In the occasional visits that her
pupil's father paid to his little girl, he could not fail to be struck
by the sweet disposition and many other good qualities of her
governess, and it ended by his making her his wife. I felt at liberty
to congratulate her, for she looked the picture of happiness. I saw her
again next day, when she showed me the advertisement which had
been the means of such a change in her circumstances.
The day before my departure was a painful one, so many farewells to be
taken of dear friends whom I should never meet again.
On Friday, the 15th of November, my brother and all our party, Richard
and Jessie included, accompanied us to the pier at Williamstown, to
which we were conveyed by a steamer. For this we paid five shillings
a-piece, and the same for each separate box or parcel, and twelve
shillings to a man for carting our luggage down to the Melbourne wharf,
a distance of not a mile.
On landing at the pier, how greatly was I astonished to meet Harriette
and her husband. Her modest desires were gratified, and they had
realized sufficient capital at the diggings to enable them to settle
most comfortably near Adelaide. In hurried words she told me this, for
their boat was already alongside the pier waiting to take them to their
ship. Hardly had they departed than a boat arrived from our
vessel to convey us to it. Sad adieux were spoken, and we were rowed
away.
That evening a pilot came on board, anchors were weighed, we left the
bay, and I saw Melbourne no more.
Chapter XVII.
HOMEWARD BOUND
We soon left Port Philip far behind, and in a few days saw nothing but
a vast expanse of water all around us. Our vessel was filled with
returning diggers; and it is worth while to remark that only two had
been unsuccessful, and these had only been at the diggings a few days.
One family on board interested me very much. It consisted of father,
mother, and two children. The eldest, a little, girl, had been born
some time before they left England. Her brother was a sturdy fellow of
two years old, born in the colonies soon after their arrival.
He could just toddle about the deck, where he was everlastingly looking
for "dold," and "nuddets." The whole family had been at the diggings
for nine months, and were returning with something more than 2,000 pounds
worth of gold. In England it had been hard work to obtain sufficient
food by the most constant labour; they had good reason to be thankful
for the discovery of the gold-fields.
