used. The church will be quite ready for Good Friday services.

The next work to be undertaken will be our house. The people love to come
and see us, and we are not left much to ourselves. Repetto, who was
shipwrecked here about fifteen years ago, was a sergeant in the Italian
navy; he is an intelligent-looking man, short, with dark hair, pale face,
and a slight squint. He married a Green, one of Betty's nieces, and has
six children. Some of the men and women are fine-looking people. The
weather has prevented any more luggage being fetched.

_Thursday, April_ l2.--It has been the same today. The men have started on
the house. To make our bedroom a little larger the partition has been
moved back so as to take in a piece of the kitchen. Our cases are being
used to re-floor the bedroom and passage, which had a large hole in it. A
partition will be taken down in Ellen's room, which will then open out on
to the front door, and a curtain is to be hung across the opening. The
walls of the bedrooms are covered with illustrated papers, which here take
the place of wallpaper. Two girls have been helping to tear these off, and
the walls will be whitewashed. We brought lime and brushes from the Cape.
The doors have the most primitive and varied fastenings, and one a bit of
rope in the place of a handle. Many panes in the windows are cracked, and
one or two have departed altogether. There is a front and a back entrance.
Along the front of the house runs a path, on the other side of which, with
a wall between, is the garden. This is fairly large and is bounded by
stone walls and a hedge of flax. From its appearance it has had no
cultivation for some years. As far as I can see the only sign of any crop
besides weeds is an entangled strawberry patch. There is a good view of
the sea from the house and garden. I spent most of the morning, which was
a fine one, in a sheltered corner by the brook, where Ellen was washing a
few clothes. I had previously done a little washing too. We already feel