bought yesterday. You can consider
that garden as made, with rock-melons and watermelons, and 'punkens'
and other fruit growing in it galore."

When Elizabeth Westonley read the letter she smiled--the first time
almost since her husband's death. "How nice of your uncle, is it not,
Mary? I should miss a garden dreadfully, and it is very thoughtful of
him when he has so much work to do with his cattle. And see, he has sent
me a draft for one hundred pounds for our expenses up to Somerset."

"Are we very, very, poor now, Aunt?"

"Very, very poor, Mary," and she sighed, "But still it might have been
much worse for us if the people to whom Marumbah now belongs had not
let me keep the furniture. Mr Brooke has bought it, and paid me three
hundred and fifty pounds for it. And I am sure he only did it because he
was sorry for us; I am certain he does not want it."

Brooke, indeed, had been very kind to the wife of his dead friend, and
had pressed her to accept a loan of money, but this she had gratefully
declined.

"How glad Uncle Tom must be that he has money to send you!"

"I am sure he must be. He is always thinking of others; and you and I,
Mary, must do all we can for him. I shall be housekeeper and cook and
all sorts of things, and you shall be chief housemaid, and help me, and
we will try and make the house look nice."

"Yes, Aunt. And won't it be lovely to see Jim again! I can just imagine
his staring eyes when he sees that I have brought Bunny. You'll keep it
a dead secret, won't you?"

"Quite secret. I did not even mention Bunny in my letter. Now we must
go on sewing these mosquito curtains; your uncle says that in the rainy
season the mosquitoes nearly eat one alive, so I am going to make six,
as I am sure he has none at Ocho Rios. He says they don't bite him, as
his skin is too tough."

An hour before the steamer in which Gerrard and the Frasers had taken
passage cast off her lines from the jetty, Lacey came on board to say
farewell, bringing with him Mrs Woodfall. The kind-hearted woman was
almost on the verge of tears as she sat down beside Jim, and folded him
to her ample, motherly bosom.

Gerrard presently drew her aside, and put two five pound notes in her
hand.

"Indeed I won't, sir. I like the lad too much! No, sir, not even as a
present. But I do hope you won't mind his writing to us sometimes. And
will you mind my saying, Mr Gerrard, that me and my husband are very
sorry to hear that your stati