cannibals in the Typee Valley. He lived here many months, and finally
returned home in an Australian ship.]

[Footnote: Many writers on the customs of primitive people suppose the
taboo to be the earliest form of law. It is commonly imposed by the king
or the high priest of the tribe. Does the "taboo" here seem to you to be
a matter of law or religion? Have we any "taboos" in our social system?
What do we mean when we say of an act or a thing that it is "taboo," or
"tabooed"? Does ceremoniousness increase or decrease with civilization?]




SCHOOL DAYS AT THE CONVENT


I waited for night and supper very impatiently. Recreation time began as
soon as we left the refectory. [Footnote: Refectory: the dining hall.]
In summer the two classes went to the garden. In winter each class went
to its own room: the seniors to their fine and spacious study; we to our
forlorn quarters, where there was no room to play, and where our teacher
forced us to "amuse" ourselves quietly,--that is, not at all. Leaving
the refectory always made a momentary confusion, and I admired the way
the "devils" of the two classes managed to create the slight disorder
under whose favor one could easily escape. The cloister [Footnote:
Cloister: the covered arched passage on the side of a court.] had but
one little lamp to light it: this left the other three galleries in
semi-darkness. Instead of walking straight ahead towards the juniors'
room, you stepped to the left, let the flock pass on, and you were free.
I did so, and found myself in the dark with my friend Mary and the other