e Christians clothe themselves, mamma; the heathen portion of the
people hardly do, I believe. The climate requires nothing. They have a
fashion of dress of their own, but it is not much."

"And can you help seeing these heathen?"

"No, of course not."

"Well you _are_ changed!" said Mrs. Powle. "I would never have thought
you would have consented to such degradation."

"I go that I may help mend it, mamma."

"Yes, you must stoop yourself first."

"Think how Jesus stooped--to what degradation--for us all."

Mrs. Powle paused, at the view of Eleanor's glistening eyes. It was not
easy to answer, moreover.

"I cannot help it," she said. "You and I take different views on the
subject. Do let us talk of something else; I am always getting on
something where we cannot agree. Tell me about the place, Eleanor."

"What, mamma? I have not been there."

"No, but of course you know. What do you live in? houses or tents?"

"I do not know which you would call them; they are not stone or wood.
There is a skeleton frame of posts to uphold the building; but the
walls are made of different thicknesses of reeds, laid different ways
and laced together with sinnet."

"What's _sinnet?_"

"A strong braid made of the fibre of the cocoa-nut--of the husk of the
cocoanut. It is made of more and less size and strength, and is used
instead of iron to fasten a great many sorts of things; carpentry and
boat building among them."

"Goodness! what a place. Well go on with your house."

"That is all," said Eleanor smiling; "except that it is thatched with
palm leaves, or grass, or cane leaves. Sometimes the walls are covered
with grass; and the braid work done in patterns, so as to have a very
artistic effect."

"And what is inside?"

"Not much beside the people."

"Well, tell me what, for instance. There is something, I suppose. The
walls are not bare?"

"Not quite. There are apt to be mats, to sit and lie on;--and pots for
cooking, and baskets and a chest perhaps, and a great mosquito curtain."

"Are you going to live in a house like that, Eleanor?"

Mrs. Powle's face expressed distress. Eleanor laughed and declared she
did not know.

"It will have some chairs for her to sit upon," said Mrs. Caxton; "and
I shall send some china cups, that she may not have to drink out of a
cocoa-nut shell."

"But I should like that very well," said Eleanor; "and I certainly
think a Fijian wooden dish, spread with green leaves, is as nice