The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 89

In a few minutes we reached the mine. As there was no one in sight, the policeman concluded to give the signal at the entrance of the shaft that the owner was wanted, and as the mine was not very deep, we were not kept waiting any length of time for his appearance. The tackle for lowering and raising the miners was worked, and first the head and then the body of a man appeared in view.

"Here's two gentlemen--they want to see you, Mr. Henrets," the officer said.

"My name is Herrets," the miner said, "and why you will persist in calling me Henrets is beyond my comprehension."

"One name is as good as the other--what is the difference?--both begin with H and end with s."

We found that the officer's description of the man answered very well.

His hair was sandy, his eyes were blue, and his skin was very fair and beardless. He was about five feet six inches, and not very stout.

Dressed as he was, in mining clothes, stained with many a stratum of earth, we could form but a poor opinion of his good looks, even had we been disposed to estimate his beauty before his understanding.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, addressing Fred and myself, in a tone that was intended to be excessively conciliatory.

"Before we answer that question we must ask one," Fred replied. "Were you ever an apprentice to a cordwainer in London?"

The man's face flushed scarlet, and he seemed extremely agitated at the question--but at length he replied,--

"I was an apprentice to a cordwainer, but my indentures were given up before I left England, sir."

"And your master had an only daughter, whose hand you demanded in marriage," Fred continued.

"Yes, but I meant nothing wrong; upon my word, gents, I didn't," he exclaimed, hastily, evidently considering Fred and myself in some way connected with the law, as we were under the guidance of a police officer.

"That remains to be seen," returned Fred, in a mysterious manner, evidently taking some delight in frightening the simple-minded young man all he could.

"O, I can tell you all about it," Herrets exclaimed with eagerness.

"That is unnecessary," Fred replied. "We know all, or nearly all; but what we wish to discover is, why you did not join the lady at Melbourne, as you promised in your letter?"

"Join the lady at Melbourne?" the young fellow repeated, hardly knowing what to say; "why, I wrote to her that if she would come to Australia I would pay her expenses, and marry her, besides. That was fair, wasn't it? But she didn't write me that she would come; so of course I thought that my hundred pounds were a dead loss, and that the girl had got another feller, which I don't call exactly fair; do you?"

We did not commit ourselves by any opinion, as we did not know but that some day it would be brought against us.

We formed an opinion, however, respecting the mental capacity of the youth, for whose sake the poor girl had wandered so many miles; and I no longer wondered that she saw a difference between her lover and Fred.

"Then you received no letter from Miss Purcel, announcing that she would sail on such a day, and requesting you to be on the lookout for her?"

asked Fred.

"Of course I didn't," responded the young man, with commendable eagerness. "That is just what I am finding fault with."

"Then you will be rejoiced to learn that, after great suffering and privation, Miss Purcel has arrived, and is in Ballarat," Fred said.

The news almost deprived him of the power of articulation, and for a moment I thought that he would faint, but he didn't. He was too eager to see her, and welcome her to her new home.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Not far distant," Fred answered.

"Take me to her without delay," he cried; "I shall die with joy."

"Softly," replied Fred; "there are some things to be explained before we comply with your request;" and briefly he went over the girl's narrative, as told by herself, until he gave an account of her narrow escape from the hands of the miners who suspected her of stealing their dust.

The lover moaned piteously as he heard the hardships that his mistress had suffered; and after we had persuaded him to change his clothes and remove the stains from his skin, we let him accompany us on our return to the store.

"You must promise us one thing," I said, as we walked along, hardly able to keep up with the lover's impetuous strides, "that you will be married this very day."

I stole a look at Fred's face, but he appeared to approve of the plan, and I could see no traces of disappointment.

If the girl is not obdurate, I thought, I shall save Fred many unhappy days.

"O, I'm willing to agree to that," replied the lover, with a chuckle.

"You have the mean's to support a wife?" I asked.

"I've got money enough to support her after we are married. I've waited too long for her arrival to waste time with silly delays," he answered, earnestly.

"And you love her well enough to overlook all of her faults, if she has any, and to be a kind, affectionate husband?" asked Fred.

"Of course I do," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Herrets. "I ain't a particular man, by any means; and if she will only look out for my tent while I am absent, and have my dinner ready when I get home, we shall get along as happy as pigs."

I saw that Fred gave the man a look of intense disgust, and perhaps he also thought what chance of happiness a girl would have with a man who compared his matrimonial life with a pigsty.

"Your intended wife," I said, "has been well educated, and never known hardships or misery until she reached this country and you must carefully consider that she requires the society of her own s.e.x to pa.s.s her time pleasantly so far from the land of her birth. You say that you have money enough to support her; then take my advice, and remove to Melbourne or Sydney, and enter into business, and where you can form new a.s.sociations. The mines of Ballarat are no place for a young wife."

"O, I shall be company enough for her," he answered, carelessly, and with an air that plainly betokened that he considered I was meddling with things that did not concern me.

"You fool," I muttered, "stay here and you will be wifeless in less than a month. The girl will never be contented with such affection as you are disposed to give."

Not another word was spoken until we reached the store, and ushered Mr.

Herrets into the room where the girl was seated. The latter looked up, smiled, but did not appear very enthusiastic or particularly overjoyed.

"Hullo, Molly," cried the lover, roughly, rushing frantically towards her, and throwing his arms around her neck; and in spite of a slight struggle, he succeeded in imprinting half a dozen kisses upon her cheeks and lips.

We noted that the interview was too interesting for us to witness, and we retired and left them together.

"Poor girl," muttered Fred, with a sigh; "what chance for happiness does she possess with a man whose education has been neglected, and whose manners have been blunted by a lengthy residence in the mines?"

"He is better than he appears," I replied, "and I have no doubt that they will soon understand each other's ways, and get along quite happily. We have no right to interfere."

"I think that we have. She is a _protegee_ of ours, and as such it is our duty to see lest she comes to harm. I think that I shall object to this marriage."

Confound it. I feared as much all the time, but I was not disposed to relinquish all hope of getting Fred from committing himself to such a course. I know that if my friend but gave the least encouragement to the girl she would repudiate her lover, and then I could readily foresee what would follow. Clergymen were not abundant at Ballarat, and Fred, I knew, had no thought of marriage.

I reasoned with Fred for a long time, and told him (G.o.d forgive me for the lie) that great affection existed between the parties, and that they were not disposed to show it before us, as we were comparatively strangers, and had no right to judge of their hearts or their heads; and at last I so worked on the mind of my friend that he readily accompanied me to the police office, where we were directed to a clergyman's, and with the reverend gentleman returned to the store, where our appearance created some surprise in the heart, at least, of one of the parties.

We insisted upon the girl's changing her clothes--the trunk which she spoke of having been found and taken to our place of business; and while she was doing so behind a screen of sail-cloth, we commenced making preparations for the wedding.