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206 Hansom could carry us, to Brabant Court. Of course we could give no information as to her whereabouts, but giving our cards, and informing Messrs. Tenby and Campbell that we were intimate friends of the Talboys, they were good enough to tell us that Captain Talboys reached Melbourne in safety, and that he had shortly afterwards made his way to the diggings, where, after several weeks' labour, he had made a find of surpassing magnificence; that he had returned to Melbourne, that he fell overboard as he went up the ship's side in a state of intoxication, that he was drowned, and that his widow was entitled to a sum of seventeen thousand five hundred and sixty-four pounds—the net proceeds of his labour in the gold fields. They further told us that the news only reached them two days since, and that no clue had as yet been afforded as to their present address.

We left the office in good spirits, for the hope that we should eventually hear something of Mrs. Talboys and Emmie revived within us. As we were in the City we made our way to Mr. Levy's bankers, with the view of getting his cheque cashed, for that gentleman's reputation as a pay-master was not so unimpeachable as to warrant our looking upon his cheque as a negotiable security of a wholly unquestionable character. Accordingly, we were not altogether surprised to find it returned to us dishonoured, with the announcement that Mr. Levy had considerably overdrawn his account, and that no further advance would be made to him. So, as we were particularly insolvent at that moment, Maxwell and I repaired the same evening to the Parnassus Music