Frank Oldfield nodded his head in assent, and held out his hand, first to the shepherd’s wife, and then to Jacob. “And so you’ve come to stay a bit with your old master, Jacob. Thank God for that.”
“Ay, that’s right,” said the good woman; “thank Him—you’ve cause to do so, I’m sure God seems nearer to us who live out in the bush, in one way. I mean, our mercies and blessings seem to come straighter like from his own hand when we’ve so few of our fellow-Creatures about us.”
“Jacob,” said his master earnestly, “I trust, if I’m spared, that I shall really turn over a new leaf, gradely, as you’d say. The drink has been my curse, my ruin, and almost my death. I’ll give it up altogether, and sign the pledge, if God raises me up to health and strength again.”
“Ay, do, mayster,” replied the other; “it’ll be the best thing you ever did in all your life.”
The shepherd’s wife was now able to delegate many of her kind offices to Jacob, who proved a most loving and tender nurse. In a few days their patient was able to sit up without difficulty, and, after a while, to leave the hut for the shepherd’s comfortable cottage, to which he was conveyed on a litter of boughs by the stout arms of the shepherd and his sons. Here it was agreed that he should remain as a regular lodger, at a moderate remuneration for himself and Jacob, which his host and hostess were rather loath to accept, but the refusal of which they saw would give Frank Oldfield much pain. Jacob was his master’s devoted attendant, watching over him as a mother over her child.
It was one fine afternoon, when Frank was better than usual, that he turned to Jacob in the midst of a walk, and said abruptly, “Jacob, should you like to go to the diggings?”
“Why, Mayster Frank,” was the reply, “I’ve often thought I should just like to try my hand at it, for I was trained as a lad to pit-work. But I should never think of leaving you till you’re all right again, nor then either, unless you’d wish it yourself.”
“What made me ask you,” said his master, “was this. My kind landlord’s three eldest sons are going, as you know, to try their hands for three months or so at gold-digging. Now, if you’d like to go with them, it would be a real pleasure to me. You would go in capital company, as they are all stanch teetotallers, like yourself; and nothing would rejoice me more than to find you coming back with a bag full of nuggets.”
“But what’ll you do while I’m off, Mr Frank?”
“Oh, that’s easily answered. My kind hostess, and her husband, and two youngest sons will be able to do all I want, as I’m getting well so fast; and I shall be glad of an excuse to stop here in this quiet place for a while, and not return to Adelaide. I can say, and say with truth, that I am waiting till you and your party come back from the diggings.”