og has formed in front of the Hotel, and the
traffic goes round another way, so they've lost most of their custom.
Mr. Beamish never opens his mouth at all now, and mother is fearfully
worried. That's what was the matter when she was here--only she was too
kind to say so."

"Hard lines!"

"Indeed it is. But about us; I'm not surprised to hear trade is dull.
Since I was over in the western township last, no less than six new
General Stores have gone up--I scarcely knew the place. They've all got
big plate-glass windows; and were crowded with people."

"Yes, there's a regular exodus up west. But that doesn't alter the
fact, wife, that I've made a very poor job of storekeeping. I shall
leave here with hardly a penny to my name."

"Yes, but then, Richard," said Polly, and bent over her strip of
needlework, "you were never cut out to be a storekeeper, were you?"

"I was not. And I verily believe, if it hadn't been for that old
sober-sides of a Hempel, I should have come a cropper long ago."

"Yes, and Hempel," said Polly softly; "Hempel's been wanting to leave
for ever so long."

"The dickens he has!" cried Mahony in astonishment. "And me humming and
hawing about giving him notice! What's the matter with him? What's he
had to complain of?"

"Oh, nothing like that. He wants to enter the ministry. A helper's
needed at the Baptist Chapel, and he means to apply for the post. You
see, he's saved a good deal, and thinks he can study to be a minister
at the same time."

"Study for his grave, the fool! So that's it, is it? Well, well! it
saves trouble in the end. I don't need to bother my head now over
what's to become of him ... him or anyone else. My chief desire is to
say good-bye to this hole for ever. There's no sense, Polly, in my
dawdling on. Indeed, I haven't the money to do it. So I've arranged, my
dear, with our friend Ocock to come in and sell us off, as soon as you
can get our personal belongings put together."

Here Polly raised her head as if to interrupt; but Mahony, full of what
he had to say, ignored the movement, and went on speaking. He did not
wish to cause his wife uneasiness, by dwelling on his difficulties; but
some explanation was necessary to pave the way for his proposal that
she should remain behind, when he left the colony. He spent all his
eloquence in making this sound natural and attractive. But it was hard,
when Polly's big, astonished eyes hung on his face. "Do you think, for
my sake, yo