ressed
girlish-looking body approached, carrying a large folio under one arm--a
folio so bound that the neatly-mended and well-fitting little glove
which covered a very small hand could hardly reach to the bottom.

"Is your mistress in?"

"Yes, Miss," said Bob, whose face seemed to reflect the sweet, sunny
smile which greeted him. "I'll slip round and let you in."

"Oh!"

This was the utterance of the new arrival, as she saw the boy apparently
hurl himself over the iron balustrade of the area-steps, and plunge into
the dust-hole region beyond. But Bob had long practiced the keeping of
his equilibrium, as the polished slat of the iron rail proved, and,
instead of dashing out his brains on the stones, he reached the bottom
with a bound, and diving into the house, reappeared in a marvellously
short space of time at the front-door.

"She's in the dining-room, Miss," said Bob, making a rush at the folio,
and feasting his eyes the while on the natty fur-trimmed jacket and
little furry hat, whose hue harmonised admirably with the wavy dark
brown hair, neatly braided up beneath; for the visitor was remarkably
well-dressed, and her fresh young face set off everything so well that
no one thought of noticing that the dress had been turned, and that the
jacket's rough exterior had certainly last winter been upon the other
side.

Bob hurriedly closed the door, and ran into the chilly dining-room with
the folio, which he banged down on the table with--

"Here's Miss Heath, Miss;" and then darted out of the room, leaving the
two girls face to face. "They don't like me to see 'em cuddling," he
said with a grin; and, urged by the enormous amount of vitality that was
in him, Bob bounded to the kitchen stairs to slide down, and, directly
after, a gritty rubbing noise, made metrical to accompany the shrill
whistling of a tune, arose, the result of the fact that Bob Hartnup, the
doctor's boy, who clung to the house with the fidelity of a cat, was
cleaning the knives. Bob's facts were correct, if unrefined in
expression, for the two girls flew to each other's arms, and as they
kissed affectionately, each displayed tears in her eyes, while without
relinquishing hands, they sat down together near the window.

"No news, Janet?" whispered Richmond. Her visitor shook her head
slowly, gazing wistfully the while into her companion's eyes.

"We must wait, Rich dear. Africa is a horribly great place, and some
day we shall hear that h