109

H.— 21.

E. T. BBANTING.

for her, and she certainly had a very strange way when I had her here, and 1 wanted to be quite sure she was fit to go to service. I thought also, Mrs. Bean being so much away from home, and having a large family of children, perhaps the situation would only make A worse than she was when I put her in the Samaritan Home. 150. Mrs. Bean says in her evidence that when she first met you accidentally you gave her a dreadful account of the girl: do you remember what you said to Mrs. Bean about the girl?—l cannot think 1 gave her a dreadful account of the girl. I said she had a very violent temper, that her mother had died in the asylum, and that 1 understood she was of immoral tendencies, and that possibly to put her to service would only be to increase the illegitimate population. 151. Did you use the words Mrs. Bean imputed to you—that before you got her back there would probably be a few bastards in the world? —I did not. 152. Is that, a word you are accustomed to at all?—It is not. 153. Probably you used the more polite equivalent, and the other word is not yours, but Mrs. Bean's?—lt is not mine. 154. When the girl came back the second time was she elevated to the first class?— Yes. i thought perhaps it would be quieter. She was very nervous, and very much like when I put her in the Samaritan Home. 155. Did you give her any more privileges or advantages than the ordinary girls in.the first class receive? —Beyond giving her a cup of tea and hot milk for supper, I do not think I did. 156. Did you go out of your way to show her special marks of favour? —No. 157. She says she was overwhelmed with the kindness she received here on the second visit? —Probably she was led to suppose she would not have kindness, and that might have astonished her. 158. Do the girls in the first class get more privileges than the girls in the second? —Oh, yes. 159. The girl was not accustomed to the first before, and may have mistaken the difference for kindness?— Probably. 160. She has regularly corresponded with you up to this inquiry, and I think she wrote to you when Mr. Fendall's name appeared in the papers? —Yes. 161. Was this letter Which I will read written after the agitation about the Home started: "My Dear Matron, —I hope you got my letter. I am writing to ask you if you will let Maple write to me instead of you, if you cannot find time. I would sooner you if you could. How are the bees? Have you had any more swarms? Dear Matron, I find this lot so hard to bear. To think what has happened and what, is still going on. Everybody knows it is me, although,.my name was not published. 1 feel as if I shall go mad. Dear Matron, as I am still under your charge, lam going to ask advice from you. You see by the papers the public are wanting to know why I preferred suicide to returning to the Home. Well, it was like this : I found it so hard to control myself while there, and also I was very unhappy, and among so many girls who were so very annoying, I found it hard to control my temper, and then I knew what awaited me, and that was strap, which. I dreaded after once having it. Well, I received much more kindness than ever I expected to receive, and then 1 was on the first class. Dear Matron, do you think a letter in the paper would satisfy the public for the reason I refused to return to the Home? I will wait your answer, hoping this will find you all well. No more for the present "? —Yes, evidently. 162. With regard to you holding back the leport which the Matron of the Samaritan Home gave you, Mrs. Bean suggested you suppressed it : will you explain how- it came to be held back ? —I was expecting Mr. Pope down from Wellington, and I held it until he came. 163. Did you want to talk the matter over with him?— Yes; I thought it was the simpler way. 164. If you had felt the girl was safe to go out, would .you have put any obstacle in the way? —No. 165. Did-you know Mrs. Bean would be away from the house a good deal on her parish work, and would leave this girl with the children ?—Yes; I thought it meant leaving A very much to herself. 166. Did you wish to get into any conflict with Mrs. Bean over the matter? —No; I had always had a great liking for Mrs. Bean up till then. 167. Was this one of the girls mixed up with the Quail Island episode?— Yes. 168. Did that influence you at all?—No; I had forgotten it, 169. A G says that on one occasion when she complained she was worked too hard she was thumped on the back, and waer'told she was always complaining : do you remember anything about that?—l do not. 170. Would you thump her on the back for making a complaint?—l do not remember ever doing it to her or any other girl. 171. She says that whenever she tried to do good the more everything went against her and the more the staff growled at her : were you aware at any time that the staff treated this girl differently from any of the others?—No; but she was a very uncontrollable girl. She was always working the other girls up, and then they retaliated. 172. She said that many times she had to eat raw artichokes because she was hungry : do you believe that?— No. 173. Was there any occasion when the hunger of the girl could not have been satisfied in the ordinary way?— No. 174. At no time have you been short of food?— No. The Government supplies us with everything we want. 175. She also said she had to hang out clothes in her bare feet when there was snow on the ground? I never heard of it before. Probably she took off her shoes raid stockings and did it, but I do not think anybody made her.