should be ready to further their
views by pecuniary help; but the advice was not taken. He offered to
purchase a commission for one or both of them; he hinted that the bar
afforded a stepping-stone to fame. No; John and Frederick Massingbird
were conveniently deaf; they had grown addicted to field-sports, to a
life of leisure, and they did not feel inclined to quit it for one of
obligation or of labour. So they had stayed on at Verner's Pride in the
enjoyment of their comfortable quarters, of the well-spread table, of
their horses, their dogs. All these sources of expense were provided
without any cost or concern of theirs, their own private expenditure
alone coming out of their private purses. How it was with their clothes,
they and Mrs. Verner best knew; Mr. Verner did not. Whether these were
furnished at their own cost, or whether their mother allowed them to
draw for such on her, or, indeed, whether they were scoring up long
bills on account, Mr. Verner made it no concern of his to inquire.

John--who was naturally of a roving nature, and who, but for the
desirable home he was allowed to call his, would probably have been all
over the world before he was his present age, working in his shirt
sleeves for bread one day, exalted to some transient luck the next--had
latterly taken a fancy in his head to emigrate to Australia. Certain
friends of his had gone out there a year or two previously, and were
sending home flaming accounts of their success at the gold-fields. It
excited in John Massingbird a strong wish to join them. Possibly other
circumstances urged him to the step; for it was certain that his
finances were not in so desirable a state as they might be. With John
Massingbird to wish a thing was to do it; and almost before the plan was
spoken of, even in his own family, he was ready to start. Frederick was
in his confidence, Lionel partly so, and a hint to his mother was
sufficient to induce her to preserve reticence on the subject. John
Massingbird had his reasons for this. It was announced in the household
that Mr. Massingbird was departing on a visit to town, the only one who
was told the truth being Rachel Frost. Rachel was looked upon almost as
one of themselves. Frederick Massingbird had also confided it to
Sibylla West--but Frederick and Sibylla were on more confidential terms
than was suspected by the world. John had made a confident on his own
part, and that was of Luke Roy. Luke, despised by Rachel, wh