afely looked for under lee of the nearest gorse
hedge, but it would be impossible even to guess where the lighter and
more diaphanous articles had been whisked to. A week afterwards the
shepherds used to bring in stray cuffs and collars, and upon one
occasion "Judy," the calf, was discovered in a paddock hard by,
breakfasting off my best pocket handkerchiefs with an excellent
appetite. Of course everything was dirty, and needed to be washed over
again. We had a mangle, which greatly simplified matters on the second
day, but it used not to be uncommon on back-country stations to get
up the fine things with a flat stone, heated in the wood ashes, for an
iron. After the washing operations had been brought to a more or less
successful ending, there came the yeast making and the baking, followed
by the brewing of sugar beer, preserves had to be made, bacon cured, all
sorts of things to be done, besides the daily duties of scrubbing and
cleaning, and cooking at all hours for stray visitors or "swaggers."

But I am overcome with contrition at perceiving into what a digression I
have wandered; having strayed from my maids' rooms to their duties.
They arrived as usual on a dray late in the evening, tired and wearied
enough, poor souls. In those early days I had not yet plucked up courage
to try my hand in the kitchen, and our meals had been left to the charge
of F----, who, whatever he may be in other relations of life, is a vile
cook; and our good-natured cadet Mr. U----, who was exceedingly willing,
but profoundly ignorant of the elements of cookery. For fear of being
tempted into another digression, I will briefly state that during that
week I lived in a chronic state of hunger and heartburn, and sought
forgetfulness from repeated attacks of indigestion, by decorating my
servants' rooms. They opened into each other, and it would have been
hard to find two prettier little nests. Each had its shining brass
bedstead with chintz hangings, its muslin-draped toilette table, and its
daintily curtained window, besides a pretty carpet. I can remember now
the sort of dazed look with which Euphemia regarded a room such as she
had never seen; whilst Lois considered it to be an instalment of her
good luck, and proceeded to contemplate her sharp and elfish countenance
in her looking-glass, pronouncing it as her opinion that she wanted more
colour. That she certainly did, and she might have added, more flesh
and youthfulness, while she was a