I was thinking of your
pluck, for one thing, and your naturalness for another. I was also
thinking that we were having an awfully jolly walk."

"Yes, it is jolly, isn't it?" she answered, with that very "naturalness"
that he had applauded. "I'm enjoying it no end. Was that all you were
thinking?"

"Must I answer that question?"

"Certainly."

"I was thinking what a delightful speaking voice yours is. It must be
great as a singing one."

A slight flush came over her face.

"You must not pay me compliments, Mr Denham. I had a better opinion of
you. But I'm not musical at all. I haven't even got a piano, and if I
had I couldn't play it. `Utterly uneducated,' as I told you."

This was met by the same unbelieving head-shake.

"By the way, how many of you are there in the family?" he asked.

"You've seen all the family. My mother died when I was quite a wee
kiddie, so did a brother. I can't remember either of them. So you see
there are only the two of us."

"I suppose you get girl friends to visit you sometimes?"

"They'd be bored to death in a week. Besides, I haven't got any."

"How strange!"

"Yes, isn't it? But then, you see, I've never been to school, and am
seldom away from home. So I have neither time nor opportunity to make
them."

"You are a problem," he said, looking at her with a strange expression.

"Am I? Well, at any rate, now you know what to expect. But I don't
think you'll get bored, because you have strong interests of your own."

Denham was above uttering such a banality as that he could not get bored
if she was there, but he felt it all the same. A problem he had called
her. Yes, she was a problem indeed; and he would be surprised if she
were not the most interesting one with which he had ever been faced.

"Look," went on Verna, coming to a standstill and pointing with her
light _umzimbiti_ walking-stick. "That's not bad for a view."

They had emerged from the forest ravine and now stood on high ground.
The plains swept away to a line of round-topped hills, whose slopes were
intersected with similar forest-filled ravines to that behind them,
making dark stripes upon the bright green of the slope. It was a lovely
evening, and the sky was blue and cloudless.

"No; it's beautiful," he answered. "I came here that way, round the
back of that range."

"But that's the way to Makanya. You didn't come from Makanya?"

"No; I left it on the left. I wanted to find my