s," said Sam. "The house and park at
Clere, were sold by my father for 12,000L. to a brewer. Since then,
this brewer, a most excellent fellow by all accounts, has bought back,
acre by acre, nearly half the old original property as it existed in my
great grandfather's time, so that now Clere must be worth fifty
thousand pounds at least. This man's children are all dead; and as far
as Captain Brentwood has been able to find out for me, no one knows
exactly how the property is going. The present owner is the same age as
my father; and at his death, should an advantageous offer be made,
there would be a good chance of getting the heirs to sell the property.
We should have to pay very highly for it, but consider what a position
we should buy with it. The county would receive us with open arms. That
is all I know at present."

"A noble idea," said Alice, "and well considered. Now what are you
going to do?"

"Have you heard tell yet," said Sam, "of the new country to the north,
they call the Darling Downs?"

"I have heard of it, from Burnside the cattle dealer. He describes it
as a paradise of wealth."

"He is right. When you get through the Cypress, the plains are endless.
It is undoubtedly the finest piece of country found yet. Now do you
know Tom Troubridge?"

"Slightly enough," said Alice, laughing.

"Well," said Sam. "You know he went to Sydney with us, and before he
had been three days there he came to me full of this Darling Down
country. Quite mad about it in fact. And in the end he said: 'Sam, what
money have you got?' I said that my father had promised me seven
thousand pounds for a certain purpose, and that I had come to town
partly to look for an investment. He said, 'Be my partner;' and I said,
'What for?' 'Darling Downs,' he said. And I said I was only too highly
honoured by such a mark of confidence from such a man, and that I
closed with his offer at once. To make a long matter short, he is off
to the new country to take up ground under the name of Troubridge and
Buckley. There!"

"But oughtn't you to have gone up with him, Sam?"

"I proposed to do so, as a matter of course," said Sam. "But what do
you think he said?"

"I don't know."

"He gave me a great slap on the back," said Sam; "and, said he, 'Go
home, my old lad, marry your wife, and fetch her up to keep house.'
That's what he said. And now, my own love, my darling, will you tell
me, am I to go up alone, and wait for you; or will you come u