e of the gold rush, was considered well-to-do. When, however, the
cry that gold had been discovered was raised, and the eyes of all the
nations were turned to Australia, with her glittering treasures, men
poured in from all parts of the world, and the 'Golden Age' commenced.
I began to grow rich rapidly, and was soon pointed out as the
wealthiest man in the Colonies. I bought a station, and, leaving the
riotous, feverish Melbourne life, went to live on it. I enjoyed myself
there, for the wild, open-air life had great charms for me, and there
was a sense of freedom to which I had hitherto been a stranger. But man
is a gregarious animal, and I, growing weary of solitude and communings
with Mother Nature, came down on a visit to Melbourne, where, with
companions as gay as myself, I spent my money freely, and, as the
phrase goes, saw life. After confessing that I loved the pure life of
the country, it sounds strange to say I enjoyed the wild life of the
town, but I did. I was neither a Joseph nor a St. Anthony, and I was
delighted with Bohemia, with its good fellowship and charming suppers,
which took place in the small hours of the morning, when wit and humour
reigned supreme. It was at one of these suppers that I first met
Rosanna Moore, the woman who was destined to curse my existence. She
was a burlesque actress, and all the young fellows in those days were
madly in love with her. She was not exactly what was called beautiful,
but there was a brilliancy and fascination about her which few could
resist. On first seeing her I did not admire her much, but laughed at
my companions as they raved about her. On becoming personally
acquainted with her, however, I found that her powers of fascination
had not been over-rated, and I ended by falling desperately in love
with her. I made enquiries about her private life, and found that it
was irreproachable, as she was guarded by a veritable dragon of a
mother, who would let no one approach her daughter. I need not tell
about my courtship, as these phases of a man's life are generally the
same, but it will be sufficient to prove the depth of my passion for
her when I say that I determined to make her my wife. It was on
condition, however, that the marriage should be kept secret until such
time as I should choose to reveal it. My reason for such a course was
this, my father was still alive, and he, being a rigid Presbyterian,
would never has forgiven me for having married a woman of th