itate the pent-up air; but, ere I could ascend the half dozen steps
leading up to the terrace, the rain-cloud overhead burst and a sheet of
water came down as if poured over the side of some giant reservoir in
the sky, wetting me to the skin by the time I had gained the shelter of
the verandah.

My mother was just coming out of the drawing-room to see where I was,
when Jake came up racing behind me, shouting out at the pitch of his
voice, above the sound of the sluicing rain, "De packet am in, Mass'
Tom! De packet am in!"

CHAPTER TWO.

"MORE HASTE, WORSE SPEED."

"Hurrah!" I shouted out.

I was so overjoyed at hearing Jake's announcement that the long-expected
mail steamer had at last arrived that I was utterly oblivious of my
soaking condition, although I had been so completely drenched in the
brief space of time that had elapsed before I could get under shelter
from the shower, that the water was now trickling down my dripping
garments and running out of my boots. "Look alive, old fellow," I added
to the willing darkey, who was in an equally moist state, his black skin
glistening as if it had received a fresh coating of Japan varnish.
"Saddle my pony at once, for I must go into town, as I told you!"

"But, Tom," interposed my mother at this juncture, "you cannot start in
all this rain. See how wet you are already, dear, and it is still
pouring down, worse than ever!"

"Oh, never mind that, mother, it will stop soon," I rejoined hastily,
mortally afraid of her putting an embargo on my contemplated expedition
to Saint George's. "I will go in and change my things, and long before
I'm ready it'll be fine again, you'll see! Besides, you know, dad may
have come by the steamer, and he'll be expecting me to meet him and want
Dandy to ride home on. Jake can take him down along with me, so as to
be on the safe side, eh?"

"Well, well, my dear, I suppose you must have your way," said my mother,
whom this last argument of mine, in respect of my father's possible
arrival, seemed to convince against her will, for she made no further
demur to my setting out, in spite of the weather.

This very material point being satisfactorily arranged in my favour, as
Jake could see with half an eye, he having waited to learn whether my
orders were to be carried out or not, the darkey now hurried off to the
stables to execute them with a cheerful grin on his ebony face, fearing
the rain as little as he did the burning rays