IN TASMANIA 



As I was not earning money, of course, I had hired a 

 horse by the week — very foolish, but really, the expenses 

 otherwise were so small, but I discovered the surround- 

 ing country and appreciated the gorgeous spot I had 

 dumped myself into. 



One morning I took up the only morning paper and 

 saw that a firm of solicitors, Messrs Butler, Mclntyre 

 & Butler, wanted a clerk — " one with a knowledge 

 of shorthand preferred." I had only learnt this at 

 school, as I have explained, and told this to the head 

 of the firm when I called. He took me on at two 

 pounds a week and told me that I should have four 

 weeks in which to practise my shorthand, and then they 

 only wanted it for correspondence. In the meantime 

 I was put on to keep the costs ledger, and make a fair 

 copy occasionally of a document. I developed a legal 

 hand and sometimes they would give me a deed to take 

 home and engross at threepence a folio. I would sit 

 up until two and three in the morning and earn perhaps 

 twelve-and-sixpence. With this coming, perhaps twice 

 a week, and no children then, the small cottage we 

 had was paid for, and instalments on some terrible 

 furniture bought on the hire system. I never saw 

 such stuff before or since. It couldn't have been made 

 by Chinamen, for they turn out quite decent stuff. The 

 chairs had a way of smashing — not simply breaking — 

 when my sixteen stone sat on them. It was a 

 business buying it all, for the husband and wife would 

 both join in and repeat one after the other any little 

 suggestion of an extra requirement. For instance, 

 I knew that I should have to chop wood — we did not 

 burn coal — and I ventured on saying that I should 

 have an axe. " A haxe," said the husband. " He 

 wants a haxe," repeated the wife, and that was 

 scheduled. Then came the all-important matter of 



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