dolin and his banjo, Stevenson’s Wrecker and Treasure Island, a notebook for a diary and rugs and clothes. And there was a lot of stuff handy in the boathouse. It was a glorious night. Bob and I had often been off with dad on the yacht, you know. We could do everything, and there was nothing to scare us about the night.
“Would you believe it, we managed it for a week. We got over to Birkenhead the first night, and lay up a creek, and first thing in the morning we went and bought all the food we could carry. Then we had to hide for the day. The next night we got out of the harbour. We were awfully scared we would be nabbed, but we learned afterwards that mother, terrified out of her wits, would do nothing till dad got back, and wouldn’t allow Bishop Lorrimer to do anything either. Oh, I forgot to say I’d left a note to dad, which mother, of course, read, saying sweetly that I was running away with Bob Lorrimer. I did not see at the time what a thunderbolt that would be. And mother was more afraid of the scandal than she was of our health. We ran away on the Saturday night, and it was Monday morning before dad knew. That let us clear Auckland harbour and get up the coast.
“You know, it was just wonderful! We had to travel at night, row and sail, and sleep by day hidden at the backs of the bays in little creeks. And I said the weather god loved us, for it was the most beautiful week, and the phosphorus out there in the channel at night! And of course there never were such stars! I can thrill with it all now. I never thought of the relatives. I knew they could do no more to me. But Bob was scared at first and did not get reckless till the third day. He really was a fine old Red Indian, and we were just a pair of sweet kids, with no idea what was being said about us. Well, we came to the end of our food, and to our last night. We
