one of the twins, but not both at once."

"Of course," agreed Bob.

He was strangely unlike his usual cheerful self, but he roused
himself, as every one seemed to be looking at him, and added,
"Could the children be ready to go back with me soon?"

"Stay till the heat is over, and drive home in the cool with them,"
suggested Mr. Orban. "I'll say good-bye for the present; I'm due at
the plantation."

Eustace was left alone with Bob, for the others went with their
mother to watch her preparations for their departure.

"Well, old man," questioned Bob from the depths of a cane chair,
where he had flung himself for a quiet smoke, "what's up?"

Eustace stood staring at him.

"I say," he said with some difficulty, "it's beastly about father
going, isn't it?"

"Rather," said Bob carelessly. "Mrs. Orban will feel awfully dull."

"That isn't the worst of it," said the lad mysteriously.

"Really?" questioned Bob indifferently, as he packed his pipe with
great apparent interest.

"You know it isn't, Bob," Eustace broke out desperately.

"Do I?" questioned Bob lazily, but with a shrewd glance at the
thin, pale face before him. "Why, what's the trouble?"

"It's the black-fellows," Eustace said in a half whisper.

Bob raised his eyebrows a little, and was again attentive to his
pipe.

"Indeed?" he said; "what about them?"

"They are all round us in the scrub; you never know where they
are," Eustace said with a gulp.

"They always are, and one never does," said Bob lightly. "I don't
see that it matters. Are you in a funk about them?"

The cool question brought crimson to Eustace's cheeks.

"No," he said sturdily, "but they are a fearfully low grade lot,
and--and they have done some awful things in lonely places, out of
revenge, on white people."

Bob looked up sharply.

"What do you know about it?" he asked in a voice that sounded
almost stern.

"The servants--Kate and Mary--have told us stories," Eustace
explained.

"Oh, they have, have they?" Bob positively snorted in indignation.
"Then they deserve to be sacked."

He was silent a long time, puffing out volumes of smoke, then he
said suddenly,--

"Look here, Eustace, don't get stupid and frightened about the
black-fellows. Your father has never done them any harm; they have
nothing to revenge here, for he hasn't interfered with any of
them."

"But Kate says that doesn't matter," Eustace said dismally. "She
says they have a deadly hatred against al