martingale; however, we were all so indulgent that at any little
_contretemps_, such as one of the actresses forgetting her part or
being seized by stage-fright, the applause was much greater than
when things went smoothly.

I can hardly believe that it is only two days since we steamed into
Hobson's Bay, on a lovely bright spring morning. At dinner, the
evening before, our dear old captain had said that we should see the
revolving light on the nearest headland about eight o'clock that
evening, and so we did. You will not think me childish, if I
acknowledge that my eyes were so full of tears I could hardly see it
after the first glimpse; it is impossible to express in a letter all
the joy and thankfulness of such a moment. Feelings like these are
forgotten only too quickly in the jar and bustle of daily life, and
we are always ready to take as a matter of course those mercies
which are new every morning; but when I realized that all the tosses
and tumbles of so many weary days and nights were over, and that at
last we had reached the haven where we would be, my first thought
was one of deep gratitude. It was easy to see that it was a good
moment with everyone; squabbles were made up with surprising
quickness; shy people grew suddenly sociable; some who had
comfortable homes to go to on landing gave kind and welcome
invitations to others, who felt themselves sadly strange in a new
country; and it was with really a lingering feeling of regret that
we all separated at last, though a very short time before we should
have thought it quite impossible to be anything but delighted to
leave the ship.

We have not seen much of Melbourne yet, as there has been a great
deal to do in looking after the luggage, and at first one is capable