Thus we take leave of our forester; this man of humble birth, who, like all brave men and true, entertained a modest opinion of his own merits; who by manly and steadfast perseverance overcame all difficulties, and who ever bore in mind and strove to act up to that—to many of us difficult lesson—which he had learnt at his mother’s knee, namely, “to do to others as we would be done by;” which precept Mat continued to carry out for long years after he had finally settled down as a rich and prosperous squatter at Bulinda Creek, proving it by his conduct in being not only ever ready to give a helping hand to his white brethren, but by the kindness he showed and the just feelings he displayed towards the blacks of every district, both north and south; in which conduct he was ably seconded by his kind old friend and adviser, Parson Tabor. Thus he showed that however others might misjudge the natives, he who knew them so well, if from feelings of gratitude alone would ever be their friend.
In these noble sentiments he was ever aided and encouraged by his loving wife; and we now bid them a kind and long farewell, at the moment when as our hero and heroine were once more wending their way into the little arbour in Annie’s garden, Mat turned to the girl whose hand was in his, with,—
“My darling, I am happy now, I have lived my troubles down, and have won a dear and loving wife.”
FINIS.
GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LD., ST. JOHN’S HOUSE, CLERKENWELL RD., LONDON.
Transcriber’s Notes:
Blank pages have been removed.
Silently corrected typographical errors.
Spelling and hyphenation variations made consistent.