Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-06-04
HE CONVICT:
An IllustriOus British E1Ile,

a few years agr | made the acquaint>
ance IF ali elderly lady, whose husband, so
far back Us 1899, held an official position,
both civil and military, in the colony Of
New South Wales. Many anecdotes she
told me Of celebrated characters who had,
in the words of one Of them, cleft their
country for their country's gOod' With
most, if not with all, OF these celebrities,
the old lady had come in contact person
ally.
lone morning" she began, al was sit
ting in my d. awing r, ON with my two tile
children, who are now middle aged men
with large families, when a gentleman was
announced. ! gave the order for his ad-
mission ard on his entering the door of
the apartment | rose from my chair and
greeted HIM with a bow, which he returned
in the most graceful and courtly manner
imaginable. His dress was that of a man
OF fashion, and his bearirg that Of uerson
who had moved III the highest circles OF
ciety. A ves>ea had arrived trr m Eug-
land few days previously with passengers.
and iunyied tliat this gentleman was enc
Gf them asked him to he seated He
t,uA chair, of r site "a me, ard at once
{, tered 81 cUr vrr-Aii"n, max In" the first
t ltrC tie extreme warmth II the day. and
Il e >o.,ud III Eealtifui appearance Of nv
,harmIi- chiidTen-as he was released /;
e. Cak Il ten. Apart fir m Il mother Tx
ing to hear her children praised. there was
such : rciuemeIt IN the StIauger's manner,
such q seem NJ sincerity in ali he said
added to such mary llouS neatness of ex-
preston, that | could not help thinking he
would form a very valuable acquisit;tn t,
cur list If aCquan;ances, PROVIDED nc in
tended remaining in Sydney instead Of set
ting in the interior of the colony.
l expressed my regret that the Major
Tiny husband was from homo but ! mer.
toned that | expected him at ore o'clock,
at which hear we took luncheon; ana |
further expressed hope that our sitor
would remain and partake Of the meal
With a very pretty smile (which | after
wards discovered had more meaning in ii
than | was at the time aware OIL he feared
he could not have the pleasure Of partaking
Of the inequalities of my table, but with
my permission, he would wait till the ap-
u pointed hOur-which was then near at
! hand. Our conversation was resumed !:
and presently he asked my little ones to 90
/ to him. They obeyed at once. albeit thew
/ we're rathey shy children This satisfied
me that the stranger was one of kind and
and gentle disposition. lie took the chill
/ dren, seated them on his knees, and began
J to tell them fairy story (evidentIy of his
} own invention and extempOrizedl, to which
they listened with prOfoHnd attention. In
/ deed, could not help being interested in
! the story. so tanciful were the ideas. and so
poetical the language in which they were
! expressed.
The story ended, the stranger replaced
| the children on the carpet, and approached
the tlbls on which stood, in porcelain
vase, boquet flowers. These he admired,
and began a discourse on Horticulture. !
listened with intense earnestness, so pro-
found were all his observations. We were
standing at the table for at least eight or
ten minutes; my boys hanging on the
skirt of my dress, and every now and then
compelling me to beg IF them to be silent.
a. One o'clock came, but not the Major
| received, however. a note from him, writ
ten in pencil on a slip of paper He would
be detained at the Government House until
half past two.
Again | requested the fascinating
stranger 10 partake of luncheon. which was
now on the table in the room {; and again,
with the same winning smile, be declined
q As he was about as thought, to depart, !
extended my hand but, to my astonish-
ment, he stepped back, made low bow,
and declined takingit.
For gentleman to have his hand re-
fused when he extends it to another is en-
barrassing enough. But for n lady! Who
can possibly describe what were my feel
ings! Had be been the heir to the British
throne, visiting the penal settlement IT
disguise, land from the strangers manners
and conversation he might have been thai
illustrious persc mage he could scarcely
have, under the circumstances, treated me
in such an extraordinary manner.
scarcely knew what to think Observing
as the stranger must have done, the blood
rush to my cheeks, being cognizant, eyi-
IDENTIFY, of what was passing through my
mind, he spoke as follows:
:" Madam, | am afraid you will never
forgive me the liberty / have taken all
ready. But the truth is. the passion sud
denly stole over me, and | could not resist
the iemrtation of satisfying myself that the
skill which made me SO Conspicuous in the
mother country still remained to me in this
| convict land
"a / stared at him but did not speak.
Madam be continued, the penalty Of