Page:Vailima Letters - Stevenson, Colvin - 1894.djvu/36

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10 VAILIMA LETTERS

all are gone — and my weeding in the article of being finished! Pity the sorrows of a planter.

I am, Sir, yours, and be jowned to you, The Planter, R. L. S.

Tuesday, 3rd.

I begin to see the whole scheme of letter- writing; you sit down every day and pour out an equable stream of twaddle.

This morning all my fears were fled, and all the trouble had fallen to the lot of Peni himself, who deserved it; my field was full of weeders; and I am again able to justify the ways of God. All morning I worked at the South Seas, and finished the chapter I had stuck upon on Satur day. Fanny, awfully hove-to with rheumatics and injuries received upon the field of sport and glory, chasing pigs, was unable to go up and down stairs, so she sat upon the back verandah, and my work was chequered by her cries. 'Paul, you take a spade to do that — dig a hole first. If you do that, you'll cut your foot off! Here, you boy, what you do there? You no get work? You go find Simelé; he give you work. Peni, you tell this boy he go find Simelé; suppose Simelé no give him work, you tell him go 'way. I no want him here. That boy no good.' — Peni (from the distance in reassuring tones), 'All right, sir!' — Fanny (after a long pause), 'Peni, you tell that boy go find Simelé! I no want him stand here

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