sir, to your sense of honour, to your
love of justice, to your charitableness, to induce you to desist from
the perpetration of so vile an outrage on humanity. How can you punish,
sirs, with such severity a poor, ignorant black, whose offence has been
so trifling, that no honourable man would notice it? Besides, gentlemen,
I maintain it is unjust to punish a poor aboriginal for an action in
which he perceives or knows no wrong. If you persist in the fulfilment
of this barbarity, and violation of your charge as Justices of the
Peace, let your own consciences be your accusers."

The result of this harangue was only the production of an inordinate
burst of laughter from both Rainsfield and Smithers; who, without any
further notice of the philanthropic storekeeper, than a forcible request
from the latter to visit certain regions, the utterance of which would
be unpleasant to ears polite, they followed the men to the place of
punishment.

We will not accompany them to witness this scene, the disgusting and
unfeeling nature of which we cannot sufficiently condemn, but merely
state that for some minutes the air was rent by the shrieks of the
victim; while the two gentlemen and J.P. watched the process, and then
returned arm in arm to the house in high glee. Upon reaching the
domicile, and discovering that the pic-nic party had come back, Smithers
drew his companion away, and told him he wished to have a few minutes
conversation with him privately; whereupon Rainsfield, first
ascertaining that Eleanor had retired to bed, that his wife was with
her, and that his brother and Ferguson had gone to Fern Vale, returned
with his companion to the store: in which they locked themselves. What
was the nature of their conversation we can pretty correctly conjecture;
as also, no doubt, can our readers. It will, therefore, be unnecessary
for us to trespass on their privacy; to the full enjoyment of which we
will leave them.

CHAPTER XII.

"Then come, my sister! come, I pray,
With speed put on your woodland dress."

WORDSWORTH.

Before William had been long at Acacia Creek he began to experience the
impatience of his sister in her incessant promptings to commence his
journey; and, notwithstanding that he knew their house could not be
ready for her reception for some time, he was constrained to submit to
Kate's desire to enter at once upon her probationary visit. Their
arrangements