e home with money in both
pockets?"

"He would kick it all down in a moment."

"Crawley, George Fielding must not come back this year with a thousand
pounds. That paper will prevent him; it is a paper of instructions. My
very brains lie in that paper; put it in your pocket. You are going a
journey, and you will draw on me for one hundred pounds per month."

"When am I to start, sir? Where am I to go to?"

"To-morrow morning. To Australia."

A dead silence on both sides followed these words, as the two colourless
faces looked into one another's eyes across the table.

To Australia Peter Crawley went, and with half-a-dozen of the most
villainous ruffians on earth in his pay, it seemed impossible for
Fielding and Robinson to escape. But here the ex-thief's alertness came
to George Fielding's aid, and the two men managed to get the better of
all the robbers and assassins who attacked their tent. Robinson, in
fact, not only saved his own and his partner's lives, by common consent
he was elected captain at the gold-diggings, and by his authority some
sort of law and order were established throughout the camp, and all
thefts were heavily punished.

The finding of a large nugget by Robinson ended gold-digging for these
two men. The nugget was taken to Sydney and fetched L3,800, and when
Crawley, who had pursued them from the camp, reached the city, he found
they had already sailed for England.

George Fielding went to Australia to make L1,000, and by industry,
sobriety, and cattle, he did not make L1,000; but, with the help of a
converted thief, he did by gold-digging, industry, and sobriety, make
several thousand pounds, and take them safe away home, spite of many
wicked devices and wicked men.

Mr. Meadows flung out Peter Crawley, his left hand, into Australia to
keep George from coming back to Susan with L1,000, and his left hand
failed, and failed completely. But his right hand?

_IV.--George Fielding's Return_

One market day a whisper passed through Farnborough that George Fielding
had met with wonderful luck. That he had made his fortune by gold, and
was going to marry a young lady out in Australia. Farmer Merton brought
the whisper home; Meadows was sure he would.

When eight months had elapsed without a letter from George, Susan could
no longer deceive herself with hopes. George was either false to her or
dead. She said as much to Meadows, and this inspired him with the idea
of setting about a report