e
stood looking him in the face as though her gaze would pierce and lay
bare every secret of his brain, a cold and terrible misgiving smote her.
She remembered the positive assertion made by Adrian before on this
head, and in Colvin's own presence. Dr Da Costa's remark, too, she
remembered; likewise her own misgiving, which act of distrust she had
since lamented to herself with bitter and remorseful tears. What if
this thing should be too true?

"But I have letters from him," she went on. "I have heard from him
twice--from Bloemfontein before he joined Commandant Botma. You must
have seen that extraordinary `double' of his, Adrian."

But Adrian was armed at this point too.

"See you now, Aletta?" he said. "It is very easy to get anything posted
in Bloemfontein. Plenty of people travel down there from Johannesburg.
As for that `double' idea, I thought at the time that the story was too
weak altogether. But now, I ask, does his `double' also know Miss
Wenlock? Anyhow, she seemed to be bidding him a very lingering farewell
on the _stoep_ of a house."

This seemed improbable. Still, grasping at the chance, Aletta flatly
refused to believe the statement. And then she rounded upon her cousin,
and for a space that estimable youth had a very bad time indeed. He had
invented this scandalous falsehood, she declared, had invented it out of
malice. She remembered his threats that day at Ratels Hoek; but such,
at any rate, had pointed to a more manly course than this traducing of
the absent. No, she did not and would not believe one word of the
story. Adrian could get away out of her sight and never look upon her
face again.

But she did believe it partly, and Adrian knew she did. He felt quite
secure now.

"Very well, Aletta," he answered, with a quiet dignity, "I will do as
you wish, and you need not be troubled with me any more. That is the
treatment I might have expected for opening your eyes to the--well,
trick that has been played upon you. Yet I don't see why you should
think me a liar; so it is only fair to give me the chance of proving my
words."

"But how are you going to prove them?" she asked, speaking quickly.

"In the best possible way. Will the evidence of your own eyes satisfy
you, Aletta?"

"I cannot refuse to believe my own eyes," she answered slowly. "That
is, in broad daylight," she added.

"Yes, of course. If you will go over to Johannesburg with me to-morrow
you shall be amply