been to visit Mr Coventry, belonging to a
ship in Port Louis harbour. He had come once again without his uniform,
when he seemed very sad and unhappy. Mr Coventry had spoken kindly to
him, and had given him assistance." What had become of him afterwards,
the overseer could not say positively. He had an idea, however, that he
had been sent to Ceylon, where Mr Coventry had an estate. That he was
not aware if Mr Coventry had again heard of him; but he seemed little
troubled by this, as he, Mr Coventry, was himself so eccentric in his
movements, and so seldom wrote letters, that he could not be surprised
at others altering their plans, or at not writing to him.

This was the sum total of the information I obtained from the overseer.
It was altogether far from satisfactory. I felt sure that Alfred, after
having been kindly treated by our grandfather, would not have failed,
had he possessed the power, to communicate with him. Still it was
possible, as Dr Cuff reminded us, that he might have done so without
the overseer knowing anything about the matter. The moment the overseer
heard that Dr Cuff was with me, he went out and brought him in,
insisting on our making ourselves perfectly at home.

"Pray, do not thank me," he observed; "I feel that I am but doing my
simple duty in treating you with all the attention in my power."

There was something particularly pleasing and attractive about the
overseer. From his colour, he was evidently a native of the East, but
he spoke English well, though with a foreign accent. He was, as the
doctor called him, one of nature's gentlemen. In the course of
conversation we learned that his name was Ricama--that he was a native
of Madagascar, and had at an early age been converted, as were many of
his countrymen, to Christianity. He had come over with his father to
the Mauritius in charge of cattle, dressed, as he said, in a long piece
of yellow grass matting with green stripes wound round his body, with
the end thrown over his left shoulder and hanging down at his back. His
hair was long, and fastened up in large bunches about his head.
Persecution against the Christians in Madagascar having arisen, he had
remained in the island, but his father had returned, and with many other
Christians had been put to death. Ricama had before that time entered
the service of Mr Coventry, who, appreciating his high principles and
honesty, raised him to the highest office of trust he had to besto