If, as he hoped, he should find himself able to leave the colony within four years of the day on which he had begun work, and could then do so with an adequate fortune, he believed that he should have done better than any other Englishman who had set himself to the task of gold-finding.

In none of his letters did he say anything special about Hester Bolton; but his inquiries about the family generally were so frequent as to make his father wonder why such questions should be asked.

The squire himself, who was living hardly a dozen miles from Mr.Bolton's house, did not see the old banker above once a quarter perhaps and the ladies of the family certainly not oftener than once a year.

Very little was said in answer to any of John's inquiries.

'Mr.and Mrs.and Miss Bolton are, I believe, quite well.' So much was declared in one of the old squire's letters; and even that little served to make known that at any rate, so far, no tidings as to marriage on the part of Hester had reached the ear of her father's old friend.