My New Zealand Garden 27 



bare backs of my mother's horses, which were 

 quiet though groggy. Tilting at the ring, stand- 

 ing on their backs, and endeavouring to get on 

 and off by the aid of a surcingle, afforded us 

 intense happiness. We had four of this class 

 of quadruped, so that when one pair was wanted 

 for the carriage we could still continue our antics. 

 I know that these meetings were considered almost 

 too blissful by my good mother, who thought that 

 pleasure should fill up only the very smallest 

 crevices of life ; consequently, our meetings were 

 not so frequent as they could have been. I am 

 quite sure that my dear mother had no idea to 

 what lengths Satan went to fill my idle hands 

 with mischief to stuff the gaping crevices of my 

 time. 



My brothers had a resident tutor, or even two 

 sometimes, and it has often occurred to me that 

 my governess might have had a very gay time 

 had she wished, for her occupation of looking 

 after me was rather a sinecure. I much preferred 

 my brothers' companionship, for we were insepar- 

 able, although I was most deeply attached to, and 

 dearly loved, one lady who was with us for some 

 years. But I often lost sight of her, and some- 

 times my holidays were so long that those of 

 Christmas joined those of midsummer. Of course, 

 I was a harum-scarum tomboy, but my dear 

 mother had no misgivings on that account, and 



