and
chain, telling him to keep them safely till she asked for them, and
to hurry round by the yard gate into the stable. This gave great
relief to her conscience, and enabled her to meet her mother with a
face of untroubled innocence.

Jack had not a lively imagination; but during the night he had a
clear and blissful vision of his future destiny, the only dream of
fortune his life was ever blessed with. He was to be the landlord of
the hotel, when Mrs. Cobbledick had gone to bliss, and Jemima was to
be his bride, and the landlady.

But early next morning there was trouble in the house. The watch was
missing, and nobody knew anything about it. Jemima helped her mother
to look for it, and could not find it. A constable was sent for, and
he questioned everyone in and about the house, and searched
everywhere without result. Last of all Jack was asked if he knew
anything of the missing watch. He was faithful and true. How could
he betray Jemima, his future partner in life? He said he "had never
seen no watch, and didn't know nothing whatsomever about no watch,"
and the next instant the constable pulled the watch out of Jack's
pocket.

At his trial he was asked what he had to say in his defence, and then
he told the truth, and said Jemima gave him the watch to keep until
she should ask for it. But there is a time for all things; and Jack
could never learn the proper time for telling the truth, or for
telling a lie; he was always in the wrong. The judge, in passing
sentence, said he had aggravated his crime by endeavouring to
implicate an innocent young lady in his villany, and gave him seven
years.

He was taken on board a hulk, where he found two or three hundred
other boys imprisoned. On the evening of his arrival a report was
circulated among them that they were all to be sent to another ship,
which was bound for Botany Bay, and that they would never see England
again. They would have to work and sleep in chains; they would be
yoked together, and whipped like bullocks; and if they escaped into
the bush the blacks would kill and eat them. As this dismal tale
went round, some of the boys, who were quite young and small, began
to cry, and to call for their mothers to come and help them; and then
the others began to scream and should and yell. The warders came
below and tried to silence them, but the more they tried the louder
grew the uproar, and it continued for many hours during the night.

"Britons