I made enquiries about her private life, and found
that it was irreproachable, as she was guarded by a veritable dragon of
a mother, who would let no one approach her daughter. I need not tell
about my courtship, as these phases of a man's life are generally the
same, but it will be sufficient to prove the depth of my passion for
her when I say that I determined to make her my wife. It was on
condition, however, that the marriage should be kept secret until such
time as I should choose to reveal it. My reason for such a course was
this, my father was still alive, and he, being a rigid Presbyterian,
would never has forgiven me for having married a woman of the stage;
so, as he was old and feeble, I did not wish him to learn that
I had done so, fearing that the shock would be too much for him in his
then state of health. I told Rosanna I would marry her, but wanted her
to leave her mother, who was a perfect fury, and not an agreeable
person to live with. As I was rich, young, and not bad looking, Rosanna
consented, and, during an engagement she had in Sydney, I went over
there and married her. She never told her mother she had married me,
why, I do not know, as I laid no restriction on her doing so. The
mother made a great noise over the matter, but I gave Rosanna a large
sum of money for her, and this the old harridan accepted, and left for
New Zealand. Rosanna went with me to my station, where we lived as man
and wife, though, in Melbourne, she was supposed to be my mistress.
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