the utmost. On Sunday half the men went ashore for a few hours' leave,
but neither they nor the boat returned until the next morning, as they
had not been allowed to leave the shore after nine o'clock. In the
meantime Tom had been told that small-pox was raging in the town, and
he was much annoyed at their having to pass the night on shore, owing
to proper inquiries as to the regulations of the port not having been
made by them on landing. The next day the doctor went to see some
medical _confrères_ at the hospital, and found that the reports were
much exaggerated, the reality being that small-pox is always more or
less prevalent both here and at Santiago. Three months ago it was very
bad, but at the present time it is not worse than usual. Tom and
Mabelle started for Santiago on Monday, but unfortunately left their
letters of introduction behind; and as they did not like the hotel,
they found it rather dull. We could not telegraph to them from
Cauquenes, or anywhere _en route_, for there were no wires; so on
Wednesday morning, not hearing or seeing anything of us, they returned
to Valparaiso. Tom left a long letter for me, with enclosures (which I
never received), in the innkeeper's hands, asking for a telegraphic
reply as to our plans and intentions, and, as I have already
mentioned, never said a word about coming back. Thursday was spent in
seeing what little there is to see in Valparaiso, and in visiting the
'Opal.' On Friday Tom went for a sail, moved the yacht close inshore,
had a dinner-party on board, and went to a pleasant ball afterwards,
given by the Philharmonic Society, an association of the same sort as
the one at Rio. It was not, however, called a regular ball, but a
_teriulia_, so the ladies were in _demi-toilette_. Tom described the
room as good, the floor first-rate, the music excellent, the ladies
good-looking, and the men agreeable. To-day he met us at the station
with the children; and now, therefore, one account will describe the
movements of the whole reunited party.