h over his mother; and Dermot, who was
thought to be at his friend's shanty, kept watch near the door: but
Dick Smith, hating Harold's presence, had gone on an excursion lasting
some days, and before his father went in quest of him in the morning,
Harold had a proposal ready--namely, to continue to pay Smith what he
already allowed his mother, with an addition, provided he were allowed
to take her with him to Dunedin, and, if possible, home.

Smith haggled, lamented, and pretended to hesitate, but accepted the
terms at last, and then showed considerable haste in setting the party
off on their journey before his son should come home, fearing, perhaps,
some deadly deed if Dick should discover what a prey the poor woman had
concealed from him, while she was within his reach; and as the worth of
the apples was estimated at about twenty pounds beyond the debt, Harold
paid this to him at once, and they left him in the meek, plausible,
tearful stage of intoxication, piteously taking leave of his wife as if
she were the very darling of his heart, and making fine speeches about
his resolution to consign her to her son for the sake of her health.
So contemptible had the poor creature become, that Harold found it
easier to pity than to hate him.

Besides, Harold had little thought then to spare from the eager filial
and maternal affection that had been in abeyance all the years since
poor Alice's unhappy marriage. For a little while the mother and son
were all in all to each other. The much-enduring woman, used to
neglected physical suffering, bore the journey apparently well, when
watched over and guarded with a tender kindness recalling that of the
husband of her youth; and Harold wrote to me from Dunedin full of hope
and gladness, aware that his mother could never be well again, but
trusting that we might yet give her such peace and rest as she had
never yet tasted.

Again came bitter vexation in Eustace's way of receiving the
intelligence. "I hope he does not mean to bring her here. It would be
so extremely inconvenient--not a widow even! It would just confirm all
the scandals _I_ have surmounted."

"I thought she had been almost as much a mother to you as your own?"

"Oh, that was when I was at school, and they were paid for it. Besides,
what a deceitful fellow Smith was, and how he defrauded me."

"And how she has restored it!"

"I hope Harold will not go and get those nuggets changed into specie.
They would mak