Though Emily's mind was at once relieved of the horrible idea that dear Reginald' might possibly have married some other lady to keep his house, and look after his comforts, still her anxiety to be informed of his whereabouts was increased rather than diminished.

'And you know of no other Captain Harcourt or Mr. Harcourt?' she again asked Mrs. White.

'No, mum; I am quite sure there is no other person of the name in the colony,' said Mrs. White.

I

'See here,' said Emily, wildly. will tell you all, Mrs. White; and then you may be able to assist me. Pray sit down. Excuse my troubling you in this way; but if you only knew' (here she burst into tears) 'what I have suffered, and what I now suffer, I am sure you would pity me. Pray sit down, Mrs. White.'

Mrs. White took a chair. Emily sat opposite to her, and divulged the sad tale. She was several times interrupted by convulsive sobbing, and Mrs. White was a good deal affected by the narrative. But Mrs. White was sorry that Captain Dent had brought Emily to lodge with her, insomuch as it would place her in an awkward position. Mrs. White knew nothing of Roberts (Emily was obliged to say, that his accusers persisted in calling him Roberts); but if Emily could give her the name of the ship which brought him to the colony, and the date of his sailing from England, she could easily ascertain by inquiring at the office in Hyde-park. Emily said the name of the vessel was the Medora, and that it was exactly a year since her husband had left home.

'The Medora!' said Mrs. White. I have an assigned servant who came out in that ship, and perhaps he may know something about him. They generally do know all about their shipmates-to whom they are assigned, or whether they are reserved for Government's own employ, in the offices, or dock-yards, or Carter's barracks. But a good deal depends on what he was at home, Mrs. White added. 'If he knows any trade

Trade!' exclaimed Emily, interrupting her-trade! My husband was a gentleman-an officer.'

'How do you mean assigned?' inquired Emily.

"Why, when one wants servants, male or female,' said Mrs. White, 'one applies for them, and government are only too glad to get them off their hands. They do all your work, and you clothe them and feed them. This young man who was assigned to me out of the Medora was very well to do in Dublin, and his father, who is a clergyman, keeps his carriage; but the young man was transported for some offence or other, and was assigned to me.'

Poor young man!' said Emily. 'And perhaps he was just as innocent as my husband was.'

I have no doubt of that,' returned Mrs. White, meaning what she said, but not in the sense in which Emily received the remark.

And do you think he knows what has become of my Reginald?' inquired Emily.

Most likely,' said Mrs. White. 'He will be home presently, and I will ask him. In the meantime, take your tea; you must be faint for want of refreshment.'

And how do you employ the young man?' said Emily, without expressing any wish for tea.

He chops the wood, cleans the boots and shoes, and the knives, runs errands, answers the door, and makes himself generally useful; and if he doesn't I stop his tea and sugar, and put him on gov'ment allowance-ten pound of flour and seven pound of beef a-week, and make him cook it himself,' said Mrs. White.

'Poor thing!' cried Emily, shuddering from head to foot, lest she should hear that 'Reginald' was in similar circumstances.

A woman came in, and delivered

1853.]

some message to her mistress. When she had left the room, Emily inquired:

'Is that woman a convict ?'

'Yes,' said Mrs. White; 'but never use the word 'convict' unless you are in a passion, and wish to wound their feelings. Convict' is a word they cannot bear. Always speak of them as 'assigned servants' or prisoners of the Crown;' these are milder terms, you know.'

Mrs. White heard the man-servant's voice in the kitchen, and said to Emily, 'If you will excuse me for a few minutes I will see if Nelson has returned.' She did not like to interrogate him in Emily's presence. 'Nelson,' said Mrs. White, 'was there a man named Roberts, alias Harcourt, on board the Medora ?'

Before Nelson speaks, let us say a few words respecting him:

Nelson, according to his own account, was the eldest son of a rector in Ireland, who belonged to the elder branch of the family rendered so illustrious by our greatest naval hero. This statement however, was open to very grave question; for not only had Nelson's education been confined to the merest rudiments-that is to say, his alphabet; and not only was his countenance of a cast which was prodigiously plebeian, but he had been transported for an offence which, to say the least of it, was not by any means such as a gentleman born and bred' would ever think of committing. It was for picking an old woman's pocket at a fair of a silk handkerchief, a bunch of keys, and a brass thimble that Nelson was sent across the waters of the dark-blue sea. But, insomuch as most young men in similar circumstances, and especially those from Ireland, were prone to indulge in making out that they were very well connected at home,' some excuse may be made for Nelson's desire to exalt himself at the expense of his veracity. Not that it made much difference with Mrs. White.

'Yes, mum,' said Nelson, in reply to Mrs. White's question. 'Roberts, alias Harcourt. He was a flash fellow, who was lagged for forgery: he used to boast of having great parliamentary influence, which was to procure him a free pardon and

VOL. XLVIII. NO. CCLXXXIII.

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apartments in Government House on landing. He was at first employed in the Auditor-General's office, being a clever hand with his pen; but he soon misconducted himself, and was flogged and put into barracks. After that, he was drawn by Mr. Dawson, of Campbell Town, and put to pig-feeding; but he has run away, it seems, and is advertised in to-day's Gazette, with a reward of 101. offered for his apprehension.'

'Run over the way, and see if you can borrow the paper,' said Mrs. White. Don't be long.'

Nelson, in a few minutes, returned with the paper in his hand. There could be no mistake about the

person. The advertisement ran as follows:

Whereas my assigned servant, Charles Roberts, alias Harcourt, per ship Medora, under sentence of transportation for life, absconded from my employ, on the night of the 13th instant, this is to give notice, that a reward of 101. sterling will be paid to any person or persons who will give such information as will lead to his apprehension. Description: name, Charles Roberts, alias Harcourt; ship, Medora; sentence, life; height, 5 feet 11; age, 33; complexion, fair; eyes, hazel; hair, dark brown; whiskers, black; figure, slight; trade or calling, lawyer's clerk; marks, small scar on upper lip, scar on the back of left hand, mole on the left breast.

N.B. The absentee has white and very regular teeth, plausible manners and graceful bearing; at the time he ran away he was dressed in a striped shirt, duck trowsers, white smock frock, high low shoes, Scotch cap, and a blue birds'-eye pocket-handkerchief tied round his neck. He is supposed to have gone to Sydney, with a view of making his escape from the colony. JAMES DAWSON, Campbell Town. 'What a villain!' exclaimed Mrs. White, putting down the paper. I should not be surprised to hear he has turned bushranger. That man will be hanged-mark my words.'

'No chance of that, mum,' said Nelson. 'He was one of those fellows who would talk the hind-leg off a dog; but he would not have the courage to face a small boy or a big musquitoe. Laziness has made him run away; and when he sees the

H

advertisement in the paper he will get frightened, and give himself up,

mum.

Mrs. White was afraid to give Emily these tidings of her husband, lest they should cause her a fit of illness and detain her in the house for some days. She could not help pitying Emily, but she felt that it would be extremely prejudicial to her own interests to permit a person whom she knew to be the wife of a convict, and that convict a runaway-perhaps a bushrangerto stay under her roof, even for a short time, as a lodger. Mrs. White, therefore, returned to Emily, and regretted that her servant Nelson could give no information of Roberts' locality; and she then recommended Emily to take some repose, and be prepared to get up very early in the morning and accompany her (Mrs. White) to the house of a person who was a clerk in a government office, and who would be sure to know where her husband was to be found. 'Could we not go to-night, if you are not too much fatigued?' inquired Emily.

Impossible!' said Mrs. White. The person whom I mean lives a long way off. Go to rest now, and you will rise quite refreshed, and able to set out on your journey in the morning.'

Emily went to bed; but she could Lot sleep. If she closed her eyes for a moment, the most frightful visions presented themselves. She saw her husband dancing before her in chains, or standing on a platform which they told her was a gallows; or, tied to a cart's tail, he was being flogged, and his blood streaming on the road; or, flying from his pursuers, he was shot, wounded in several parts of the body, and dragged to a prison by the hair of his head. Thus disturbed, she remained awake the whole night, till the daylight, for which she so anxiously watched, came streaming through the chinks in the shutters. Emily sprang up, and hurriedly attired herself; but just as she was putting on her bonnet, the woman servant knocked at her door.

'Oh, pray come in!' cried out Emily, thinking it was Mrs. White. I am quite ready. Come in, Mrs. White.'

The servant entered, and said, 'Please, mum, it's me. I am very sorry to say missis was taken very dangerously ill in the night, mum. We had to fetch the doctor, and thought she would have died, mum. We e were going to wake you, mum, at one time, to come down and see missis; but we did not like to disturb you, mum, as we thought you were very tired.'

'I wish you had called me--I was awake,' said Emily. But I hope she is better now ?

Oh yes, mum, thank you, missis is a little better,' replied the woman. 'But the doctor says, mum, that she must be moved immediately off the ground-floor where she now is; and there is no other room but this, mum.'

'Dear me, how unfortunate!' exclaimed Emily, abstractedly, and gazing out of the window. Emily was sorry, of course, to hear of Mrs. White's illness, but then her

own particular griefs were of that flood-gate and overwhelming nature' that they drowned all other thoughts. 'Oh, of course,' said she, recollecting herself, I will vacate the room at once; put me anywhere you please.'

But unfortunately, mum, we have nowhere to put you,' said the woman.

The room that missis is now in must be given up to the nurse, who has been sent for. She has a little girl that always comes with her, mum, and she cannot do without a room to herself.'

'Do you know of any other respectable lodgings?' inquired Emily.

'No, mum, I do not,' said the servant (for her mistress had told her exactly what to say). But it strikes me, mum, that the best thing you could do would be to go on board the ship, where you could have a nice cabin, now that the passengers are all out of her, and there stay, mum, till missis is better, or till you can get a house. As missis is now asleep, mum, I can go with you to the wharf, and hire a waterman's boat for you, which will take you on board, and the boy will wheel your boxes on the barrow, mum.'

Emily instantly adopted the sug gestion, and thanked the woman for her kind offer. At all events,' she reasoned, I shall see the captain

WHAT was Captain Dent's astonishment on seeing Emily and her boxes alongside the Lady Jane Grey! The vessel was lying out in the stream, and no companion-ladder was yet rigged. The chair was lowered, and Emily once more stood upon the deck, where all was in the same state of confusion that she beheld on embarking at Gravesend. When she told the Captain what had passed on the previous night, he could easily comprehend Mrs. White's sudden and serious illness, which had been put on as an excuse for ridding herself of Emily's presence. Captain Dent was vexed that Emily had been so imprudent as to tell Mrs. White so much of her history, especially as she had been warned not to do so; but, poor creature! he thought she had enough agony of mind to bear already, and he was not disposed to aggravate her sufferings by any useless reproaches; and he therefore withheld them. Emily's eyelids were red and swollen with weeping; her cheeks were pale, and her limbs so feeble, she was scarcely able to stand.

Captain Dent ordered her boxes to be placed in one of the stern cabins, and he caused to be removed from his own a couch, a table, and an easy chair. The chief mate contributed a looking glass and a toilettable; and the second mate gave her some red damask curtains to keep out the glare of noon day, and obstruct the view of persons approaching or leaving the ship.

You must not tease me now,' said the Captain to Emily, in a gentle tone of voice, and with a cheering smile on his lips. You must have some breakfast in your cabin, and then you must take a composing draught, and lie downyou had no sleep last night; and at two o'clock we will dine, and then I will manage to go on shore with you, and devote myself to your service.'

Emily, who was fairly exhausted with fatigue and want of sleep, felt like a child in the hands of the Cap

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tain, and promised to obey all his commands. She took the draught, and slept soundly through all the noise and bustle which went on on board the ship.

*

Refreshed in mind and body, Emily awoke about one o'clock, and prepared for dinner. She had a remarkably pretty, but rather slim figure; and the dress she wore on this occasion was very becoming-a plain black silk, without any kind of ornament except a small topaz brooch, Reginald's' first present to her. The people on board had never seen her look so well or so cheerful. She was still, perhaps, under the influence of the opiate she had taken -that is to say, the happy feeling which it often produces had not entirely departed.

6

Captain Dent and Emily landed at a place called Dawes's Battery, at about a quarter past three in the afternoon. Thence they proceeded, on foot, through the Government domain, towards that part of the town where they were most likely to find a small furnished cottage, to be let on moderate terms. On the way, Captain Dent espied, at a distance, a gang of convicts heavily ironed, and, guarded by some half-dozen soldiers, mending the roads. He immediately led his charge in another direction to avoid them, for he feared it was just possible that 'Reginald' might be one of that gang, and that Emily might recognise him, when an unpleasant scene would to a certainty ensue. But before Emily could be prevailed upon to look for a cottage, she wished the Captain to take her to the office which Mrs. White had spoken of-the office where she would learn her husband's address. The Captain objected to this, insomuch as he thought it would be more satisfactory for him to go alone to the office. Emily, however, was so earnest, so eloquent in her entreaties, indeed she so piteously implored him, that he was compelled to yield to her request. Accordingly, he shaped his course for the office of the Superintendent of Police, where the name, description, and character of every person who had been transported to Sydney, from the foundation of the colony up to that date, were duly re