s, and that's saying a great deal, you
know," gaily.

The two were standing on the stoep together, about an hour after their
return. Bayfield was down at the kraals, counting in, and looking after
things in general, and, helping him, small Fred, who, however, was
cracking his long whip in such wise as to be rather less of a help than
a hindrance with the flocks. The unearthly beauty of the sunset glow
was already merging into the shade of the twilightless evening.

"I wish you were going to stay with us always, Mr Blachland," she went
on. "It would be so nice. If you and father were partners, for
instance, like Mr Barter and Mr Smith--only they squabble--why, then
you'd always be here."

He looked at her--mentally with a great start--but only for a second.
The frank, ingenuous, friendly affection of a child! That was what the
words, the tone, the straight glance of the sweet blue eyes expressed!
There was a tinge of melancholy in his voice as he replied:

"Now you flatter me, little Lyn. You would soon find a battered old
fogey like me can be a desperate bore." Then he proceeded to the
prosaic and homely occupation of filling and lighting his pipe, smiling
to himself sadly over her indignant disclaimer.

CHAPTER TEN.

AS GOOD AS HER WORD.

It was post day at Lannercost, and whereas the delivery of Her Majesty's
mails was only of weekly occurrence, the fact constituted a small event.
Such delivery was effected by the usual harmless necessary native, who
conveyed the mail bag by field and flood from the adjacent
Field-cornet's--in this instance from Earle's.

"It's just possible, Bayfield, I may hear something by this post which
may necessitate my leaving you almost immediately."

"Oh, hang it, Blachland! Are you at that game again? Where do you
think of moving to next, if not an impertinent question?"

"Up-country again. I've interests there still. And things are
beginning to look dickey. Lo Ben's crowd is turning restive again.
We've most of us thought all along that they were bound to force the old
man's hand. It's only a question of time."

"So?" And then they fell to talking over that and kindred questions,
until finally a moving object, away down the valley, but rapidly drawing
nearer, resolved itself into a mounted native.

The two men were sitting in the shade at the bottom of one of the
gardens, where Bayfield had been doing an odd job or two with a spade--
cutting out a water fur