He was however
prepared to repeat this self-sacrifice in a spirit of patriotism for
which he received a very meagre meed of eulogy from Miss Jack, and an
amount of self-applause which was not much more extensive.
"Down at Mount Pleasant I can do something," he would say over and
over again, "but what good can any man do up here?"
"You can do your duty," Miss Jack would answer, "as others did before
you when the colony was made to prosper." And then they would run
off into a long discussion about free labour and protective duties.
But at the present moment Maurice Cumming had another vexation on his
mind over and above that arising from his wasted hours at Spanish
Town, and his fruitless labours at Mount Pleasant. He was in love,
and was not altogether satisfied with the conduct of his lady-love.
Miss Jack had other nephews besides Maurice Cumming, and nieces also,
of whom Marian Leslie was one. The family of the Leslies lived up
near Newcastle--in the mountains, that is, which stand over Kingston-
-at a distance of some eighteen miles from Kingston, but in a climate
as different from that of the town as the climate of Naples is from
that of Berlin.
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