84 REMINISCENCES OF 



had brought. My uncle dressed, and we pegged up 

 the hill to Mrs. Hutchinson's. It was then beginning 

 to blow. We had a pleasant dinner ; the verandah 

 was uninhabitable, so went into the nursery to have 

 coffee, and then were to walk all through the town 

 home to dress. When I saw how pitch dark it was, 

 and knew the difficulty of finding the way through 

 lanes and wynds in the daylight, I took fright with 

 only a servant ; so I popped my head into the dining- 

 room, and said, ' We shall meet at the ball, uncle,' 

 which meant, ' Will some one come with us ? ' So 

 Mr. Katon said, ' Stop, you are not going alone '. 

 So off he came ; patent-leather boots and gold-laced 

 trousers. It was an even downpour, the road in 

 puddles. Very soon the light went out, and off ran 

 the servant to get another. We floundered on. At 

 last, seeing a light, we rushed into a miserable 

 vegetable store (shop), where a black woman and 

 some children could give us no help, and to everybody 

 that passed Mr. Katon called out, ' Goldsmith ' (the 

 servant). At last a man with a light said, 'Sir, can 

 I be of any use ? I will show you your way ? ' ' Oh, 

 thank you to Mrs. Higgs.' ' Mrs. Sammy Higgs! ' 

 screamed Mailly, so proud of having learned the 

 ' Sammy ' from a black boy, when asking her way 

 in the morning. Our unknown preserver guided us 

 there, and remains unknown to this moment. . . . ' 



