tartling experience, he went on to tell her what the reader has yet to
learn--how he awoke in the broad light of day to find himself surrounded
by armed natives, friendly to himself, however, who, of course, acting
under orders from the Umlimo, had escorted him to within safe distance
of Bulawayo.

Unconsciously their tones--he narrating, she commenting upon the
narrative--became soft. Their glances, too, seemed to say something
more than words. Both, in fact, were back again in imagination, roaming
the wilds together, alone. They seemed to lose themselves in the
recollection, oblivious of the presence of a third party.

The said third party, however, was by no means oblivious of them. Her
ear weighed every tone, her keen eye noted every glance, every
expression, and she grew proportionately venomous. Yet, looking at the
man, she could hardly wonder at Nidia's preference, and the
uncomfortable consciousness was forced upon her that whoever might be
the object of it, this man or any other, her own feeling would be just
the same--one of acute powerless jealousy, to wit, that any should ever
stand before herself in her darling's preferences.

"Don't go," said Nidia, putting forth a hand to detain him, for his
story had run on late, and he was rising with an apology. "Stay and
have dinner with us. It's siege fare, but even then a little more
varied than our precarious ration under the rocks--not that one did not
positively enjoy that at the time," she added with a laugh. He joined
in.

"Did you? I'm sure I did. Considering we were without any adjuncts,
your cooking was marvellous, Nidia."

"Nidia" again! Heavens! It had come to that, then! Susie Bateman's
hair nearly rose on end.

"Well, you shall see if it is any better now," went on the girl, airily.
"Oh, I do hope none of those stupid men will drop in. I want to have a
nice long talk."

"You haven't found them so stupid up till now, Nidia," struck in Susie
Bateman. "Why, there isn't an evening some of them haven't been in to
cheer us up."

This for the benefit of John Ames, to whom the speaker divined it might
in some way not be palatable. He for his part noted that she did not
second the invitation, but he had reached that stage when he really
didn't care to consider any Susie Bateman overmuch. Wherefore he
accepted. But the latter, for her part, was resolved to pursue the
campaign, and that vigorously, and to this end she never left them for