 
 " God help me that is all," she responded, with a sigh, and would have 
 turned from me, but I detained her very gently, and kissed her hand most 
 lovingly. 
 
 She started as my lips touched her fingers, and seemed trying to be an- 
 gry, but the effort was a failure. I could tell by the glance of her blue eyes, 
 by the faint flush in her delicate cheeks, by the convulsive movement of 
 her thin lips, that her heart was stirred by my deep love and devotion, and, 
 if we had been alone, I could have conquered her proud spirit, for a few 
 kisses, judiciously bestowed, does wonders with a woman who is uncertain 
 in her mind as to which course she shall take, be loved and happy, or 
 rich and miserable. 
 
 " You do not hate me, Florence ? " I asked, still holding her hand, and 
 venturing on another kiss, to the intense delight of Monsieur Allete, who 
 continued to make motions for me to keep the thing going, and not relax 
 the kissing part even for a moment. 
 
 " I do not know my own mind as yet," she said, with a weary sigh. " I 
 have had some hard, wicked thoughts regarding you and your conduct. 
 But I am grateful, and let that suffice for the present. I am proud of your 
 courage, of your struggles in my behalf, and, oh, if you were only good, I 
 should love you as man was never loved before. But you are bad, and I 
 want to hate you, but 1 don't quite." 
 
 " You have not vet fully forgiven me ? " I asked, still pleading. 
 
 "There are some things a true-hearted and loving woman cannot forget, 
 or forgive. You know what they are." 
 
 " You are unmerciful, Florence," I said. " I have suffered and endured 
 much for your sake, and have labored day and night to win a fortune, that I 
 might prove myself worthy of your esteem and love. But I see that it is 
 useless. It would have been better for me had I fallen in the struggle with 
 yonder dead bushranger ; but, Florence, the thought of you, and your dan- 
 
268 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 ger, gave me courage and strength, for I knew what your fate would be had 
 I yielded." 
 
 " You have but yourself to blame for this coldness on my part, Angus," 
 Florence said, with a trembling lip. " I might have pardoned your de- 
 ception in marrying me, if indeed there was deception, which I have reason 
 to doubt, had you been true to me, and not disgraced me by a clandestine 
 flight." 
 
 " You know, Florence, that I asked your pardon for all that had occurred, 
 but you would not grant it. You refused me even a word of consolation. 
 Do you forget ? " 
 
 " Why did you leave me on that dreadful, unhappy night so unceremoni- 
 ously ? " she demanded, with a proud look. 
 
 " Because I am a young man of a religious and moral character," I an- 
 swered, thinking those words would crush her, but they had no more effect 
 than when I first used them, the night I was married. 
 
 " It is false," she cried, with a fierce stamp of her pretty little foot. " You 
 are neither religious nor moral. Did I not read in that dreadful Melbourne 
 paper the confession of one of my maids, that, on your way to my chamber, 
 you stopped on the stairs, and kissed her ? " 
 
 " Blast that girl," I thought. " She was so proud of the kiss she had to 
 tell of it. So much for trusting a secret to a woman. I shall know better 
 next time." But I only said, 
 
 " Can you believe me guilty of such a crime, Florence ? " 
 
 " Yes, crimes a thousand times worse. Angus, I could have forgiven 
 you for kissing that mean, contemptible, forward jade of a girl, I packed 
 her out of the house as soon as I was well enough to get out of bed, and 
 read that awful paper, and I wanted to have her imprisoned, but could n't, 
 so refused to give her a reference, but when I think of other sins you 
 have committed, my heart turns against you, and is hardened. I can never 
 trust my happiness in your keeping; and yet I will own that I love you a 
 little, and that I shall never love another as I do you. Of that be as- 
 sured." 
 
 " Will you name my sins, Florence, so that I can defend myself from the 
 charges ? " I asked. 
 
 " You have no defence," she replied, her pretty face showing more 
 emotion than when she commenced to arraign me. " I have heard of your 
 scandalous doings in Melbourne. All of my female friends told me of 
 them, as soon as you deserted me. I blush for you, Angus. At Webber's 
 I again traced you, and find you vowing devotion to a flaxen-haired thing. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 269 
 
 At Ballarat you take a bold, mean girl out of a respectable house, and run 
 away with her. Do you deny it, Angus ? " 
 
 " I do, most decidedly, Florence, and it is cruel to accuse me of such 
 things." 
 
 " Mr. Murden can prove every word that I have uttered," my wife re- 
 plied, indignantly. 
 
 " I do not wish to be called into this controversy," Mr. Murden said. "It 
 is a family quarrel, which can best be settled by the parties most interested. 
 Mr. Kebblewhite offered a reward of one hundred pounds " 
 
 " Twenty-five, my friend, I think," interrupted Mr. Kebblewhite, with a 
 wave of his hand. " And the reward was withdrawn months ago, so I 
 sha'n't pay a penny." 
 
 " I was anxious to touch a portion of that reward for my men, and so 
 made a rapid search for my friend's noble son-in-law. I found him at Camp 
 Reserve, after hearing of him in various quarters, disguised as a miner. He 
 did promise me most faithfully that he would have nothing to do with Miss 
 Kitty Stukely, and yet, in less than two hours, he broke his word, and play- 
 ed a very sharp trick on an old policeman. I have no more testimony to 
 offer, for I had no orders to arrest, and no grounds to make one. That is 
 my share in the business." 
 
 " You hear, Angus," said my wife very softly, as though she was rather 
 sorry the case had gone against me. 
 
 " Yes, Florence, and every word is false, excepting one portion. I did 
 kiss your maid on the stairs, but it was while I was laboring under a slight 
 aberation of mind, and did not really know what I was doing." 
 
 " I 've had 'emmeself in that way miny and miny a time. All men is lia- 
 ble to 'em, miss, some time or other, married or single," interrupted Mike, 
 and, while the Frenchman grinned, and Mr. Murden smiled, Florence did 
 not appear to see anything laughable in the matter, but turned on me the 
 full battery of her scorn. 
 
 " You see, Angus, how useless it is for you to defend yourself against 
 the charges I have made against you. Prove them false, and take me, even 
 if you are poor, for I still love you." 
 
 " Not much," cried Mr. Kebblewhite. " My son-in-la\v must dress my 
 darter as a lady. If yer a'n't a nobleman, and yer a'n't got no money, the 
 thing is hoff, yer know. I '11 give yer ten pounds for vot yer 'as done for 
 us, but Florence must 'ave a 'usband vot can pony up the cash, yer know." 
 
 " You have enough for all of us, papa," Florence said in a determined 
 tone. 
 
270 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Yes, and 'e means to keep it," was the response. " Yer '11 git a di- 
 worce, and find a swell vot ? as the brass, and I '11 give Angus here a five- 
 pun note, and that vill be hall right, and satisfactory." 
 
 " He '11 make it a penny in a little while," muttered Mike, with a disdain- 
 ful croak. 
 
 " Are you very poor, Angus ? " asked Florence, once more laying a hand 
 on my shoulder. " Have you money enough to support a wife, even in 
 humble circumstances ? " 
 
 " I am poor, Florence, and don't think I have enough fortune to support 
 you as you have been accustomed to." 
 
 I was determined that if she took me she should do so for myself alone, 
 and not for money, and, although I had a good large sum, I did n't know- 
 how much it cost to dress and support a fashionable young lady, so deter- 
 mined to be on the safe side, and say that I was poor. Let a wife imagine 
 that you are making money, and her wants will increase faster than your 
 bank account. 
 
 " I am very skillful at housework," Florence said, as though thinking of 
 the future. " I can dust, I have made a bed, and once I tried a pie, but no 
 one would eat it." 
 
 " And no von vould or could lay on the bed," her father remarked to the 
 Frenchman, who nodded his head in acquiescence, and made a grimace, as 
 he thought of that terrible pie. 
 
 During all this time, although we had been conversing, the policemen 
 had not been idle. They had assisted the wounded, as far as possible, and 
 one of them had secured the hound, and tied him to a tree, and not till 
 then did the Chinamen descend from the she-oak, and grin a welcome to 
 the traps. 
 
 " Black Dick and Slipper Sam are dead, sir," reported one of the officers 
 to Mr. Murden. 
 
 " Are you sure ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, quite sure." 
 
 " Then you are in luck," turning to me. " A reward of one thousand 
 pounds will be paid for the death of Dick, and five hundred for Slipper 
 Sam, and one hundred for each bushranger of less note. My lord, you and 
 your associates have made a good day's work of it." 
 
 " Then I withdraw the reward of five puns which I offered for our rescue," 
 Mr. Kebblewhite said, in a hasty tone. 
 
 " I knew he would come to it at last," whispered Mike. " Oh ! the mane 
 baste." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 271 
 
 " And, as I did some of the fightin', J think I ought to share the reward," 
 Mr. Kebblewhite continued. 
 
 The Frenchman's face expressed the disgust which he felt, as he said, 
 
 " My life, and dear all that I hold, owe I to milord. If poor he is, all that 
 have I is his. He shall keep the petite for his femme. Spoken have I." 
 
 "And a very noice koincl of a spach it was," cried Mike. " It does hon- 
 or to yer heart, and should have come from the mouth of a son of Ould Oire- 
 land, bedad." 
 
 " Mr. Murclen," I said, and a twinge in my arm began to show that I was 
 wounded, and a little weak from the loss of blood, " I would not take a pen- 
 ny for the death of those men, or the capture of the living, if I never had a 
 copper in my pockets. It would smell of blood, and the money would burn 
 in my hands, and bring no happiness to me. Let the reward be distributed 
 among Mike and the Chinamen. I will have none of it." 
 
 " Anoother sentiment worthy of Ould Oireland," cried Mike. " But I 
 have no sich delicacy, and don't be afeared to offend me by givin' me the 
 lion's share, for, sure, it 's little the hathen did at the pinch." 
 
 " We will arrange it to your satisfaction," the Chief said. " There shall 
 be no trouble about distributing the rewards, although I could have wished 
 that my men had had a share. But, as they did not take a hand in the 
 fight, we must go without it." 
 
 " Sure, there was fight enough for all, while it lasted," Mike responded. 
 " At one toime I 'd have given a few puns out of me own pocket had yer 
 but bin near us, and ready to lend a hand. But, the Lord be praised, we 
 won, and our reward is the greater." 
 
 Mr. Murden was about to leave us, when Mike noticed blood slowly 
 trickling: down my left arm, and staining the ground, and green grass. 
 
 " Sure," he cried, coming toward me, " Mr. Hangus is hit, and blaedin' 
 loike a pig, and we knows nothin' about it, and a-settiir here, and chatterin' 
 loike ould parrots. Sure, yer honor, it 's not bad, I hope ? " 
 
 " A mere cut, Mike, but it needs dressing, for it has bied quite freely, and 
 is painful." 
 
 Mike rolled up the flannel shirt-sleeve, and T saw that the point of Black 
 Dick's knife had entered the fleshy part of my arm, and made a wound 
 about an inch long. Luckily the weapon had not touched the bone, or cut 
 an artery; but my escaoe was a narrow one. 
 
 " Come here, yer hathens, wid the water and the brandy," roared Mike, 
 addressing the two Chinamen, who had descended from the tree some time 
 before, feeling assured that the blood-hound would not molest, or the polic-; 
 
2/2 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 arrest, them, and, in obedience to the summons, they advanced, and gave 
 Mike the brandy flask, and a water-bottle. 
 
 " Take a sip of the sperit, yer honor," Mike said. " It will put life in yer 
 heart, and strength in yer busom. That 's right. Now we '11 wash away 
 the blood, and put on a bandage in no time." 
 
 " Let one of my men, who is something of a surgeon, attend to the 
 wound," the Chief said. " It is not dangerous, but will render the arm stiff 
 for a few days." 
 
 " Divil a man prisent dresses the cut but me," Mike answered, a little 
 brusquely. " I can do it as will as any sargeon in the force, for it 's sich 
 things we is used to in Ould Oireland. Here, hathen, bring me a smokin' 
 brand from the fire." 
 
 The Chinamen looked puzzled, but just then Florence left the side of her 
 father, and came toward me. 
 
 " Angus," she asked, in a low, sweet, sad voice, " will you let me dress 
 your wound ? I did not know that you were hurt." 
 
 " I fear that the sight of blood will cause you to faint, but, if you wish, I 
 shall be glad of your help," I answered, pleased at her kindness. 
 
 " I shall not faint, and I will do all that 1 can to relieve your sufferings, 
 but you must never, never ask me to forgive you, for I feel that I cannot. 
 You have been too wicked and cruel for mercy at my hands." 
 
 "Ah, miss, don't talk to the poor young gintleman in that way. Sure, he 
 has n't a cruel bone in his whole body, and he loves yer to distraction, and 
 ivery night he drames of yer, or some one else, and calls yer name, and 
 mourns for yer." 
 
 Now this would have been splendid, and helped me in my wife's favor, 
 for, when she said she never would forgive me, it meant that she was all 
 ready to do so, if a little urging was resorted to ; but poor, blundering Mike, 
 with the best intentions in the world, and who was willing to do a little lying 
 for my sake, as men usually are where a woman is concerned, overshot the 
 mark, and made a complete failure. 
 
 " Whose name does he mention in his dreams ? " asked Florence, as she 
 knelt by my side, and her face assumed a most angelic expression while 
 holding my arm. 
 
 Now if Mike had only said, " It is your own, miss," all would have been 
 well, and my lovely little wife would have had her head pillowed on my 
 heart in a moment's time, but, unfortunately, he did not remember Flor- 
 ence's name, and so uttered the very one. that he should not have men- 
 tioned. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 273 
 
 " Sure, miss, he says in his drames, ' Me own dear wife, Kitty, how I love 
 yer.' " 
 
 "What?" cried Florence, dropping my arm, and starting up, with an^er 
 on her face. 
 
 Poor Mike thought he had not put the case strong enough, and so con- 
 tinued to add more testimony, 
 
 " And it 's day after day, and night after night, he spakes of his Kitty, 
 and drames of her, and, O miss, he loves yer wid his whole heart, and don't 
 yer iver forget it." 
 
 " No," said the indignant little fury, " I never will forget it ; and yet I 
 was fool enough to love this man in spite of all the reports that I have heard 
 ot his liaisons. You wretch ! Don't you ever speak to me again. I want 
 to go home to mamma." 
 
 "Yes, I shall, Florence," I answered. "When I can prove to you that I 
 have been honest and true, and that my love for you has never swerved, 
 and never will, then, O my darling, I shall speak to you, and you will listen 
 to me." 
 
 "How long before that time will arrive?" my wife asked, a little more 
 appeased, still lingering near me, as though loath to depart. 
 
 Again Mike blundered, and yet with the best intention in the world. 
 
 " Sure, miss, yer should have sane him at Webber's, if yer has doubts of 
 his love for yer. Faith, ould Webber's darter come up to him, and put her 
 arms around his neck, and kissed him half a dozen times, and his honor was 
 so indignant that he could n't spake for tin minutes, and thin he said she 
 must n't do that any more, for he was a married man, or wanted to be one, 
 I disremember which." 
 
 " Take me home to my mamma," the trembling little woman said, and 
 burst into a flood of tears. 
 
 " O Mike, Mike," I moaned, " you have done it now." 
 
 ** Faith, sur, 1 think I have, but in what way is a puzzle to me. I did the 
 best I could for yer, but the lady don't same to take kindly to yer, for some 
 rason or other." 
 
 " If. there is a mean man in this world, if there is one that I thoroughly 
 despise and hate, it is you," Florence said, brushing away a tear, and look- 
 ing at me as though she believed every word that she uttered, but I knew 
 that she did not, because she was only jealous, and a jealous woman is lost 
 to all sense of truthfulness, and has no control of her temper. For a while 
 she is a fury, and cannot distinguish between right and wrong. " You say 
 you love, me, and feel proud of being my husband, and what do 1 find ? " 
 
274 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Yer find him fightin' loike a brave man for yer loif and yer liberta, and 
 there 's not miny is loike him, miss, now I tell yer," Mike said, in an indig- 
 nant tone. 
 
 " You mind your own business," the iady cried. " I can manage my own 
 affairs without your interference. 1 loved this man, would have lived in a 
 fourth-class hotel with him, would have almost waited on myself, when I 
 was not tired, for his sake. But now I have done with him. I will no lon- 
 ger be his wife, whether he is lord or Yankee." 
 
 " Thra chaers for the Yanka," roared Mike, who was not in the least 
 abashed with the tirade of words, but Florence fled after one regretful glance 
 at my face, and I could not win her back to me. She did not even look at 
 me, and I really believe she hoped my arm would pain me as a punishment 
 for my crimes. If Mike had held his tongue, I really think that I could 
 have convinced her, while dressing my wound, that I was not the one who 
 was masquerading through the country, making love to every fresh face 
 that could be found, and promising marriage to a dozen women, and yet not 
 coming up to the mark when time was called. But it was no use, and I 
 could only sigh my regrets, as Mike bound on a bandage, wet with brandy, 
 and then held my arm over a smoking brand, to take out the soreness, and 
 heal the cut, as he said, and a very good remedy I found it, as it is much 
 used by the black fellows to cure their horrible self-mutilations, on breast 
 and other parts' of the body. 
 
 " Shall I go to the lady, and spake to her agin, and sa if I can't move 
 her? " asked Mike, as he put the finishing touches to my arm, noticing my 
 deep, dejected look. 
 
 " No, Mike, you are not skillful in matters of the heart. I must trust to 
 time, and my own exertions." 
 
 " Thin the saints help yer, sur, for, sure, yer knows no more about a wo- 
 man's heart than yer do of the trails in this pace of bush. A moment ago, 
 if yer had but held out yer arms, she would have tumbled into them, as aisy 
 as a drunken miner falls down a shaft of a dark night. But yer lit the op- 
 portunity go by, and now where are yer ? And after all ! had done for yer 
 too. O Mr. Hangus, will yer niver larn that a bold front, and a little lyin', 
 is all that the bist of 'em wants, to make 'em think that the world has but 
 one parfect man, and that man is her own. Will, will, I sa that I shall 
 have much trouble in yer edication, if yer mane to run arter women instid 
 of settlin' down to real domestic life." 
 
 Mike's assurance was amusing, and yet he was really unconscious that he 
 had brought much trouble upon my head by his thoughtless chatter. 
 
The &elle of Australia. 275 
 
 " If your lordship is ready we will now look over the prisoners, and see 
 what is to be done with them," Mr. Murden said. " Of course you are will- 
 ing that they should be turned over to my men, as we can take care ct 
 them?" 
 
 " Certainly, but there is one thing I wish you would oblige me in," I 
 said. 
 
 *' Yes, you have but to name it." 
 
 " You will persist in calling me a lord. I have denied it from the even- 
 ing when we first met until the present time." 
 
 " And now you admit the fact ? " 
 
 "No, sir, I admit nothing of the kind. I am not a lord, I have no right 
 to a title, I don't want one, and feel content with being an American citi- 
 zen." 
 
 The Ciiief whistled softly, and looked at Florence and her father, who 
 were sheltered from the hot sun by some branches, cut from the trees 
 by the attentive Frenchman. 
 
 " What name do you wish to be called by, my lord ? I beg pardon, 
 Mr. " - 
 
 " Angus," was my answer. " As I told you before." 
 
 "Very well, Mr. Angus, I will respect your whim, if you will answer me 
 one question." 
 
 " Certainly, sir. Ask it." 
 
 " How did you disappear the night you left Camp Reserve with Kitty ? 
 I followed with a tracker, one of the best in the country, and you threw 
 me off the scent, and 1 never recovered it." 
 
 ** And yet if you had returned to the mines, you would have found me 
 there, for I never left them, and I have not seen Miss Kitty since the night 
 I parted from her, and left her in charge of Mother Higgins." 
 
 The Chief whistled a waltz, and did not seem inclined to pursue the crn- 
 versation. He still thought I was romancing for some purpose or other, 
 but what that purpose was he could not surmise. 
 
 " As you please," he said, and then, looking at Mr. Kebblewhite, ask- 
 ed, " Have you learned your father-in-law's history as yet? " 
 
 " Yes, Mike related it to me some months since." 
 
 " I might have suspected it. He was in the employ of Mr. Kebblewhite 
 while a ticket-of-leave man, and knew all about him. Has it changed your 
 sentiments toward the voung lady now your wife ? " 
 
 " No, she is just as dear to me as the night I left her so abruptly. 1 still 
 love her, and always shall, but she will not believe in me until the Earl of 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Afton and I are brought face to face, and this, Mr. Murden, you must do for 
 me." 
 
 The Chief shrugged his shoulders, and again laughed, a polite laugh, but 
 an incredulous one. 
 
 " I can't perform miracles, Mr. Angus, and you should know it." 
 
 "You can do an act of justice, and must do it, Mr. Murden. Some- 
 where in this vicinity the Earl of Afton, if there is such a man, is conceal- 
 ed, and with him is the girl Kitty. To you I look for solving this terrible 
 mystery." 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " Send out these men, with instructions to visit every sheep-run in Victo- 
 toria, or at least in this section of the country. Let them question every 
 stockman they meet, every native black, go from one place to another, never 
 lett'ng the scent grow cold, always insisting upon searching the huts of the 
 shepherds, and I will guarantee that the noble earl will be unearthed, and 
 placed before me, and that I shall be vindicated from some of the charges 
 that now hang over my head." 
 
 " The undertaking is a formidable one. What reward can I offer my 
 men if successful ? A reward to a policeman is like an opiate, it either 
 puts him to sleep, or makes him wild to distinguish himself. If he can make 
 more by slumbering, his dreams are serene, and if there is money in vigi- 
 lance, he can keep on a trail day and night, for a week, and feel no fatigue." 
 
 " Mr. Kebblewhite offered a hundred pounds' reward for me, did he 
 not? " 
 
 " Yes ; but he supposed that you were a great lord, and had wandered off, 
 insane from happiness. I did not tell him the cause, for, to speak the 
 truth, I considered you a little loony at that time, and I think you are now. 
 But you have your reasons for acting as you do, and I am satisfied. Some 
 swells have funny fancies. Sometimes they think it cunning and pretty to 
 chatter and grin like idiots, at other moments they dress as monkeys, and 
 look as near like fools as possible. But you have your peculiarities, and I 
 am satisfied. Now about the reward." 
 
 "Would your men be satisfied with a reward of two hundred pounds if 
 they should find my * Dromio ' ? " 
 
 " Yes, they would be delighted to earn the money, but it seems a pity to 
 send my fellows scampering all over the country, when I know it will be of 
 no use." 
 
 " At least let them try the experiment. They shall be paid if they suc- 
 ceed, and shall be rewarded if they do not. Is it a bargnin ?" 
 
The Belle of Australia. 277 
 
 Yes ; if you are in earnest." 
 
 " Then call your men together, and state what I want of them." 
 
 The Chief did so, and all took a square, policeman-like look at me, so 
 that they would be likely to know me again. Then they were instructed to 
 make search for a person just like me, and to arrest him, and take him to 
 Melbourne, and hold him at the Chief's private office until Mr. Murden 
 ordered his discharge. No violence was to be offered, and the party was to 
 be treated with respect. Then the men were informed that a reward of two 
 hundred pounds was to be paid for the arrest, and that the money would be 
 placed in the Chief's hands in a few days. If, however, the men should 
 meet me on the road, and could not tell whether I was myself or my double, 
 then I was to make a peculiar sign, and the traps would know that I was 
 not the one desired, and so let me pass. This was necessary, as I should 
 have to return to Camp Reserve to settle up a few business details, before 
 I went to Melbourne. 
 
 " Tomorrow you can commence your search," Mr. Murden said. " Now 
 we must take care of the dead, and the prisoners. I will send the latter 
 direct to the city by the men who are waiting for us at Smith's, and de- 
 spatch a part\ to bury Dick and Sam. Let them rest where they fell. 
 There is no n^' I <~ ~ <x^:ral funeral ceremonies over the remains of two of 
 the greatest s" undrels that have roamed the bush for years. A common 
 grave shall hold them. Let one of the men ride over to Smith's and order 
 the rest of the force here, and tell them to bring a couple of spades, and 
 three or four led horses, one of them with a lady's saddle. It 's no use to 
 talk of carriages here. We can't get one through the scrub; and, by the 
 way, tell Mr. Smith we shall all drop down on him about dinner time, so 
 that he can be prepared. Let one of the men search for the bushrangers' 
 horses. They must be hobbled near here. Bring them in, if you find 
 them, and put the saddles on. I see them lying under that scrub. Better 
 take that hound, Martin, if he will follow you. He is dangerous to have 
 around. Tell Smith he did nobly, and to tie him up. He has his father's 
 blood, and is the best dog in the country for a trail." 
 
 All these orders were given in an off-handed manner, as though Mr. 
 Murden was accustomed to command, and to have his commands obeyed. 
 
 " The American gentlemen I spoke to you about, the first evening we 
 met, owned a wonderful hound, and this is a direct descendant. Like his 
 ancestor he is named Rover, and is nearly as good, but much more savage. 
 Rover, this gentleman says that he is an American. Will you shake hands 
 with an American, old boy? " 
 
278 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 The huge animal looked at me for a moment in savage grandeur, then 
 slowly raised one of his paws, and put it in my hand. 
 " Is he a Yankee, Rover ? " 
 
 The hound threw up his head, and uttered a roar that could have been 
 heard half a mile distant, and again nearly drove Mr. Kebblewhite and the 
 Chinamen into the tree-tops with fear. 
 
 " That settles your case," said the Chief, with a puzzled look. " Rover 
 can tell nationality as well as a human being. I never knew him to make a 
 mistake. He is your friend now for life, and will do your bidding much 
 better than mine. All of the blood are alike in that respect. Ask him if 
 you are a Chinaman." 
 
 I did so. He showed his teeth, and an open mouth, like a cavern, while 
 a howl of intense disgust broke upon our ears, and rattled off toward the 
 mountains, awakening the sleeping dingos, and stirring to a flutter the 
 drowsy parrots. 
 
 " Good boy," I said, and patted his massive head, and, although the po- 
 liceman called the animal, to take him to Smith's, his owner, the hound re- 
 fused to pay the least attention to the command, but followed me around 
 and laid down at my feet if I rested for a moment. 
 
 " Mr. Murden," I said, as soon as he had issued his orders, " I want you 
 to do me another favor." 
 
 " What ! a second one ? " 
 
 " Yes ; and not difficult to grant." 
 
 " Name it, and let me be the judge on that point." 
 
 " That poor fellow, who is tied up, and looks at me so beseechingly, was 
 once a shipmate of mine. He is a sailor, and has had hard usage. He is 
 not a bad one, as I happen to know. Can't you let him escape acciden- 
 tally ? " 
 
 " Good Heaven ! do you know what you are asking me to do ? " cried the 
 Chief. 
 
 " Yes, to perform a good action. Let him be carelessly guarded, and 
 slip away tonight, and make the best of his course to Melbourne, where he 
 can find a ship. I will see that he has enough money to support him until 
 he obtains a vessel." 
 
 " The devil ! Do you know what kind of a job you are giving me ? " 
 
 " Yes, an easy one. Take all the rest, and do with them as you will, but 
 set Jack free." 
 
 " You are in earnest in this matter ? " 
 
 " Yes, quite serious." 
 
The Belle o Australia. 
 
 " Well, I '11 think of it, and, perhaps, it can be brought about. But it 's 
 difficult.'' 
 
 " I have another reason for asking," I whispered. "He has revealed to 
 me where all the treasure the bushrangers have stolen for the last two 
 years is hidden.*' 
 
 " Certain, sure ? " 
 
 " I think so/' 
 
 " And what do you propose to do with it ? " 
 
 "You and I will share in the spoil, Mr. Murden. We will take the dust 
 and gold, and the bank-notes you can advertise as having been found on the 
 persons of the bushrangers." 
 
 " A devilish good idea. Your friend shall step out this very night, and 
 we will lift the deposit as soon as you please. Name the hour." 
 
 ' ; This afternoon. But we can hold on to Jack until we find out if his 
 statement is correct, and to prevent his forestalling us." 
 
 " I see. You were born for a policeman. How far shall we have to trav- 
 el to find the spot ? " asked the Chief eagerly. 
 
 " That I can't tell you just now. Jack's yarn may be true or false. If 
 true, no one will be the wiser. If false, you will let him go just the same ? 
 Promise me that." 
 
 " It is hard, but I promise. If the packages of dust and nuggets can be 
 identified we should be bound to restore them to their original owners," 
 sighed Mr. Murden. 
 
 " But that need not trouble you. All the plunder was poured into a com- 
 mon lot, coin and dust, and the bags and purses destroyed." 
 
 " That relieves my conscience amazingly. Cunning rascals, they wanted 
 all evidence destroyed. They did well. We sha'n't have to advertise for 
 owners. Ah, this reminds me of old times. I feel as though I was grow- 
 ing young again, when my American frieuds and myself roamed all over 
 this district, and made it rather lively for the gangs of bushrangers who in 
 fested some parts of the country." 
 
 At this moment one of the officers approached us, and reported to the 
 Chief that the bushranger who had been injured in the leg, a bone being 
 broken, it was supposed, looked like an old offender, but no one could place 
 him. 
 
 " Let me see him," said the Chief. " If he is an old convict I think I 
 shall be able to give some account of him." 
 
 We walked over to the shade of a gum tree, where the wounded men had 
 been humanely placed by the police, and there, sitting on the ground, with 
 
280 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 his back to the tree, sat the man who was dressed in the quiet, gray clothes 
 of a Quaker, and the same person who had accosted me in the streets of 
 Ballarat the night before, and who had given me the information of the con- 
 templated abduction of Florence and her party, the man whom I had first 
 seen on Mike's team, and who had left us before we reached Webber's. In 
 fact, the wounded robber was no other than Aramena Meully, the Quaker, 
 traveling through the mines and country, to obtain funds to erect a Friends' 
 meeting-house in Melbourne, as he had repeatedly stated. 
 
 "Thou seest before thee a very unfortunate friend," said Meully, as we 
 approached. " Taken captive by the blood-thirsty wretches, held by them 
 for three days and nights, and thus prevented from prosecuting my sacred 
 mission, I desire to thank thee for my deliverance." 
 
 Mr. Murden did not answer. He was looking very attentively at the 
 Quaker, as though trying to remember where he had seen him before, and 
 under what circumstances, 
 
 " I know your face," the Chief said. " I have seen it somewhere." 
 
 " Thou hast. We have met quite frequently in Melbourne, where I pur- 
 sue my humble calling, a member of the small family of Friends. Wouldst 
 thou contribute a moderate sum of money to aid our cause ? " 
 
 "Jack," I asked, "is the man's story true ? " 
 
 " I don't go back on a messmate to save my neck," was the firm reply. 
 
 " Can you answer the question ? " asked Mr. Murden of another fellow, 
 who was nearly dead from pain, a shot from my revolver having passed 
 through his hand, just as he had been drawing on me, when I sprang into 
 the clearing. 
 
 " You believes what you please?" was the sullen answer. 
 
 " If thou will lend me a horse to get to Ballarat, I shall find friends there 
 who will aid me until my health is once more restored," whined the Quaker. 
 
 " Did n't I see you at Camp Reserve last evening ? " I asked. 
 
 " Thou couldst not, my friend. I was here, a fast prisoner, and much 
 did my spirit chafe at the detention, and the unholy orgies of these bad 
 men." 
 
 There was considerable whine to the Quaker's tones, and he overdid it a 
 little, for suddenly Mr. Murden struck his hands together, and ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " Why, you blanked old scoundrel ! It 's Steel Spring, boys. You have 
 heard of him. He was discharged from prison a little while ago," and 
 Murden danced with delight. 
 
 The policemen crowded around to get a glimpse at the face of one of 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 the most celebrated bushrangers that ever infested Victoria, or any other 
 part of Australia. 
 
 " Thou art mistaken, friend. I am an honest man, and a true member of 
 the society of Friends. All Melbourne knows me, and thousands in Gelong 
 love me." 
 
 " I recollect the old rascal now, your honor," said one of the younger 
 members of the police. " I saw him while in prison, and on the day he was 
 discharged. He was taken care of by a Mr. Meully, a good Quaker of Ge- 
 long, who hoped to make a useful man of him. While with him he must 
 have learned to palaver as he does, and, after he got proficient, dusted out 
 at his old trade. I have met the cove half a dozen times on the road within 
 the last few months, and never suspected that he was on the fly. Yet, con- 
 found him, he always led me along to speak of the traps, and what they 
 were doing. It is Steel Spring, sure enough. I could swear to him any- 
 where." 
 
 The face of the pseudo Quaker never changed so much as by the quiver 
 of a muscle, and his eyes looked firmly at us as the charges were made. He 
 had a wonderful command of countenance, and it stood him in need just at 
 that time. 
 
 " Thou art all mistaken, friends," he said. " I am only what I seem, a 
 poor member of the society of Friends." 
 
 "Oh, stock it," cried the wounded bushranger, who was tired, and sick 
 with pain. " Own up like a son of a gun that you are, and don't come none 
 of the Quaker dodges here. They knows you, and it 's no use." 
 
 " Vot does yer mean, yer miserable vhelp ? " the so-called Quaker re- 
 sponded, a sudden change coming over his placid face, as well as his 
 tongue. " If I vos as bad as yer is I 'd be the devil, or anything but a 'uman 
 being. Yer 'as committed crimes enough to 'ang yer a dozen times and 
 hover, vhile I 'as only acted as a spy sence I jined the gang, and never 'urt 
 a 'umnn being, so 'elp me 'Eaven." 
 
 It was surprising to see how the fellow had changed from a peaceable-like 
 Quaker to a fiend, and his calm, quiet words, well chosen, and correctly 
 spoken, gave place to the slang which he had been accustomed to use when 
 mixing with his companions in crime. He was a wonderful man in many 
 respects, and the like was never seen in Australia, or any other land, wheth 
 er we consider his low cunning, or the remarkable manner in which he 
 could twist his thin form and legs in all sorts of shapes and grotesque 
 figures. 
 
 " It is Steel Spring," said Mr. Murden. "No one can mistake that voice 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 or look. We have got you again, old fellow, and now it will be a lifer, and 
 no mistake." 
 
 " Blank yer all," the fellow snarled. " I vish that I could live my life 
 over again. I would show yer less mercy than I 'ave in the past. But I 
 cheated yer as a Quaker, and not von of yer smartest traps picked me up, 
 and I a dodgin' of 'em every day. Ah, and yer call the perlice smart, don't 
 yer ? Vy, right 'ere in yer midst is a swell vot 'as been vid us for months 
 past, 'e and 'is gal, and yer don't lay a 'and on 'im, 'cos 'e suddenly plays the 
 traitor, and sells us hout. Ah, if ve 'ad but known it a few 'ours ago. 
 Honly a few 'ours." 
 
 " Who do you mean ? " asked Mr. Murden, with sudden interest. 
 
 " That 's the von I mean," responded St^el Spring, pointing to me. " 'E 
 and his gal 'as been vid us, and Black Dick and Slipper Sam said 1 e vos all 
 right, and keepin' hout of the vay of the traps, for some crime in Mel- 
 bourne. Now 'e turns on us, just as I knew 'e vould. Ve should 'ave 
 twisted his neck ven ve 'ad the chance." 
 
 I was not surprised at the charge, and neither was Mr. Murden. He had 
 listened attentively to all that Steel Spring said. 
 
 " You see, Mr. Chief, that the Earl of Afton is in the neighborhood. You 
 can find him, and, perhaps, these fellows may give you a clew ; " but all 
 that we could say would not open the mouths of the prisoners, and even 
 Jack did not state in what direction was the hut in which my double and 
 the girl were living, or on whose run it was. 
 
 By this time it was noon, and the dry weather still remained. The po- 
 licemen had arrived with several led horses, and one with a side saddle, for 
 Florence. The bushrangers' animals, all stolen from Smith's run, were 
 driven in, and saddled, and while two of the officers dug a common grave 
 for Black Dick and Slipper Sam, the rest of us prepared to get ready to 
 start for Smith's house. I sent Mike and the two Chinamen to find the 
 horse and wagon we had left in the bush, and directed them to drive to the 
 stockman's as soon as possible, so that the animal could be fed, and we re- 
 turn home in the evening. 
 
 "Florence," I said, approaching that young lady, hat in hand, "we are 
 about to leave here for a house where you can find some of the comforts of 
 civilized life. Shall I assist you to mount a horse, and ride by your side ? " 
 
 For a moment she hesitated, and I thought that she would relent, but 
 the struggle was of short duration. She became hard and cold, but still 
 did not look at me, as she said, with quiet, womanly sarcasm, 
 
 "Your wife would be only a burden to you. Dutch and other vile girls 
 
The Belle of Australia. 283 
 
 seem more to your taste. No, sir, I can dispense with your services for the 
 present," and she tossed her head. 
 
 " When I prove, Florence, that I have been wronged, then you will smile 
 on me, and be sorry for this.' 1 
 
 " O Angus, if you only could, you do not know how happy I should be," 
 and, for a moment, I hoped that the ice had been broken, but it was not, for 
 she remembered the evil reports that had been circulated respecting my 
 moral character, and she froze up at once, giving her hand to Monsieur 
 Allete, who bowed, removed his hat, and conducted Florence to her horse, 
 and whispered to me, as he did so, 
 
 " Courage, mon gargon. Veil all vill be some time. La petite is not en 
 regale now just. De bath does she need, clothes clean. Vomen, de 
 handsome vones, mind you, do desire not love to be made vhen their hair is 
 down all, and curl not in. They vant to be sweet vhen vish dey to be 
 sweet. Attendez." 
 
 Florence did not look quite so attractive as the evening she was arrayed 
 in her bridal dress, but I made all allowances for a lady who had passed 
 a night in the bush, where water was scarce, and towels unknown, and no 
 combs or brushes within some miles. But I had seen her under other cir- 
 cumstances, and my love was just as devoted, and just as true, as the night 
 I had wed her. 
 
 She passed me with a bold attempt at bravery, but there was a tear in her 
 eye, and the pretty head was not elevated at an angle of forty-five degrees. 
 If I could have been alone with her, and she had been dressed to receive 
 company, I think that I might have overcome her objections, and she would 
 have looked on me with favor. But women don't like to be bored when 
 not debonaire, and I was wise enough to pursue just the best course that I 
 could take, that is, let her alone, until she had recovered her spirits, and 
 thought of the danger that I had undergone for her sake. 
 
 I watched her until she was mounted on a steady old horse, and then Mr. 
 Kebblewhite turned to me, and remarked, 
 
 u I don't know jest vot to say to yer. If yer is a lud, I vants to thank 
 yer, and to say that I still thinks that the veddin' 'olds good. If yer a'n't a 
 swell, I 'as my doubts on the subject. But, no matter vot yer is, call on me 
 for a pun or two if yer ever needs it. I 's a ginerous man ven I takes a 
 notion, and I do rather fancy yer, but yer should n't have deceived us so by 
 givin' hout that yer vos a lud." 
 
 " You forget, Mr. Kebblewhite, that Mr. Angus did protest that he was 
 not a swell, and that no one would listen to him. You must remember that. 
 
284 The Belle of Attsttalia. 
 
 He stated to me the same thing several times, but I thought that he was 
 just crawfishing, for the purpose of getting out of a matrimonial noose, after 
 having heard some reports which were circulated quite lively through the 
 streets of Melbourne." 
 
 " Vhat reports ? " demanded Mr. Kebblewhite, in innocent surprise. 
 
 Mr. Murden approached, and whispered in his ear a few words. What 
 they were had a wonderful effect on the man. His red face flushed a deep- 
 er scarlet, and his lips trembled. He did not utter a word, but mounted his 
 horse, and, with head bent down, waited for Mr. Murden to give the signal 
 to start. 
 
 " Ride with me, Mr. Angus," the Chief said. " Here is a nice animal 
 that I have saved for you. Now, then, all ready ? Well, come on. Keep 
 an eye on the prisoners, men," 
 
 Mr. Murden had grown very polite and affable to me since I had men- 
 tioned the hidden treasure. It was quite evident that I had secured a new 
 and powerful friend in the person of the Chief. 
 
 " Did you hear what 1 said to old Kebblewhite ? " asked the Chief, as we 
 walked our horses through the scrub. 
 
 ** Of course not. You whispered to him, and I do not listen when peo- 
 ple do that." 
 
 " Well, I do. Have to, you know. It is part of my trade. When people 
 whisper in my presence I think it is something I should know. The night 
 you were married I heard your confession to your mother-in-law, and so 
 stood under the window ready for you when you dropped. Don't look an- 
 gry. I believed that you were a swell, and did n't mean a square deal by the 
 girl, and I was just vain enough to think that you should be made to keep 
 your word. I saw you married, and was satisfied with what I had done, and, 
 to speak candidly, I more than half believe that you are the Earl of Afton, 
 but just want to have a little fun before you settle down to domestic life. 
 You are not ? Well, let it go that way for the present. But I gave old 
 Kebblewhite an awful dig in the ribs just now, confound him." 
 
 " Indeed. By word or blow ? " 
 
 "Word. I just hinted to him that there were more people in Melbourne 
 who knew him when he was a lag than he supposed, and it wilted him, for 
 if there is one thing that he is ashamed of, and wants forgotten, it is the 
 fact that he was transported many years ago, and served his term, and then 
 went in for money and respectability, and he has got both ; but the stain 
 remains, and he would give fifty thousand pounds if it could be blotted out. 
 but peop]e remember such things, and the higher the old fellow climbs, the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 285 
 
 longer will the disgrace be kept alive. It won't do to look closely at the 
 record of some of our public men. There was a curious mixture sent here 
 in old Botany-Bay times, but all that is done for now, and we have some 
 people in Melbourne who are the equals of any to be found in the world, as 
 honest and as intelligent, as generous and as enterprising, and the ranks are 
 constantly increasing." 
 
 " But Mr. Kebblewhite has not yet been able to lay aside his vulgarity, or 
 his peculiar use of the English language," I said. 
 
 " Because he commenced the upward grade too late, and he is hot-head- 
 ed, and won't let his children or his wife correct him. Did you ever notice 
 how angry people become if you set them right in the pronunciation of a 
 word, or correct their grammar ? It is a curious fact that no one will en- 
 dure it from a relative, and sometimes kick over the traces when a teacher 
 interferes. It is very human to get angry on such occasions. Mr. 
 Kebblewhite is no exception to the general rule. . Now, his son is a gentle- 
 man, and speaks like one, while his daughter is a lady, and would do honor 
 to any station in society, even as the Countess of Afton, and, by Jove ! she 
 is as good as she is beautiful, and no wonder the young bloods call her the 
 Belle of Australia." 
 
 By the way," I remarked, as we rode along, the huge hound following 
 close by my side, and looking up in my face once in a while with an expres- 
 sion that was almost human, " how does it happen that you are here to- 
 day, with your men ? " 
 
 " Last evening some of my people found a carriage and two horses in the 
 scrub, and brought them to Smith's, and put them up. I intended to pass 
 the night with the old stockman, a friend of mine, and a great friend of 
 those young Americans I have spoken of. In fact, I believe that his name 
 is mentioned in the same book with mine, more than once. We suspected 
 robbery and violence, but could do nothing last evening in the scrub and 
 marshes, so waited for daylight. At supper time one of Mr. Smith's shep- 
 herds said that several of his fattest sheep had been killed during the week, 
 and that a gang of bushrangers was in the vicinity, but just where no one 
 knew, so, after breakfast, we put the old hound on the trail, and he followed 
 Black Dick's footsteps to this place, but we were a little too late for the 
 right, and a lively one it must have been. I wish that I had been there. 
 That Frenchman says that you really held Dick a pretty lively tussle, or un- 
 til the Chinamen came in his rear with their bloody knives, and so decided 
 the contest. An ugly man, and he would have thought it sport to cut your 
 throat, had you given him the chance." 
 
286 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 "I am thankful that I did not gratify him in that respect, and yet, I will 
 coniess, had it not been tor the thought of my wife, I should have been 
 forced to yield. He pressed me pretty hard." 
 
 " Mr. Angus," said the Chief, as we trotted along, " do you know that I 
 have been thinking of a pretty little speculation we might go into, and make 
 old Kebblewhite get up and howl, if we succeed, as I hope we shall ? " 
 
 " Will you name it ? " I asked. 
 
 " Yes ; but mum is the word, Kebblewhite has been making a tour all 
 through Victoria, to find out how the wool clip is. It is short, and he 
 knows it. Not more than half the usual supply will reward the stockmen. 
 Mr. Kebblewhite pretends that it will be large, and he talks that way to 
 all whom he meets. We go into the market at Melbourne, and buy all that 
 we can get hold of at the big auction sale next week. If we get the hidden 
 treasure we can take it, and pay for the purchase. If we don't find what we 
 expect, we will raise what money we can, and pool in. Wool must rise, and 
 as it goes up, we will sell, and share the profits. What do you say to the 
 bargain ?" 
 
 " I say that I will agree to it, and do all the buying, and let you stay in 
 the background. I have some money of my own, even if we do not strike 
 the treasure that is buried. But you are sure about the wool clip?" 
 
 " Not a doubt about it. Mr. Kebblewhite has been at work, and so have 
 I. His notes agree with mine, and mine agree with that of every shepherd 
 in Victoria. But here we are, and there is old Smith in front of his crazy 
 built house, all up stairs and down, tumble here and there, liable to break 
 your neck at any time. He thinks it is a wonder, and so do I. It is the 
 only one of the kind in Victoria." 
 
 We drew up in front of a wooden house, gave the horses to some stock- 
 men, to be taken to a corral, and then I was welcomed by Mr. Smith, a 
 stout old fellow, with the baldest head that was ever seen outside of New 
 York, and the biggest stomach, and the most benign, beery expression on 
 his full face, which was smoothly shaved, as if he expected company, and 
 wanted to honor it. 
 
 " Ah, Mr. Angus," he said, like a man who had known me all of his life, 
 " we are glad to see vou back again," and he shook hands quite heartily 
 and his soft blue eyes beamed with good nature. 
 
 Now, considering that I had never seen Smith before, this was certainly 
 most friendly, and I supposed that some of the policemen had mentioned 
 me when they went to the house to get spades, and a new mob of horses 
 for our party to ride. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Hullo," exclaimed the Chief, " I did n't know that you two were ac- 
 quainted." 
 
 He had witnessed the cordial greeting, and was surprised at it, even as 
 much as I was. 
 
 " Well, I should think we knew something of each other. Hey, Mr. An- 
 gus ? " and the amiable Mr. Smith chuckled and laughed, as if he had per- 
 petrated a good joke, and wanted us to share in his amusement. " She '11 
 be surprised, and glad to see you, sir. She don't know that you are here, 
 but I '11 call her." 
 
 " Good Heaven ! " I thought, " I hope that there are no cranky women 
 here," for just at this moment Florence had rode up, and seemed more than 
 half inclined to allow me to assist her to dismount, but, for fear that her res- 
 olution to be firm should weaken, waved me off, and allowed the French- 
 man to perform the act of courtesy, which I should have esteemed a great 
 favor. 
 
 " Here, Susan, here, old lady ; where are you all ? " roared the stockman, 
 who was anxious to display some real Australian hospitality, even by giving 
 up his whole house for the benefit of his guests. 
 
 A young girl, rather pretty, and with nice black eyes, and a fine, healthy 
 form, and good, clear skin, came out of the house, stopped for a moment to 
 survey the arrivals, and then, with a glad cry of astonishment, as she caught 
 sight of me, ran toward me, put her arms around my neck, and kissed me 
 three times before I could recover sufficiently from my surprise to check 
 her freedom. Still, I will confess, that I did not struggle very hard to clear 
 myself from her embrace. I should have done so, but astonishment over- 
 come me for the moment, and rendered me unconscious of the liberties that 
 were being taken with my lips. It often happens so with men who have 
 reveries or dreams while awake. 
 
 " O Angus,", said the young lady, who I surmised was a daughter or rela- 
 tive of Mr. Smith, " how pleased I am that you have returned, and you 
 won't go away for a long, long time, will you, dear ? " 
 
 This was decidedly embarrassing for a young man who was in love with 
 his own wife, and, while he might have endured the indignity had she been 
 some miles distant, it would not answer in her presence, and while I was all 
 ready to assume a severity that is very becoming to young men, I stole a 
 glance at Florence, for I dreaded the effects of the exhibition on her. As 
 I half expected, and feared, she showed signs of rebellion. 
 
 " How dare you put your arms around my husband's neck, and kiss him 
 right before my face and eyes ? " Florence asked, her pretty countenance 
 
288 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 showing some of the rage that swelled her little body, until she looked as 
 though she was six feet high, and stout in proportion. " Take your hands 
 off of him this instant ! I am ashamed that one of my sex should be guilty 
 of such disgraceful conduct ! " 
 
 The attention of the company was attracted at this singular spectacle, 
 and by the words. All were looking at us in astonishment, Smith staring 
 until his eyes were fixed as those of a painter's* lay figure. 
 
 " Your* husband ? " stammered poor Susan, for that, I learned, was the 
 girl's name, "your husband?" she repeated. "Why, this gentleman is en- 
 gaged to marry me, and has been for two weeks past." 
 
 " O Heaven ! " gasped Florence. " Take me home to my mamma. O 
 father, this is too terrible for me to endure, and just as I was all ready to 
 pardon him, because he looked so sad and repentant, for his past crimes. 
 But this is a little too much for one woman to overlook, and now my mind 
 is made up. Never will I see him again. This I am firmly resolved upon. 
 Nothing shall cliange me." 
 
 This was hard news for me, but what could I do or say to such a little 
 fury ? 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me," asked Susan, who began to get angry also, 
 and she released me from her embrace, for which the Lord made me truly 
 thankful, and walked straight toward Florence, and then those two hand- 
 some young women looked at each other with all the scorn that females can 
 usually throw into their eyes and faces when jealous of each other, " do 
 you mean to tell me," repeated Miss Susan, " that this man is your hus- 
 band ? " 
 
 " He is my husband, my lawful husband, and I hate him, and I hate you, 
 and I want to go home to my mamma." 
 
 " Angus," asked Miss Susan, turning to me, and speaking with forced 
 calmness, "is this lady's story true?" 
 
 " Quite true. She is my wife, and I assure you that I love her dearly," 
 I answered very frankly. 
 
 "Then what did you mean by coming to this house, and saying that 
 you loved me ? " asked the young lady, with a dangerous look in her eyes. 
 
 " There you are mistaken," I replied. " I never saw you betore today, 
 and I never visited this place until now." 
 
 Both women uttered incredulous cries of doubt, rage, and intense hatred, 
 and I wished that I was once more fighting bushrangers, in the mines, on 
 the trail, or anywhere except in the presence of two young girls who had 
 made up their minds not to be convinced of my honesty, and all the witness- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 289 
 
 es in the world would not have shaken their faith in their own ideas of right 
 and wrong. 
 
 1 looked a little foolish and weak, I know, and, perhaps, a shade or so 
 guilty, but how can a man appear different when a strange woman will per- 
 sist in kissing him, and claiming him, and a young and pretty wife is 
 standing near, ready to believe all the evil she ever heard of you, and to 
 remember none of your virtues, if you should happen to have any? 
 
 " Do you mean to say that you never spoke to me before today ? " Miss 
 Susan demanded, and her fingers worked a little nervously, as though she 
 was getting ready to scratch somebody, and her black eyes looked through 
 and through me. 
 
 " I must persist in repeating that you are a stranger to me, as I am to 
 you. Loving my wife as I do I am incapable of such conduct as you charge 
 me with," I said. 
 
 " Somebody has got to be killed before a great while/' Mr. Smith roared. 
 ' ; I '11 load my gun, and have a shot at the meanest liar in the country, and, 
 although I *m a member of parliament, and should respect the law, blast 
 me if I don't smash all the laws for the sake of punishing a man who is 
 married, and comes here to make love to my wife's sister, and promises to 
 marry her, and spoons with her until the girl's head is turned. Just wait 
 until I get my gun. * Only wait." 
 
 He would have gone for it, but Mr. Murden stopped him, and just at this 
 moment Mike and the two Chinamen drove up to the house, with a horse 
 that was half starved and unsteady on its legs, for it had neither eaten nor 
 drunk since the night before, at Ballarat. This attracted attention, and 
 gave Murden a chance to appear as my protector. 
 19 
 
,.)<)L> HKAVENS! MAMMA, THRKK 's TWO OK TIIKM ; AMI) WHICH IS MY HUSBAND?' 
 
 PART XII. 
 
 THE BURIED TREASURE. A BOX OF GOLD. THE RETURN TO BALLARAT. 
 SELLING OFF. FAREWELL TO THE MINES A BIG SPECULATION 
 IN WOOL. A HASTY SUMMONS. FACE TO FACE WITH A 
 LORD AND A DOUBLE. MY MOTHER'S ARRIVAL, AND HER 
 STORY. TWIN BROTHERS. FLORENCE MAKES HER 
 CHOICE, AND IS HAPPY. GRAND EXPLANA- 
 TIONS. MR. KEBBLEWHITE OPENS SOME 
 WINE. MIKE'S CAREER. A GEN- 
 ERAL CLOSING UP. THE END. 
 
 R a moment hostilities were suspended, to witness the arrival of Mike 
 and the Chinamen. But the lull was only temporary. They had noth- 
 ing to offer that was new ; and, as soon as the poor suffering horse had 
 been led away to get a feed of barley, Mr. Smith again expressed a firm de- 
 sire to kill somebody, and that somebody, as near as I could understand, 
 was me. 
 
 " Smith," said Mr. Murden, as soon as he could lay hands on the stock- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 291 
 
 man, and calm him down a little, "you keep your paws off of guns, and let 
 me explain matters. We have been old companions for many years, and I 
 never deserted you, even when you wanted friends. That you very well 
 know." 
 
 " That 's true," was the sullen response. " But this is a little too much 
 for human endurance. I thought as much of that fellow, and his swell 
 ways, as I would of an own son. He has been here quite often, and made 
 love like, like mad," and, as Mr. Smith could find no other word, the 
 comparison was not so bad after all, for most lovers are insane. 
 
 " There has been a great mistake here," the Chief said. " 1 want to see 
 fair play, and will state that Mr. Angus was married to Miss Kebblewhite 
 nearly a year ago. I was present at the ceremony, so there can be no dis- 
 pute on that point." 
 
 A wail from Susan, and a smothered oath from Smith, who looked his 
 anger. 
 
 "But I have reason to believe that there are two men in the country who 
 resemble one another in all respects, and each has been mistaken for the 
 other time and time again. One is called Angus Mornington, Earl of Af- 
 ton, and the other is called Angus Mornington, an American, and my friend, 
 for the sake of old friends." 
 
 " Which is this one ? " asked Smith, pointing to me, looking still sullen 
 and angry. 
 
 "Hang me if I know," was the blunt response, "but I can prove that this 
 gentleman has not been out of the mines of Ballarat for the last ten months. 
 Mike, come here, and bring the Chinamen." 
 
 The Chief asked them if I had been absent from my home during all 
 the time they knew me, and they did not hesitate a moment. They swore 
 that I had not, and that I could not have left the place without their know- 
 ing it. 
 
 " The Chinamen will lie on all and every occasion," Smith said, with a 
 look of contempt. " I do not count them as of any importance, and an 
 Irishman will lie when it suits his convenience," a remark that enraged 
 Mike so much, he offered to fight Smith on the spot, for the mere love of 
 it, and to vindicate the honor of " Ould Oireland." Smith did not mean it, 
 but he was an Englishman, and prejudiced, and angry at the same time. 
 Peace was at last restored between the two, but the ladies looked at each 
 other without relenting. 
 
 "To think that I do not know who is my own husband," sobbed Florence. 
 " liere is a person who has made love to his Kitties, his Webbies, his 
 
292 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Susies, and I don't know how many more, and, oh ! how 1 hate every man 
 in the world, and 1 'm very unhappy. Take me home to my mamma as 
 quick as you can." 
 
 ' And I '11 never believe in a man again to the longest day of my life, 
 and I hate the whole race of them, and I wish they were all dead, and then," 
 after a long pause, " that they would come to life again, and be better than 
 they are now. That is what I wish." 
 
 And then, wonderful to relate, those two women, who a moment before 
 had desired to scratch out each other's eyes, actually embraced, and mingled 
 their tears, and entered the house with their arms around each other, leav- 
 ing me out in the cold, with no one except Mr. Murden and Mike to take 
 pity on me, for Mr. Kebblewhite and Monsieur Allete followed the ladies. 
 
 " I '11 give you the benefit of a doubt," Mr. Smith said, as the girls dis- 
 appeared. " I will take the assertion of Mr. Murden as a correct one. I 
 'm a plain, old Australian stockman. Come in and have some dinner, and 
 don't so much as look at Susan again, if we are to be on friendly terms." 
 
 I accepted the invitation, and sat down to a well-filled table, but the la- 
 dies did not appear, and I saw no more of them until afternoon, just as the 
 Chief, Mike, and myself were ready to set out in search of the buried treas- 
 ure. Then Florence came to the door, looking much better, after a nap, a 
 bath, and clean clothes. 
 
 " Florence," I said, for I was alone with her for a moment, " next month 
 will be a year since we were married. On the anniversary of that event, 
 I shall come to you, and ask you to be my wife in earnest. If I can prove 
 that I am better than you now suspect will you listen to me, darling? " 
 
 " Have you used the same arguments with your other loves?" she asked, 
 with a little curl of the lip, and a toss of her pretty head. 
 
 "You are cruel, Florence, and unjust, but I forgive you, and hope for 
 your love as soon as proper explanations are made. Will you let me take 
 your hand, and kiss it ? " 
 
 " Yes, if that will do you any good," and she gave me her hand. " I owe 
 you that scant courtesy for your rescue of my friends and myself." 
 
 "Will you think of me, dear little wife, while I am absent?" I whis- 
 pered. 
 
 " I have no doubt but that I shall hear enough of you to keep you fresh 
 in my mind," with another toss of her pretty head, and a provoking sneer, 
 that was far from becoming to such a handsome face. " If you continue 
 as you have begun, all Australia will ring with cries of detestation at the 
 mere mention of your name, and fathers and brothers will hunt for you as 
 
The Belle of Australia. 293 
 
 the police now seek for bushrangers. Why could you not be good? Is it 
 so hard for a young and rich man to pursue a correct path ? " 
 
 " I do not know, Florence. I have never been rich. I have had tempta- 
 tions placed in my way, and such as few men could have resisted, and yet I 
 can safely assure you that I am good, and \\ish that you would believe me. 
 I should be much happier than I have been the past year, for I love you, 
 and only you, and it was for your sake I fled the night we were married." 
 
 " I do not believe you. \ do not think that you are speaking the truth. 
 You suppose that I can be deceived as easily as your Kitties, your Webbies, 
 and your Susies. 1 am young, but I have seen much of the little world in 
 my circle of life, and I don't know who I 'm talking to, and wish that I 
 had never seen you, and what did you come to Australia for to cause so 
 much unhappiness ? Before I saw you I never had a moment's care. Oh, 
 what trouble men are ! " 
 
 " I am going now, Florence. Will you let me kiss you good-by, dear ? " 
 I asked, growing more bold. 
 
 " No, sir, I will not," very decidedly. " How do I know whether you are 
 my husband, or the other man ? The wretch ! " 
 
 " I can tell you all the particulars of our wedding, dear, if that will satis- 
 fy you. Will you listen to me ? " 
 
 " No, sir, I do not care to hear you." 
 
 " Then good-by, dear, and may God bless you," I said, with moistened 
 eyes, and fervent lips. 
 
 I turned and walked toward the saddled horses, and waved a farewell to 
 Florence, but I do not think that she saw it, for her head was bowed down, 
 and she was clinging to a tressel, on which some roses were growing, and 
 scenting the air in every direction. 
 
 Mr. Murden had explained to Smith and the rest of the party, that it was 
 necessary we should scout around the country, and see if there were more 
 traces of the bushrangers, and I had taken leave of the gentlemen, and 
 thanked Mr. Smith for his hospitality, but he looked at me a little suspi- 
 ciously, and evidently did not take much stock in my assertions. Susan I 
 did not see. She kept away from me, and I was glad of it, on her account, 
 and my own. 
 
 Mike had secreted a spade, although he did not know for what purpose, 
 and, by a steady gallop, and a brisk walk, we were at the bushrangers' 
 quarters by three o'clock. The grave of the dead robbers was just as we 
 had left it, the fire was still smouldering, and no one had been on the spot 
 since we departed in the. forenoon. 
 
294 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Now where is the place ? " asked the Chief, anxious to commence work 
 at once. 
 
 " Here," I answered, taking the spade, and turning over the ashes. 
 
 " Under the fire-? " asked the Chief. 
 
 " That is what Jack says." 
 
 "Well, I should never have thought of that spot. But give Mike the 
 spade, and let us see what we shall find." 
 
 Mike flung aside the ashes and earth, and dug down two feet, before he 
 struck a box that was about one foot square. It gave us hope that Jack 
 had not told an idle romance after all, and he had not, for we excavated the 
 package, although it was not an easy task, as it was heavy, wrenched off the 
 lid, and there before us were gold coins, doubloons, American eagles, sov- 
 ereigns, and an immense number of nuggets, and pounds of gold-dust. 
 
 " By the sacrid name of Moses, and the children in the bulrushes, but 
 this is the koind of minin' that I loike," cried Mike. " All in a lump loike 
 a fat pig. Whoop ! what a haul for us." 
 
 " Shut your mouth, you wild Irishman," said Mr. Murden, who was as 
 excited as Mike and myself. " Do you want half a dozen mounted men to 
 gallop here, and spoil the sport? Come, let us look over the treasure, and 
 estimate how much there is." 
 
 But we had no time to do that before night fell, and we were just super- 
 stitious enough to desire to get out of the woods before dark. We did not 
 want Black Dick and Slipper Sam disputing our prize, if they could re- 
 visit the earth, and I don't believe that one of us would have gone after the 
 gold in the night time, for the whole of it. 
 
 "We must pack this box on one of the horses," Mr. Murden said. " It 
 is a devil of a load, and weighs near three hundred pounds, but one of the 
 animals will have to take it. We can't get a cart in this scrub, and I don't 
 like to leave a portion of the treasure until tomorrow. There may be other 
 people who know the secrets of the bushrangers as well as Jack." 
 
 " I will tell you what we had better do," I remarked. " Let Mike go to 
 Smith's, and get the horse and wagon we rode in from Ballarat. He can 
 then meet us on the road, and by means of the team we can get the treasure 
 to Camp Reserve. Tomorrow I will take it to the bank, have it weighed, 
 value estimated, and deposited, and take drafts on the principal house in 
 Melbourne, then, when I come to the city, I will bring your share, draw the 
 money, and hand it over. It won't do for you to take charge of the gold. 
 Suspicion would be excited." 
 
 " There is no other way that I can see. There must be twenty thousand 
 
The B^lle of Aiistralia. 295 
 
 pounds in that box, and I can't manage it. Do as you suggest. I trust to 
 you in every particular, and believe that my confidence will not be abused." 
 
 " Then take the bank notes, and put them in your pocket, and hint that 
 you found them on the prisoners, and you will get much credit with the 
 respectable people of Melbourne, and you need not care for the other 
 classes." 
 
 " And don't forget the reward, Mr. Murden," pleaded Mike. " I don't 
 want to lose me thousand puns." 
 
 " You shall have your share, Mike, just as soon as I get back to the city, 
 and make my statements and affidavits. I '11 send the prisoners on to Mel 
 bourne tonight, and Jack shall be among them, but we can drop him on the 
 road in some manner. Then he can make the best of his way to Port 
 Phillip, and from there get down to Sydney in a coaster, where he will be 
 quite safe, if he but keeps his mouth shut, as he must do, if he would save 
 his neck." 
 
 " Give him a hundred sovereigns out of this box to start him in life. It 
 is more money than he ever had in the world, and much good may it do 
 him," I said, and counted out the gold. 
 
 " Just as you please. It will all go to the grog shops, but that is not our 
 lookout." and Mr. Murden put the sovereigns in his pocket, but he did give 
 them to Jack, and kept his word, for the old salt was accidentally left un- 
 guarded, when near Melbourne, and he did some good walking through the 
 scrub and woods, until he reached the city, and from thence he went to 
 Manilla in a ship, and I never heard of him again, but, dead or alive, I shall 
 always think well of poor Jack, who remembered an act of kindness, and 
 returned payment a hundred-fold when he had an opportunity. 
 
 It was hard work getting the box of treasure on the back of one of the 
 animals, but we succeeded after several attempts, and lashed it with ropes 
 and spun-yarn to the saddle, and then, while one of us led the horse, and 
 Mike steadied the package to prevent its slipping, we retraced our steps to- 
 ward Smith's residence. But I cast one last look around the place before 
 we started. There was the grave of the bushrangers, the spot where I had 
 struggled with Black Dick, the resting-place of Florence under the acacia- 
 bush, the trees where Mr. Kebble\vhite and Monsieur Allete had been se 
 cured, and passed a very bad night, and then I turned and thanked Heaven 
 that I had arrived in time to save Florence from what would have been 
 worse than death. I never saw that spot again, but I could easily find it, 
 even at this late day, unless the dense scrub has over-run the clearing, and 
 hidden from sight the solitary grave of the robbers. 
 
296 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 When we were about a mile from the public road, I sent Mike to the 
 house for the team, and with instructions to the t\vo Chinamen to remain 
 with the stockman until the next day, and then make the best of their way 
 to Camp Reserve. I did not desire their presence until the gold was dis- 
 posed of, or encounter their inquisitive eyes, while handling it. 
 
 We waited at the edge of the scrub until Mike made his appearance, then 
 transferred the box to the wagon, and were ready to start. 
 
 "Now, Mr. Murden," I said, as we shook hands at parting, "you will do 
 all that you can to aid me, and re ieve me from the embarrassment under 
 which 1 labor, and prevents me from receiving the love of a dear little 
 wife?" 
 
 " Tomorrow half a dozen of my best men shall commence the search, and 
 I assure you it shall be a very patient one, and a very thorough one. I will 
 map out every sheep-run in the district, and every stockman's house. If 
 there is a twin-brother of yours in Victoria I will find him," and Mr. Murden 
 smiled as though he had uttered a joke, but it was no joke to me, much as 
 I had suffered in the past year. 
 
 " There is some one who bears a remarkable resemblance to me in the 
 counfry. I saw the man who is called the Earl of Afton leave the Mel- 
 bourne Club House the first night I met you. His two friends supposed 
 that he and I were one. You can solve the mystery, and satisfy Florence 
 that I am worthy of her, and then I shall be perfectly happy." 
 
 " For how long ? " asked the Chief, with a low laugh, as though he had 
 heard just such protestations before. 
 
 '"' All my life, or as long as God spares us for each other, and the world," 
 I said earnestly. 
 
 " Amen. I begin to think that you are what you represent, a real 
 American sovereign, as you vainly call yourself, instead of a wild, adven- 
 turous, love-making nobleman, with more money and time than he knows 
 what to do with. Well, old fellow, I must be off, and start my prisoners on 
 their journey. The sun is nearly down, and we may have rain tonight. I 
 shall be in Melbourne the day after tomorrow." 
 
 " And I shall be there in the course of a few days, and will call on you." 
 
 We shook hands, and, as he turned away, asked, 
 
 " Is there any word that you wish to send to your wife ? No ? Well, I 
 '11 give you a lift if I can. I have watched the lady, and can tell that she 
 luv a s you, and will drop when the proper urging is applied. But her con- 
 founded pride and disappointment are a little too much for her just now. 
 From a countess down to the wife of Well, never mind. Don't get an- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 297 
 
 gry. You are worth a dozen of the modern earls, although, to tell you the 
 truth. I 'd give ten thousand pounds just to have plain and common ' Sir ' 
 as a handle to my name. It makes people respect and look up to you. Au 
 revoir." 
 
 He touched his horse with a spur, and cantered off, and, with the box of 
 gold in our possession, with rifle cocked, and revolver all ready for action, 
 while Mike's terrible gun rested across his knees, loaded with eight fingers 
 of powder and shot, we jogged along the rough road. y but did not meet with 
 any one who was strong enough to dispute our possession, and at eight 
 o'clock reached our hut. just as the rain commenced to pour down in tor- 
 rents. 
 
 We got the box into the shanty, and sent the horse home by a miner who 
 wanted a job, and a drink, and then had a fire started, covered the treasure 
 with blankets, prepared a good supper, locked up the house, and went to 
 bed, and slept soundly until eight o'clock the next morning, for we were 
 both very tired, having hardly closed our eyes the night before. 
 
 The rain had passed away by daylight, but the roads were in a terrible 
 condition, full of holes and gullies, slush and mud, yet I managed to get my 
 treasure to the branch bank, and had the dust and nuggets weighed, and all 
 the gold coin valued, and then found that Mr. Murden and I were about 
 eighteen thousand pounds better off than we were the day before, but out 
 of the amount I gave Mike five hundred pounds, and he nearly went crazy 
 with delight at the good fortune that was pouring 'into his lap, and more 
 than once declared that I was the best man that ever lived, with some rare 
 exceptions, and those were to be found only in Ould Oireland. 
 
 In the course of the next day I had made up my accounts, sold my 
 shanty, and all the comforts which it contained, went around and bid good- 
 by to the many friends I had made, and then found that with all of my 
 lucky findings, speculations, interest money, and sales I was worth near 
 three hundred thousand dollars, a sum that was far beyond my wildest 
 dreams of wealth. 
 
 The Chinamen arrived in time, and reported that all the people had left 
 Smith's for the city, and, after they were rested, and had eaten their sup- 
 per, I told them that I was going there myself, and should not return to 
 Ballarat, but that they could remain and mine on their own account, or they 
 could go to Melbourne, where they would get the money for the capture of 
 Dick and the rest of the bushrangers, and that I would give to each of them 
 a gratuity of a hundred pounds, in addition to what I owed them. They 
 preferred to go to Melbourne, and return to their beloved China, with 
 
298 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 money enough to make them rich for life, and I will here remark that they 
 did sail for the celestial empire in the course of a few weeks, and that the 
 last I heard of Gin Sling he was a fourth-class mandarin, engaged in the 
 tea trade, in the Fou-Chow district, and had a peculiar habit of applying 
 bamboos to the backs of such Chinamen as sold tea to any house except 
 his own, and at his option, while Ah Sugar went into rice speculations, opi- 
 um smuggling, and other business-like enterprises, and is a rich man, with 
 one regular wife, and a dozen irregular ones. Gin Sling sends me once a 
 year a half chest of real mandarin tea, and a monstrous letter, written in 
 Chinese characters, but, as they all read just alike, I no longer have them 
 translated, but send them to charity fairs to be disposed of as curiosities 
 from the son of the moon, the Emperor of China. No one has yet discov- 
 ered the imposture, and the charity people are satisfied, and clamorous for 
 more letters, as they sell readily. Ah Sugar is at Canton and Hong Kong, 
 and could be a mandarin, but does not like to pay for the title, so remains a 
 plain Chinaman, and has thus far escaped very serious squeezing from the 
 officials over him. I understand that he has a profound contempt for all 
 Englishmen of low degree, especially gold-miners, when he encounters the 
 latter. 
 
 The next day Mike and I took the mail wagon for Melbourne. He per- 
 sisted in carrying his gun, but I made him draw the charge before I would 
 allow him to enter the carriage. I did not want my head blown off by that 
 formidable weapon in case Mike got careless or excited. 
 
 \Ve were two days on the road, the wheeling was so bad. When we 
 drove up to Webber's I remained in the carriage, for I did not desire to en- 
 counter Katrine and her father, the Dutchman, and have another scene. 
 Neither of them saw me, for I covered up my face, and Mike swore that I 
 was a sick man, with symptoms of the small-pox, an announcement that 
 sent every one scampering away, and even Katrine, who had grown rosier 
 than ever, in retreating stumbled up the steps, and revealed a pair of ankles 
 that were not Grecian in shape or size, and caused old Webber to roar 
 out, 
 
 "You should be much ashamed ot meself, Katrine, ven de men all looks 
 
 dis way, by ! " and the girl shook down her skirts, gave a pretty little 
 
 giggle, and vanished, and that was the last that I saw of Katrine for some 
 years, and then she was married, and kept the wayside inn, in place of her 
 father, who had been shot by a bushranger, on the supposition that the 
 Dutchman had not dealt fairly by him, and publir opinion was rather on the 
 side of the robber. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 299 
 
 We dashed through Slabtown, where we stopped one night, then on, un- 
 til we reached the spot where Mike and I had encamped the first morning 
 out, and where the "old man kangaroo " had played so mean a trick on the 
 Irishman ; crossing small streams by fording, over bridges that were none 
 too secure, through dangerous and quivering swamps, past the nice country 
 residences, and at last, tired and bruised, we drew up at the Hen and 
 Chickens, my old inn, and were received at the door by the same old head 
 waiter, bald as ever, his face as red and oily as usual, his hair, what little he 
 had, as stiff and fiery as it was a year before, and he wrung his hands, and 
 smiled, just as he did the first day I saw him. 
 
 " Mike, me boy," said the waiter. 
 
 " Jeemes, me buy," was the remark of Mike to the waiter, and, after much 
 cautioning, Mike placed his precious gun in the hands of "Jeemes, "and 
 told him to take care of it, and then he proceeded to show me some atten- 
 tion. 
 
 " 'Appy to see yer, sir," was the greeting. " Vil yer 'ave the same hold 
 room, sir? It 's hall ready, sir, and the chambermaid vil be delighted to 
 know that yer 'as come back, sir, and yer clothes is hall right, sir, and the 
 chambermaid 'as brushed 'em twice a veek, 'cos she said it vos a melancho- 
 ly pleasure to 'er, sir, to do them little things for yer. They is hall ready 
 for yer, sir, at this moment, if yer vants 'em, and vot vil yer 'ave for sup- 
 per?" 
 
 "Looka-here, Jeemes," said Mike, "this gintleman is none of yer com- 
 mon sort. He will have a bed-chamber, and parlor, and grub in his own 
 room. He don't ate here wid ivery one, now I tell yer that, and do yer 
 moind me, me buy?" 
 
 " Certainly. Ve vil do vot ve can to make 'im 'appy. Got just the rooms 
 for 'im, but they comes werry hexpensive." 
 
 "To the divil wid yer hexpense," roared Mike. " We has money enough 
 to buy yer ould shebang, and ivery body in it His honor can fill a room 
 wid gould, and not moind it, or miss it." 
 
 " Bless me, yer don't say so," and the head waiter's eyes expressed as- 
 tonishment. 
 
 I had my luggage taken to my rooms, and left Mike to arrange for sup- 
 per, while I went in search of a hot bath, and, luckily, found a place on 
 Market Square, and, after I returned to the Hen and Chickens, a nice meal 
 was already served in my room, and as soon as it was disposed of, in addi- 
 tion to a pipe of tobacco, and a glass of old ale, I was ready for the nicest 
 bed that I had slept in for nearly a year. 
 
3OO The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Just before I fell asleep I thought of the wonderful changes that had 
 taken place in my fortunes since I landed at Melbourne, and then I felt a 
 thrill of pleasure at the idea that Florence was not more than a mile from 
 me, and that I could see her if I would only summon sufficient courage to 
 call on her. But I was not ready for that duty just then, and went to sleep, 
 and dreamed that my wife had been scalped by a dozen bushrangers, and 
 that they were dividing her curls as souvenirs, while I, tied to a tree, was 
 powerless to prevent them, and when I awoke Mike was pulling one of my 
 arms out of its socket in the hope of arousing me. 
 
 " Murderation, yer honor, but yer has had a moighty hard toime of it in 
 yer slape, to joodge by the way yer made the bed-clothes fly. Come, the 
 breakfast is all riddy, and it 's eight o'clock, and a bright morning for this 
 part of the woorld, but nothin' to Oulcl Oireland." 
 
 I was soon shaved and dressed (not that the former operation required 
 much time), and put on the business suit I had left at the inn, and the very 
 one I wore the day I landed in Melbourne. It did make me feel a little 
 stiff and constrained to put on a white linen shirt, and collar, and neatly 
 fitting clothes, but, at any rate, I felt that I wa cleaner, and more suited for 
 the company of ladies and gentlemen, in case I should be thrown into their 
 society, than when clothed in rough garments. 
 
 As I ate my breakfast, waited on by Mike, who would not sit at the table 
 with me, I read an account in the morning paper of the destruction of the 
 gang of bushrangers, and the terrible fight which Mr. Kebblewhite 
 had waged with the robbers when he was first captured, and how 
 he had defied them to the last, and there was some few words of praise for a 
 miner whose name was unknown, and an Irishmen, and Chinamen, who had 
 rendered some little assistance at the eleventh hour, but nothing to any ex- 
 tent, a statement that made Mike almost wild, and he wanted to go and 
 punch old Mr. Kebblewhite's blasted head for giving out such an account to 
 the press, but I persuaded him to keep cool, and let the story pass for what 
 it was worth. 
 
 After a leisurely breakfast, I took my drafts to the Oriental Bank, found 
 that everything was satisfactory, and was received with much courtesy by 
 the cashier, who was disposed to respect a man who had so large a balance 
 standing in his favor, and had not drawn on his account from the time he 
 made the first deposit. Then I took Mr. Murden's half of the buried treas- 
 ure, all in good new bills of large denominations, and went to the police 
 headquarters, and found the Chief in his office, and very glad he seemed to 
 see me, and very much pleased to have placed in his hands near nine thou- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 301 
 
 sand pounds, which he never would have obtained had I not let him into an 
 important secret, and asked his aid. 
 
 " Have you received any information of the gentleman who so nearly re- 
 sembles me ? " I asked, after the money was counted, and locked up in a 
 huge safe. - 
 
 " Yes, and no. One of my mounted force has sent me a short despatch, 
 saying that he was on the trail of a man and girl, near the banks of the Mur- 
 ray, but that he could not tell who he is, or where he comes from. He is 
 spending his* time shooting kangaroos, black swans, and ducks, and ap- 
 pears to have no other occupation. There may be something in it, but we 
 must wait. There are so many sheep-runs on the Murray that it will take 
 time to look them all up, and examine them. Courage, my boy. All will 
 come out right I hope." 
 
 I sighed very dolefully, for when a man is separated from a young and 
 pretty wife he is apt to be low-spirited. 
 
 " Don't sigh like that," laughed .the Chief. " A man can be a devoted 
 lover, and yet wear a smiling face. Come home with me today, and dine, 
 and we '11 drink a glass, or half a dozen of them, for that matter, of real old 
 champagne to the health of the Belle of Australia and her husband, and 
 then we will go to the theatre, and perhaps she will be there, and you can 
 see her. Is it a bargain ? " 
 
 " Yes, I suppose so. But it is hard not to be able to approach the lady, 
 and speak to her," I said. 
 
 " All in good time. Let us show her that you are a true man, and love 
 her dearly, and her woman's heart will flop towards you like a white swan 
 to its mate. Now read the morning papers, and let me receive a few re- 
 ports, and I shall be able to talk with you about that wool speculation." 
 
 A dozen officers, detectives, and inspectors came in, and reported, re- 
 ceived instructions on some pressing matters, and went about their work, 
 and, after all had gone. Mr. Murden was ready for business. 
 
 " Your amiable father-in-law," he said, " has circulated such accounts 
 of the immense wool clip, that holders are anxious to realize, and ready to 
 sell at a low price. I know that the reports are false, and that the clip will 
 be short by nearly a million pounds. Now, take my nine thousand pounds, 
 and put in nine thousand of your own, go to this broker (handing me a card), 
 and tell him to buy for your account four hundred thousand pounds of wool, 
 at the lowest market price, to be delivered in the course of a month Put 
 up our money as a margin, to show that you are sincere. There is a large 
 auction sale at noon today, and the purchase can be completed at once. 
 
302 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 We '11 give old Kebblewhite a twist, or I 'm much mistaken, and, remember, 
 the richer you are the better he '11 like you for a son-in-law." 
 
 I took the card, and saw that the broker's office was located on Collins 
 Street, and lost no time iu going there. I met many people who stared at me 
 rather hard, and one gentleman took off his hat, and bowed very low, and 
 would have stopped and spoken to me, but, as I knew it would be on the 
 same old subject, I hurried along, and found the broker, and laid my pro- 
 ject before him. 
 
 " You are incurring some risk in buying so much wool on a falling mar- 
 ket," he said. " I never knew it so low ; but still, if you are prepared to put 
 up a margin, I should like the commission." 
 
 "And you '11 keep the matter a secret, so that there shall be no chance 
 for a rise on the strength of our purchase ? " I asked. 
 
 " Certainly, that is part of my business," was the reply. " We can keep 
 secrets when necessary." 
 
 I deposited eighteen thousand pounds with him, and then started on my 
 return to the Hen and Chickens, when, just as I was turning into Russell 
 Street, who should I encounter, face to face, but Doctor Haverley Haverley, 
 the gentleman who had claimed me as the Earl of Afton, in front of the 
 club house, and intimated that he was a great friend of the old nobleman, my 
 father. 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! what are you doing here, my lord ? " the surgeon 
 asked, apparently astonished at seeing me. 
 
 " I am in the city on business," I answered. 
 
 " Shall you remain for any length of time, my lord ?" 
 
 " I am uncertain at the present moment how long I shall remain," was 
 my answer, for I had no relish for an argument. 
 
 " And when did you arrive, my lord ? " 
 
 " Yesterday." 
 
 " And you did not think it worth your while to call on me, my lord ? " 
 
 " What would have been the use ? You would have reproached me, and 
 we should never understand each other," I answered, for it was no use to 
 argue with a man whose mind was already made up. 
 
 " True, my lord, I should have reproached you, for it was not acting with 
 candor to te 1 ! me that you could not marry Miss Kebblewhite, and then, 
 when I had left you for a few moments to attend a patient, to go to the 
 house, and marry her, and, after you had been united, to act so much like a 
 simpleton as to desert her in an hour's time." 
 
 " You are candid, doctor." 
 
The Belle of Australia. 303 
 
 " I mean to be, my lord. I have letters from your noble mother asking 
 for information concerning you, and what can I write her ? " 
 
 44 1 am sure I don't know," I replied. 
 
 " For nearly a year I have heard not one word concerning you, except a 
 short letter saying that you were having a jolly time, and that you meant 
 to keep it up, for it was much pleasanter than fashionable life. There was 
 no date on the note, and no postmark. You did not go to Gelong, as I pro- 
 posed, overland ? " 
 
 ' ; No," I said, " I did not go to Gelong." 
 
 " Then where did you go, my lord ? Give me some account of your 
 life." 
 
 " It is too eventful to be told on the corner of a street. Some time I will 
 relate it to you with pleasure." 
 
 Just at this moment Mr. Mattocks passed us, and gave me a cold bow, 
 and the surgeon a cordial one. He did not like me, for he had been a 
 suitor for Florence's hand, and failed to win her. 
 
 " Poor Mattocks," the surgeon said, u he feels his loss keenly, and will 
 never see another lady whom he can love as he did the Belle of Australia. 
 Strange that what you do not value he would esteem as the best thing in 
 this world. Will you take my arm, my lord, and walk home with me ? My 
 wife will be pleased to see you." 
 
 "Thanks, but I shall have to defer the pleasure, and when we next meet 
 I trust that you will not condemn me as you do today." 
 
 I lifted my hat, and parted from the kind-hearted surgeon, leaving him 
 standing on the sidewalk a little astonished at my coolness and indifference 
 to an old friend of the family. 
 
 I had half a dozen low bows before I was sheltered in the Hen and 
 Chickens, and, to prevent embarrassment, when I went to Mr. Murden's 
 house to dine, took a hansom, and thus escaped notice. 
 
 Mr. Murclen was a widower, but had a good housekeeper, one who could 
 look after his personal comforts without the expectation of marrying him 
 as soon as he grew old and childish, and thereby gain a husband, and a for- 
 tune at the same time. She knew the temper of her employer, and so mind- 
 ed h>r own business, and served up a charming little dinner, and we en- 
 joyed it, and at eight o'clock took a hansom, and went to the Royal Victoria 
 Theatre, and retired to the recesses of a private box, for Mr. Murden did 
 not think it safe to exhibit me to the full gaze of a Melbourne audience, un- 
 til a public explanation had been made regarding my conduct in the matri- 
 monial line. 
 
34 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 The play was a burlesque of some kind. The ' Invisible Prince," I 
 think, or it might have been the " White Fawn," I was so busy scanning 
 the house to see if Florence was present, that I did not notice, but sudden- 
 denly one of the lady actresses advanced to the footlights to sing some dog- 
 gerel, and in her lines she improvised : 
 
 " Now I see that he is here, 
 Earl of Afton, noble peer, 
 He left his bride on his wedding night ; 
 Left her, it is said, because he was tight. 
 These are the nobles we love so well, 
 This is the man who married our Belle." 
 
 The lines were evidently manufactured for the occasion, and by some 
 person on the stage, who saw me, and supposed that I was the real lord, 
 and not the plebeian. But little notice would have been taken of the cir- 
 cumstance, if the singer, rather a pretty and piquant girl, dressed so that 
 most of her form showed to great advantage through very little clothing, 
 pointed directly at me in the private box, thus calling the attention of the 
 audience to the fact that 1 was in the theatre. I don't suppose the girl real- 
 ly meant anything more than a fling at me, and to raise a laugh, and a little- 
 applause, but if she had thrown a fire-ball into the orchestra she could not 
 have caused more excitement than she did. In an instant there was an up- 
 roar, and howls and hisses, yells and stamps, were so loud, that the singer 
 got frightened, and fled from the stage. 
 
 " Out with him ! " roared the audience. 
 
 " Throw him over ! " yelled the gods in the gallery, and down on the 
 stage came oranges, and other fruits, and the groans grew louder. 
 
 "Turn him out!" shrieked the people in the boxes, and the women 
 waved their handkerchiefs to encourage the men, and seemed to enjoy the 
 tumult. 
 
 I looked on, a trifle astonished at my unpopularity, or rather of that of 
 the Earl of Afton, and wondered what the next move would be. The noise 
 continuing, the manager came forward, but, before he could utter a word, 
 an orange took him full in ttie face, and another struck on his shirt bosom, 
 and left a bad stain. Then he was mad, but no one would listen to him for 
 a moment. 
 
 " Will you go, or remain ? " asked Murden. " If you will stay I '11 have 
 enough men here in ten minutes to protect you, but you will be injured very 
 
The Belle of Australia. 305 
 
 probably, and so will some others. The best thing we can do is to cut 
 ?tick, and beat a hasty retreat. An Australian mob is the devil, and you 
 can neither coax it, nor drive it, except with bayonets. Let us slip out 
 through the stage door, and so throw the people off the trail. Come along. 
 We have no time to lose." 
 
 And we did n't have. The audience was just roaring itself hoarse, as we 
 slipped out of the box, and through the stage entrances, where we found 
 the actors and actresses in a flutter of fear. We did not stop to exchange a 
 word with them, or the manager. Mr. Murden put me in a hansom, and 
 told the driver to be off as quickly as he could, and, while I went to the 
 shelter of the Hen and Chickens, the Chief returned to the stage of the 
 theatre, and assured the audience that the obnoxious person had leit, and 
 would not return, and that, now they had given expression to their feelings 
 as true British subjects, men who would never be slaves to caste, or to rank 
 of any kind, but loved fair play, the burlesque would go on. Then the au- 
 dience called for three cheers for Mr. Murden, for Englishmen in general, 
 and themselves in particular, and allowed the young lady with but few 
 clothes to finish her song, and mincing walk at the same time, so I lost the 
 benefit of that play through my resemblance to the Earl of Afton, confound 
 him ! as I said at the time. 
 
 The next morning, at nine o'clock, while I was reading a paper, giving a 
 highly colored account of the outbreak at the theatre, an officer entered, and 
 gave me a note from the Chief. It read, 
 
 "Dear Mr. Angus, Come to the house of Mr. Kebblewhite as soon as 
 possible. We have got him, or got you, I don't know which, or who is 
 who, and I 'm in a maze, and have been a blasted fool, and I a'n't fit to be 
 Chief of Police, and I mean to resign, and turn shepherd, or hang myself, 
 or do something desperate. Both of you must be confronted with your 
 (his) wife, and let her decide which is the rightful one. 
 
 " Yours mystified, 
 
 " MURDEN." 
 
 " When was he brought in ? " I asked the officer. 
 
 " Late last night, sir." 
 
 " Does he look like me ? " 
 
 " Well, sir, I think you got here before me. and that Mr. Murden is up to 
 some lark. If there are two of you I could not tell you apart, and no one 
 else could. It 's some joke of the Chief, I really believe." 
 
 20 
 
306 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 I dressed with care, and some little nervous haste, and then told Mike 
 that my double had been found, and that he was to be exposed in the course 
 of the forenoon. 
 
 " Shall I bate him, sur?" Mike asked. 
 
 " No, but you may go with me." 
 
 It was half-past ten when we drove up to Mr. Kebblewhite's house. I 
 saw two hansoms there, and supposed that Mr. Murden had already arrived. 
 I hurried to the door, and was met by Harry, the inside servant and butler. 
 
 " Veil, vich is vich ? " he asked, with a grin. " There is von of yer in the 
 dinin'-room, and yer go in the parlor and vait. Miss Florence vill 'ave a 
 nice time assortin' yer over, and a-pickin' of yer ho'ut, and tellin' vich is 
 vich, and the hold man is in a horful 'umor, I tells yer. But arter hall she 
 von't know if she 'as got the right von." 
 
 How I trembled as I entered the large drawing-room, which I remember- 
 ed so well. I walked to the very spot where I had knelt when I was mar- 
 ried ; I glanced over the music on the grand piano, and saw that the song 
 " Then You '11 Remember Me " was on the rack ; 1 noticed the clock, the 
 windows, the paintings, the flowers, the carpet, and Persian rugs, and then 
 the folding-doors were thrown open with a crash, and Mr. Murden came 
 toward me, arm in arm with a dark young man, with black curling hair, and 
 the very features, form, and height of myself, as far as I could judge. 
 
 For one minute we gazed at each other without speaking, and then, faint 
 with suspense and apprehension, I sat down in a chair, and covered my eyes 
 with my hands to hide the tears that would steal down my cheeks, but they 
 were tears of joy, to think that I had been vindicated from all the charges 
 brought against me. 
 
 " My God ! what a wonderful resemblance to each other," cried Mr. Mur- 
 den. " Don't move ; don't mix yourselves up. Stand just where you are. 
 Sit still. If you stir we shall never know who is who. Well, this beats all 
 of my experience on the police. Which of you is the Earl of Afton ? " 
 
 " I think that gentleman must be," and my double laughed, and pointed 
 to me. 
 
 " No, it is not true. 1 am plain Angus Mornington," I cried. 
 
 "And I am Angus Mornington, also, but I won't admit that I am plain, 
 for the ladies say I am not," and the other Angus stroked his light mus- 
 tache, and laughed as if he had not a care in the world, except getting into 
 difficulties, and out of them. 
 
 " How in the name* of Heaven does it happen that we look so much 
 alike ? " I asked, as soon as I could speak. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 307 
 
 " Well, Mornington, my father was a very handsome man, and a naval 
 officer," the earl laughed, in a careless way. 
 
 " And my father was a very handsome man, and a naval officer, also. 
 Was your mother very attractive ? " I asked, and the young fellow flushed, 
 and then laughed, as he said, 
 
 ' Let us drop personalities. It seems that you have caused me much in- 
 convenience by traveling all through the country, and making love to every 
 pretty girl you met. That was not right, Mr. Mornington. You should not 
 disgrace the name. Be true to your honor, and the fair sex, if you wish to 
 succeed in life, and be an ornament to society, like myself," and he laughed 
 again. 
 
 This sounded well from a man who had been doing some very disreputa- 
 ble things all through the country, for the past twelve months, and for which 
 I had to bear the blame. 
 
 " If you are a sample of the ornaments of society," I said, " I should pre- 
 fer to mingle with those who are outcasts, for even the latter have some re- 
 gard for their word, while you had rather deceive a woman than aid one." 
 
 " Don't be too severe, Mornington," laughed the nobleman, for noble- 
 man he was. " You have injured my reputation, married the Belle of Aus- 
 tralia, and then deserted her the very night of the wedding, which I should 
 not have done, and I am afraid that my friends have put me down for an 
 imbecile, and that I shall never recover lost ground. Then you send out a 
 squad of policemen to hunt me up, and offer a reward for my apprehension, 
 and drag me here, just as I was having the best of shooting on the Murray, 
 killing kangaroos and ducks to the right and left, and I want to go back as 
 soon as possible." 
 
 "Not until a full explanation is made," I said. "Clear me of all false 
 charges, and I will willingly see you depart." 
 
 " Upon my word, I can't act as your father confessor, Mornington. I 
 have no sins of my own, and don't know how t/> rebuke those which others 
 have." 
 
 He moved toward a seat, but Mr. Murden kept close to him, for fear he 
 would escape. 
 
 " Don't get mixed," he pleaded. " You are dressed about alike, and I 
 can't distinguish you if I turn my head for a moment. Keep still for a 
 while.' 1 
 
 ' A lady is 'ere vot is haxin' fcr Mr. Mornington/' cried Harry, putting 
 his head in at the door. 
 
 " Some of your flames have followed you here, Mornington," said my 
 
308 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 good-natured, impudent double, with a laugh. " We will retire if necessary. 
 Don't mind us." 
 
 The next instant a lady entered the drawing-room, and, to my intense as- 
 tonishment, 1 saw that it was my mother, whom I supposed in Boston. 
 
 " O my dear boy, O my dear son," she cried, and folded the lord in her 
 arms, while I was left out in the cold, and neglected. 
 
 " Gently, madame," laughed the lord. "Give me a chance to breathe, 
 you know, because it 's deuced awkward to be smothered by one's own 
 mother. Now then, try it again, if you want to." 
 
 " Mother," I said, " I am the one to welcome you. I am the one who 
 should receive those kisses." 
 
 The poor woman came to me, and stopped, looked at us, first one and 
 then the other, and, woman-like, began to cry to express her feelings. 
 
 " I see it all now," she said, as I put my arms around her, and kissed her 
 heavenly face, and strove to dry her tears. " You are both named Angus 
 Mornington?" 
 
 "That is my family name," said the young lord, with a tender look on 
 his face, all levity being banished for the time being. 
 
 " And that is my family name, also, as you well know, dear mother," I re- 
 sponded. 
 
 She made a motion for the Chief to close the doors, and he obeyed, but 
 remained in the room. 
 
 " Angus," she said, looking at me, and to the second Angus, "take each 
 other's hands, and love one another, tor you are twin brothers, as I hope 
 for heaven." 
 
 " What ! " we both exclaimed, thinking that the lady was insane. 
 "You were born twin brothers, and J am your mother," she repeated. 
 " Come, you know, that is a little rough on a fellow. Confound it, my ti- 
 tle and fortune are involved, you know. This is a strange sort of romance 
 to spring on a fellow, you know. By Jove, I don't know what to think of 
 this," and the noble lord did n't look happy. 
 
 " Is this gentleman to be trusted?" my mother asked, pointing to Mr. 
 Murden. 
 
 " Yes, I am sure of him," I cried, and the other Angus nodded asseni to 
 my words. 
 
 " Then listen to me, children," she said. " Here, take a seat on each 
 side of me, on the sofa, and let me hold your hands." 
 
 " Don't mix 'em," cried the Chief, but no notice was paid to him. 
 
 " When I was first married to your father, Angus," patting me on the 
 
The Belle of Australia. 309 
 
 cheek, and then patting the other fellow, " he was ordered to the Mediter- 
 ranean station, as the first lieutenant of the United-States ship Ohio, one 
 of the largest men-of-war in the navy. I followed him in a packet across 
 the Atlantic, and met my husband at Naples, where his vessel was lying 
 close by the seventy-four-gun-ship Asia, a famous craft in the English 
 navy. Her first lieutenant was Angus Mornington, the only son of the 
 Earl of Afton, and called Lord Mornington, being a lord by courtesy. 
 My husband was of Scotch descent, and was also named Angus Morning- 
 ton, and a distant relative of his lordship. The singularity of the names 
 and positions of the two gentlemen, and relationship also, made them fast 
 friends. Lady Mornington and I also became attached to each other. My 
 husband saved the life of Lord Mornington one night, in Naples, and thus 
 they were greater friends than ever after that event. We all had rooms on 
 the same floor at the Hotel de Europe, and the husbands passed what time 
 they could with us, and thus we were two happy families. Singular as it 
 may seem, Lady Mornington and I became mothers at the same time, at the 
 same hour, and in nearly adjoining apartments. Her ladyship's child was a 
 girl, but it lived only a few moments after birth, while I was the mother of 
 twins, two stout, healthy boys, but of this I was not conscious for many 
 days afterward, and now rely entirely upon my late husband's statement, 
 and that of the nurse, a faithful and devoted Frenchwoman, whom we en- 
 gaged at Naples, for all the events that followed. Lady Mornington was so 
 much affected at the birth of a babe that she was almost wild with joy, and 
 her husband did not dare to tell her that the child was a girl, and dead. He 
 made so many objections to her seeing the baby, that at last her ladyship 
 grew suspicious, and finally frantic for a sight of her infant, and then his 
 lordship hit upon the expedient of borrowing one of my children, and pre- 
 senting it to his wife as her own. I was unconscious of the deception, for 
 I knew nothing of the affairs of the world for many weeks. My husband 
 saw that it was a matter of life or death to the wife of his best friend, and 
 consented that one of his boys should be exhibited to her ladyship, and that 
 the deception might be kept up until Lady Mornington should recover her 
 health and strength ; but she became so devoted to the babe that neither 
 my husband nor his lordship dared to undeceive her, and thus matters drift- 
 ed on until I was able to travel, and still the terrible secret was kept from 
 both mothers, and at last the two husbands swore never to reveal the matter 
 as long as they lived, so that no question could arise about inheriting the 
 Mornington title and fortune. These are the facts of the case, and it 
 was only after my husband's death that I discovered his statement, ad- 
 
310 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 dressed to me, unsigned, and not sworn to, with the request that I would 
 not make it knuwn to any one, and I should not now, were it not for the pe- 
 culiar position in which you are placed. No harm can happen to either of 
 you by what I have stated. The nurse is dead, Angus's father is dead, 
 Lord Mornington is dead, and the Dowager Countess of Afton knows noth- 
 ing about the exchange, so proof is impossible, for my lips are sealed from 
 this moment on the subject. As soon as I received your letters, Angus, 
 telling me of the wonderful likeness which you bore to my other Angus, I 
 knew that you and your twin-brother were near each other, for I recognized 
 the name, and then determined to come here, and see you both, if possible, 
 and also be prepared to love my daughter-in-law. I took passage in a fast- 
 sailing clipper ship from Boston to Melbourne, arrived yesterday, and have 
 spent most of my time in discovering your whereabouts, and I should have 
 been unsuccessful had you not told me the name of your bride. Some gen- 
 tlemen directed me here, and, thank Heaven, I have met both of my sons, 
 but one of them I must love a little better than the other, as is natural, for 
 from this time forth one is my real son, and the other is the Earl of Af- 
 ton, and belongs to another mother. It must be so, for it is too late now to 
 exchange children, or explain matters to the world." 
 
 We kissed her hands, and my brother was visibly affected. But he did 
 not want to lose his title and wealth, and so acquiesced in the arrangement 
 without a murmur. No wonder. He had not known my mother's tender 
 care, and it was natural he should not enthuse over a lady he had never 
 seen before. 
 
 " What puzzles me," said his lordship, for so I shall continue to call him, 
 "is this. I am one of the best of men, and my brother is rather wild, and 
 uncertain. How do you account for it, mother dear ? " 
 
 This was cool, and even Mr. Murden had to laugh, while I looked indig- 
 nant. 
 
 " I do not think that a young gentleman who engages himself to a lady, 
 and then permits his brother to take his place to save the reputation of the 
 family, can make many boasts of his goodness," replied my mother, slightly 
 pulling the ear of the earl, while she pressed my hand. 
 
 My brother laughed, as he said, 
 
 " Well, I think Angus is a little superior to me in some respects. But if 
 he had had my position, my wealth, and my crowd of flatterers, would he 
 have been so much better, do you think? Answer that, mother," and for a 
 moment he was serious. 
 
 " Angus was always a good son," was all the remark my mother made, 
 
The Belle of Australia. 311 
 
 for she wished to be non-committal on some points, and she was not aware 
 of all that I had suffered on my brother's account. 
 
 " The history which you have here related,, inadame," said Mr. Murden, 
 coming forward, " bears upon its face the test of truth, and if further proof 
 was wanting don't mix up please," for my brother was about to move his 
 position on the sofa " look at the two young gentlemen. I have a quick 
 eye, and a steady one, but I can't tell the lord from the commoner, and no 
 one can do so. Even their mother can't. Now I have abused one party, 
 thinking he was the lord, and I have intimated to him that he was lying 
 time and time again, and will say this, that for an out-and-out good one the 
 commoner is the best man I ever mef, except three other Americans, whom 
 I won't mention at the present time, and I don't know but that he is their 
 equal. I can't yet decide the point." 
 
 My mother smiled on the Chief quite graciously, for she approved of his 
 comments. 
 
 " Oh, say something in praise of me also," laughed my brother. " You 
 are giving the other too much of a good thing." 
 
 " I shall have to wait for a blessed hereafter before I can praise your 
 lordship," was the answer. " To tell the truth, you have been the bete noir 
 of my life for the past year, and I shall be glad when you leave the coun- 
 try." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Murden, you are not complimentary," laughed my brother, as 
 though he had heard a good joke. " But I am going home in a short time. 
 I determined to see something of bush life, and what kind of ruffians bush- 
 rangers were made of. I met two, one called Black Dick, and the other 
 Slipper Sam, and Satan never painted worse scoundrels than those two 
 men." 
 
 " They are both dead, my lord," the Chief said, very quietly. 
 
 " Are they ? So glad. They promised to teach me the art of bushrang- 
 ing for a certain sum, and to let me do as I pleased in the mean time. They 
 charged high, but I do not regret the experience. The first victim they 
 practiced on was a Chinaman, and my new partners threatened to blow my 
 head off for interfering in their business. They said that I was only an 
 apprentice in the art, and had no voice in affairs of importance. I suppose 
 the poor devil's bones are picked dry by this time, for he was lashed to a 
 tree, near an ant hill. After all, the scamps did not get a penny, for he had 
 no money." 
 
 " Yes, he did," I said. " I rescued him, and in his queue was a bag con- 
 taining three pounds of gold." 
 
312 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " Well, Angus, I 'm glad that you are capable of such good actions. Ah, 
 my boy, if you had been as noble in all your conduct how proud I should be 
 of you," and the earl caressed his mustache, and looked like an innocent 
 young man. 
 
 I thought Mr. Murden would explode in his efforts to restrain his mirth, 
 while my mother kissed me to show how much she approved of my con- 
 duct. 
 
 "You know," continued my brother, after Mr. Murden had composed his 
 face, "that all the fellows in the nobility line are crazy to write books, and 
 I am as bad as the rest. I struck out for this part of the world, and can 
 give them odds, and beat them all. But if I don't write a book, and I may 
 be too lazy to attend to it, I '11 get you to do it for me, Angus, and I '11 pub- 
 lish under my own name, and you shall have the profits. I Ve got lots of 
 incidents to make a big volume. But now to more serious things. Mr. 
 Murden, you have heard the confession of my mother, and a dear, good 
 mother she is, I know, and all that sort of thing, but I can't love her quite 
 as well as I do my reputed mother, who has spoiled me by letting me have 
 everything that my fancy craved. You don't expect it, you know, do you, 
 mother? " 
 
 She, with tearful eyes, kissed my brother, and murmured, 
 
 " No, I don't expect it," but it cost her a bitter pang to utter the words. 
 
 " That is all right, you know. Now, Mr. Murden, I can make it for your 
 interest to keep still about this matter. Will you do so? " 
 
 " Yes, my lord, most faithfully do I promise, but not from interested mo- 
 tives, or pecuniary reward." 
 
 " I don't care what your motives are as long as you keep your mouth 
 shut. I have a little political influence at home, and ca?. use it at tirres for 
 the benefit of those I like. The office of lieutenant-governor is not beyond 
 the reach of a gentleman like you. Think of that, sir." 
 
 Mr. Murden bowed quite low, and his eyes glistened at the prospect be- 
 fore him. From a simple inspector of police to the high office of lieutenant 
 governor was a great jump, and he knew it. 
 
 " Now there is one disagreeable duty for me to perform," my brother re- 
 marked, as he bent down, and kissed the white brow of his mother, " and 
 that is to set Angus right with his wife. I should like to shirk the task, 
 but can't see my way out. Somehow she thinks he is a little off color, but 
 we can persuade her that she must not believe all the reports she has heard 
 about him. I '11 stand by you, Angus, and, although I won't lie to any wo- 
 man, I will render things to her eyes the couleur de rose, unless you have 
 
The Belle of Australia. 313 
 
 gone too far in your liaisons, and if you have I give you up," and he looked 
 the picture of innocence. 
 
 " O brother," I asked, " does the nobility of England possess as much 
 impudence as you. individually and collectively ? " 
 
 " I am afraid that I am modest compared to some of them, Angus. Now, 
 Mr. Murden, bring in the actors. I understand that you have a room full 
 of interested parties up-stairs, and we must not keep them waiting too long. 
 We will let thj young lady pick out her husband if she can. Let us test 
 her, Angus." 
 
 " It is cruel," I said. " Pray do not sport with so serious a matter." 
 
 " Oh, bosh, just as though a young woman thinks it very cruel business 
 to pick out a husband Irorn two good-looking fellows like you and me. Call 
 them in, Mr. Murden. The sooner the thing is done the better I shall feel. 
 My brother is spoony, and, if he has done some wrong, we must try and 
 set him up, and put him on the right track," and then his lordship once 
 more smiled, and stroked his tiny mustache. 
 
 Mr. Murden threw open the door, and left us. In a few moments we 
 heard a rustle on the stairs, and then Mr. Kebblewhite, his son, Monsieur 
 Allete, the maiden aunts and cousins, and, lastly, Florence, looking very 
 anxious and handsome, supported by her fair-faced and gentle mother, all 
 entered the drawing-room, and ranged themselves opposite to us, like wall- 
 flowers in a ball-room. 
 
 1 started forward to greet Florence, and welcome her, but my brother 
 stopped me. 
 
 " Fair play, Angus," he whispered. ** Give me a chance. Let us start 
 square." 
 
 My dear little wife had been informed that some curious denouement 
 was about to happen, but what it was she had not been able to learn, and 
 now that she was permitted to look around, and saw standing near her two 
 men, so much alike, she nestled closer to her mother, and exclaimed, 
 
 " Good Heaven, mamma, there 's two of them, and which is my hus- 
 band ? " and she seemed frightened. 
 
 " Can you ask that question, Florence ? " demanded my brother, as he 
 stepped forward, and extended his hands, as though to inclose the dear girl 
 in his arms, and give her a warm embrace. He was fully capable of such a 
 crime. " Does not your gentle heart tell you that I am the one to whom 
 you gave your little hand ? a hand that I prize above all things in this 
 world. Speak to me, O darling, and t 11 me that you have not forgotten me, 
 and never will." 
 
314 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 I remained silent, leaning on the back of a chair. My emotion was too 
 powerful for speech. God knows I wanted to start forward, and throw my- 
 self at her feet, and kiss her hand, and call her my own precious wife, but 
 I was powerless to move. Had my life depended on it, I could not have 
 uttered a word. Would some instinct of love, some tender response from 
 her kind heart, point out the true and the false, and guide her to my arms, 
 and to my breast ? 
 
 " I do not know which is my husband, and which is the impostor," the 
 trembling girl said, still clinging to her mother, and looking first at my 
 brother and then at myself. " I love one of you, but it is the one I wedded, 
 and not the one who rejected me. Oh ! in mercy tell me to which do I be- 
 long ? Do not torture me by this suspense. I am weak, and have suffered, 
 oh, so much ! and it is cruel to thus wound me so deeply. Be merciful, if 
 you are men." 
 
 " Florence," said my brother, and now all levity was banished from his 
 fun-loving face, and he took another step forward, and touched her unre- 
 sisting hand, " I am the Earl of Afton, and I regret to say that I am not 
 your husband. This gentleman is, and believe me, when I tell you, that he 
 is a thousand times more worthy of the love of so good and pure a woman 
 as yourself than I am. You have made a fortunate choice, sweet lady, and 
 now let me lead him to you, and your trials are over, I hope. He loves you 
 as I never could, for it is not in my nature to be true or constant to any 
 woman, much as I have tried. But time will cure me, I hope, of that weak- 
 ness, and make me a pattern of domestic virtues." 
 
 " Is this true ? " asked Florence, looking at me with startling earnest- 
 ness. 
 
 " It is true, Florence. I pledge you my knightly word of honor that it is 
 true," my brother said, very earnestly. 
 
 " And my husband has not been guilty of all the sins that have reached 
 my ears ? " demanded Florence eagerly. 
 
 His lordship winced a little, and hesitated, but he was a bold man, and a 
 good fellow at heart, and, therefore, replied, 
 
 " Charge them all to my account, Florence. Your husband is worthy of 
 you, and ranks next to a saint. He is a Joseph, and your handsome face 
 will keep him good, or I am much mistaken." 
 
 Florence hesitated a moment, and then I opened my arms, and the next 
 instant she was held close and fast in my embrace, and her lips were kiss- 
 ed with a zest that made my brother wink very hard, as he realized what he 
 had lost. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 315 
 
 " Thra chares for the Belle of Australia, and Mr. Hangus ! " I heard 
 some one yell in the hall, and I had no difficulty in recognizing Mike's 
 voice, but he was hustled out of sight, and pacified with a gbss of real 
 " ould Oirish whiskey." But even in the basement of the house I could 
 hear him cheer. 
 
 "Veil, look a-'ere," cried Mr. Kebblewhite, "this a'n't jist vot I bargain- 
 ed for, yer know. I vanted a syphon of the nobility for a son-in-law, yer 
 know.'' 
 
 "Tush, man," returned my brother, "he is worth a dozen men like me. 
 He will never give your daughter a heart-ache, and I am sure that I should. 
 Be content with a man, and not with a title, such as you have aspired to. 
 Think of your daughter's happiness." 
 
 " But 'e a'n't got no money," Mr. Kebblewhite protested, beginning to 
 grow angry. 
 
 " Then he shall have some," responded my brother. " I have more than 
 I can use, and this very day I will draw a draft on my London bankers for 
 fifty thousand pounds, and place it to his credit, and if that sum is not 
 enough he shall have fifty thousand more. He shall not want for money as 
 long as I have millions." 
 
 " That is hall wery veil," Mr. Kebblewhite said, t4 but 'e a'n't a lud, arter 
 hall." 
 
 " No, but he is a man, and that is something better," responded his lord- 
 ship, curtly, ar d did not appear to care any more for Mr. Kebblewhite, and 
 his opinions, than he did for those of a common servant. In fact, he snub- 
 bed Mr. K. at all points. " Florence," his lordship continued, turning to 
 my wife, who lifted her blushing face from my bosom to look at him, " do 
 not feel angry at me for not keeping my engagement. So help me Heaven, 
 I felt that I loved you when I asked you to become my wife. It is one of 
 my peculiarities to fall in love with every pretty face that I meet, and to of- 
 fer marriage, and then repent. I meant to wed you, but remembered in 
 time, that my mother, the countess, had arranged a match for me with the 
 eldest daughter of the Duke of Westchester, a nice girl, given to fairs, 
 painting flower-pots, and petting the poor of the parish, and I knew that 
 there 'd be such a deused row, that I became frightened, and shied the 
 track, and this gentleman, a relative of mine, took my place, and I wish you 
 lots of happiness, and all of that kind of thing, you know, and now who is 
 going to stand a dozen of champagne ? for I am tired of talking. It is dry 
 work and I never gabble, unless it is to a pretty woman, and, as Florence 
 is lost to me, I don't want to waste my time in a useless manner. Come, 
 
3 I( 5 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Mr. K., set out your wine, and let us have a jolly time of it today, drinking 
 the health of your daughter." 
 
 " Dear Angus," whispered Florence, " do you truly forgive me for all my 
 hard thoughts and words ? " 
 ; ' As I hope to be forgiven, pet." 
 
 " And you will always love me as much as you do now, O my husband ? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " God grant it, darling. But come, dear, let me introduce you to my 
 mother. She is here, most unexpectedly, and will love you for the sake of 
 her son, and for your own dear self as well." 
 
 " I know that I shall love her if she is like her son," was the cheering re- 
 sponse, and the two women fell into each other's arms, and, of course, com- 
 menced crying immediately, as they always do on such occasions. 
 
 " Veil, 'e 's a swell, arter hall, and is a relative of a hearl," Mr. Kebble- 
 white said. " That a'n't bad. Yer, 'Arry, put hout the vine, and let us 
 hall 'ave a cold snack. Strip the cellar of champagne, and blast the hex- 
 pense. I 'm 'appy as any of 'em." 
 
 " Attendez," cried the Frenchman, coming forward. " Vait all of you, s'il 
 vous plait. Speak vil I. To the young couple give I all my moneys vhen I 
 no longer them vant. It is much, and have it all shall they. Spoken have 
 1. Hein." 
 
 " Better and better," roared Mr. Kebblewhite. " 'Arry, you willain, open 
 hall the vine in the 'ouse. Bless me if I don't sing some sea songs for yer," 
 and at this information the Frenchman grew pale, and there was a commo- 
 tion among the cousins, and an ominous silence. 
 
 " Will you let me congratulate you, Angus ? " said a soft, pleasant voice, 
 and, turning, I saw the sweet face of my mother-in-law. " I loved you the 
 first night I saw you, and now I love you as well as if I was your own moth- 
 er. May God bless you and Florence." 
 
 " Amen, mother," I answered, and kissed the dear woman so earnestly 
 that my wife came toward us, in pretended alarm. 
 
 "You will make me jealous, Angus," Florence said, "if you kiss my 
 mother so fervently," but I never gave her cause for jealousy, and loved her 
 ever. " And you will never let those mean, contemptible Kitties, and Web- 
 bies, and Smithies, kiss you again, will you, dear?" whispered Florence, 
 " even by mistake, you know." 
 
 " Never, darling, when you are near," and the answer appeared to give 
 her great satisfaction, for she clung to me closer than ever, and seemed as 
 happy as a bride should always appear. 
 
The Belle of Australia. 317 
 
 " 'Ere is another voman vot vants to see Mr. Angus,'' cried Harry, and 
 his lordship looked at me, and said, 
 
 " I hope that it is not another flame of yours, Angus. You should keep 
 them at a distance on such an occasion as this," but, by the time he had 
 finished speaking, who should come into the room but Mother Higgins, 
 whom I had met at Camp Reserve. 
 
 " You poor, dear boy," the good lady said, as she caught sight of my 
 brother, and supposed that it was me, " I have learned at the police station 
 all the facts of the case, and I came to tell you how sorry I am for my 
 treatment of you. O you angel," and she hugged his lordship most fer- 
 vently. 
 
 " Let up, will you ! " roartd the earl. " What the deuse do you mean, 
 you know? It is bad enough to have a young girl put her arms around you, 
 but when it comes to an old woman, I can't stand it, you know. Get out. 
 You are crazy. I never saw you before." 
 
 ' I think that I am the one the lady wishes to see," I said, stepping for- 
 ward, and then Mother Higgins turned the wealth of her affection on me, 
 and just gushed. 
 
 " Yes, you are the one, you dear, good young man, whom I supposed 
 was vile. Let me kiss you. And this is your sweet wife ? Oh, how hand- 
 some she is ! Ah, my dear lady, you have got a treasure for a husband, let 
 me tell you. He is an angel, if he has n't got wings. Why, the night he 
 brought that girl to my house, and then left her in my care, and kissed " 
 
 " What ? " asked Florence, a little abruptly. 
 
 Mrs. Higgins saw that she was on the wrong tack, and backed water at 
 once, much to my relief. 
 
 " And kissed me, a woman old enough to be his mother, because he was 
 so glad I was good to the poor thing." 
 
 I breathed a little freer. His lordship had wisely left the room. He did 
 not relish such reminiscences in the presence of company. 
 
 " I know what men are, dear lady," Mother "Higgins continued. " I 've 
 buried three husbands, and now I 've got a fourth, and shall put him in the 
 ground unless he stops drinking." 
 
 Florence looked a little shocked, but Mrs. Higgins continued, 
 
 " I know that I shall surprise you, Mr. Angus, but I 've taken the old 
 miner for my fourth. He is out-doors waiting for me. We are on our bri- 
 dal tower. He is a little shaky, but I will make him useful washing dish- 
 es, and setting the table. I shall find enough for him to do; and then, 
 when he is not otherwise employed, he can tell my boarders all about the 
 
3i8 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 * Welcome Nugget.' He loves me clearly, and if you ever come to Ballarat 
 don't fail to patronize me, and I shall not charge you in advance, like other 
 people." 
 
 I thanked the wife of the old miner, for I never learned her new name, 
 and then we heard sounds of mirth in the dining-room, and the good wo- 
 man pricked up her ears. 
 
 " You must excuse me," she said. " My old man is in there, and, from 
 the noise, I know they are getting him drunk. I shall have a nice time 
 with him, sha'n't I ?" 
 
 It was even as she suspected. His lordship had seen the old miner on 
 the steps, invited him in the house, and then filled him with brandy, and got 
 him to tell the story of the wonderful nugget, and, while he was thus em- 
 ployed, his wife entered the room, seized him by the ear, and walked him 
 out of the house, much to the disgust of the earl, who wanted some fun, and 
 found life rather tame in the city. 
 
 We were now alone, for all the company had gone to the dining room, 
 and I could hear the popping of champagne corks, like the irregular fire of 
 a badly drilled military company. 
 
 " Florence," I asked, as I encircled her slight form in my arms, and 
 gazed at her smiling and blushing face, " are you sure that you do not 
 regret marrying me instead of my brother I mean the young earl ? " 
 
 " I will be candid with you, Angus," she answered. " When his lordship 
 first paid me marked attention I was flattered, for all of my young friends 
 were envious, and when he asked me to be his wife I accepted him without 
 very much hesitation, for I thought what a proud position I should occupy 
 in the world of fashion as the Countess of Afton. Of course I was disap- 
 pointed when you told me that you were not the one I supposed you to be, 
 and I really imagined that you were not speaking truthfully, and desired to 
 desert me, but, O Angus, I did love you, and if you had but pleaded with 
 me for a few moments longer, instead of leaving me so abruptly, on the 
 night of our wedding, I should have pardoned you, and we would have been 
 very happy together. I suffered for many weeks, dear, as a punishment for 
 my pride, and for some days I did not know even my own mother, and only 
 called for you, as they tell me. Then, when I recovered, I was informed 
 of some terrible rumors regarding your liaisons in the city, and also read in 
 the Daily Boomerang the disgusting statement of my maid, that you had 
 kissed her, even at the door of my chamber, and I determined to forget you, 
 and hate you, but I could not do either. And, O Angus, what possessed 
 you to kiss that bold-faced thing ? " 
 
The Belle of Australia. 319 
 
 " I think, darling, that I was a little insane that night, and hardly respon- 
 sible for my doings. I was torn by a conflict of anxiety and happiness, as 
 you know." 
 
 " Well, dear, I do not want that kind of insanity in my family, so you will 
 please be rational hereafter on all occasions where women are concerned 
 My maids I shall choose, if I employ any, for their work, and not for their 
 beauty, be assured of that." 
 
 " You are not jealous, Florence ? " I asked, kissing her white forehead, 
 and smiling at the serious face, and thinking how much I loved her. 
 
 >: Xo, indeed, but I noticed that you did not resist as much as you might 
 when that Smith girl put her arms around your neck. You remember, do 
 you not ? " 
 
 " I did not want to be rude, dear, and she was o much in earnest, and 
 felt so disappointed." 
 
 " Yes, I know, girls of that kind are always earnest, and it is just as well 
 to keep them at a distance. How would you like to have me kissed in that 
 way ? and all through a mistake." 
 
 I evaded the question. It is one women always ask. and is never an- 
 swered satisfactorily. 
 
 " But, pet, you know I did not make love to her, don't you ? " I asked, 
 with a smile. 
 
 " I hope that you were not the one, Angus. But, oh ! the resemblance 
 is so wonderful, and men tell such queer stories sometimes. You know 
 they do. Don't deny it." 
 
 " But I am truthful, Florence, and would not deceive you for all the 
 world," and I felt every word I uttered. 
 
 But she only nestled the closer to my heart, and sighed a little doleful 
 sigh, as if she was not sure, after all, that I was not deceiving her. In fact, 
 I think she took solid comfort in having a slight jealous pang, in the midst 
 of all our happiness. But I kissed the clouds away, and she smiled once 
 more. 
 
 " I am so thankful," she whispered, " that I am the wife of a true man, 
 who loves me tenderly and dearly, and I would not exchange his affection 
 for all the coronets in Europe/' 
 
 " But you still have a title, pet. You are the Belle of Australia, remem- 
 ber." 
 
 " No, dear, I renounce that claim forever, and take up one more sweet 
 and pleasant to my ears. I am the honored wife of one of America's sov- 
 ereigns." 
 
320 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 " And my queen, dear, now and forever," and the red lips of my wife 
 were raised for a kiss. 
 
 " Ahem ! " coughed some one, and, turning, we saw that Mr. Murden 
 had entered the drawing-room, quietly as usual, as if he expected to find a 
 burglar at work with the silver or family jewels. " Ahem," he repeated. 
 " Excuse the intrusion, but, really, his lordship has made a brilliant speech, 
 and toasted his relative and bride, and we all want you to respond. I was 
 sent to request your presence as soon as possible." 
 
 " One moment," I said, as the Chief turned to leave the room. ' Tell me 
 some more as to how and where your men found his lordship." 
 
 " As I said, on a sheep-run, on the banks of the Murray, at the foot of the 
 chain of mountains that we call the Australian Alps. He was having a 
 jolly time, hunting kangaroos, and ducks, and had an old Chinaman to 
 cook, and a black fellow to carry the game. He refused to come to the city 
 at first, but, when everything was explained to him, consented, like the 
 trump that he is. He got here last night, reported to me immediately, and 
 agreed to meet you here at ten o'clock, and stand the exposure. I sent 
 word to all the friends to muster in force, and keep up-stairs, and out of 
 sight, until I called them down, and explained matters." 
 
 " Give the men who discovered him a hundred pounds extra," I said. 
 " They deserve it." 
 
 " I will, and it shall come out of my own pocket, for being such an idiot 
 as I am. However, it has been the means of making your fortune, so there 
 is consolation in all things." 
 
 " And Kitty? " I asked, in a whisper. 
 
 " She was with him, as happy as a boarding-school girl, home for the hol- 
 idays. She returned also, and is at her old residence, quite pleased with her 
 life in the bush." 
 
 " What will he do with her ? " 
 
 " Pension her off when he leaves for home. He won't go back to the 
 sheep-run. Some new freak has entered his head ; " and pension her his 
 lordship did, but Kitty nearly died of a broken heart when the parting took 
 place. She recovered, however, and married a mean sneak of a shysting 
 lawyer, who wanted a home and her money, and he got both. She became 
 known as Mrs. Kimball. 
 
 " By the way," whispered Mr. Murden, " the broker bought our wool at 
 auction yesterday for about one shilling two and a half pence per pound, 
 and this morning it has advanced five pence per pound. It is going high- 
 er," and it did go higher, and we sold at a profit of ninety thousand dollars 
 
The Belle of Australia. 321 
 
 nett, in the course of two weeks, much to Mr. Kebblewhite's surprise, for 
 he did not make quarter as much. 
 
 " 'Ere is another voman and a man to see Mr. Murden," Harry an- 
 nounced, with a terrible grin on his face. "They hall is comin' 'ere, I be- 
 lieves. The vine von't hold out at this rate." 
 
 " Show them in, Harry,'' said the Chief. " I will speak to them here. 
 Who are they ? " 
 
 I began to tremble, for I did not want too much happiness in one day, 
 and I still feared complications, owing to the bad conduct of that brother 
 of mine. 
 
 Harry ushered in Mr. Smith, and his wife's sister, the pretty little Susan. 
 What could have sent them here ? Miss Susan looked at me in a scornful 
 manner, but Florence went to her at once, and actually kissed the young 
 lady. 
 
 " I was down at the central house asking for you, and the officer told me 
 that you were here, and that some wonderful new revelation had occurred," 
 Mr. Smith said, addressing the Chief. "It seems that we wronged some 
 one, and we have called to apologize. Susan has got over her love fit, and 
 is all right now, but we would like to see the man that spooned her." 
 
 Just then the noble lord entered the room to call me, but, as soon as he 
 saw Susan and Smith, beat a rapid retreat, and went back to the other 
 guests. He did not care to face the new-comers. Susan saw him, how- 
 ever, and she gave a sniff of contempt, and then looked at me. and gave an 
 other sniff, and began to cry, while Florence comforted her. 
 
 "Don't grieve/' my wife said. "You will get all over it in time; and 
 don't look at my dear husband in that scornful manner. He is just as good 
 as he can be, and live, and I half fear I am not nice enough for him. He 
 would die before he would make love to any woman but me. It was the 
 other one who deceived you, but he is not worth a moment's thought. I am 
 very happy, and I wish that you were, but we poor girls can't be too careful 
 in placing confidence in men, and let this be a warning to you. dear. I 
 would trust no one but my Angus. He can't do wrong.'' 
 
 This was very cheerful news to me. and showed that Florence was improv- 
 ing rapidly. 
 
 Smith and Susan would not remain, although we invited them to stay. 
 But they felt that they had intruded, and went away, and we were not sorry* 
 to see them go. It was not wholesome to his lordship to have them in 
 the house. Susan soon married a good stockman, and now actually boasts 
 that she was once loved by a lord, to the disgust of her husband. 
 
322 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 Florence and I entered the dining-room, and I had to make a speech, and 
 Mr. Kebblewhite insisted upon singing a nautical song, and, as the fun 
 grew fast and furious, led by my brother, who seemed to take pleasure in 
 hearing my father-in-law bellow, and in seeing him drink, Florence and I 
 escaped to the drawing-room, and there we found her mother and mine in 
 the recess of the bow window, and, as we drew near, I heard my mother 
 say, 
 
 " Well, when Angus first had the measles, he was six, and I " 
 "Yes, I know, but when Florence was first taken with the whooping 
 cough I " 
 
 We did not remain to hear more, but fled. They were engaged on a sub- 
 ject dear to every mother's heart. We wandered up-stairs, and sat down in 
 the quiet of my wife's chamber, and contrasted our present happiness with 
 the time when I had dropped out of the window, and fell into the arms of 
 Mr. Murden. 
 
 The only unpleasant incident of the day was when Mike, who, for a 
 drunken man, was the most peaceable Irishman I ever saw, offered to fight 
 " 'Arry " for half a crown, because the butler said that even a "hemperor " 
 was not nice enough for his young misses, and Mike thought that was a re- 
 flection on me, and my goodness. But Mr. Murden sent Mike home to the 
 Hen and Chickens, and had him put to bed, but he woke up half a dozen 
 times in the night, and frightened the inmates of the chop house into convul- 
 sions by shouting out, 
 
 "Thra chares for the Belle of Australia, and Mr. Hangus ! " and renewed 
 doses of whiskey were needed to pacify him. 
 
 Mike came to the United States with me, and I left him in New York. 
 He opened a large liquor saloon on Third Avenue, and, consequently, soon 
 became an influential member of the Board of Aldermen, and now wears a 
 gold chain, about as large as a yacht's cable, and looks forward to the time 
 when he will be a member of Congress. He is married, and has half a do/- 
 en children, and the eldest boy, when angry, twits his parent lor not being 
 a native-born American. I often see 'him when in New York, and then lie 
 talks of old times, and Australia, by the hour, and actually praises the 
 country. Last November he dined with me at the Union-Square Hole!, 
 and, under the soothing influence of a bottle of champagne, swore that he 
 would elect me to Congress if I would settle in his district, and take to prJi- 
 tics. But I declined the proffered honor. 
 
 Of course the return to the city of Lord Afton made some talk, and we 
 were both interviewed by a reporter from the Daily Boomerang and out- 
 
The Belle of Australia. 323 
 
 wonderful resemblance commented on, and I think the conclusion of a 
 three-column sketch read like this : 
 
 "The Belle of Australia, instead of marrying an English nobleman, has 
 taken an American sovereign. It is well. Thus another silken tie has 
 been formed that will bind this prosperous and powerful colony to the great 
 republic. Let us hope that the happy bridegroom, when he returns home, 
 will take some steps to inaugurate free trade, and reduce postal charges, 
 so that the Boomerang can go to the ends of the earth at cheap rates. We 
 shall be pleased to offer our columns, gratis, for a full expression of his 
 views on married life, or the great resources of Australia, and he has per- 
 mission to look over our exchanges at any time, when disposed to call at 
 this office." 
 
 " Angus," said my brother that evening, " I shall return home in the 
 course of a few weeks. Come with me, wife, mother, and all." 
 
 " Not for the world," responded Florence hastily, and she nestled a little 
 closer to me. 
 
 " Why not ? " asked his lordship, petulantly. 
 
 " Well, I don't want any more mistakes, if you please. The resemblance 
 is too wonderful. No, we will remain apart for the present, or until I am 
 better acquainted \\itli my husband/' Florence said decidedly. 
 
 His lordship laughed, and did not renew the subject. He is now a steady 
 married man, but has not published his book on Australia, and bushranger 
 life. 
 
 And Florence and I are happy, and the love which she inspired me, the 
 first time I saw her, when I was forced to accept her hand, has not grown 
 cold, nor has the color faded from her cheeks, nor the sparkle from her 
 eyes, nor the golden shimmer from her hair, nor the sweet smile from her 
 red lips, nor a little touch of jealousy from her gentle heart when I am 
 very agreeable to other ladies, as it is necessary to be sometimes. 
 
 Mr. Kebblewhite is still alive, and so is his kind wife, and both are anx- 
 ious to see their grandson. Monsieur Allete is well, and sends us substan- 
 tial tokens of his kindness. Mr. Murden sti'l has hopes of being lieutenant- 
 governor of Victoria. He is now a member of the cabinet, and liable 
 to be pitched out at any time, by a vote of want of confidence of the house 
 on some land question, or who shall make the governor's breeches, or re- 
 pair them. 
 
 Shall we go back and review the scenes of our early years ? Ah, well, 
 
324 The Belle of Australia. 
 
 who can tell what the future may bring forth ? But, be it as fate may or- 
 dain, I shall never forget the kind hearts and warm friendships I formed in 
 AUSTRALIA, and they will live forever in my memory. 
 
 THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW STORY. 
 ON LAND AND SEA, 
 
 OR 
 
 CALIFORNIA IN THE YEARS 
 1843, '44, AND '45. 
 
 BY WILLIAM H. THOMES. 
 
 T hope that all who have fo lowed the fortunes, good or bad, of " THE 
 BELLE OF AUSTRALIA," and " ANGUS MORNINGTON," will need no urging 
 to read my next story, a biography of a voyage to California, in the year 
 1842, when, as a boy of fifteen, I shipped in the Admittance, of Boston, 
 Captain Peter Peterson, and for three years, or from March 4, 1843, '44, and 
 '45, remained on the coast, engaged in the arduous work of hide-droghing, 
 and during that period visited every port in the country several times, from 
 San Francisco to San Diego, and saw California as it then existed, with lit- 
 tle trade, not much energy, handsome women, and very lazy men. The 
 reading of Mr. Richard H. Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast," 
 prompted the voyage on my part, and I often told the author, when alive, 
 that to him was I indebted for three years of the hardest work, and the 
 most careless and happy life, that I ever experienced, for there were six- 
 boys on the ship, and at times we made things lively for officers and Mexi- 
 cans. I do not hope to give so graphic a picture of sea life, and California 
 experience, as Mr. Dana has done in his little volume, but I shall describe 
 things as I encountered them, and, perhaps, I can entertain my readers 
 with a biography that will amuse them, even if it does not instruct to any 
 great extent. As far as seamanship is concerned J was the equal of Mr. Dana, 
 and afterward, perhaps, a little superior, for I have sailed under many fla^s, 
 and in various parts of the globe, and occupied some responsible positions 
 on board the finest vessels in the world, so the reader can rely on my sea 
 
The Belle of Australia. 325 
 
 terms, and the truthfulness of my seamanship. To refresh my memory 1 
 have before me the private diary of Captain Peterson, who is still alive, ami 
 living at South Boston. He has loaned the volume for the purpose of writ- 
 ing out a history of the voyage, and, as the doings of every day are record- 
 ed for the three years, I shall make no mistake about place- >r dates. I 
 am sorry to state that my name is found quite often in the diai^ . and not al- 
 ways in terms of great praise, and for remarkably god conduct. 1 am 
 afraid thai we boys did try his temper, not always angelic, as I had reason 
 to know, but he must take the bitter with the sweet, in fair part, I trust. 
 In fact, I know that he will, for we are good friends, and what is the use of 
 having friends unless you can abuse them a little ? He used to stir me 
 up, and now I can retaliate by giving him a lift occasionally. 
 
 WILLIAM H. THOMES.