," Fred added.

"You shall be sorry for your words, and perhaps I may make you appear in
rather an equivocal light before many hours have passed;" and with a
look of devilish malice the nephew, who had attempted to murder his old
uncle for a few thousand dollars' worth of gold dust, left the store,
and we did not care if we never laid eyes upon his treacherous,
cold-looking face again, although I had serious forebodings that we had
not got rid of him entirely, and that he would work us injury.

I hinted something of the kind to Fred, but he laughed at it, and in a
few minutes we had a rush of morning customers, and all thoughts of
Follet and his vengeance were banished from my mind.

I think that we were seated at breakfast, and wondering why Mr. Brown
had been absent for such a length of time from the store, when who
should pay us a visit but the police commissioner, Mr. Sherwin, a tall,
dignified man, with a face that had no more expression in it than a
piece of coal. He was never known to lean to the side of mercy during
the whole of his career as an officer, and as commissioner he had
exclusive jurisdiction over the petty court of Ballarat, and fined and
sentenced miners, who were brought before him for drunkenness and petty
larceny, without mercy. He was an ambitious man, and had striven for a
long time to get a seat upon one of the benches of the upper courts in
Melbourne, but owing to the want of influence, he had never succeeded.
Every person that he imagined could sway the governor-general was
treated with delightful consideration; but a look blacker than a
raven's wing was the reward of every one who ventured on familiarity not
up to his standard of excellence.

I must confess that I was surprised at the early visit of the
commissioner, and I was still more astonished when I saw half a dozen
policemen near the door, as though they were on business that they were
ashamed of, and desired to keep out of sight; still, it never entered
our minds that we were the parties that the policemen were watching.

Supposing that the commissioner wished to purchase some articles from
our store, Fred went to attend upon him, while I continued to eat my
breakfast.

"I want no goods, sir," returned Mr. Sherwin, in a short, sharp tone, in
reply to Fred's question as to what he would be served with.

Fred appeared slightly disconcerted, and returned to his breakfast with
an independent expression upon his face, that spoke m