‘That should not be,’ said Edgar. ‘Every child ought to have a thorough knowledge of his own country, and, from what little I know of it, the history of Australia must be vastly interesting.’
‘It is,’ said Wal, ‘and I have managed to scrape together a good deal about it. The early settlers here had no easy time, but they did well, and laid the foundation of a promising colony upon a lot of bad material. You would hardly think to look at it now that Sydney, a century ago, was a convict settlement of only a few huts, and inhabited by desperate criminals, many of whom were more like fiends than human beings.’
‘There are not many traces of those days left?’ said Edgar questioningly.
‘No,’ said Wal, ‘and it is far better they should be obliterated. Now, in Tasmania you see more of it. You would find Port Arthur a curious old place. It gave me the horrors the first time I saw it.’
They chatted on for some time. Wal Jessop was a good talker, and interested a lad of Edgar’s age. Edgar Foster was a manly boy, not a boy developed into a man before his time by a forcing process, as too often is the case in this age of rapid progress.
On reaching home again, Wal Jessop explained to his wife how Edgar had been received by Captain Fife.
‘You’ll not object to keep the little lass here,’ said Wal, ‘while Edgar goes up country for a few months?’
‘I should like to keep her for my own,’ said Mrs. Jessop. ‘She is a dear child, and will be a joy to our home.’
‘She is a lovable little thing,’ said Edgar, ‘and I am sure will give you no trouble. I do not know whether Captain Manton had any relations in England, but I imagine he had. In any case, we shall hear something before very long. I know I shall leave her in safe hands.’
‘That you may rest assured of,’ said Mrs. Jessop; ‘and I hope you will have a good time up country. Captain Fife has evidently taken a fancy to you, and he’s a man worth knowing.’