did so, Frank's last look was one of
mingled anger, shame, remorse, despair; Juniper's was one of bitter,
deadly, fiery hatred.

But other thoughts soon occupied the mind of the tempter. It was plain
to him that, if he was to keep a firm hold on his young master, he must
get him, as speedily as possible, out of the reach of his old friends.
How was he to accomplish this? At last a scheme suggested itself.

"What say you, Mr Frank," he asked suddenly one morning, when his
master was evidently rather gloomily disposed--"what say you to a tramp
to the diggings? wouldn't it be famous? We could take it easy; there's
first-rate fishing in the Murray, I hear. We could take our horses, our
fishing-tackle, our guns, our pannikins, and our tether-ropes; we must
have plenty of powder and shot, and then we shall be nice and
independent. If you'd draw out, sir, what you please from the bank,
I'll bring what I've got with me. I've no doubt I shall make a first-
rate digger, and we'll come back again with our fortunes made."

"It's rather a random sort of scheme," said his master; "but I'm sick of
this place and of my present life. Anything for a bit of a change--so
let's try the diggings."

A few days after Jacob's visit to the cottage, it was rumoured that
Frank Oldfield and his man had left the colony. Hubert called at the
place and found that they were indeed gone, and that it was quite
uncertain when they purposed to return.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

THE LONE BUSH.

It was about a fortnight after Hubert's call at the cottage that a
bullock-driver, dusty and bronzed, came into the office at King William
Street, and asked to speak to Mr Oliphant's nephew.

"I suppose, sir, you're Mr Hubert Oliphant," said the man.

"I am."

"Well, I've just come in from the bush. It's four days now since I left
Tanindie--it's a sheep-station down on the Murray. Thomas Rowlands, as
shepherds there, asked me to come and tell you that there's a young gent
called Scholfield, or Oldfield, or some such name, as is dangerously ill
in a little log-hut near the river. The chap as came down with him has
just cut and run, and left him to shift for himself; and he's likely to
have a bad time of it, as he seems to have some sort of fever, and
there's no doctor nearer than forty miles."

Hubert was greatly shocked.

"And how came the shepherd to think about sending to _us_?" he asked.

"Oh, the poor young man's been raving and talking a