marry her
there, and take her home to Barragong, and thus save himself two long
land journeys.

But the mail-steamer had come with the Adelaide mails, and the next
after that with his own letters, but not a word from Elsie or from any
of the Phillipses. He had had a few lines from Emily the preceding
month, to say that dear little Eva was dead, and that they were all
getting better. The address was either in Jane's hand writing or in
Elsie's, but he took if for granted that it was Elsie's, and had
treasured it up in consequence of that supposition. But this month
there was not a word from any of them. There had been plenty of time
for an answer, for his letter had been sent via Marseilles, so that
Elsie had had ten days clear to make up her mind and reply to what she
ought to have thought an important communication.

It was using him extremely ill to treat his letter with so much
contempt. He was never more near being very angry in his life. It was
strange that Elsie Melville, whose manner was so remarkably gentle and
winning, should on two important occasions have treated him with such
marked discourtesy. No doubt, his letter was not worth very much in
itself; but to him it was great consequence. If she wanted a month for
consideration, why not write and tell him so? Or, if she feared to
commit herself, she might have got Jane to write. Could she have taken
the fever? That was a solution--but a very sad one--of her conduct.
Jane would have certainly written in that case if she had not got the
fever too. He would alter his plans: he would go back overland; or,
rather, he would sail up the Murray, and not pass through Melbourne at
all. So he took his passage and Edgar's by one of the Murray steamers,
and felt that if he was not a very ill-used man, he ought to feel a
very unhappy one.

Chapter II.

Mrs. Peck

In a poor-looking room of a small wayside public-house, about twenty
miles out of Adelaide, were seated one evening, shortly after Brandon's
departure up the Murray, a man and a woman, neither of them young or
handsome or respectable-looking. If they had been so once they had
outgrown them all. The woman certainly had what is called the remains
of a fine woman about her, but her face had so many marks of care, of
evil passions, and of irregular living, that it was perhaps more
repulsive than if it had been absolutely plain in features; her dress
was slatternly and ill-fitting, her gray hair untidily