one wall unoccupied by the divan.

Wilfrid stood still with astonishment as he looked in at the door, which
Mr. Atherton had himself opened in response to his knock.

"Come in, Wilfrid. As I told you yesterday evening I have just got
things a little straight and comfortable."

"I should think you had got them comfortable," Wilfrid said. "I should
not have thought that a log cabin could have been made as pretty as
this Why, where did you get all the things? Surely you can never have
brought them all with you?"

"No, indeed," Mr. Atherton laughed; "the greatest portion of them are
products of the country. There was no difficulty in purchasing the
skins, the arms, and those sets of horns and trophies. Books and a few
other things I brought with me. I have a theory that people very often
make themselves uncomfortable merely to effect the saving of a pound or
two. Now, I rather like making myself snug, and the carriage of all
those things did not add above five pounds to my expenses."

"But surely that table and book-case were never made in New Zealand?"

"Certainly not, Wilfrid. At the time they were made the natives of this
country hunted the Moa in happy ignorance of the existence of a white
race. No, I regard my getting possession of those things as a special
stroke of good luck. I was wandering in the streets of Wellington on the
very day after my arrival, when I saw them in a shop. No doubt they had
been brought out by some well-to-do emigrant, who clung to them in
remembrance of his home in the old country. Probably at his death his
place came into the hands of some Goths, who preferred a clean deal
table to what he considered old-fashioned things. Anyhow, there they
were in the shop, and I bought them at once; as also those arm-chairs,
which are as comfortable as anything of the kind I have ever tried. By
the way, are you a good shot with the rifle, Wilfrid?"

"No, sir; I never fired a rifle in my life before I left England, nor a
shot-gun either."

"Then I think you would do well to practise, lad; and those two men of
yours should practise too. You never can say what may come of these
native disturbances; the rumours of the progress of this new religion
among them are not encouraging. It is quite true that the natives on
this side of the island have hitherto been perfectly peaceable, but if
they get inoculated with this new religious frenzy there is no saying
what may happen. I will speak to your father abou