fully, a whole forest of bright-leaved, flower-
spangled nutmeg trees: and amongst them
might be seen, if you looked in the right
place, Katrina, still busy, and smiling, and
happy, with Janzs by her side, and a group
of little rollicking children revelling on
the soft green grass. Unwearying care and
watchfulness had wrought wonders with those
delicate nutmegs; and now the time had
arrived when they were about to reap the
rich reward of perseverance and industry.
Janzs considered himself, as well he might,
a man of some substance. In a year, two, or
more, all those beautiful trees would be in
full bearing; and if, as they gave promise
to do, they bore two or three hundred nuts
each, there would be a little fortune for him;
a larger yearly revenue than was enjoyed by
his superior, the collector of Customs, and all
the clerks and peons together.

Fate, however, had decreed that all this
was not to be. Those richly promising trees
were doomed to an early and sudden death.

I mentioned how the collector had obtained
a vast quantity of these young nutmeg plants.
There were several thousands of them, and
their cultivation had cost him some money,
and more trouble. But whether it was that
he selected bad land, or had them planted
improperly, or neglected them afterwards,
there is nothing on record to tell. Certain
it is, that his large plantation became a
complete failure, much to his vexation. This
was no whit lessened, when he learnt, and
afterwards witnessed, the entire success of his
subordinate Janzs with his little garden of
nutmeg trees.

Van Dort, the collector, was a small-minded,
mean-spirited creature, as you will soon see.
He brooded over his disappointment for
many a long day; until at length, in the very
abjectness of his low heart, he thought that if
he could not succeed, neither should Janzs.
He knew right well that there was an old
order in council, forbidding any one in the
States-General possessions in the East Indies
to cultivate spices, save and except in such
islands as they declared to be so privileged;
namely, Ceylon for cinnamon and pepper, and
the Moluccas and Penang for the nutmeg and
cloves. Confiscation and imprisonment for
the first offence were the mild consequences
of infringing this law. What the second
offence was to be visited with, was not exactly
known; but better lawyers than Janzs, were
haunted with an indistinct vision, that in
such a case was made and provided nothing
short of the gallows. Now Mynheer Van Dort
was well aware of the existence of this severe
order when he planted his large piece of ground;
but he had reckoned on being able to sell his
plantation and retire to Europe before the
authorities at Colombo could hear anything
of the matter; for, in all probability, there
were not three persons in the island who
knew of the existence of such stringent laws.
It occurred to him that, as he had failed and
nearly all his trees had died, he might turn
the success of his clerk to good account on his
own behalf, by informing the Governor of the
bold infraction of the laws by Janzs.

In those quiet by-gone times there were
but few events of importance to call for any
exercise of power by the highest authority in
the colony. It was therefore with no little
bustle that the Governor summoned his council
to consider and determine upon the
contents of a weighty despatch received from
Point de Galle. This was the letter of Van
Dort the collector, informing them of the high
criminality of his subordinate. It did not
require much deliberation to settle the course
to be pursued. The forbidden trees were
ordered to be forthwith cut down, the
property confiscated, Janzs to be imprisoned for
five years, and the zealous collector to be
rewarded with promotion on the first
opportunity.

Turn once more to the quiet, bright spot,
the garden by the river. Janz was home as
usual from his daily duties. It was evening.
Katrina had given her last orders to the
gardener and the stock-keeper. The children
were gambolling on the green-sward under
the large mango-tree. The favourite
nutmeg trees were heavy with blossom; the sun
was still lingering amongst the topmost
branches of the jambo trees. Everything
gave promise of one more of those many
happy evenings so prized and loved by Janzs
and his little wife, when a canoe dashed
heavily against the river-bank, and forth from
it sprang the fiscal of the district, attended
closely by a half-dozen of sturdy, grim looking
Malay peons, armed with swords and
pikes. The officer of the Crown knew Janzs
well; and, though inclined to be friendly
towards him, had no alternative but to tell him,
in a few words, the purport of his visit, and
the cause—-those bright-leaved trees waving
to the breeze, and alive with merry blossoms.
The poor clerk could be with difficulty
persuaded of the reality of the sad news. A sight
of the Governor's warrant, however, settled
all doubts, and Janzs shortly afterwards
staggered to the boat, between two peons,
like a drunken man. Katrina saw him to
the water's edge, and bade him be of good
cheer, for all should yet be well; though her
sinking heart gave the lie to her lips.

The work of destruction did not occupy much
time. Four peons, with sharp axes, made but a
small matter of those young and delicate trees;
and, in about half the time that was usually
spent in watering them, they were all laid
prostrate on the ground. The clicking of
those bright axes fell sadly enough on
Katrina's ear; each blow seemed to her to be
a deadly wound aimed at herself, and as the
last of those long-tended and much-loved
trees fell heavily to the ground, her courage
and spirits fled, and she gave vent to her
feelings in a flood of tears.

Next morning she left that once loved spot,