room, and staked himself
trying to leap out of the stockyard the second day he had him. Well,
never mind; Jim's a good boy, and I am proud of him. I am in some hopes
that this Sydney journey will satisfy his wandering propensities for
the present, and that we may keep him at home. I wish he would fall in
love with somebody, providing she wasn't old enough to be his
grandmother.--Couldn't you send him a letter of introduction to some of
your old schoolfellows, Miss Puss? There was one of them, I remember, I
fell in love with myself one time when I came to see you; Miss Green, I
think it was. She was very nearly being your mamma-in-law, my dear."

"Why, she is a year younger than me," said Alice, "and, oh goodness,
such a temper! She threw the selections from Beethoven at Signor
Smitherini, and had bread and water-melon for two days for it. Serve
her right!"

"I have had a narrow escape, then," replied the father. "But we shall
see who these two people are immediately, for they are crossing the
river."

When the two travellers rose again into sight on the near bank of the
river, one of them was seen galloping forward, waving his hat.

"I KNEW it was Jim," said Alice, "and on a new grey horse. I thought he
would not go to Sydney." And in a minute more she had run to meet him,
and Jim was off his horse, kissing his sister, laughing, shouting, and
dancing around her.

"Well, father," he said, "here I am back again. Went to Sydney and
stayed a week, when we met the two Marstons, and went right up to the
Clarence with them. That was a pretty journey, eh? Sold the old horse,
and bought this one. I've got heaps to tell you, sister, about what
I've seen. I went home, and only stayed ten minutes; when I heard you
were here, I came right on."

"I am glad to see you back, Mr. Halbert," said Major Buckley; "I hope
you have had a pleasant journey. You have met Captain Desborough?"

"Captain Desborough, how are you?" says Jim. "I am very glad to see
you. But, between you and I, you're always a bird of ill omen. Whose
pig's dead now? What brings YOU back? I thought we should be rid of you
by this time."

"But you are not rid of me, Jackanapes," said Desborough, laughing.
"But I'll tell you what, Jim; there is really something wrong, my boy,
and I'm glad to see you back." And he told him all the news.

Jim grew very serious. "Well," said he, "I'm glad to be home again; and
I'm glad, too, to see you here. One feels safer when y