service, and christen all the children. We
were only too thankful to accept such an offer, as we well knew what
an inducement it would be to the people, who would take a great deal
of trouble and come from far and near to hear our dear Bishop, who is
universally beloved and respected.

For a week beforehand the house smelt all day long like a baker's shop
about noon on Sunday, for pies, tarts, cakes, etc., were perpetually
being "drawn" from the oven. I borrowed every pie-dish for miles round,
and, as on another occasion I have mentioned, plenty of good things
which our own resources could not furnish forth came pouring in on all
sides with offers to help. F---- and I scoured the country for thirty
miles round to invite everybody to come over to us that Sunday; and I
think I may truly say everybody came. When I rode over to my "nest" and
made the announcement of the Bishop's visit, the people were very much
delighted; but a great difficulty arose from the sudden demand for white
frocks for all the babies and older children. I rashly promised each
child should find a clean white garment awaiting it on its arrival at my
house, and took away a memorandum of all the different ages and sizes;
the "order" never could have been accomplished without the aid of my
sewing-machine. I had a few little frocks by me as patterns, and cut up
some very smart white embroidered petticoats which were quite useless to
me, to make into little skirts. In spite of all that was going on in the
kitchen my maids found time to get these up most beautifully, and by
the Saturday night the little bed in the spare room was a heap of snowy
small garments, with a name written on paper and pinned to each. The
Bishop also arrived quite safely, late that evening, having driven
himself up from Christchurch in a little gig.

It is impossible for you to imagine a more beautiful winter's morning
than dawned on us that Sunday. A sharp frost over-night only made the
air deliciously crisp, for the sun shone so brightly, that by nine
o'clock the light film of ice over the ponds had disappeared, and I
found the Bishop basking in the verandah when I came out to breakfast,
instead of sitting over the blazing wood-fire in the dining-room. We got
our meal finished as quickly as possible, and then F---- and Mr. U----
set to work to fill the verandah with forms extemporised out of empty
boxes placed at each end, and planks laid across them; every red blanket
in the hous