ning I went home in a bad temper. Kate, instead of meeting me as
usual at the gate, was cooking dinner, looking hot and resigned, I dined
alone, Kate saying coldly that she did not care about eating anything.
The only other remark she made that evening was that 'Mary had cried
very bitterly when she left.'

I said, 'The useless, fat beast!'

* * * * *

The Curse of Bilger rested upon me for quite three months. He called
twice a week, regularly, and borrowed two shillings 'until next Monday.'
Then one day that greasy ruffian, Bilger, junior, came into the _Evening
News_ office, full of tears and colonial beer, and said that his poor
father was dead, and that his mother thought I might perhaps lend her a
pound to help bury him.

The sub-editor (who was overjoyed at Bilger's demise) lent me ten
shillings, which I gave to Edward, and told him I was sorry to hear the
old man was dead. I am afraid my face belied my words.

THE VISION OF MILLI THE SLAVE

One day a message came over from Tetoro, King of Pare, in Tahiti, to
his vassal Mahua, chief of Tetuaroa,{*} saying, 'Get thee ready a great
feast, for in ten days I send thee my daughter Laea to be wife to thy
son Narue.

* Tetuaroa is an island about forty miles from Tahiti. It
was in those days (1808) part of the hereditary possessions
of the chief of Pare.

For Narue, the son of the chief of Tetuaroa, had long been smitten with
the beauty of Laea, and desired to make her his wife. Only once had
he seen her; but since then he had sent over many canoes laden with
presents, such as hogs and turtle, and great bunches of plantains, and
fine tappa cloth for her acceptance.

But Tetoro, her father, was a greedy man, and cried for more; and Mahua,
so that his son might gain his heart's desire, became hard and cruel to
the people of Tetuaroa.

Day after day he sent his servants to every village on the island
demanding from them all such things as would please the eye of Tetoro;
so that by-and-by there was but little left in their plantations, and
still less in their houses.

And so, with sullen faces and low murmurs of anger, the people yielded
up their treasures of mats and tappa cloth, and such other things that
the servants of the chief discovered in their dwellings, and watched
them carried away to appease the avarice of Tetoro the King.

One night, when they were gathered together in their houses, and the
tor