and reply, the young man dropped his eye-glass
from his eye, and his cigar from his mouth, and stood staring in
bewilderment at the commissioner as he sprang into the boat and made for
the steamer which was to convey him home.

Only one other incident worth recording happened during the
commissioner's subsequent visits; for the discipline involved in their
banishment had produced the good result of making the various exiles
feel the necessity of bearing and forbearing, giving and taking, and of
each doing his and her part in contributing to the comfort and happiness
of the whole. The incident referred to happened during the
commissioner's third monthly visit.

Soon after his arrival he received a respectful note from the secretary
of a Ladies' Working Committee, requesting him to receive a deputation
from their society at the place of audience. This request having been
graciously acceded to, and the deputation received by his excellency in
due form, the spokeswoman of the party, a young lady in spectacles,
expressed the conviction, on behalf of herself and companions, that a
sad but no doubt unintentional mistake had been made by his majesty in
including themselves in the party sent to Comoro. They were associated,
and had been so for years past, as workers together for many benevolent
objects and therefore this sending of them to the "Selfish Island" was a
double wrong; for it not only threw a slur on their society, whose
members were banded together for the purpose of working for the good of
others, but it also deprived many suffering ones at home of the help and
comfort they had been used to derive from the united and self-denying
efforts of these their true and loving friends.

The commissioner having listened with due politeness and attention to
this address, assured the deputation that the king would be sorry to
have done them any wrong, should such prove to have been the case, and
that he would duly report the matter to his majesty. He could not,
however, release them on the present occasion; but he hoped, after
having made full inquiry into the case on his return, that he should be
able to bring them, on his next monthly visit, the welcome permission to
leave the island.

Having returned to Comoro in due time, his first care was to request the
Ladies' Working Committee to meet him again by deputation. This was
accordingly done, and the commissioner addressed them as follows:--

"I exceedingly regret,