rld. One of the first things Mrs. Giles
wanted was necessarily a trustworthy servant, and she had to make her
choice of one among the convicts of good character, to be assigned to
private service. Being one of that honorable body myself at the time,
it is needless to say that I was the fortunate man on whom Mrs. Giles's
choice fell. The first situation I got in Australia was as servant to my
own wife.

Alicia made a very indulgent mistress.

If she had been mischievously inclined, she might, by application to a
magistrate, have had me flogged or set to work in chains on the roads,
whenever I became idle or insubordinate, which happened occasionally.
But instead of complaining, the kind creature kissed and made much of
her footman by stealth, after his day's work. She allowed him no female
followers, and only employed one woman-servant occasionally, who was
both old and ugly. The name of the footman was Dear in private, and
Francis in company; and when the widowed mistress, upstairs, refused
eligible offers of marriage (which was pretty often), the favored
domestic in the kitchen was always informed of it, and asked, with the
sweetest humility, if he approved of the proceeding.

Not to dwell on this anomalous period of my existence, let me say
briefly that my new position with my wife was of the greatest advantage
in enabling me to direct in secret the profitable uses to which her
little fortune was put.

We began in this way with an excellent speculation in cattle--buying
them for shillings and selling them for pounds. With the profits thus
obtained, we next tried our hands at houses--first buying in a small
way, then boldly building, and letting again and selling to great
advantage. While these speculations were in progress, my behavior in
my wife's service was so exemplary, and she gave me so excellent a
character when the usual official inquiries were instituted, that I
soon got the next privilege accorded to persons in my situation--a
ticket-of-leave. By the time this had been again exchanged for a
conditional pardon (which allowed me to go about where I pleased in
Australia, and to trade in my own name like any unconvicted merchant)
our house-property had increased enormously, our land had been sold for
public buildings, and we had shares in the famous Emancipist's Bank,
which produced quite a little income of themselves.

There was now no need to keep the mask on any longer.

I went through the superfluous