early riser, strong enough to slide on for half an
hour. It seemed almost impossible to believe that any one had been
sliding that morning within a few feet of where I sat working in a blaze
of sunshine, with my pretty grey and pink Australian parrot pluming
itself on the branch of a silver wattle close by, and "Joey," the tiny
monkey from Panama, sitting on the skirt of my gown, with a piece of its
folds arranged by himself shawl-wise over his glossy black shoulders. If
either of these tropical pets had been left out after four o'clock that
sunny day, they, would have been frozen to death before our supper time.

It was just on such a day as this, and in just such a bright mid-day
hour, that a distant neighbour of ours rode up to the garden gate,
leading a pack horse. Outside the saddle-bags, with which this animal
was somewhat heavily laden, could be plainly seen a beautiful new pair
of Oxford skates, glinting in the sunshine; and it must have been the
sight of these beloved implements which called forth the half-envious
remark from one of the gentlemen, "I suppose you have lots of skating up
at your place?"

"Well, not exactly at my station, but there is a capital lake ten miles
from my house where I am sure of a good day's skating any time between
June and August," answered Mr. C. H----, our newly arrived guest.

We all looked at each other. I believe I heaved a deep sigh, and dropped
my thimble, which "Joey" instantly seized, and with a low chirrup
of intense delight, commenced to poke down between the boards of the
verandah. It was too bad of us to give such broad hints by looks if not
by words. Poor Mr. C. H---- was a bachelor in those days: he had not
been at his little out-of-the-way homestead for some weeks, and was
ignorant of its resources in the way of firing (always an important
matter at a station), or even of tea and mutton. He had no
woman-servant, and was totally unprepared for an incursion of skaters;
and yet,--New Zealand fashion,--no sooner did he perceive that we were
all longing and pining for some skating, than he invited us all most
cordially to go up to his back-country run the very next day, with him,
and skate as long as we liked. This was indeed a delightful prospect,
the more especially as it happened to be only Monday, which gave us
plenty of time to be back again by Sunday, for our weekly service. We
made it a rule never to be away from home on that day, lest any of our
distant congreg