her doll or finding pretty verses in her Bible, marking the
places with an infinitude of minute pieces of paper. It was a great
delight to me to have this little quiet one by my side.

"In another part of this hall sat Mr. Sherwood during most part of the
morning, either engaged with his accounts, his journal, or his books.
He, of course, did not like the confinement so well as I did, and often
contrived to get out to a neighbour's bungalow in his palanquin during
some part of the long morning. In one of the side-rooms sat Sergeant
Clarke, with his books and accounts. This worthy and most methodical
personage used to fill up his time in copying my manuscripts in a very
neat hand, and in giving lessons in reading and spelling, etc., to
Annie. In the other room was the orphan Sally, with her toys. Beside
her sat her attendant, chewing her paun[A] and enjoying a state of
perfect apathy. Thus did our mornings pass, whilst we sat in what the
lovers of broad daylight would call almost darkness. During these
mornings we heard no sounds but the monotonous click, click of the
punkah,[B] or the melancholy moaning of the burning blast without, with
the splash and dripping of the water thrown over the tatties.[C] At one
o'clock, or perhaps somewhat later, the tiffin [answering to our
luncheon] was always served, a hot dinner, in fact, consisting always
of curry and a variety of vegetables. We often dined at this hour, the
children at a little table in the room, after which we all lay down,
the adults on sofas and the children on the floor, under the punkah in
the hall. At four, or later perhaps, we had coffee brought. We then
bathed and dressed, and at six or thereabouts, the wind generally
falling, the tatties were removed, the doors and windows of the house
were opened, and we either took an airing in carriages or sat in the
veranda; but the evenings and nights of the hot winds brought no
refreshment."

The days spent in that strange hot twilight must have seemed very long
to children, even to those who had forgotten or never known the freedom
of life in England; but Mrs. Sherwood had plenty of ways of filling her
long quiet hours. She wrote a number of little stories about life in
India, which were very much liked in their day and went through many
editions. One of these was called _The Ayah and Lady_, and told about a
native servant, her ignorant notions and strange ways, and how her
mistress tried to do her good. Another was