d great pleasure in
anticipating his society, if it were not for the thought of her bonnet.

Chapter IX.

A Bonnet Gained And A Lover Lost

"My letters have come at last," said Brandon, next morning, as he
joined his friends at breakfast. "My overseer, I suppose, wanted to
show his economy, and posted them by the Southampton mail, which does
not suit me at all. I would rather do without my dinner on mail-day
than have my letters delayed for nearly a week. And now there is bad
news for me, I must leave by the first ship. Had I got my letters when
you received yours, I should have gone by the mail steamer and saved a
month, but I cannot possibly manage to get off so soon."

"Oh! Mr. Brandon," said Mrs. Phillips, calmly, "there surely is no such
need for hurry."

"Everything is going to the dogs at my station. I will probably have to
buy land at a high price; and there appears to have been great
mismanagement, from the accounts I hear. Another six months like the
last and I will be a ruined man. It is very hard that one cannot take a
short holiday without suffering so grievously for it. What were your
accounts, Phillips; I think you said they were rather unsatisfactory?"

"Not very good, certainly; but not so bad as that comes to. You will
look to Wiriwilta a little when you return, and send me your opinion. I
had better entrust you with full powers to act for me, for I should
prefer you as my attorney to Grant."

"I hope he will not be offended at the transfer," said Brandon.

"Oh! I think not; he took it very reluctantly, for he said his own
affairs were enough for him."

"And perhaps a little more than enough," said Brandon, with a smile.
"In that case I will be very glad to do all in my power for you."

"I have no wish to return to Australia," said Mr. Phillips, "if I can
possibly afford to live here. With a family like mine, England offers
so many advantages. In fact, there is only one place in the world worth
living in, and that is London."

"Very true, if you have enough to live on," said Brandon, shrugging his
shoulders. "I must go now to work as hard as ever to get things set to
rights again, and perhaps in another dozen of years, when I am feeble,
old, and grey, I may return and spend the poor remnant of my days in
this delightful centre of civilization. But with me, fortunately, there
are only the two alternatives, either London or the bush of
Australia--there is no middle course of life des