ilta, however, there was a feeling of pleasure at the exchange,
and Brandon had the satisfaction of really benefiting his friend
without taking any very great deal of trouble.

In this restless state of his mind he had great pleasure in the society
of Edgar, who attached himself to his uncle with quiet fidelity. He
soon learned to ride, and to ride fearlessly and far; he learned too to
use his limbs, his ears, and his eyes, so that Brandon found he really
had a head on his shoulders, which he had been rather doubtful of when
the lad had been kept so constantly at his books.

One day when the boy had been talking with enthusiasm of Australian
life, and expressing his longing after more adventures, his uncle, who
also was eager for change, proposed to Edgar an overland journey
together to Adelaide. He had heard that some particularly fine sheep
were to be had in South Australia, and he wished to add this variety to
his own flocks as well as to those of Mr. Phillips. He had always had a
great wish to see the Adelaide side, and this journey would amuse and
employ him till he could get his answer from Elsie. If she accepted
him, and came out, as he wished, without delay, he might never have
another opportunity for making the visit, for he would not be inclined
to leave her, for a while at any rate.

Edgar was delighted with the proposal, and helped his uncle with the
few simple preparations for their long ride with a vigour and despatch
that showed he had the stuff in him for a good bushman. How his tender
mother would have trembled at the thought of the perils and hardships
of such a journey but as she knew nothing about it till it was safely
over, she was spared all anxiety. Brandon was not altogether insincere
when he told Elsie and the Edinburgh ladies that the finest prospect he
ever saw in Victoria was the prospect of getting out of it, but the
present pleasure made him forget many past ones. He had a real
enjoyment in the bush life he then talked so contemptuously about.
Camping out was to him no hardship, and to Edgar it was a delightful
novelty. It was varied by nights spent at sheep stations, where a
hospitable welcome generally awaited them, and an amount of comfort
varying according to circumstances. When they crossed the Victorian
border, and came to the South Australian side, the welcome appeared to
be equally hearty. Edgar Holmes could not help admiring the want of
suspicion and the liberality of these absol