26 My New Zealand Garden 



on my hands and knees, slowly at first, but faster 

 and faster, like John Gilpin, and I quickly realized 

 that there seemed nothing between me and death. 

 However, instinct (I claim nothing more) caused 

 me to flatten out, and by the aid of my shoe-tips 

 and very sore fingers I not only stopped, but 

 dragged myself up again, and experienced an 

 exquisite sensation of escape from something 

 terrible. One more error of judgment I must 

 recount, which is still fresh in my memory, and 

 ever will be. I undertook to spring a rat-trap 

 with my fingers and to get them out in time ; and 

 oh ! the two first joints of those sticky extremities ! 

 Shall I ever forget it ? Will those who heard me 

 ever forget it ? I soon had a small crowd round 

 me, and I thought I heard ' What a little fool !' 

 among the sympathizers. Suffice it to say that 

 I conceived the same opinion of myself, and have 

 ever since looked upon rat-traps as blessings in 

 disguise. The trap was ordered into the deepest 

 part of the pond, and some of my vanity was 

 simultaneously quenched. 



I had one dear girl friend at this time who 

 helped to retain in me some of the girlhood which 

 I would so gladly have exchanged for boyhood, 

 and although this bosom friend was a few years 

 my junior, still, she was my leader in all 

 that was best. We ran riot together when we 

 could meet, and spent our time chiefly on the 



