d Griffiths, after a stay of nearly five months
in Sydney with her uncle, Colonel Atkinson.

Half an hour passed before the captain arrived. When he stepped on
board I lifted my cap and left the poop, and the captain and the
others went into the cuddy.

Our day of departure came round, and not a little rejoiced was I when
the tug had fairly got hold of us, and we were floating over the
sheet-calm surface of Sydney Bay, past some of the loveliest bits of
scenery the world has to offer, on our road to the mighty ocean beyond
the grim portals of Sydney Heads. We were a fairly crowded ship, what
with Jacks and passengers. The steerage and 'tween-decks were full up
with people going home; in the cuddy some of the cabins remained
unlet. We mustered in all, I think, about twelve gentlemen and lady
passengers, one of whom, needless to say, was Miss Georgina Le Grand.

I had been busy on the forecastle when she came aboard, but heard
afterwards from Robson, the second mate, that the Governor's wife,
with Colonel Atkinson, and certain nobs out of Government House had
driven down to the ship to say good-bye to the girl. She was alone. I
wondered she had not a maid, but I afterwards heard from a bright
little lady on board, a Mrs. Burney, one of the wickedest flirts that
ever with a flash of dark glance drew a sigh from a man, that the
woman Miss Le Grand had engaged to accompany her as maid to Europe had
omitted to put in an appearance at the last moment, in perfect
conformity with the manners and habits of the domestic servants of the
Australian colonies of those days, and the young lady having no time
to procure another maid had shipped alone.

At dinner on that first day of our departure, when the ship was at sea
and I was stumping the deck in charge, I observed, in glancing through
the skylight, that the captain had put Miss Le Grand upon the right of
his chair, at the head of the table, a little before the fluted and
emblazoned shaft of mizzenmast. I don't think above five sat down to
dinner; a long heave of swell had sickened the hunger out of most of
them. But it was a glorious evening, and the red sunshine, flashing
fair upon the wide open skylights, dazzled out as brilliant and
hospitable a picture of cabin equipment as the sight could wish.

I had a full view of Miss Le Grand, and occasionally paused to look at
her, so standing as to be unobserved. Now that I saw her with her hat
off I found something very peculiar