It did not take long to arrange what I should do for Mrs John Dempster.
I know I had determined upon a carriage and pair, with a very careful
coachman, expressly for her use; though how it was to be got out to that
wilderness, or used there, I did not stop to think. I only meant her to
grow well and strong, and have every luxury, while Mr John could be a
perfect country gentleman, and study, and be my friend. That gold was
to be regular Arabian Nights wealth, and I felt already quite a prince.
These ideas floated rapidly through my brain, while Mr Raydon made a
low washing noise with the tiny basket, and discoloured the flowing
water as he let the fine sand pass away.

All at once he stopped, held the dripping basket--every drop which ran
from it turned to ruddy gold by the sinking sun--tightly between his
knees, and again rapidly picked out the larger stones, sending them
flying about, to fall with a splash in the water.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"No, my boy, no," he said. "I have done this thing before. One can
manage it best."

Just then I heard a sigh from Esau, who could not refrain in his anxiety
from coming nearer the river.

This made Mr Raydon look up sharply, and he smiled.

"Hullo, sentry," he said, "you're not keeping a good look out. Mind
what you are about with that rifle."

"Yes, sir, I'll be very careful," said Esau, "and I am looking out
well."

"For the gold," said Mr Raydon, in an undertone, which words I caught,
as he went on picking and throwing out smaller stones, then washing the
basket round again and again, and the more he worked, the more his
countenance seemed to change, till it looked older and more careworn
than I had ever seen it before.

I knew that there were a few scales and beads of gold, for I had seen
them glisten in the sunshine as he rapidly moved the basket but directly
after I felt horribly disappointed, for he set it right down in the
water, the weight of stones within it keeping it at the bottom, and
splashed toward me.

"Here," he said roughly, "give me the shovel."

I gave it into his hand, and he waded half across to where there was an
eddy behind a huge mass of rock, and bending down here, he scraped away
the stones and sand, as if trying to make a hole, discolouring the water
right along the stream. Then, forcing the shovel down as far as he
could drive it, he brought up a dripping quantity of sand and small
gravel, placed it in the basket, returned for