s
to take you, and they were going to thrash you."

"Who sent you here?"

"Mr. Brown gave me ten shillings to come."

"If you take my advice, you won't have anything more to do with Mr.
Brown. Now you can go," and Hal dismissed her.

"A very clumsy plot indeed, Mr. Wyckliffe, very clumsy! You must be
losing your wit," said Hal, smiling.

The next morning, Reg amused himself by reading the sarcastic account in
the _Bulletin_, of the doings at Government House, which were served up
in the spicy style of that journal, and to his astonishment the account
wound up with the astounding statement that Mr. Philamore had left for
Brisbane.

As Hal read the paragraph aloud, he looked at Reg whose face seemed to
contract with rage, he caught Hal's glance, and then both turned away in
silence to engage in their own thoughts.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

PREPARATIONS.

When Wyck, or Fred Philamore, left Sydney, he did so without leaving a
trace behind him, for Joe Brown had returned to Queensland, after
sending a detailed account of how the boys had been caught, and had
received a tremendous thrashing. Wyck was overjoyed, and had sent him
his other tenner. Now his intention was to get to England without delay,
but as no boat was starting for a week, and feeling secure in his
disguise, he gave himself up to enjoyment in Melbourne, and, becoming
bolder every day, allowed the boat to start without him. The boys had
visited Adelaide and Melbourne, and scoured the county, but could find
no trace of the fugitive, and as Mr. and Mrs. Whyte had now arrived,
they had gone to Tasmania with them and the girls for a short stay at
Goodchilds'. They had only been there two days when Hal received the
following telegram:

"Melbourne, Come over. Quick.--Terence O'Flynn."

They at once started for Melbourne, where Terence met them and gave them
an account of his proceedings.

"You see, gents, ever since I last saw you I have been keeping a sharp
look-out on both Dick and the 'Gaiety,' but I never see any one at all
like our man. On Tuesday I was on my cab as usual and Dick was in the
same rank, when I see an elderly gent, clean-shaved, and with rather
grey hair, wearing a bell-topper--a regular howling toff he
looked--stroll along the rank, 'Cab, sir,' says I, but he shook his head
and walked on. Seemed as if he was in thought, for when he came to the
end of the street he came back again, and beckoning to Dick, got in his
cab, and d