ake their fortunes. "I
say, Richard, it'ud be something for you."

His words evoked no response. Sorry though I shall be, thought Polly,
dear Ned had better not come to the house so often in future. I wonder
if I need tell Richard why. Jerry was on pins and needles, and even put
Trotty ungently from him: Richard would be so disgusted by Ned's
blatherskite that he would have no patience left to listen to him.

Mahony kept his nose to his book. As a matter of principle. He made a
rule of believing, on an average, about the half of what Ned said. To
appear to pay attention to him would spur him on to more flagrant
over-statements.

"D'ye hear, Richard? Now's your chance," repeated Ned, not to be done.
"A very different thing this, I can tell you, from running round dosing
people for the collywobbles. I know men who are raising the splosh any
way they can to get in."

"I dare say. There's never been any lack of gamblers on Ballarat," said
Mahony dryly, and passed his cup to be refilled.

Pig-headed fool! was Ned's mental retort, as he sliced a chunk of
rabbit-pie. "Well, I bet you'll feel sore some day you didn't take my
advice," he said aloud.

"We shall see, my lad, we shall see!" replied Mahony. "In the meantime,
let me inform you, I can make good use of every penny I have. So if
you've come here thinking you can wheedle something out of me, you're
mistaken." He could seldom resist tearing the veil from Ned's gross
hints and impostures.

"Oh no, Richard dear!" interpolated Polly, in her role of
keeper-of-the-peace.

Ned answered huffily: "'Pon my word, I never met such a fellow as you,
for thinking the worst of people."

The thrust went home. Mahony clapped his book to. "You lay yourself
open to it, sir! If I'm wrong, I beg your pardon. But for goodness'
sake, Ned, put all these trashy ideas of making a fortune out of your
mind. Digging is played out, I tell you. Decent people turned their
backs on it long ago."

"That's what I think, too," threw in Jerry.

Mahony bit his lip. "Come, come, now, what do you know about it?"

Jerry flushed and floundered, till Polly came to his aid. "He's been
wanting to speak to you, Richard. He hates the work as much as you did."

"Well, he has a tongue of his own.--Speak for yourself, my boy!"

Thus encouraged, Jerry made his appeal; and fearing lest Richard should
throw him, half-heard, into the same category as Ned, he worded it very
tersely. Mahony, who had never giv