" and her husband's firm "Amen!"
It had like to have overset her. She pressed her hands tight together
to keep her heart still.

"They know we are coming," said the captain.

"Who?" said Eleanor quickly.

Mr. Amos pressed his wife's arm; the captain's eyes twinkled.

"Is there anybody there on the look-out for you?" he asked.

"I suppose there may be," said Eleanor calmly.

"Well, he bas got notice then, some hours ago," said the captain. "The
pilot telegraphed to the South Head, and from the South Head the news
has gone all over Sydney and Paramatta. Pretty good-looking city, is
Sydney."

It was far more than that. It had been the point of the travellers'
attention for some time. From the water up, one height above another,
the white buildings of the town rose and spread; a white city; with
forts and windmills, and fair looking country seats in its
neighbourhood.

"Where is Paramatta?" said Eleanor, "and what is it?"

"It's a nice little pleasure place, up the Paramatta river; fifteen
miles above Sydney. Fine scenery; it's as good as going to Richmond,"
added the captain.

"What is that splendid large white building?" Mrs. Amos asked, "on the
hill?"

"No great things of a hill," said the captain. "That's the
Government-house. Nice gardens and pleasure grounds there too."

"How beautiful it is!" said Mrs. Amos almost with a sigh.

"It is almost like a Scottish lake!" said her husband. "I remember one
that this scene reminds me of at this moment."

"A little of this is worth all Scotland," said the captain. "There's
pretty much everything here that a man wants--and not hard to come by,
either. O you'll stay in Sydney! why shouldn't you? There's people
enough here that want teaching, worse than the savages. I declare, I
think they do."

"Somebody else will have to teach them," said Mr. Amos. "What an array
of ships and sails of all sorts! This gives one an idea of the business
of the place."

"Business, and growing business," said the captain. "Sydney is getting
ahead as fast as it can."

"How sweet the air is!" said Eleanor.

"Ay!" said the captain. "Now you smell green things again. I'll wager
you won't want to put to sea any more, after you once get a firm foot
on land. Why this is the very place for you. Enough to do, and every
luxury a man need want, at hand when your work is done."

"When is one's work done?" said Eleanor.

"I should say, when one has worked enough and got what one is afte