258 
DUNEDIN 
CHAP. 
Two more days at Wanaka, then back to Queenstown 
again, and next morning I made my second journey to 
Paradise, which this time I really did reach. 
There were only other two passengers. Of the one 
I need say no more than that he exactly answered to 
Miss Austen’s description of Robert Lewars — “ he had 
a face and person of strong, sterling, natural insigni- 
ficance.” The other was a very grave, not to say 
saturnine personage, who conversed with an air of 
extreme sadness on many topics, as we journeyed on. 
I thought his pessimism was to have no relief ; but at 
last, our conversation meandering round to funerals (by 
a very natural pathway, considering his prevailing 
gloom), I discovered that there was a ray of light. 
The comparative cheapness of these in our modern 
days seemed to fill his soul with ineffable joy, and he 
became quite lively over the subject. I was irresist- 
ibly reminded of the famous advertisement, “ Why 
live, when you can be decently buried for £2 : 10s? ” 
and have my suspicions that he was its originator. 
When we parted the mystery of his unwonted interest 
in this topic was revealed to me, for he presented me 
with his card, on which was engraved, “ Thomas B , 
Undertaker, etc.,” and obligingly expressed his hope that 
we might meet again ! 
The first part of the twelve-mile drive was not 
pleasant. Following the course of a long valley, we 
had several rivers to cross, and a cold wind coming 
down from the snow peaks laid an icy hand upon 
us. I pitied the owners of the land, for we passed 
hundreds of rabbits before reaching Paradise through 
the Gates of Purgatory, and along the shores of 
Diamond Lake. It was growing dusk as we drove 
through a beautiful avenue of native beech trees with 
the ground underneath carpeted with ferns, and, under 
