e to the fate of its occupants. There was nothing to be done but to head his horse for home again. Polly was more fortunate. Within three days of the fight Ned turned up, sound as a be

her arms round his neck, and listened, with her big, black, innocent eyes-except for their fleckless candour, the co

e sympathy of the community was with the rebels, and at the funerals of the fallen, hundreds of mourners, in such black coats as they could muster, marched side by side to the wild little unfenced bush cemetery. When, too, the re

paint; he also began to catalogue his collection of Lepidoptera. Hence, as far as business was concerned, it was a timely moment for the arrival of a

d thought twice before letting himself be entangled in a lawsuit. Now, he had a wife dependent on him, and to lose the case, and be held responsible for costs, would cripple him. And such

th the rascally carrier, and on learning this, Henry had straightway subpoenaed him. Mahony was none too well pleased: the boy threatened to be a handful. His old father, on delivering him up at the coach-office, had drawn M

tting alone in a hotel. And a tentative letter to her brother John had not called forth an invitation: Mrs. Emma was in delicate health at present, and had no mind for visitors. So he committed

a-dozen sandwiches, keeping their seats the while that the young toper might be spared the sight of intoxicating liquors. Now, stoppin

. good! Why, sonny, you're quite smart." This when Johnny succeeded in grasping his drift. But at the least hint of unreadiness or hesitation, he tut-tutted and drew his brows together. And as it went on, it seemed to Mahony that Ocock was putting words into the boy's mouth; while Johnny, intimidated, said yes and amen to things he could not possibly know. Presently he interfered to this effect. Ocock brushed his remark aside.

ities. But the lad was too apathetic to look about him, and never opened his mouth. Once only in the course of the afternoon did he offer a kind of handl

ahony. "Would you lik

ale of Red Indians, the pages smudged with

n he came back Johnny was gone. He hunted high and low for him, ransacked the place without success: the boy had spoken to no one, nor had he been seen to leave the coffee-room; and as the clock-hands were nearing twelve, Mahony was obliged to give up the search and go back to

ing clouds of coarse, gritty dust swept house-high through the streets: half-suffocated, Mahony fought his way along, his veil lowered, his handkerchief at his mouth. Outside those public-houses that advertised ice, crowds stood waiting their turn of entry; while half-n

brandishing the note that had been got to him early that morning-and now his eyes looked like little dab

er with his free hand. "A pretty fix to put us in at the last minute, upon my word! It was your business, sir,

ou!-entirely your own look-out," he returned a cool: "Certainly," then moved to one side and took up his stand in a corner o

n with his clerk, a wide berth, and moved forward among a number of other people. A dark, ladder-like stair led to

O.K., o

-" Here the sentence snapped, for Mahony, bitten by a sudden doubt, faced sharpl

wind; and the atmosphere was a brew of all the sour odours, the offensive breaths, given off by the two-score odd people crushed within its walls

thing-space, sat askew. Nor was he anything of an orator: he stumbled over his sentences, and once or twice lost his place altogether. To his dry presentment of the case nobody seemed to pay heed. The judge, tired of wiping his spectacles dry, leant back and closed his eyes. Mahony believed he slept, as did also some of the jurors, deaf to the Citation of Dawes V. Peck and Dunlop V. Lambert; to the assertion that the carrier was the agent, the

eloquence his interest did not flag. It was the first time he heard the case for the other side stated plainly; and he was dismayed to find how convincing it was. Put thus,

e did not pit oneself against such human flotsam. Drunkard was stamped on every inch of the man, but this morning, in odd exception to the well-primed crew around him, he was sober-bewilderedly sober-and his shabby

angled. He stammered forth his evidence, halting either to piece together what he was going to say, or to recollect what he had just said-it was clear he went in mortal fear of contradi

ds in and out, and swallowed oftener than he had saliva for, in a forlorn endeavour to evade the pitfalls artfully dug for him. More than once h

inserted his left arm under his gown, and held the stu

whether you've ever had occasion to send goods by

le monosyllable, ret

you've heard o

olliver, and let his vacillating

cky questions: "I put it to you, it's a well-known fact that he'

se so." Bolliver's tongue grew

u old rogue you, to insinuate

nly say wh

ard or didn't hear. What I ask, my

defendant rec

st known carriers in Melbourne, and THAT was why th

. n .

e, who was below him, counsel whispered with a please

with hands clasped, exclaimed: "My Lord, if the case goes against me, I'm done ... stony-broke! And the defendant's got a down on me, my Lord-'e's made

he knew, with the poor old Jeremy Diddler yonder, to the latter's disadvantage-his spine stiffened and he held himself nervously erect. But, the quizzing at an end, he fumbled with his f

was Mahony's caustic note. He had fallen to scribbling on a sheet of paper, and was resigned to sitting t

refore, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant accepted these goods. Now I submit to you, on the plaintiff's own admission, that the man Murphy was a common carrier.

money having passed, he turned the pages of a thick red book with a moistened thumb. Having found what he sought, he pushed up his

submission. I have my client here, and all his witnesses are in court whom I am prepared to call, should your Lordship decide against me on the present point.

So this was their little game! And should the bluff not work ...? He sat rigid, staring at t

foot of the stairs Grindle came flying down, to say that Ocock wished to speak to him. Very good, replied Mahony, he would call at the office in the course of the afternoon. But the cl

g, I suppose-he's nursing ME now!" said Mahony to himself. At the same time he reckoned up, with some anxiety, t

recovered his

ught we could manage to pull it off. Had it been Guppy now ... Still, all's we

h do I o

's and client's costs" came to twenty odd pound

ce again Grindle ran after him

e's been an' done? Gets outer court like one o'clock-'e'd a sorter rabbit-fancyin' business in 'is backyard. Well, 'ome 'e trots an' slits the guts of eve