The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ) - William H. Thomes (large screen ebook reader txt) 📗

Fancy! I Looked At Fred, And Would Have Sworn That He

Was Debating The Same Subject. I Already Began To Feel Jealous; For An

English Girl, At The Age Of Nineteen, Is Not To Be Passed By Without A

Kind Consideration. I Wondered If She Was Handsome, But Supposed That

She Must Be, Judging From The Appearance Of Her Father.

 

"I Rarely Saw My Sister," Mr. Critchet Continued, "After Her Marriage,

But I Heard From Her Frequently; And Seldom Looked At The Morning Post

Without Seeing Her Name Announced As Having Been Present At A Party The

Night Before. I Did Not Envy Her Her Life Of Dissipation, For I

Preferred To Secure Happiness In A Different Course; But Still I Could

Not Help Wondering How Her Husband Managed To Support Such Extravagance.

Too Soon Did I Learn The Secret; For One Day He Sought Me Out, And With

A Gloomy Brow, Announced That His Purpose In Visiting Me Was To Obtain

Money To Meet Notes Which Were Maturing.

 

"I Did Not Feel Surprised, And Neither Did I Question Him In Regard To

His Circumstances. I Listened Patiently To His Expressions Of Regard,

Gave Him A Check On My Bankers For Two Thousand Pounds, And After He

Left My Counting Room I Busied Myself With My Accounts, And Tried To

Forget An Unpleasant Impression That His Interview Had Left Upon My

Mind. A Few Days After I Received A Note From My Brother-In-Law, Mr.

Follet--"

 

"Follet?" I Cried, In Surprise; "Then The Young Man Who Is Still Held By

The Commissioner Is His Son, And Your Nephew?"

 

Mr. Critchet Gave A Token Of Assent, And Continued:--

 

"In Which He Requested A Further Loan To Meet Some Pressing Engagements.

I Complied With The Den And, Although I Felt That I Was Wronging Myself

To Do So. A Few Weeks Passed, And I Was Unmolested; But One Morning I

Received A Hurriedly Written Letter From My Brother, And I Saw With

Grief That, It Was Dated Fleet Street Prison, And That He Had Been

Arrested The Night, Before For Debt, And Now Called On Me In Piteous

Expressions To Save His Name From Disgrace. I Went To See Him, And Found

That His Wife Was Unacquainted With His Situation, And That She Was

Making Preparations To Have A Grand Party That Night, At Which She

Expected Half The Notables Of London. He Pleaded Long And Earnestly, And

At Length I Paid The Claim That Was Brought Against Him, Although It

Took Many Thousand Pounds To Do So.

 

"Three Days Afterwards I Was Visited By My Sister, In Company With Her

Boy, A Young Man With Dark Eyes And A Sinister Expression Of

Countenance, That Too Nearly Resembled His Father's To Be Pleasing To

Me; Although God Knows I Have Tried To Love The Boy, And Should Have

Ultimately Succeeded Had He Not Behaved Like A Barbarian.

 

"My Sister Requested A Private Interview, Which I Readily Granted; And

Then With Tears, And Groans, And Lamentations, Told Me That Her

Husband's Fate Rested In My Hands, And That If I Wished To Kill Her I

Could By Pursuing A Harsh Course. I Begged Her To Explain, But She Threw

Herself Upon Her Knees And Vowed That She Would Never Rise Until I Had

Promised To Do As She Wished. I Declined To Make A Profession That I Did

Not Understand, And At Length I Drew From Her That Her Husband, The Man

Whom She Had Married In Opposition To My Wishes, Had Forged My Name To

Bills Amounting To Nearly Fifty Thousand Pounds, And That I Was Expected

To Save Him From A Public Death, Or Transportation For Life, To Conceal

The Crime. I Indignantly Refused, But I Did Not Know How Hard A Woman

Can Plead. I Was Promised My Sister's Property That Was Settled On Her

At The Death Of My Father, And She Gave Me An Order To Sell Out Her

Stock In The Public Funds, For The Purpose Of Reimbursing Me, Although I

Found That I Should Suffer To The Extent Of Twenty-Five Thousand Pounds

By The Transaction; But Sooner Than Witness Her Tears I Consented, And,

In Consequence, Was Made Almost A Beggar."

 

The Old Man Brushed Away A Tear That Coursed Down His Rugged Cheeks, And

For A Few Minutes Seemed Lost In Thought. At Length He Continued:--

 

"I Assumed The Forged Notes And Paid Them As They Matured, But The

Public Discovered That I Had Made Many Sacrifices In My Business To Meet

The Spurious Paper, And Then Came Doubts And Suspicions, And At Last A

Run Upon My House, And To Save Myself I Called Upon My Sister For Her

Fortune. God Of Heaven! How I Felt When I Discovered That The Villain,

Her Husband, Had Already Used Her Name, Drawn Her Money From The Funds,

And Had Left For Some Part Of The World Where We Could Not Trace Him.

 

"I Sank Beneath The Blow, And When I Rallied My Business Was Swept Away,

And The Firm Of Critchet Was Known Only By Its Debts. I Struggled For A

Time Against The Stream, But I Could Not Gain A Foothold, And At Last

Yielded And Gave Up All Thoughts Of Resuming Business. My Family Was

Supported By A Small Settlement Of One Hundred Pounds Which Had Been

Left To My Wife By An Aunt, And By Music Lessons Which My Daughter Was

Enabled To Give, And Thus We Struggled Along, Until At Length My Sister,

Who Could Not Bear Up Under Her Disgrace, Died And Left Me Her Child To

Provide For. Well, I Undertook The Task, And When I Had Failed To

Resuscitate My Fortunes In England, I Left For Australia And Brought Him

With Me."

 

"And You Have Never Heard Of His Father Since?" I Asked.

 

"No."

 

"Hullo, House--Grocers--Let Me In!" Shouted A Voice At The Door; And A

Heavy Kick Was Bestowed On The Wall To Attract Our Attention.

 

Mr. Critchet Started From His Seat, And Then Sank Back To The Floor With

A Groan.

 

 

 

 

Volume 2 Chapter 62 (The Same, Continued) Pg 113

 

"Are You Sick?" We Demanded, Springing Towards The Prostrate Man And

Helping Him To A Chair.

 

"I Know Not," He Replied, Wildly; "But Unless I Am Dreaming, I Heard A

Voice Demanding Admittance To The Store. Do Not Open The Door, For

Mercy's Sake. I Cannot Bear To Look Upon His Face Again."

 

Volume 2 Chapter 62 (The Same, Continued) Pg 114

"Poor Man," Muttered Fred; "His Story Has Affected Him To Such A Degree

That His Mind Wanders. Let Us Put Him To Bed As Soon As Possible, For

Fear Of A Return Of The Fever."

 

"You Are Mistaken, Young Men, If You Think That Fever Or A Diseased

Imagination Has Caused My Emotion. See, I Am Perfectly Calm."

 

In Fact, He Didn't Seem As Though Afflicted With His Late Sickness, For

His Flesh Was Cool, And His Face Pale, But For All That He Trembled

Violently, And As Though Attacked With The Ague.

 

"I Thought That I Recognized The Voice," Our Patient Said, In A Half

Whisper, And In A Listening Attitude, "But I May Have Been Mistaken."

 

"Hullo, Within There--Open The Door, And Sell Me A Quart Of The Best

Quality," Cried The Rough Voice On The Outside, Accompanied By Another

Violent Shake Of The Door That Made Every Thing Jar Again.

 

Rover Uttered A Threatening Howl, And Pawed At The Door As Though

Desirous Of Inserting His Teeth Into The Body Of The Brawler.

 

"I Was Certain That I Could Not Be Mistaken," Exclaimed Mr. Critchet, In

A Hoarse Whisper.

 

"What Do You Mean?" I Asked.

 

"Will You Let Me Have The Liquor? Say Yes Or No," Cried The Impatient

Fellow On The Outside, With An Oath.

 

"I Am Positive That That Is The Voice Of My Brother-In-Law," Mr.

Critchet Said. "I Have Not Heard Him Speak Before For Six Years, Yet

There Are Some Things That I Cannot Forget. What Shall I Do? How Shall I

Act?"

 

"Do You Wish To Speak To Him?" I Asked; "If So, We Will Admit Him, And

Trust To Our Arms For Security. Not A Hair Of Your Head Shall Be

Injured, Even Though You Tell Him Disagreeable Truths."

 

"What Say You? Are You Awake? Shall I Have The Rum?" Continued Our

Midnight Visitor.

 

I Waited For The Old Gentleman To Come To Some Conclusion, And Although

He Was Intensely Agitated At The Thought Of An Interview, He Gave A

Token Of Assent.

 

"Call Off The Dog And Let Him Come In," Said Fred, "And Do You Keep In

The Background For The Present," Addressing Our Guest.

 

I Quieted Rover With A Word, And Then Unbolted And Unbarred The Door And

Threw It Open, Feeling Some Curiosity To See The Man Who Had Had The

Audacity To Commit Extensive Forgeries, And Yet Escape The Punishment Of

The Law, Especially When The Criminal Code Of England Is So Rigid That

Rank Or Station In Life Is Not Respected.

 

Volume 2 Chapter 62 (The Same, Continued) Pg 115

Well, Sleepy Heads, Have You Woke Up?" Was The Impudent Question That

First Greeted Me, And Through The Door Strode A Tall, Powerful-Built

Man, With Dark Whiskers Which Covered His Face Almost To His Eyelids,

And Long, Black Hair Plentifully Sprinkled With Gray. He Wore A Short

Monkey-Jacket, Such As Sailors Are In The Habit Of Adopting As A

Convenient Overcoat For Working Aloft On Shipboard--A Blue Flannel

Shirt, With Large Collar Turned Over And Confined To His Neck With A

Black Silk Handkerchief--A Pair Of Fancy Colored Pants, Somewhat Soiled

And Worn, Yet A Little Better Than The Majority Of The Miners Were

Accustomed To Wear At Ballarat--And Lastly, The Visitor Had On His Head

A Felt Hat Of Ample Proportions, Such As The Stockmen And Shepherds Of

Australia Have Adopted To Protect Their Heads From The Noonday Heat, And

Eyes From The Bright Sun, While Scouring The Plains In Search Of Cattle.

 

"You Are Late In Your Purchases," I Remarked, In A Conciliatory Tone, As

The Stranger Entered.

 

"A Man With Money, And A Desire To Spend It, Can Choose His Own Time To

Trade, I Suppose, Can't He?" The Black Visitor Asked, In A Gruff Manner;

And As He Moved His Arm To Emphasize His Words, I Saw The Butts Of Two

Pistols Protruding From His Coat Pockets--A Discovery That Did Not Alarm

Me, Although I Was Glad That Their Possession Was Revealed.

 

"That Depends Upon Two Things," I Replied. "First, Whether--"

 

"Pshaw! Don't Bother Me With Your Homilies," He Exclaimed, Impatiently,

As I Closed The