“Mrs. Phillips was by no means an easy lady to nurse.  I knew well how strict old Tibbie Campbell, who used to nurse Mrs. Henderson, used to be about what a lying-in woman should have to eat and drink, and what care she took that she could catch no cold, and I thought I behoved to be as particular with Mrs. Phillips; but she would not hear reason.  She said that such a climate as Scotland should be no rule for treatment in Australia, and she thought she should know her own constitution best, and what was likely to agree with her; so she would take no telling from me.  As for Mr. Phillips, he would always give her what she wanted if she teased for it long enough, or if she began to greet, so she carried her point in spite of my teeth.  And, poor thing, she suffered for it; for she first took the cold, and then the fever; she was out of her senses for five weeks, and barely escaped with her life.  It was a weary nursing.  Mr. Phillips was wonderful in a sick-room, and relieved me greatly; but I had such an anxious life with the bairn as well as the mother.  He used to beg me, with tears in his eyes, to save the bit lassie, if it was in my power, and the man’s life seemed to hang on the little one’s.  His eye was as sharp as a mothers’—­sharper than most mothers’—­to notice if Emily looked worse or better.  It was a novelty to me to see such care and thought in a man, not but what it is well a father’s part to care for his own offspring, and to take trouble and fatigue for them.

“Mr. Brandon, all the time that the mistress was lying between life and death, was wondrous patient, and never made a complaint for the want of me, though I am sure things were at sixes and sevens at Barragong; but when Mrs. Phillips had got the turn, and was able to move about again, he sent me a message to come back.  Well, I had promised, no doubt—­and I had a far easier life at Mr. Brandon’s than where I was, and nothing had ever been said about wages by Mr. Phillips to me—­but then the poor little lassie, it seemed as much as her life was worth to leave her to her mother and the lass Martha, for they had not the sense of an ordinary woman between them, and my heart clung to the bit bairn with great affection.

“One day Powell came over with the spring-cart to fetch me home, and I was in a swither what to do, for ye don’t just like to press services on folk that do not want them; but by that time Mr. Phillips had got to know the necessity of the case, and it was only because he wanted the offer to come from his wife that he had not asked me before; but she was unreasonable, and he had to do it himself.  She did not see why she and Martha could not manage the baby; she was sure Peggy was no such marvel; that there was no difficulty in feeding the child; that it was cruel to put a strange woman over to give her orders, for Peggy was far too independent for her place; and then Emily would love her nurse better than her own mother.  I know that was the way she went on to Mr. Phillips, but on this point he was unmovable.  When he asked me as a great favour to stay, I consented for the sake of him and of Emily.