You see, you only knew him in the bush, and after he went back I noted a difference in his letters.

They were sometimes strange; he seemed to be hiding things.

I think he felt the disappointment keenly and lost heart." Thirlwell saw she suspected something, and replied: "Disappointment is often numbing; but your father never lost his faith in the lode." "Nor have I lost mine," said Agatha.

"But we will not talk about that yet.

He brought us up and started us well; then my mother died, and nobody had any further claim on him.