CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 125 



So when I got to their room which opens out of 

 the kitchen, two figures stood at the door, wrapped 

 head and all in folds of white muslin, looking 

 very much like the old pictures of Lazarus, 

 rising from the grave. Poor things! they seemed 

 pleased and cheered at seeing me. Both have 

 been ill for some days, the one suffering from 

 chickenpox, and the other from influenza and 

 fever, and we have been at the mercy of the 

 kitchen cooly as regards cooking, and the horse- 

 keeper as regards washing up, whilst I have 

 been house parlour maid. These are little con- 

 tretemps which ladies going to the Colonies 

 must expect, but it isn't often one has the 

 bad luck to have both bungalow servants laid 

 up at the same time. 



The kitchen was not nearly so bad as I 

 expected, and everything seemed clean and tidy 

 and orderly, but the fire-place was a real 

 curiosity. Picture to yourself a broad stone 

 shelf, four feet high, extending the whole width 

 of the room. On this the wood fire is made. 

 Whilst iron bars laid on bricks support the 

 saucepans and in one corner is a clay oven. 

 When I saw it, there was only a small fire 

 in the middle of the shelf, but obviously this 

 could be extended to any width you might 

 require, according to the number of saucepans 

 in use. I have often seen a fire on the hearth 

 in Wales and Scotland, to say nothing of 



