Yet, if it shocks me to see my piano broken, how terrible must a visitation like the Mayfords' be.

These are not the times for moralizing, however.

I must see about entertaining the garrison." Eleanor, the cook, had come back from her lair, quite unconcerned.

She informed the company, in a nonchalant sort of way, that this was the third adventure of the kind she had been engaged in, and, although they seemed to make a great fuss about it; on the other side (Van Diemen's Land), it was considered a mere necessary nuisance; and so proceeded to prepare such supper as she could.

In the same off-hand way she remarked to Sam, when he went into the kitchen to get a light for his pipe, that, if it was true that Mike Howe had crossed and was among them, they had better look out for squalls; for that he was a devil, and no mistake.
Desborough determined to set a watch out on the road towards the mouth of the gully, where they were supposed to be.