e was a crusty old bachelor, and had but little sympathy with
such "tomfoolery."

"Why the devil couldn't he say goodbye to her and be done with it and
come aboard," he grumbled, "instead of wasting half a day over it?"

But Mr. Stevenson did not consider that in those days pretty women were
not plentiful in Sydney, and virtue was even scarcer than good looks,
and Dorothy Gilbert, only daughter of the Deputy Acting Assistant
Commissary-General of the penal settlement, possessed all the
qualifications of a lovable woman, and therefore it was not wonderful
that Captain Charles Foster had fallen very much in love with her.

Dorothy, of course, had her faults, and her chief one was the rather
too great store she set upon being the daughter of an official. Pretty
nearly every one in those days of the settlement was either an official
or a prisoner or an ex-convict, and the D.A.A.C.G. was of no small
importance among the other officials in Sydney. The girl's acquaintance
with the young master of the _Policy_ began in a very ordinary manner.
His ship had been chartered by the Government to take out a cargo of
stores to the settlement, and the owners, who were personally acquainted
with her father, had given Foster a letter of introduction. This he had
used somewhat sooner than he had at first intended, for on presenting
himself at the Commissary's office he had caught sight of Dolly's
charming face as she stood talking to a young man in the uniform of a
sergeant of the New South Wales Regiment who had brought a letter to her
father. .

"Thank you, Sergeant," the young lady said with a gracious smile. "Will
you present my father's compliments to the Major and say we shall be
sure to come. He is not here at present, but cannot delay long, as he
will have much business to transact with the master of the ship just
come in, and who will doubtless be here very soon."

Just at that moment Foster appeared at the open door, and the young
lady, divining at once that he was the person of whom she had just
spoken, bowed very prettily, and begging him to be seated whilst she
had search made for her father, left the office and disappeared in the
living portion of the house, followed by a look of very great interest
from Captain Foster. A minute later the Commissary entered the room, and
Foster was soon deep in business with Dolly's father, to whom he made
himself very agreeable--having a certain object in view.

Their business conclud