view of ascertaining if her brother was fixed at last; but he talked
about her with perfect NONCHALANCE, saying that she was a particular
favourite of an old servant of his called Peggy Walker, and that her
account of Miss Melville's qualifications was perfectly satisfactory,
as the result had proved. Mrs. Holmes was bewildered as to the curious
social relations of Australian people, but her mind was set at rest
about Jane Melville.

"But, Fanny," said he to his sister, "you know I have come to bid you
goodbye in a week or ten days. I cannot help it; things look so badly
just at present that unless I am on the spot I cannot see my way at all
clearly. I have little doubt that I will work things all right again;
the master's eye makes all go well. There need be no difference in the
little allowance I sent to my mother and you--that will be sent home
regularly as before. But I want to assist you otherwise if you will
allow me to do it. You have enough to do to bring up those six children
of yours, even with my little help. I will take your boy Edgar with me;
as I am not going overland it will not be so expensive. I will train
him to be useful to me, and make a man of him."

"No, no, Walter, I could not let him be away from under my own eye; he
is so young--his education is not finished," said Mrs. Holmes.

"And never will be, if you keep him always at your apron-string. You
cannot do it, Fanny; you must turn him into the world some day, and
surely he will be better turned out under my guidance than under none
at all. Why, the lad is sixteen, and though he is uncommonly ignorant
of the world, he knows enough of books and that sort of thing to acquit
himself very fairly in Australia. I promise to do my very best for him,
and he can be of great service to me very soon, if he has only a head
on his shoulders. And though it is very hard to find out what your
children are fit for, I dare say the boy has average intelligence."

"Average intelligence!" exclaimed Mrs. Holmes; "his memory is
admirable. If you would only examine him in history, or geography, or
Latin, or scientific dialogues, or chronology, you would find----"

"That I do not know the tenth part of what he does, no doubt," said
Brandon. "But that is not what will make him get on in the world. You
cannot afford to give him a profession."

"I fear not. I wish I could. Perhaps I might by more economy. The
education of my children has cost me very little hitherto,