le, passed off the time until 3.30. Then I
could hold on no longer. 30 minutes late. Had the secret oozed out? Were
they arrested? I got my horse, crossed the brook again, and rode hard
back to the Vaea cross roads, whence I was aware of white clothes
glancing in the other long straight radius of the quadrant. I turned at
once to return to the place of tryst; but D. overtook me, and almost
bore me down, shouting "Ride, ride!" like a hero in a ballad. Lady
Margaret and he were only come to shew the place; they returned, and the
rest of our party, reinforced by Captain Leigh and Lady Jersey, set on
for Malie. The delay was due to D.'s infinite precautions, leading them
up lanes, by back ways, and then down again to the beach road a hundred
yards further on.

It was agreed that Lady Jersey existed no more; she was now my cousin
Amelia Balfour. That relative and I headed the march; she is a charming
woman, all of us like her extremely after trial on this somewhat rude
and absurd excursion. And we Amelia'd or Miss Balfour'd her with great
but intermittent fidelity. When we came to the last village, I sent
Henry on ahead to warn the King of our approach and amend his
discretion, if that might be. As he left I heard the villagers asking
_which was the great lady_? And a little further, at the borders of
Malie itself, we found the guard making a music of bugles and conches.
Then I knew the game was up and the secret out. A considerable guard of
honour, mostly children, accompanied us; but, for our good fortune, we
had been looked for earlier, and the crowd was gone.

Dinner at the king's; he asked me to say grace, I could think of
none--never could; Graham suggested _Benedictus Benedicat_, at which I
leaped. We were nearly done, when old Popo inflicted the Atua howl (of
which you have heard already) right at Lady Jersey's shoulder. She
started in fine style.--"There," I said, "we have been giving you a
chapter of Scott, but this goes beyond the Waverley Novels." After
dinner, kava. Lady J. was served before me, and the king _drank last_;
it was the least formal kava I ever saw in that house,--no names called,
no show of ceremony. All my ladies are well trained, and when Belle
drained her bowl, the King was pleased to clap his hands. Then he and I
must retire for our private interview, to another house. He gave me his
own staff and made me pass before him; and in the interview, which was
long and delicate, he twice called me _a