6 4 



HA WAIL 



[letter VII. 



one must ride, or travel in a litter. People are very kind to 

 each other. Horses, dresses, patterns, books, and articles of 

 domestic use, are lent and borrowed continually. The small- 

 ness of the society and the close proximity are too much like 

 a ship. People know everything about the details of each 

 other's daily life, income, and expenditure, and the day's doings 

 of each member of the little circle are matters for conversation. 

 Indeed, were it not for the volcano and its doings, conversation 

 might degenerate into mere gossip. There is an immense deal 

 of personal talk; the wonder is that there is not more ill-nature. 

 Not only is what everybody does in Hilo common property, 

 but the sayings, doings, goings, comings, and purchases of every 

 one in all the other islands are common property also, made so 

 by letters and oral communication. It is all very amusing, 

 but not always kindly, and human interests are always 

 interesting; but it has its perilous side. The foreigners are 

 very kind to each other. There is no distress which is not 

 alleviated. There is no nurse, and in cases of sickness the 

 ladies take it by turns to wait on the sufferer by day and night 

 for weeks, and even months. Such inevitable mutual depend- 

 ence of course promotes friendliness. 



The foreigners live very simply. The eating-rooms are used 

 solely for eating, the "parlours " are always cheerful and tasteful, 

 and the bedrooms very pretty, adorned with all manner of 

 knick-knacks made by the ladies, who are indescribably deft 

 with their fingers. Light Manilla matting is used instead of 

 carpets. A Chinese man-cook, who leaves at seven in the 

 evening, is the only servant, except in one or two cases, where, 

 as here, a native woman condescends to come in during the 

 day as a nurse. In the morning, the ladies in their fresh pretty 

 wrappers and ruffled white aprons, sweep and dust the rooms, 

 and I never saw women look more truly graceful and refined 

 than they do, when engaged in the plain prose of these domestic 

 duties. They make all their own dresses, and when any lady 

 is busy and wants a dress in a hurry, two or three of them meet 

 and make it for her. I never saw people live such easy, 

 pleasant lives. They have such good health, for one thing, 

 partly no doubt because their domestic duties give them whole- 

 some exercise without pressing upon them. They have abound- 

 ing leisure for reading, music, choir practising, drawing, fern- 

 printing, fancy work, picnics, riding parties, and enjoy sociability 

 thoroughly. They usually ride in dainty bloomer costumes 

 even when they don't ride astride. All the houses are pretty, 



