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Mrs. Hates, who in the days of her youth must have made many young Irish hearts ache "for something," had brought now a bundle of clean clothing, and a stock of provisions, to make her husband's journey to Melbourne as comfortable as possible. There she was, holding her baby sucking at her breast; her eyes full on her husband, which spoke that she passionately loved him. Six children, neatly dressed, and the image of their father, were around. Timothy Hayes forced himself to appear as cheerful as his honourable heart and proud mind would allow. He pressed his little daughter, who wanted to climb his shoulder; he pronounced his blessing on the younger of his sons. The eldest (twelve years old) was kissing his father's left hand, bathing it all the while with such big, big tears, that dropped down so one by one, and so one after the other!

Good boy, your sorrows have begun soon enough for your sensible heart! Strengthen it by time with Christian courage, or else you will smother it with grief, long before your hair has turned grey! There are too many troubles to go through in this world. Take courage; there is a God, and therefore learn by heart the Psalm, "Beatus vir qui timet Dominum." My head has still the red hair of my youth, and yet I am a living witness of many truths in that Psalm; meditate, therefore, especially on the last verse, ending "Desiderium peccatorum peribit."

Had I in younger years cultivated painting, I feel satisfied that I could produce now such a tableau as to match any of my country-man, Raffaelle; so much an all-wise Providence has been pleased, perhaps for the trial of my heart, to endow me with a cast of mind that, on similar occasions as the solemn one above, whenever my electric fluid is called into action, it is actually a daguerreotype.


LXXIII.

AMARE RIMEMBRANZE.

At four o'clock on Tuesday morning, we were commanded to fall in, dressed and hobbled as we were. Captain Thomas, with the tone and voice of a country parson, read to us his "Order of the day," to the effect that we were now under his charge for our transit to Melbourne; that if any of us stirred a finger, or moved a lip——especially across the diggings——his orders were that the transgressor should be shot on the spot. This arrange-