earned for conspiracy, Mr. McLandiess rai'jdly hinted, that his daughter's husband might bring him to book for all the money he had received on her account since she came of age, and then the threats changed into a whine, and the incoherence became greater than ever. The deputation had to leave without being authorised to carry a message of forgiveness to the young counle. The last that was seen of the old gentleman on that Saturday night was by a belated traveller, who met him walking rapidly along the Anderson's Bay-Road, through a driving Scotch mist, hatless, an( l with his feet encassed in slippers or 'bauchles,' as my informant, an old iden tity of !he purest water, called them. He md his wife adhered to their original intention of sailing by the Aldinga on the following Tuesday. Probably Mr. Me- Undress's hint about accounts had some effect in hurrytng their departure. That was only twelve years ago, and yet nearly every one of the leading actors lathis little comedy has since ' gone over to the majority.' Joe Wolfe, Tom •pawcett, Mr. MeLandress, and now the leading character of the company, Julia Matthews. All dead !

The Hand of Fats.—An Austra lian Romance.

CHAPTER I.—FOR PASTURES NSW. It is the summer of the year 18—, and a large crowd are gathered at Gravesend. The day is an unusually pleasant ono, and the sun ha 3 reached its highest point in the heavens. An unusual crowd had assembled to witness the departure of the ship Madrepore, wtich was announced to set sail that day for Australia. Among those about to take passage in the Madrepore and try their fortune in the new continent is Roger Cornwall, a young barrister, of distinguished talents. Cornwall had begun life as an office boy, but by ability and shrewdness—for he was undoubtedly a long-headed fellow he had worked his way in his profession till he succeeded in obtaining a call to the Bar some two years previous to the time at which we find him taking passage to Australia. At the date of his admis sion he was 29 years of age, and gave promise of attaining prominence in his profession. But there were other essen tial qualifications needed for success at the British Bar, besides ability and industry, and this Cornwall soon found to his cost. Strive as he might, he found that without considerable expense and the aid of influential connections he could not get a suitable scope for his ability. Occasionally he was fortunate enough to have a few briefs entrusted to his care, but before long he recognized the fact that it would be many years to come before he could possibly obtain even a small share of the emoluments of his profession. It was about this time that the extravagant rumours reached England concerning the new El Dorado of the Southern Hemisphere, and thither Corn wall determined to turn his attention. Nor was his resolution in any way the result of hallucination with reference to the mining mania. In a new country in which ability, and that alone, would be the gauge of success, he saw that there would a far better opportunity for advancement in his profession. Under these circumstances he deter mined to emigrate, and in furtherance of thisresolve we find him taking passage onboard the ship Madrepore, which wis looked upon as one of the fastest craft of the day. Among its passengers on this occasion were men of various creeds, nationalities, trades, and professions, all determined to try their fortunes ia the sunny land of the South. Contrary winds had the effect of making the journey unusually long, and many of the passengers had not completely recovered from sea-sickness ere they hegan to complain of the monotony of a protracted sea voyage. Various means were adopted to while away the time. Beading was, of course, the favourite diversion, but the stock of books on board was soon used up; then, a few set about keeping diaries as some relief to the monotony of the voyage. In these journals they kap; a record of each day's events, but many days there were few incidents worthy of transcription, and eventually this fell through. Quoits were next tried, and these, certainly, never failed to produce good sport, and thus many an enjoyable hour was spent. But even such an exciting game as quoits may, in time, become monotonous, and once again the passengers found it necessary to improvise some new method of amusement.

It was evident that the cause of failure Was due to the want of fascination attachable to anything yet tried. It remained, therefore, for a retired captain of the navy to introduce a pastime which, though baneful and ruinous to itsdovotees, could not at least be condemned on the score of absence of fascination.

The game introduced was one played with dice, and called hazard. It was easy to learn, and it was not long before most of the passengers learned to play it i In the pursuit of the game, hour after hour was spent, and many pounds were lost. Among the principal losers was the barrister, Eoger Cornwall, who, by the time the Madrepore put into a harbour at Tasmania for repairs, had lost £79.

As the vessel would be detained in port a few days, Cornwall took advantage of the delay to go on shore. Here he inciden tally made the acquaintance of an eminent

ITobart Town counsellor, who was then attending circuit. The latter persuaded Cornwall to settle in Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania), and promised him whatever assistance he could render him.

This advice he took, and put his luggage ashore before the ship sailed, altering his original intention of proceeding to Sydney. Was it a fatality urging him that he should thus blindly follow the dictates of Fate P or was it, as Shakespere says : There's a Divinity th»t shapes onr ends, Rough-how them how we will ?

Chapter 11.—A NIGHT OF POACHING

AND ITS CONSEQUENCES: The scone has once again changed, and the reader must picture to himself a country village in one of the central counties of England. Near tho estate of Eltham, which covered many miles in extent, are a number of small cottages, comprising a considerable group, and known as Raven's Row, possibly from the number of those birds in that locality. Seated at tea around a comfortable fire in one of the neatest of these houses are an aged couple and a youth just develop ing into manhood. It is winter —one of the coldest and bitterest of winters exper ienced in England for many years. A blazing fire lights up the interior of the house and gives it a cheery appearance. The old couple are endeavouring to persuade their son, -vhom they address as Moses, from joining in a poaching expedition that night. A considerable number of the young men of the neigh berhood were constantly organizing com panies for the purpose of making a raid upon tho estate of the Squire iof Eltham, and frequently Moses Fletcher formed one in such excursions.

In those days, poaching, however dis tasteful and objectionable to the proprie tors of large landed estates, was considered a very venial offence by the inhabitants of the country districts. Still it was a dangerous pastime, for the Squire of Eltham had taken the precaution to double the number of gamekeepers on guard.

On the night in question the Fletchers were striving their utmost to extract a promise from Moses that he would not form one of the hunting party that night. This was the first attempt' at poaching since the increase in the number of game keepers, and the staider folks of- tho neighbourhood counselled discret:on. From the expression on the young man's face, it might be seen that he was hesitat ing how to act. No thought of danger for one moment crossed his mind, but he was not entirely regardless of the claims of obedience. Possibly his better nature would have triumphed, and the required promise been given,ljbadnot a shrill whistle notified that his companions were near and expected him to j nn them. Not a minute longer did he pause, but snatching up his hat he was quickly in. the midst of the marauders, laughing and cracking jokes as they went alang. Later in the night he regretted not having taken his parents' advice. He found himself surrounded by a strong body of gamekeepers. The poachers had divided into small gangs, and were evidently bagging a considerable quantity of game. The gang of which Fletcher was one were similarly fortunate, and the night's work gave promise of being ex tremely lucrative; but unfortunately they came suddenly upon a number of gamekeepers who were hiding in ambush. To strike the foremost one to the earth was to Fletcher the work of a moment, but the next instant they were overpowered and marched in trimuph to the county goal. Five out of the seventeen poachers were thus taken captives. The prisoners were conducted before the magistrates the next day, when the captured poachers were each sentenced to six months' imprisonment in the county gaol. Fletcher, who had resisted and wounded v:he gamekeeper, was committed for trial to the next assizes. Meanwhile the wounded gamekeeper was in a critical state, and for .'some time his life was despaired of. At the assizes he had recovered sufficiently to give evidence, and Fletcher was accordingly arraigned for wounding, with intent to kill The .most skilful counsel was engaged for the defence, and the poor aged parents of the prisoner almost beg gared themselves to secure their son legal aid. But of what avail was the skill or pertinacity of an advocate against the straightforward evidence of the witnesses brought forward by the prosecution ? The utmost that could be done was to secure his conviction only on the minor charge of ' wounding, with intent to do grievous bodily harm.' The sentence passed upon the prisoner was transportation to Tan Dieman s Land for the term of fifteen years. Then the unhappy young man was removed from the dock amidst the agonizing shrieks ot the mother, who was conveyed from court in a state of unconsciousness.

Chapter 111.-TO HIGH ESTATE. Meanwhile, Eoger Cornwall has met with no small measure of success in his adopted country, and has surely no cause to regret his visit to the ' bonnie isle.' When he quitted the ship Madrepore, in 18—, he had lost, it will be remembered, as much as £79 by gambling. As this represented more than half of his capital, Cornwall saPthat persistence in such a course must ultimately result in his rum, and he accordingly steadfastly resolved to eschew so dangerous a vice. To this resoluticn he has for tweDty years adhered with commendable zeal, and we now find him holding a high position in Tasmania. Being taken by the hand by

the eminent counsellor whoso acquaint anco ho made on his first landing, it will be seen that he had thus. a decided advantage over his confreres at tho Bar. This patronage had an important bearing on his career, as he thus gained an introduction into the society of several of the most influential legal practitioners in Hobart Town, who were not slow to dis cover Cornwall's talent and capacity for his profession. Briefs flowed in rapidly, and his fame as a barrister became speedily established. Notably among his labours was his defence of tho Bargo Brush ruffian on seven separato chargas of robbery uudcr arms, in each of which cases he secured an acquittal of the prisoner.

In politics, Cornwall took an active part, and was similarly successful. His dvsnitigogistic principles made him a favourite with the populace, and he accordingly held a seat in the Tasmanian Legislature for fifteen years. Various offers of a seat on the Treasury benches had been thrown out to induce him to cast in his influence with the Government, but without avail.

Despite the fact that he mixod in the best of society he had as yet found no one among the weaker sex whom he regarded in a sufficiently tender light as to propose matrimony. Some averred that he had been crossed in love ; but, whether this was true or not, it is certain that twenty years after his arrival in the colony he was still a bachelor.

And thus we find him, at tho ago of 49. unmarried, but risen 'to high estate.' In wealth and influence, he could compare with some of the richest in the land. True, some people asserted that he rose to such preferment by unscrupulous principles, but nothing definite or tangible could be urged against him.

At rest on a lofty rung of the ladder of ambition, one would predict from him an unviable future in the peaceful enjoyment of his wealth. Would aught of trouble ever assail him to mar such tranquil enjoyment P Present appearances suggest a reply in the negative ; but wo would do well to remember that just as the 'darkest night precedes a storm' so a too placid sky is but premonitory of a hovering tempest, and excessive security is the surest sien of peril. Chapter IV.—RETRIBUTION.

The scene is still Hobarfc Town, and the reader will fancy himself in one of the principal streets of the metropolis. At the side door of the largest hotel in the city stands Roger Cornwall: The short space of one year has had an effect upon the eminent counsellor; for one thing he has aged much, and wears an habitual look expressive of worry and mental pain. Cornwall opens a door and walks up stairs into the billiard-room . It is the Autumn Meeting of the Tasmanian Turf Ciub, and aa a consequence the billiard rooms and gaming-saloons are pretty well thronged. On such nights as race-nights the proprietors of these places have not as usual to depend upon the casual customers who happen to drop in and spend a shilling or so on billiards. No; on such nights as those the proprietors have a higher game to play. They want men who can afford to speculate in all the various games of chance on the board The inventive faculty of landlords always con trives a method of sifting the tares from the wheat, and of excluding profitless visitors, to the promimence of. more profitable constituents. On suchoccasions an entrance fee of five shillings is charged for admission to the billiard-room up to midnight, and an additional five shillings for those who remain after that hour. This, of course, always has the desired effect, for no man would be foolish enough to pay five or ten shillings unless ho intended to make use of his time by speculating on games of chance. Having paid the man at tho door the money demanded, Cornwall enters the room- The saloon presents a dazzling and animated appearance that might well attract so many votaries to its shrine, and it is evident that Testerman is doing a roaring trade. One of the best billiard tables in the colony occupies the centre of the room, and its lessee, July, has kept it in the best of trim. The balls are now and reliable, the pockets clean and white, and the cloth is the finest green, But it is not with billiards that we have to do. At a side table are an immense number ot patronizers of the game of hazard, and, to use a phrase of the game, their is at least a ' £500 school' that night. But we, will here pause and explain the presence at tho saloon of Hoger Cronwall. Five years previous, that gentleman had converted almost the whole of his cash into landed and household property, purchasing nearly an entire street from one John Young, who poss essed it by virtue ot his father's decease without making a will. At the death of the vendor, two years later, an elder brother stepped in and claimed the ,pro perty as heir-at-law. Litigation followed, and, tho plaintiff proving his claim, Cornwall was all but ruined. He was now too old to devote his attention to his profession with the vigour and enthusiasm of his younger days, and now we find him, 'to hastening ills a prey,' seeking to regain his losses at the gaming table. To-night he has a strangely excited look on his face, the cause of which it is necessary to explain. He had on previous occasions lost no only his own wealth, but also part of some money which he held as trustee, and in a [ few days at most he would haye to render

an account of his stewardship. So, in a spirit of despair, he is come resolved to hazard the remainder of the trust money (£SO) in order to recover tho £150 deficient,

Meanwhile, the scene at the table is one of wild excitement and curses and exclamations of delight, all mingled with such cries as ' Set me half-a-pound; ' I'll wager a prad;' ' Ten to seven ;' • Out another shilling at seven;' ' The same eight or a dozen;' ' Eleven's a crab, you've missed it;' 'An eight and a twelve, he's nicked it;' ' Call the pain ;' ' Here goes, eight's the main eight;' ' Three shillings to balf-a-caser he don't do the eight to the five;' 'Half a quid in that pound, for it?' 'I'll lay a blue note on July;' ' The fat flies by night;' « Sweet Edinburgh ;' f Sweet Chow ;' ' Here's little Alf;' 'Good shot for tho worthy smith, the"tallow-faces have to ante up;' 'On

you go Chappie and Jackson ;' ' Bravo Stonewall !' Whore's Ike Chappie ?' ' Now then, third time of covering, you must do it ;' ' Where's the spe-ecial ?' ' Here's a good line ;' ' Go it, bully, you'll beat the Bargo Brush follow yet-' These and a thousand similar cries keep the players in a constant vein of excitement. This is the throng which Cornwall joins. Throwing down fifty pounds he seizes the dice-box, and asks to bo set. A young follow instantly throws down a similar amount and backs him out.

' Oh! it's you, is it ?' remarked the barrister. ' That's right. I think you ought to set mo after ' gruelling' me to tho tune of four hundred sovereigns.'

11 didn't think I'd won as much as that from you.' rejoined tho other, who, it may be as well to informo tho reader, is young Moses FJetcber, that had received the sentence of fifteen years' transportation, and who had been three years out of gaol, having been released befero the conclusion of the sentence.

Cornwall seizes the box and calls a 1 seven.' He then throws ten. To win he must continue throwing till he throws either of the two numbers again. If he throws a seven he loses, if a ten he wins, The odds are against him; but neverthe less he wins.

The stakes are then doubled, and again Cornwall wins. A third time they are doubled, and with a like result. Once more Cornwall doubles the stake If he loses he will be ruined. If he wins, he will possess L2OO over and above the trust money

He calls a seven, and this time throws eleven, thereby nicking the first number, and winning. I'll leave off while I'm in.' Cornwall says, with some degree of joy, not un mingled with anxiety. Accordingly he transfers the money to his trousers pocket and is about to do the same with the dice, when a sharp knife transfixes his hand to the table, and in another instant Fletcher seizes the dice.

He examined them for a minute, and then, with an involuntary oath, exclaims : ' They are false dice ! false dico !' A dozen hands scramble for the dice, and upon immediate inspection each examiner proclaims them false. On neither dice is there a number Ipss than four, on one only is thero a six, and the two together contain oine fives. The secret of Cornwall's success was immediately apparent. By calling seven ho stood to lose only if ho threw seven or twelve. He could not throw either of these, as the lowest pips numbered eight, and the highest only eleven. Hence he always won. Fletcher's first act was to demand back his money. This Cornwall refused, and the next moment Fletcher had felled him to the earth with a loaded whip.

The blow had struck the unfortunate man on the temple, and it was soon evident that he could not recover. When this was known, the scene that eusued was indescribable. Many fled anxious to escape connection with the affair ; some few rushed to Cornwall's aid ; while others sot off simultaneously for the doctor and the policeman. ,Half-an-hour later a magistrate is taking down Cornwall's dying statement, the doctor having declared recovery hopeless; and such, indeed, must have been the opinion of all who saw tho frightful nature of the wound inflicted by the loaded whip. Life is fa3t fleeting, and the magistrate is waiting hurriedly. When the statement of the dyiDg man is concluded, Fletcher is brought in,securely manacled, prior to his removal to the gaol when a stronger escort shall arrive. On the prisoner's entrance, Cornwall turns round and faces him. The former resisted capture and made such efforts to esnape that the shift was torn from his back; and, as he stands there now, he presents an unusual air of defiance. Presently the dying man makes a motion to have the prisoner brought nearer. When this is done, Cornwall with difficulty raises himself on his side and gases at prisoner's breast He notices a strawherry mark on his loins, and with a shriek he screams. 1 Good God ! this is my son whom I thought at the bottom of the Thames, and whom I attempted to drown during his infancy along with Mary M'Taggart, his mother. This is the vengeance of Hea ven1 It is retribution.' _ The last word gurgled on his lips, and in another minute Roger Cornwall had ceased to exist.

Chapter V -WHICH EXPLAINS ALL AUDENDS ALL.

From the exclamations of the dying man, the reader has no doubt surmised the

true state of things, and but little more remains to be told. Roger Cornwall, who intrigued with Mary M'Taggart under the name of John Molwood, was the father of Moses Fletcher. The reader will remember that, on the dark night when the drowning took place, Molwood, or as we shall now call him Cornwall, turned and fled with all the rapidity possible. It was this alone that saved him from discovory, for a fisherman being near heard the plash occasioned by the falling of the bodies, and immediately repaired to the spot indicated by the woman's dreadful scream. Just as he came to the river bank ho perceived the swiftly retreating form of a man, and for some time the fisherman hesitated whether to pursue tho guilty living or rescue the innocent dying. Not for long, however, ?)V in another moment he had plunged in and rescued the babe, with which he made off to his homo. The fisherman's wife had a week before lost a child about the same age, and she therefore determined to adopt this one, notwithstanding the the remonstrances of her husband ' not to bother with other people's bairns.' And so the child was adopted by the Fletcher^ who shortly afterwards removed to another county, \he name Moses being given to the infant, we may presume, from the similarity of its rescue to that of the Divine prophet. The bo'ly of the woman was discovered many miles further down the river and never identified.

Little more need be added- The body of Cornwall was decently interred, thous ands following it out of curiosity to its last resting pine 3. The four hundred pounds had been stolen out of the dying; man* pockets during the melee which followed, the discovery of tho fraud, and the delinquent was never discovered. At the assizes, Moses Fletcher was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to a lengthened term of imprisonment. After his release he disappeared from the scono of the tragedy, and was not heard of more. It may well be imagined that when tho whole facts of tho case were revealed sympathy was expressed for the unhappy son, and that the occurrence caused an immense sensation. Even to this day old Tasmanian residents delight to astonish ' new chums' by relating the history of Roger Cornwall. They tell of the dual murder which Cerawall attempted—of his emigration, his success at the Bar—of his son's rescue, adoption, and subsequent transportation. And they dwell long upon tho fact of how tho murderer's pinnacle of glory was subverted to the portal of death —his end a righteous example of howa Nemesis pursued him in

THE HAND OF FATE.

Gran'pa's Tale.

' Tell us a tale, gran'pa.'

1 Tell you a tale, my darlings ? Why, what can have put such a thing into your little heads at this time of night, and what am I to tell you about?'

' Oh, all about what happened to you when you were a young man at the Zoological Gardens.'

' So, gran'ma has been lotting you into the secret, has she.'

A smile of assent breaks across the dear old lady's wrinkled face, and her voice is added to those of the children in a request for gran'pa's story.

' Well, my dears what 1 am going to tell you happened a long, lotig time ago, when I was a young man; but so vivid was the impression made on me at the time, that it appears only the other day. I had come up to London from the coun try, on the look-out for work ; and as my pocket was not plentifully furnished, I had made up my mind to accept the very first thing that turned up. Day by day I waited without obtaining employment,"my funds ran out, and at last starvation stared me in the face. What that meanß to a friendless man in a big city, only those who have experienced it know. It had been my custom to carefully peruse all the wanted advertisements in the papers, in the.hopq that I might surely suit some one or the other, but without avail.

One morning I left my lodgings heart-sick and weary, and had gone down the tnual column of wanteds, when my eye lighted on one—'Wanted a man to make himself useful at the Zoological Gardens.' I smiled as I looked at this, but I had made up my minnd 10 stick at nothing, aud accordingly, at the time appointed, I called at the office of the gentleman to whom the application was to be made. I suppose I must have found favour in his sight, for, despite the fact that at leaßt two dozen applicants were in waiting, I was immediately singled out, and, not to make my story wearisome in detail, was duly installed in the situation. It was not a very desirable one, nor was the salary large, but I was very thankful at the time, even for small mercies.'

'As my duties compelled ray being continually on the spot, I was obliged to change my lodgings, and, after-a short search, found accommodation in close proximity to the Gardens, in the house of a widow lady, who, in order to make both ends meet, took in boarders, herself and her daughter supplementing the income derired from this by embroidery work, &c, at which the latter was very skilful. ' At the time of which I speak, Jenny- Wright was a fine specimen of a lovable English girl. Of moderate height, witk clear ro*y cheeks, bright dark eyes, and a happy, winning smile, she formed a picture sufficiently attractive, to win my

Evening Swpplemew.t, & 9 18*70