d
down his face.

"You're all very good to me," he said; "too good, far better than I
deserve. But I hope God may spare me to reward you, if I can. You see,
Jacob, I'm brought very low. That rascal Juniper robbed me of fifty
pounds, and deserted me when I was getting ill. He would have taken all
my money, I've no doubt, if he'd only known where to find it. If it had
not been for my kind nurse here, and her husband, I should not have been
alive now."

Here he sank back, exhausted with the effort of speaking. He was sadly
altered. His fine features were sunk and pinched, his cheeks blanched,
and his lips cracked and swollen; while his beautiful hair, once his
mother's pride, had fallen under the scissors of the shepherd's wife.
He was about to speak again, when his nurse motioned Jacob to be seated,
and said to her patient,--

"Now, sir, you must just keep silent, and let me tell all about your
troubles to this young man. You see, it seems that Mr Oldfield and
that man of his, who appears to be a regular scoundrel, came down and
settled in this hut, to try a taste of `bush' life, fishing and
shooting, and the like. But, dear heart, it was all well enough for a
day or two; but after a bit the young gentleman got weary of it. So
they took to passing a good deal of their time in drinking and playing
cards, I'm afraid. I hope, young man, you're not given to anything of
the sort?"

"Me!" exclaimed Jacob; "no, ma'am; that's not in my line, I can assure
you. It's the drink as parted my poor mayster and me afore. I'm a
gradely total abstainer, and mean to be all the days of my life, please
God."

"I'm heartily glad to hear it," said the good woman. "You'll do the
young gentleman no harm then, I hope, but good. Well, as I was saying,
when they'd been a long time at this drinking and card-playing, what
with the heat, and what with the change in his way of living, the poor
gentleman took ill; so what did that man of his do? Why, he looked
after him for a day or so, and then he made pretence that he'd take one
of the horses, and go and look for a doctor, or for some one who could
come and give a help. But, bless you, he never cared about doctor, but
went straight off with both the horses, and one of the guns, and all the
powder and shot as was left, and whatever else he could carry; and it
seems too, from what the gentleman says, that he's taken and robbed his
master of fifty pounds."

"And how did you happe