kava in honour of her arrival; along with a lean, side-
whiskered Tongan, dimly supposed to be Lafaele's step-father;
and they have been having a good time; in the end of my
verandah, I hear Simi, my present incapable steward, talking
Tongan with the nondescript papa. Simi, our out-door boy,
burst a succession of blood-vessels over our work, and I had
to make a position for the wreck of one of the noblest
figures of a man I ever saw. I believe I may have mentioned
the other day how I had to put my horse to the trot, the
canter and (at last) the gallop to run him down. In a
photograph I hope to send you (perhaps with this) you will
see Simi standing in the verandah in profile. As a steward,
one of his chief points is to break crystal; he is great on
fracture - what do I say? - explosion! He cleans a glass,
and the shards scatter like a comet's bowels.

N.B. - If I should by any chance be deported, the first of
the rules hung up for that occasion is to communicate with
you by telegraph. - Mind, I do not fear it, but it IS
possible.


MONDAY 25TH.


We have had a devil of a morning of upset and bustle; the
bronze candlestick Faauma has returned to the family, in time
to take her position of stepmamma, and it is pretty to see
how the child is at once at home, and all her terrors ended.